For those interested, the tins have been washed and put in a less inviting place.
Jo
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
The art of ... war?
We heard an alarming scuffle break out in the kitchen. Was it rats? Night crawlers? The poltergeist from our car moving inside? Closer inspection proved it to be none of the above. Though small, geckoes can make a whole lotta noise if they decide to kill each other/ flirt outrageously in our newly inherited, inappropriately stored old cooking tins. They appeared to be taking it in turns to try and chew off each others' head.
For those interested, the tins have been washed and put in a less inviting place.
Jo
For those interested, the tins have been washed and put in a less inviting place.
Jo
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Ben's most recent email epic.. slightly edited.
Dear family and friends,
After a long break from decent email communication, for no particularly good reason, I have decided to inflict my thoughts upon you all. Thanks for being such willing inflictees.
Today is one of those days where 10 metres of rain a year seems like an underestimate. I have just watched the island across the lagoon from our house be engulfed in a black sheet of rain. It travelled towards me, covering the kilometre or two in a few minutes, and collided against our house so loudly poor Thom Yorke on the stereo was drowned out completely. He probably would have something to say about that, but I couldn't hear it.
We walked to a spectacular waterfall on Sunday morning, about 30 minutes drive (which took me nearly an hour because I foolishly give way to oncoming trucks, pedestrians and meandering pigs) and 1 hours walk away, on the east side of the island in Madolenhimw. (I think the Pohnpeians can proudly say they have recreated the feeling of a mouthful of peanut butter in their language, with their alphabet containing such chewy digraphs as oa, mw, ng and pw. Pronunciation of mw is described as 'velarised voiced bilabial nasal'. Yes, I have bought a Pohnpeian dictionary.)
Anyway, the waterfall was beautiful, about 15 metres high and pluming out of a narrow channel carved into the rock at the cliff top. We swam in the cool, deep, thankfully eel-free pool at the bottom, washing away the grime of the muddy and muggy walk. We had enjoyed it from the top about 30 minutes previously, as the route was not clear, and being a dense tropical jungle, the paths tend to become overgrown, even as you are standing on them. We just popped out of the jungle and there it was, the beautiful inviting pool just a shimmy up the nearby palm tree and a 20 metre leap away. 007 would have done it (not the new one though, he is a bit soft don't you think?). We now have the GPS coordinates for easy access next time.
It is breadfruit season here at the moment. Apparently there are 5 seasons a year so I guess that is no big deal. This is 'the' season however. If I enjoyed eating them I would be in gustatory paradise. Just wait around, anywhere, for 5 minutes and a breadfruit or two will be delivered at your feet from the heavens. It is such a shame they have the flavour and texture of plasticine. The most popular way of preparing them in our neighbouring island of Chuuk is to bury them in the ground for 6 months and let them rot. Thus, preserved breadfruit, which is the traditional staple of pacific islander nations embarking on oceanic travels. Due to the impossible popularity of Spam and rice, however, most breadfruit lies where it falls, slowly giving its plasticiney goodness back to the earth, and its week-old fruit salad aroma to the nostrils of anybody within a few kilometres. This is a smallish island, with billions of breadfruit (In a moment of contemplation, I estimated upon one of the trees next to our house more than 1000 of the wee blighters. I looked up the hill behind our house and saw dozens more trees, most bigger and equally densely packed. That's a lot of breadfruit.) Nobody eats them much, except one nice little restaurant (called 'Joy', isn't that pretty) fries them as chips which taste pretty good. I put them in the same category as taro. Stupendously starchy foods which could sustain a whole civilisation in abundance, but just not that tasty. We created a taro dip to serve at a dinner party we gave, and 1 taro of about 1 kg expanded into a monstrous slurry of carbohydrated goodness which filled a 5 litre Tupperware container, stalling our blender and resisting my best efforts at liquefying further. Each mouthful required a lie down afterwards. Beware.
Food does play an important role in our lives here, with the scarcity/abundance thing making every trip to the market exciting. There is a pretty regular supply of vegies available, but the real treat is the seasonal oddities that people have planted. Agriculture is not huge here, and there is still a lot of practising to get it right. We are getting avocadoes (the size of 1.25 litre coke bottles), pineapples, and tomatoes at the moment. The Chinese embassy have set up a farm to demonstrate how most things can be grown here. We suspect they have to be watched though, as the tomatoes which have recently been available are very, very perfect perfect... I wonder what on earth they have to spray on them to get them that way? It's a dilemma, as I like tomatoes a lot, and the usual imported offerings have spent a long time on a boat from the USA and often pick themselves up off the shelves into your basket.
The Chinese have a large presence here, building large buildings for the government which remain empty for years as nobody quite knows what to do with them, can't afford to run or maintain them, or just don't need them. Jo and I were in the Pohnpei Community Choir which performed at the FSM College (University) in their glorious, Chinese provided gymnasium (it really is spectacular, big digital scoreboards, sprung timber floor, stadium seating). We had to move the stage though, as half the light bulbs were out which made big dark patches. There are none of the special light bulbs on the island to replace them, and if there was, no-one has a ladder long enough to reach them. Apparently there is scaffolding which can be erected to reach them, but it takes 2 days, and nobody seems to know exactly where it is or how to do it.
