Basically, imagine yourself in a fish bowl, watching everything, seeing people do things and reading signs but never fully understand what is going on while having the Marshallese people watch your every move to see what the ribelle will do, but then when you look at them, they look away in shyness.
Majuro is both beautiful and ugly at the same time. The water is indescribable and photos do not do it any justice. There are a thousand different shades of blue in the water, however, when you reach land or look underwater, there is a lot of trash. Trash from littering, clothing, oil cans, and car parts to name a few examples. It actually made me sad until I realized something. There is no place for cars to go once it can't be driven anymore. There is no junk yards or recycle facilities so they are often left to rot over.
Before I came here, I did lots of research about majuro and the Marshall Islands. I wanted to make sure it would be safe for me to live in. The short answer is yes. I also came along a few cultural tidbits (such as the marshallese's love of kool aid-more on that later) but nothing truly prepared me for what I would see, feel, experience and live through.
When I first arrived, it was hot sun, hot air and hot breeze. It was a very welcome respite when it rained, however brief it was. Imagine going into a room without any open windows in Philadelphia/DC summers. That's what it felt like, constantly. It was hard to get any relief from the constant heat and humidity. Even after taking a cold shower, I would sweat before I could even get my clothes on. Fortunately, it has become more breezy. There are some days where there seems to be no moving air at all, but it's not constant like it was when we arrived. That is what happens when you are 7 degrees north of the equator.
The people here are not materialistic unlike most Americans. It is hard to be materialistic when only 7,000 people out of about 56,000 people have a job. I am talking about the entire Marshall Islands. If someone has a toy or electronic device, you can bet it will be gone in a short period of time. Everything is shared here. Children do not have many toys. They use discarded items creatively.
Houses come in different sizes and shapes, with varying amenities. Some houses are made of concrete with a roof, while others are simply pieces of plywood put together with a tin roof. Some houses have several rooms while others is basically one room. Most households have their kitchen/common areas outdoors while the inside is for sleeping because it is really too hot to be inside during the day. That is why people are usually out and about during the day, sometimes just sitting in their yard under shade just watching the world pass by. The inside of the houses usually only consist of clothes, blanket/pillows, and sometimes a few electronics such as a freezer chest, tv, DVD player, etc. We are not talking about the 60 inch smart tvs. Most people have a 13 inch tube tv as seen during the 90's. Not all households have electricity.
Households do not consist of only immediate family members. You often will find extended family members living on the same land, or in the same house, all sleeping on the floor on mats or mattresses in the same room.
Raising children is truly a community job. Since households often have extended families living in the same place, they also help to raise children. Not only families but community members help with the children. People are not afraid to touch or wipe the noses of other people's babies. In addition to that, people often adopt their family members' children, even if the adoptive mothers are still in school. I have long ago given up trying to figure a child's family and how they relate to each other. Family is family, period. No matter how distant relatives they are. However, they are very proud of their background and will often let you know how they are related to that person, including birth order (my oldest sister is married to the third son who is his father).
Marshallese people do not have much but are the most generous people I have ever met. They will give you their last dollar if you ask for it even if they or their children need food. I have learned not to tell someone that I like something belonging to them because they will give it to you. During snack time at school, children will give other people some of their snack food even if it is the last piece of their most favorite food. It is actually offensive to turn something down. If they offer you food, you are expected to take it. That is how I got over my dislike of fish.
I strongly believe that the Marshall Islands (and probably the entire pacific region) is keeping the kool aid company in business. They use kool aid in many ways other than just to drink. They mix it with soy sauce and salt to lick from their fingers (you will often see people with red lips and fingers, the obvious sign that they just engaged in some kool aid pleasure). They put some of the powder on popcorn. They make cupcakes with kool aid powder. They mix dry ramen with kool aid powder. They mix pik-nik (spicy potato fries) with kool aid (I have started to enjoy that as well). They even made play dough with kool aid to give it a scent (very yummy scent!-good tip for my early childhood teacher friends). They also use soy sauce and Tabasco/sriachi sauce a lot.
Another thing I was worried about before coming here was food. While doing my research, i found out that people here eat spam, other canned luncheon meats and of course fish. Since I am not fond of canned meat or fish, I was not sure what I would be able to eat. Fortunately, I live in Majuro where there are some food stores that sell food imported from America, but on a smaller scale. The stores are not as big as the ones in America so the choices are a bit limited. Organic food is nonexistent here. There is a small produce section where you can find some produce, hopefully without mold. I have learned to buy food that does not mold easily (potatoes) and how to be creative with my food. I did not buy any meat for myself to cook my entire time here because 1) meat is expensive, and often old having been shipped in from America via boat, 2) power outages happen unpredictably so any meat left over will go bad and at the price they are sold, I didn't want to take the risk. Food is also priced more than they are in America. Food is expensive and a lot of the packaged goods have been on the shelves for a long time.
When there is a Marshallese bbq, they often have bbq chicken, fish, potato salad, breadfruit (Marshallese native food), and of course rice. People expect others to take some of the food home for family members who did not attend the bbq. They will have take out plates and Saran Wrap/foil available.
The Marshallese people pride themselves on appearances. They like to keep themselves looking and smelling clean. They also like to keep their homes and land clean. You often will see women/girls cleaning around their homes, including the yard. They use scented oils and lotions to make themselves smell good.
The Marshallese people work well together. When there is something to be unloaded from a truck, such as 12 pack boxes of soda pop or 15 pound bags of rice, they will form an "assembly line" passing the item from the truck bed down through different people's hands to their destination. It is amazing to watch the teamwork. Almost everything is done by hand-building a house, demolishing a house, and cleaning gutters on road sides, to name a few.
Another thing I was worried about before coming is if I would be able to keep up with my running. I did not want to lose the level that I have been working so hard to reach, and running is one way for me to relieve stress. In a short answer, yes I am able to continue running here. The long answer is after I got used to dealing with the dogs. There are a lot of dogs just waking around here and they often will go after you if they feel threatened by you. I have learned how to ward off a dog attack-just bend down and pretend to pick up a rock. That will often make them back off.
Sports are HUGE here. You can find a volleyball or basketball tournament going on at any given day. Baseball is also big here, but only after Christmas until May. Basketball and volleyball is played year around. You often see people playing basketball or volleyball on their home properties.
The biggest adjustment for me is the lack of privacy. In America, I do not usually see people I work with or teach when I am not working. Here, you see the same people all the time. In the beginning, I would go for a run and the next day, students and staff members will tell me that they saw me running. Or I would go to the food store and then people would tell me that they saw me at the food store. I treasure my privacy and did not feel comfortable that they knew things about me. Around January, I started getting over that and now I just say "yes, I did that" or "yes, I was there". Often if you are looking for someone, chances are you will find them outside of their office and can conduct your business right there.
I have learned to relax and go with the flow. Whenever the electricity, Internet, water, food or whatever else goes out, there is nothing we can do but wait for it to come back on. Time is also another concept here. It will happen when it happens, almost always not at the specified time. There is no rush in life.
The decision to leave was not an easy one. There were several factors that helped me make the decision but I will forever treasure the children/families I work with and life lessons I learned. I left a part of my heart there.
