Climate Change

Last week, we had nonstop rain for 5 straight days along with strong winds.  We were informed that it is a possibility that a typhoon would form.  Thankfully, nothing major happened here in the Marshall Islands but my thoughts go out to the people in Vanuatu.  The storm started here and went down to Vanuatu.  During orientation, we learned that storms usually start here before moving out to sea, but there have been times when storms hit the Marshall Islands.  Thankfully, World Teach has a plan to keep us safe in emergencies, both natural and man made.  The Field Director called a Stage 1 (be prepared to meet up, pack up a bag with a few clothes and necessities).  Stage 2 means to go somewhere on island and stay with a group.  Stage 3 means to evacuate to somewhere else in the country and Stage 4 means to evacuate to America.  We never moved to stage 2, thankfully.

I found this link (Climate change in pictures) on Facebook and shared it but thought it would be a good match for this blog post.  There are some pictures of the Marshall Islands on the bottom of the link.  Those pictures are near where I stay in the dorms.

Climate Change is very real and happening here... Coral Reefs are dying, water levels are rising, and temperatures are getting hotter.  There is a good Marshallese poet who writes about issues impacting the Marshall Islands.  She spoke at the United Nations Climate Summit this past Fall and got a standing ovation.  Go to this link (Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner) to read her poems.  By the way, her mother is the Minister of Education.

Climate Change March

A treat for Abby! Two new posts in a day! 

Today there was a 5k and banner contest in connection with the Climate Change Summit that is happening in New York City this weekend.  Climate Change is a serious issue, especially in the pacific because we are seeing hotter temps, saltier waters, and higher water levels. 

Our students developed and painted a banner for the contest.  We walked 5k (actually, less than).  We all enjoyed ourselves!

I love the design of the shirts. We got free shirts! Yay! 

A poet, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, from the Marshall Islands will be speaking at the climate change summit in NYC.  Her poems are amazing. She has a blog (http://jkijiner.wordpress.com) and made several videos of her poems. A lot of her poems relate to the Marshall Islands and the way people percieve Marshallese people/Micronesians.