I acquired a copy of a collection of student essays from the College, on the theme of 'How To Cook a Dog'. Dog is traditionally eaten here, and there are lots of them about, all non-desexed and rooting all the time. It is not uncommon to see dogs 'stuck together' after a bit of action. One couple on the road into town were stuck together for 2 days, but they seemed to just go about their normal business, but walking with a kind of self-conscious sideways shuffle. There are lots of cute puppies, and lots of mangy, nasty cursed beasts of satan.
I like dogs, but not barbecued. The essays make for fascinating reading, as the students are from throughout the FSM, and represent several different cultures. The FSM is a relatively new, artificial political construct which lumped together different regions for ease of administration. They all eat dog though, but I get the feeling it is a relatively new practice, as most of the 'recipes' suggest eating it with soy sauce and lime (kalamansi) juice, washed down with Budweiser. Hmmm, when is a cultural 'tradition' old enough to justify what I think is pretty nasty behaviour? Gandhi apparently said that you can judge a civilisation on the way it treats its animals.
[Ed. comment from Jo : Ben eats cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. And fish. And ducks. And many other animals. So do I. He is being a little cuturally judgemental for my liking. Although admittedly I wouldn't like to eat a dog. Especially not my brother's dog, Ralph.]
Jo has just booked a flight to Kosrae for us, for this Friday for a week. Yay! Dan (see the link to his blog on our blog) is having a significant birthday, and as he no longer lives here the party is in Kosrae, which is the next major island east. They apparently have beautiful sandy beaches, and I plan to become SCUBA certified there. I had an extremely persistent (and gross) ear problem for the first few months here, which just about sent me loopy with partial random deafness in either or both ears. It has been gone for a month now, so hopefully that is the end of it and I can learn to dive! I can't wait to get away from this tropical island to another tropical island.
I finally submitted my last assessment piece yesterday, after 2 months of way too little hammocking. Yay for me! Beers for breakfast again!
Ben
After a long break from decent email communication, for no particularly good reason, I have decided to inflict my thoughts upon you all. Thanks for being such willing inflictees.
Today is one of those days where 10 metres of rain a year seems like an underestimate. I have just watched the island across the lagoon from our house be engulfed in a black sheet of rain. It travelled towards me, covering the kilometre or two in a few minutes, and collided against our house so loudly poor Thom Yorke on the stereo was drowned out completely. He probably would have something to say about that, but I couldn't hear it.
We walked to a spectacular waterfall on Sunday morning, about 30 minutes drive (which took me nearly an hour because I foolishly give way to oncoming trucks, pedestrians and meandering pigs) and 1 hours walk away, on the east side of the island in Madolenhimw. (I think the Pohnpeians can proudly say they have recreated the feeling of a mouthful of peanut butter in their language, with their alphabet containing such chewy digraphs as oa, mw, ng and pw. Pronunciation of mw is described as 'velarised voiced bilabial nasal'. Yes, I have bought a Pohnpeian dictionary.)
Anyway, the waterfall was beautiful, about 15 metres high and pluming out of a narrow channel carved into the rock at the cliff top. We swam in the cool, deep, thankfully eel-free pool at the bottom, washing away the grime of the muddy and muggy walk. We had enjoyed it from the top about 30 minutes previously, as the route was not clear, and being a dense tropical jungle, the paths tend to become overgrown, even as you are standing on them. We just popped out of the jungle and there it was, the beautiful inviting pool just a shimmy up the nearby palm tree and a 20 metre leap away. 007 would have done it (not the new one though, he is a bit soft don't you think?). We now have the GPS coordinates for easy access next time.
It is breadfruit season here at the moment. Apparently there are 5 seasons a year so I guess that is no big deal. This is 'the' season however. If I enjoyed eating them I would be in gustatory paradise. Just wait around, anywhere, for 5 minutes and a breadfruit or two will be delivered at your feet from the heavens. It is such a shame they have the flavour and texture of plasticine. The most popular way of preparing them in our neighbouring island of Chuuk is to bury them in the ground for 6 months and let them rot. Thus, preserved breadfruit, which is the traditional staple of pacific islander nations embarking on oceanic travels. Due to the impossible popularity of Spam and rice, however, most breadfruit lies where it falls, slowly giving its plasticiney goodness back to the earth, and its week-old fruit salad aroma to the nostrils of anybody within a few kilometres. This is a smallish island, with billions of breadfruit (In a moment of contemplation, I estimated upon one of the trees next to our house more than 1000 of the wee blighters. I looked up the hill behind our house and saw dozens more trees, most bigger and equally densely packed. That's a lot of breadfruit.) Nobody eats them much, except one nice little restaurant (called 'Joy', isn't that pretty) fries them as chips which taste pretty good. I put them in the same category as taro. Stupendously starchy foods which could sustain a whole civilisation in abundance, but just not that tasty. We created a taro dip to serve at a dinner party we gave, and 1 taro of about 1 kg expanded into a monstrous slurry of carbohydrated goodness which filled a 5 litre Tupperware container, stalling our blender and resisting my best efforts at liquefying further. Each mouthful required a lie down afterwards. Beware.
