Mid-Service Training in Pohnpei

So last week I attended a week long Peace Corps conference on the neighboring island of Pohnpei. It was the first time I got to see the origional group of volunteers that first came to Micronesia with me. Here are two pictures:

(To my left is Trevor, serving on an outer island of the Mortlocks in Chuuk and my right, Kirby, who is on the lagoon island of Chuuk.)

From Left to Right: Dan, serving in the Mortlocks

in Chuuck, Me, Chrisa, serving in Palau, Catherine, serving on an Outer Island of Ulitithi in Yap (and from Santa Fe) and Rob serving on an outer island of Palau

Upward Bound

As a secondary project I am a tutor and part time instructor to the Upward Bound program on Kosrae. We meet for study hall two nights a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every Saturday the students attend extra classes. I typically only assist for the study hall but whenever a teacher is absent on Saturdays I fill in.

My UP Students singing a christmas song with my classrooms piano.

My First Graders

So far this year I have been teaching 1st and 8th grade. Here are two pictures of my 1st graders.

These are my 1st graders during our Oral Communication class. We memorize questions and answers like How old are you? What is your favorite local food? What months are we in...

From Left to Right: Diana, CJ, Ludia, Jeff, EJ, and Lipnae.

MO and KOA

Here are two more additions...

Oranges (MO in Kosraen) are delicious and are only found on Kosrae. Whenever Kosraens travel to a neighboring island they always bring Oranges as gifts. These oranges are outside the front door of my house.

In my last blog post I showed images and coconuts. This is the Coconut Stake (KOA) that Kosraens use to husk the coconuts. This task is only performed by Kosraen males. My host dad can probably husk ten coconuts a minute.

Pigs...

Another very important thing to Kosraen are pigs. These pigs are approxomately 20 feet behind my house. It's always fun chasing them when they break down the fencing keeping them in.

The little red Piglet is my host mom's.

Kaki Continued

Since Coconuts are so abundant here, Kaki, the meat or insides of the coconut is a very valuable resource.

This is what Kosraens sit on to grate the Kaki out of the coconuts.

This is a coconut with all the Kaki taken out. We then use this for lighting fires when me make "oom" for Breadfruit, or Fafa, or Crief, just to think of a fiew.

Fafa and Kaki

Continuing with the food theme, here are two more things I eat on a regular basis.

Kaki

You take the insides of a aged coconut and squeeze it with with tiny ropes put together from the outside of Coconuts. It creates a liquid substance as shown in the basin. Kosraens use this for many dishes such as below.

Fafa

A traditional Kosraen dish with the Kaki squeezed on top. To make Fafa you pound Taro with Bananas and sugar in a traditional Kosraen fashion.