Food does play an important role in our lives here, with the scarcity/abundance thing making every trip to the market exciting. There is a pretty regular supply of vegies available, but the real treat is the seasonal oddities that people have planted. Agriculture is not huge here, and there is still a lot of practising to get it right. We are getting avocadoes (the size of 1.25 litre coke bottles), pineapples, and tomatoes at the moment. The Chinese embassy have set up a farm to demonstrate how most things can be grown here. We suspect they have to be watched though, as the tomatoes which have recently been available are very, very perfect perfect... I wonder what on earth they have to spray on them to get them that way? It's a dilemma, as I like tomatoes a lot, and the usual imported offerings have spent a long time on a boat from the USA and often pick themselves up off the shelves into your basket.
The Chinese have a large presence here, building large buildings for the government which remain empty for years as nobody quite knows what to do with them, can't afford to run or maintain them, or just don't need them. Jo and I were in the Pohnpei Community Choir which performed at the FSM College (University) in their glorious, Chinese provided gymnasium (it really is spectacular, big digital scoreboards, sprung timber floor, stadium seating). We had to move the stage though, as half the light bulbs were out which made big dark patches. There are none of the special light bulbs on the island to replace them, and if there was, no-one has a ladder long enough to reach them. Apparently there is scaffolding which can be erected to reach them, but it takes 2 days, and nobody seems to know exactly where it is or how to do it.
I acquired a copy of a collection of student essays from the College, on the theme of 'How To Cook a Dog'. Dog is traditionally eaten here, and there are lots of them about, all non-desexed and rooting all the time. It is not uncommon to see dogs 'stuck together' after a bit of action. One couple on the road into town were stuck together for 2 days, but they seemed to just go about their normal business, but walking with a kind of self-conscious sideways shuffle. There are lots of cute puppies, and lots of mangy, nasty cursed beasts of satan.
I like dogs, but not barbecued. The essays make for fascinating reading, as the students are from throughout the FSM, and represent several different cultures. The FSM is a relatively new, artificial political construct which lumped together different regions for ease of administration. They all eat dog though, but I get the feeling it is a relatively new practice, as most of the 'recipes' suggest eating it with soy sauce and lime (kalamansi) juice, washed down with Budweiser. Hmmm, when is a cultural 'tradition' old enough to justify what I think is pretty nasty behaviour? Gandhi apparently said that you can judge a civilisation on the way it treats its animals.
[Ed. comment from Jo : Ben eats cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. And fish. And ducks. And many other animals. So do I. He is being a little cuturally judgemental for my liking. Although admittedly I wouldn't like to eat a dog. Especially not my brother's dog, Ralph.]
Jo has just booked a flight to Kosrae for us, for this Friday for a week. Yay! Dan (see the link to his blog on our blog) is having a significant birthday, and as he no longer lives here the party is in Kosrae, which is the next major island east. They apparently have beautiful sandy beaches, and I plan to become SCUBA certified there. I had an extremely persistent (and gross) ear problem for the first few months here, which just about sent me loopy with partial random deafness in either or both ears. It has been gone for a month now, so hopefully that is the end of it and I can learn to dive! I can't wait to get away from this tropical island to another tropical island.
I finally submitted my last assessment piece yesterday, after 2 months of way too little hammocking. Yay for me! Beers for breakfast again!
Ben
Monday, 18 June 2007
walkies
The weekend before last Ben was finishing up his exams, and it was imperative for both of us that I leave the house for an extended period of time.
Luckily, I had arranged with some friends to go on a walk around a little island to the east of Pohnpei, about a 30 min drive from our house. It was a lovely day, fun to go exploring and the island is a really cool place. There are no cars, you access it via a causeway and then there is a little stone path that rings around it. It only rained once, the rest of the time was dazzling sunshine! The walk is actually a series of two islands, a small-ish one and then a much bigger one. We pushed on to the bigger one, but the path doesn't go the whole way round. So we walked until we had enough, then turned back. If I had a boat, this would be a very cool place to live!
We stolled past a lot of pineapple patches on the island. This one is pretty much growing out of sea water. Amazing!
I'm still dazzled by all the tropical flowers. These aren't particularly showy, but I think they're pretty! Of course, in a place that can actually grow divine flowers year round, the most popular choice for indoor flowers are.... plastic roses.
Jo
Luckily, I had arranged with some friends to go on a walk around a little island to the east of Pohnpei, about a 30 min drive from our house. It was a lovely day, fun to go exploring and the island is a really cool place. There are no cars, you access it via a causeway and then there is a little stone path that rings around it. It only rained once, the rest of the time was dazzling sunshine! The walk is actually a series of two islands, a small-ish one and then a much bigger one. We pushed on to the bigger one, but the path doesn't go the whole way round. So we walked until we had enough, then turned back. If I had a boat, this would be a very cool place to live!
We stolled past a lot of pineapple patches on the island. This one is pretty much growing out of sea water. Amazing!
I'm still dazzled by all the tropical flowers. These aren't particularly showy, but I think they're pretty! Of course, in a place that can actually grow divine flowers year round, the most popular choice for indoor flowers are.... plastic roses.
Jo
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Black Coral Resort
This weekend Ben and I went to Black Coral, a VERY small atoll off the coast of Pohnpei. We went with 12 other adults and 2 kiddies, and booked out the whole island (told you it was small!!). We arrived Saturday morning and stayed overnight. It was wonderful. Admittedly, we took about as much stuff as we did when we departed Australia, but we didn't want to starve.... and tragedy still struck when we ran out of beer. We had other back-ups, but sometimes beer is all you feel like. Lucky there were more seasoned veterans of the overnight stay who generously provided a couple more. Then it was G+T - to stop the malaria, you know. It's medicine.
We spent the days snorkeling, playing 500 and scrabble and snoozing. And eating filled significant potions of our time.
The water was 30-32 degrees Celsius, depending on if you were up or down current from Ben... only kidding. There were cold bits in the channel! Used to the bracing freshness of the South Coast, I would have thought that temperature would be too warm, and not refreshing. But no. It was perfect.
We saw seven sharks on one expedition to the reef drop off, which is about 50m from shore. They were white tipped reef sharks, not dangerous or particularly large. I still swam and hovered right next to David when one of them appeared to be heading my way... I'm so brave.
Here are some random photos of the weekend.
The weekend was almost tainted when we got the boat back to the island and our car wouldn't start. Being marooned on the edge of Kitti is not my idea of fun, and there is no NRMA/RACV to call to come and get you! David and Alison bravely offered to tow us back to town.... with a car full of gear, 2 children and 2 Russian friends packed into their 4WD! Driving on Pohnpei is terrifying at the best of times, so this was going above and beyond to call! We made it back safely (Ben and David are great drivers! hooray!) and the car is being fixed.
Coming back to our place, we noticed just how much our temperature sensitivities have changed. We sleep with the air-conditioning on at night to stop mould growing on everything we own. I turned it on, went to the kitchen, came back, and started shivering. It was so cold! Our air-con is set to 24 degrees.
I don't think I can ever go home.
Jo
We spent the days snorkeling, playing 500 and scrabble and snoozing. And eating filled significant potions of our time.
The water was 30-32 degrees Celsius, depending on if you were up or down current from Ben... only kidding. There were cold bits in the channel! Used to the bracing freshness of the South Coast, I would have thought that temperature would be too warm, and not refreshing. But no. It was perfect.
We saw seven sharks on one expedition to the reef drop off, which is about 50m from shore. They were white tipped reef sharks, not dangerous or particularly large. I still swam and hovered right next to David when one of them appeared to be heading my way... I'm so brave.
Here are some random photos of the weekend.
The weekend was almost tainted when we got the boat back to the island and our car wouldn't start. Being marooned on the edge of Kitti is not my idea of fun, and there is no NRMA/RACV to call to come and get you! David and Alison bravely offered to tow us back to town.... with a car full of gear, 2 children and 2 Russian friends packed into their 4WD! Driving on Pohnpei is terrifying at the best of times, so this was going above and beyond to call! We made it back safely (Ben and David are great drivers! hooray!) and the car is being fixed.
Coming back to our place, we noticed just how much our temperature sensitivities have changed. We sleep with the air-conditioning on at night to stop mould growing on everything we own. I turned it on, went to the kitchen, came back, and started shivering. It was so cold! Our air-con is set to 24 degrees.
I don't think I can ever go home.
Jo
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Something more cheerful
On the way into town Ben pointed out a very funny 'site' - the new US Embassy.
Hee hee. this says "Embassy of the United States"
I love how eco friendly it is. Although I wonder how the soldiers could use the metal detector effectively at the entrance.
With official buildings like this, I wonder why signing the Kyoto protocol is such a big deal.
Jo
Hee hee. this says "Embassy of the United States"
I love how eco friendly it is. Although I wonder how the soldiers could use the metal detector effectively at the entrance.
With official buildings like this, I wonder why signing the Kyoto protocol is such a big deal.
Jo
Homer didn't make it
Sadly, the little puppy died before I got home from work yesterday.
He didn't appear to be in pain, just very weak, and took his last breath in Ben's arms, which I think is a pretty good way to go. I guess he was just too young to be away from his mother.
It's amazing how attached you can get to a little creature in just a few days..... we are both very upset.
A low percentage of puppies make it here, I guess that's just part of life. There are still lots and lots of dogs, but a lot more than that are born.
He didn't appear to be in pain, just very weak, and took his last breath in Ben's arms, which I think is a pretty good way to go. I guess he was just too young to be away from his mother.
It's amazing how attached you can get to a little creature in just a few days..... we are both very upset.
A low percentage of puppies make it here, I guess that's just part of life. There are still lots and lots of dogs, but a lot more than that are born.
Monday, 28 May 2007
Puppy
Our downstairs neighbours have a new puppy - called Homer. He is so very very cute! He is allegedly a month old, but he looks much younger than that to me. Apparently, his mother was killed by a car which is why he's been taken away so young.
Unfortunately, although he was full of beans when he first arrived a few days ago, he is now very listless and we are really worried about him. We have fed him, made him a bed, picked off his fleas (and maggots - ew! but I think he just rolled in those!) and had lots of cuddles but he isn't responding. It's breaking our hearts. He just lies around looking sad and this morning we had to feed him with a syringe. There is no vet on the island at the moment.
Does anyone know of anything else we could do? I haven't had a puppy since 1986........
These are the other dogs we live with. They are being very nice to Homer.
This is the appropriately named Brownie.
Amazingly, the black dog is called Blackie. The other one is called Back.
Jo
Unfortunately, although he was full of beans when he first arrived a few days ago, he is now very listless and we are really worried about him. We have fed him, made him a bed, picked off his fleas (and maggots - ew! but I think he just rolled in those!) and had lots of cuddles but he isn't responding. It's breaking our hearts. He just lies around looking sad and this morning we had to feed him with a syringe. There is no vet on the island at the moment.
Does anyone know of anything else we could do? I haven't had a puppy since 1986........
These are the other dogs we live with. They are being very nice to Homer.
This is the appropriately named Brownie.
Amazingly, the black dog is called Blackie. The other one is called Back.
Jo
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
cool plants
When it pours down, some people use leaves to cover their head, umbrella style. Coming from Canberra, it seems silly, and that using your hands would be just as effective. Not here! Some leaves are enormous! These are also part of the reason why rain sounds so deafeningly loud and falling coconuts/breadfruit sound like the apocolypse.
I am also most impressed by the local coriander (cilantro). Unlike the variety with the long stalks and pretty leaves I'm used to, this hardy little plant has no stalks, wide leaves, grows very quickly, survives the tropical rain/sun/chickens and can cut you with it's prickly edges. And it tastes and smells JUST LIKE Australian grown coriander. Amazing!
I am also most impressed by the local coriander (cilantro). Unlike the variety with the long stalks and pretty leaves I'm used to, this hardy little plant has no stalks, wide leaves, grows very quickly, survives the tropical rain/sun/chickens and can cut you with it's prickly edges. And it tastes and smells JUST LIKE Australian grown coriander. Amazing!
Friday, 18 May 2007
Potholes
This is a bad photo - I tried to crop and enlarge but I'm not very bright. It says:
Roadwork compliments of
Dial-a-Ditch
Pothole Elimination Program
For Peace of Mind on our Roads
The Universal Peace Foundation
The Universal Peace Foundation are the Moonies- hey, they fix the potholes! For free!
There are quite a few potholes in the roads, none of them are really really bad (with the exception of the giant hole near our place), unlike the state of Chuuk. There is a joke about Chuuk:
"How can you tell the difference between a drunk and sober driver in Chuuk? The sober driver swerves all over the road, the drunk goes in a straght line".
Apparently the potholes make the maximum speed you can go about 5 miles an hour. Which begs the question as to why people drive at all in the small town. But Micronesians LOVE their cars. Don't get me started.
But curiously, in Pohnpei people will overtake around blind corners at speed and let toddlers hang unsupported out car windows but the WILL NOT drive over a pothole - even if the "hole" is less than 2cm deep. The drivers prefer to swerve directly into oncoming traffic than drive over it. I love this place - it's totally crazy to my poor westernised sensilbilities.
Jo
Monday, 14 May 2007
Did you get this on the news in Australia?!!?
Well, we now have a new leadership of the FSM - exciting stuff. Here is the press release, no photos of the key players as yet.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mori new FSM President
Palikir, POHNPEI (FSM Information Services): May 11, 2007 - Immanuel (Manny) Mori has been selected today as the Seventh President of the Federated States of Micronesia, he is from the State of Chuuk. The FSM's new Vice President is Alik L. Alik from the State of Kosrae.
Selection of the National Government Leadership came during the Opening Session of the new 15th FSM Congress in Palikir. The Leadership of the Legislative Branch is as follows:
Speaker - Isaac V. Figir (Yap)
Vice Speaker - Resio S. Moses (Pohnpei)
Floor Leaders - Joe N. Suka (Chuuk)
The chairmanship of the Congressional committees are:
Judiciary & Governmental Operations - Senator Peter Sitan
Ways & Means - Senator Dohsis Halbert
External Affairs - Senator Paliknoa K. Welly
Resources & Development - Senator Dion G. Neth
Health, Education and Social Affairs - Senator Joseph J. Urusemal
Transportation, Communications & Infrastructure - Senator Moses A. Nelson.
Following the selection of the National Government Leadership, the new Congress went into recess until Tuesday - May 15, 2007.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is the Congress chamber, all dressed up and waiting for the first session of the Fifteenth Congress
In my 'uniform' for the opening session. I couldn't manage to take a full length picture of myself, but I don't think the world is ready for that anyway.
This a mwar mwar - a traditional headband. This one is made of ylang ylang leaves, but they can be made of ylang ylang flowers (my favourite, turns out they are for royalty), other tropical flowers, leaves, plastic and on very rare occasions, as Ben discovered, wool.
We went to a function to celebrate the new session in Friday night, and all guests received mwar mwars. My likeness to the Statue of Liberty was duly noted. Ben scored with a 60's flower power mwar mwar, which will not only last, but get through Australian customs!!
Awww... isn't he cute?!
This is Chip, who is a lawyer at Congress with me, relaxing on our balcony before our dinner party on Saturday night. This picture is for Chips's wife back in America - Hi Tucki!
-Jo
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mori new FSM President
Palikir, POHNPEI (FSM Information Services): May 11, 2007 - Immanuel (Manny) Mori has been selected today as the Seventh President of the Federated States of Micronesia, he is from the State of Chuuk. The FSM's new Vice President is Alik L. Alik from the State of Kosrae.
Selection of the National Government Leadership came during the Opening Session of the new 15th FSM Congress in Palikir. The Leadership of the Legislative Branch is as follows:
Speaker - Isaac V. Figir (Yap)
Vice Speaker - Resio S. Moses (Pohnpei)
Floor Leaders - Joe N. Suka (Chuuk)
The chairmanship of the Congressional committees are:
Judiciary & Governmental Operations - Senator Peter Sitan
Ways & Means - Senator Dohsis Halbert
External Affairs - Senator Paliknoa K. Welly
Resources & Development - Senator Dion G. Neth
Health, Education and Social Affairs - Senator Joseph J. Urusemal
Transportation, Communications & Infrastructure - Senator Moses A. Nelson.
Following the selection of the National Government Leadership, the new Congress went into recess until Tuesday - May 15, 2007.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is the Congress chamber, all dressed up and waiting for the first session of the Fifteenth Congress
In my 'uniform' for the opening session. I couldn't manage to take a full length picture of myself, but I don't think the world is ready for that anyway.
This a mwar mwar - a traditional headband. This one is made of ylang ylang leaves, but they can be made of ylang ylang flowers (my favourite, turns out they are for royalty), other tropical flowers, leaves, plastic and on very rare occasions, as Ben discovered, wool.
We went to a function to celebrate the new session in Friday night, and all guests received mwar mwars. My likeness to the Statue of Liberty was duly noted. Ben scored with a 60's flower power mwar mwar, which will not only last, but get through Australian customs!!
Awww... isn't he cute?!
This is Chip, who is a lawyer at Congress with me, relaxing on our balcony before our dinner party on Saturday night. This picture is for Chips's wife back in America - Hi Tucki!
-Jo
Guess who?
I have had people ask if we could identify who is writing each blog. I'll do that in future. But if you're ever in doubt, here is an easy way to tell. If the entry is well written, engaging, informative and very, very, very long, it's Ben. If the entry is short, all over the place and mostly about food and bad dresses, it's me.
-Jo
-Jo
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Exciting!
I am at work on a public holiday - not something I have ever done since I stopped working as a casual for double time and a half. But it's OK - tomorrow we get a new President! The Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia is convening for its 15th session tomorrow, and the 14 senators-elect meet at 9.30am to decide between them who will be President, Vice-President, Speaker of the Congress, Vice-Speaker and the Floor leader. I work as a staff attorney for Congress, so it's very exciting here at the moment. Hence the work thing.
I'll put up a picture of my new boss (the new Speaker) tomorrow, and the Pres and Vice-Pres. There are many rumours as to who they will be, and I have my suspicions, but nothing is certain....!!
On the shallow side, all the women who work for congress are wearing a uniform tomorrow, which means we all get the same fabric and have to go and get a dress made out of it. I've respected the culture and gone for a slightly more traditional look than I would usually wear..... If I can bring myself to do it, tomorrow I'll post a picture!
I'll put up a picture of my new boss (the new Speaker) tomorrow, and the Pres and Vice-Pres. There are many rumours as to who they will be, and I have my suspicions, but nothing is certain....!!
On the shallow side, all the women who work for congress are wearing a uniform tomorrow, which means we all get the same fabric and have to go and get a dress made out of it. I've respected the culture and gone for a slightly more traditional look than I would usually wear..... If I can bring myself to do it, tomorrow I'll post a picture!
Friday, 4 May 2007
Our Pohnpeian Food Experience- An Introduction
The food here is great. Slightly different to our staples in Canberra, but very exotic, as you would expect. In great abundance are coconuts, bananas, limes, starfruit, papaya, taro, cucumbers, breadfruit, fish and crabs. In significantly less abundance are other fruits and vegetables. In no abundance is good cheese and white wine that is not off and bright yellow like Berocca wee, whatever the grape.
If you eat local foods, the low salaries paid here can go a long way. Mangrove crabs are about $3-4 each for medium ones, $6 for whoppers. Fish are $1.30-$1.50 a pound, which roughly equates to $3-4 a kilo. They are caught the same day they are sold, and are delicious. The cheapest dish at restaurants is tuna sashimi, which means I am in heaven. Local food is really cheap, imported is not that cheap to offensively outrageous.
It's all US dollars here... of course now I am earning US dollars and sending money home to pay the mortgage the AUD is over 80c to a $US - when I was travelling and coverting the other way it was 48c. Typical!
Here are some prices to get an idea:
Local
4 local mangoes – 37c (these are very fibrous, not all juicy cheeks like the Australian ones)
1 2kg pumpkin - $1.60
1 banana flower – 25c
20 bananas - 75c (there are so many different varieties of banana here, it's amazing!)
12 small limes – 50c
coconut - 50c
Imported
1 red capsicum $4.82
tomatoes $7/kg
apple - 90c
If you don't cook your own food or eat sashimi, the pounds can pile on very, very quickly. Most dishes are full of lard, and deep frying is the preferred cooking method Chicken, pork, bananas, taro, breadfruit - doesn't matter. Fry the sucker. (see past entry - this nation unfortunately ranks as the second fattest in the world.... changing diets from local foods to imported rice, spam and doughnuts has been very bad. Then add frying everything and the habit of driving everywhere, even 100m down the road, and you've got a completely devastating health disaster).
$6.50 for all you can eat is the standard for lunch here. Sashimi by the truck load, fried stuff by the cargo ship load and some veggies here and there. I'm used to bringing my lunch to work but it's not very sociable. I work at Palikir, the National Government site. It's about 8km from town, and there are no eating establishments there. So you have to drive to buy lunch. I'm not into driving everywhere, but there is little choice. My environmental contribution is to stay here, eat my own lunch and read a book. But I still get lured into town a couple of times a week... I mean, it would be rude not to!
I am not meant to attend all you can eat establishments. Not because I don't get good value from them – on the contrary. Purely because I can put away food like nobody's business. It's quite disgusting. I wonder how long it will be before I switch to the local Muu Muus - bless them, they cover a multitude of sins!
Some restaurants and food... Mmm. I'm getting hungry!
View from the Ocean View Hotel - left picture
Right picture
Yum. Not a cocktail, but pure coconut water! (I know, I've changed)
View from The Village (near our place)
Some entrees at The Village
Local Taro
If you eat local foods, the low salaries paid here can go a long way. Mangrove crabs are about $3-4 each for medium ones, $6 for whoppers. Fish are $1.30-$1.50 a pound, which roughly equates to $3-4 a kilo. They are caught the same day they are sold, and are delicious. The cheapest dish at restaurants is tuna sashimi, which means I am in heaven. Local food is really cheap, imported is not that cheap to offensively outrageous.
It's all US dollars here... of course now I am earning US dollars and sending money home to pay the mortgage the AUD is over 80c to a $US - when I was travelling and coverting the other way it was 48c. Typical!
Here are some prices to get an idea:
Local
4 local mangoes – 37c (these are very fibrous, not all juicy cheeks like the Australian ones)
1 2kg pumpkin - $1.60
1 banana flower – 25c
20 bananas - 75c (there are so many different varieties of banana here, it's amazing!)
12 small limes – 50c
coconut - 50c
Imported
1 red capsicum $4.82
tomatoes $7/kg
apple - 90c
If you don't cook your own food or eat sashimi, the pounds can pile on very, very quickly. Most dishes are full of lard, and deep frying is the preferred cooking method Chicken, pork, bananas, taro, breadfruit - doesn't matter. Fry the sucker. (see past entry - this nation unfortunately ranks as the second fattest in the world.... changing diets from local foods to imported rice, spam and doughnuts has been very bad. Then add frying everything and the habit of driving everywhere, even 100m down the road, and you've got a completely devastating health disaster).
$6.50 for all you can eat is the standard for lunch here. Sashimi by the truck load, fried stuff by the cargo ship load and some veggies here and there. I'm used to bringing my lunch to work but it's not very sociable. I work at Palikir, the National Government site. It's about 8km from town, and there are no eating establishments there. So you have to drive to buy lunch. I'm not into driving everywhere, but there is little choice. My environmental contribution is to stay here, eat my own lunch and read a book. But I still get lured into town a couple of times a week... I mean, it would be rude not to!
I am not meant to attend all you can eat establishments. Not because I don't get good value from them – on the contrary. Purely because I can put away food like nobody's business. It's quite disgusting. I wonder how long it will be before I switch to the local Muu Muus - bless them, they cover a multitude of sins!
Some restaurants and food... Mmm. I'm getting hungry!
View from the Ocean View Hotel - left picture
Right picture
Yum. Not a cocktail, but pure coconut water! (I know, I've changed)
View from The Village (near our place)
Some entrees at The Village
Local Taro
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Not for vegetarians
On the way home last week we stopped at a market shop to buy some fish. We ended up with a 3 lb red snapper which we roasted with lime, chilli, garlic, ginger and coriander. It cost $4.71!
While we were there waiting for the fishy to be cleaned, we watched 2 men fillet an 80 lb yellow fin tuna! It was HUGE! Yum. I'm glad the locals are eating tuna (it's the most common thing on restaurant menus too), and it's not all being taken by the many international fishing ships for export....
Ben doesn't like looking at whole fish - he thinks the eyes are freaky. So, being kind person, I pretend to throw them at him. Personally, I think the teeth are more frightening!
On the way back from lunch last week, I passed a funeral that had just finished. There were hundreds of cars lined up on both sides of the (extremely narrow) road so traffic was flowing at about 2km/h. Which was great, as I could check out all the booty that people were going home with. Funerals are really, really important on Pohnpei. I really don't understand the social nuances of society here, so I'll refrain from trying to explain how the traditional system of bringing things to funerals works. But people bring things according to their status, and then all the contributions (rice, pigs, taro....) are divided. Yep, including the pigs. Arrive whole and squealing, depart singed and sectioned. I saw lots of people walking to their cars with various parts of pigs in panadanus carriers (or with a head casually slung over their shoulders). There are some mighty big taro out there too, I must say.
Funerals can be a huge financial burden. Someone was explaining to me that they budget for a certain number, but if more people die in a pay period than planned it gets very tight. When I joked that it was indeed terribly inconvenient for people to die with no respect for budgeting processes, they agreed! I think the language barrier contributed, but..........
While we were there waiting for the fishy to be cleaned, we watched 2 men fillet an 80 lb yellow fin tuna! It was HUGE! Yum. I'm glad the locals are eating tuna (it's the most common thing on restaurant menus too), and it's not all being taken by the many international fishing ships for export....
Ben doesn't like looking at whole fish - he thinks the eyes are freaky. So, being kind person, I pretend to throw them at him. Personally, I think the teeth are more frightening!
On the way back from lunch last week, I passed a funeral that had just finished. There were hundreds of cars lined up on both sides of the (extremely narrow) road so traffic was flowing at about 2km/h. Which was great, as I could check out all the booty that people were going home with. Funerals are really, really important on Pohnpei. I really don't understand the social nuances of society here, so I'll refrain from trying to explain how the traditional system of bringing things to funerals works. But people bring things according to their status, and then all the contributions (rice, pigs, taro....) are divided. Yep, including the pigs. Arrive whole and squealing, depart singed and sectioned. I saw lots of people walking to their cars with various parts of pigs in panadanus carriers (or with a head casually slung over their shoulders). There are some mighty big taro out there too, I must say.
Funerals can be a huge financial burden. Someone was explaining to me that they budget for a certain number, but if more people die in a pay period than planned it gets very tight. When I joked that it was indeed terribly inconvenient for people to die with no respect for budgeting processes, they agreed! I think the language barrier contributed, but..........
Monday, 16 April 2007
Git over here!
For all those whinging about the price of flights to Micronesia, a casual galnce at www.zuji.com.au reveals that one can fly to our fair isle for AU $1400 return ex Cairns (including taxes). Just type in that you want to fly from Cairns to Pohnpei (you have to go via Guam and Chuuk) and if you're staying less than a month, that's the price. More than a month and it's much much more (and we would probably be glad to be rid of you by then too).
Chuuk has arguably the worlds best diving, so getting a stop over there is a good idea. And now that I'm being paid US dallors, the $AU has hit a 17 year high.
SO BOOK!!!
(actually contact us first to make sure we'll be here).
Chuuk has arguably the worlds best diving, so getting a stop over there is a good idea. And now that I'm being paid US dallors, the $AU has hit a 17 year high.
SO BOOK!!!
(actually contact us first to make sure we'll be here).
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Jo's trip to Fiji and Australia
A long time ago, I went to a conference in Fiji (at the end of Feb, actually!). I've always felt that Fiji was nearby, and living in the Pacific didn't change that. So imagine my shock when it took 36 hours to get there! Pohnpei - Chuuk - Guam- Carins- Brisabne - Nadi. And only one delayed flight (5 hours - yuk.) At least it was the Brisbane - Nadi flight so I got to set up camp at International Qantas Club and quaff Moet and Brie.
I was really lucky and was able to break the trip in Sydney on the way back, and spent a week with family and friends. My Nanna had just died, but I couldn't make it back in time for the funeral so it was really nice to spend time in Canberra with Mum and Dad and Marcus. I also got to see many great friends in Canberra and Sydney. Of course, I ate everything I missed living in Micronesia and was treated to incredible meals and lots of fine wines. I returned to the FSM in desperate need of a diet and a holiday.
I did one of those naff day tours in Fiji, given that I had never been there before and effectively had one full day to see the place. I was really pleasantly surprised - there was only myself and an Irish girl and we went to a small village and pretty much hung out for the day.
View from a hut in Fijian village.
Waterfall in Fiji - our teenage guide jumping off. I decided not to....
Very cool vines
I'm not much of a basket weaver....
Pretty ladies - with Katty in Sydney
More pretty ladies - with Sonia at a lovely picnic on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, also attended by Mr Glover.
I was really lucky and was able to break the trip in Sydney on the way back, and spent a week with family and friends. My Nanna had just died, but I couldn't make it back in time for the funeral so it was really nice to spend time in Canberra with Mum and Dad and Marcus. I also got to see many great friends in Canberra and Sydney. Of course, I ate everything I missed living in Micronesia and was treated to incredible meals and lots of fine wines. I returned to the FSM in desperate need of a diet and a holiday.
I did one of those naff day tours in Fiji, given that I had never been there before and effectively had one full day to see the place. I was really pleasantly surprised - there was only myself and an Irish girl and we went to a small village and pretty much hung out for the day.
View from a hut in Fijian village.
Waterfall in Fiji - our teenage guide jumping off. I decided not to....
Very cool vines
I'm not much of a basket weaver....
Pretty ladies - with Katty in Sydney
More pretty ladies - with Sonia at a lovely picnic on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, also attended by Mr Glover.
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