Chuuk: Settled In

Raan Allem! (Good Day, in Mortlockese)

Chuuk is a very different place from what I experienced in Pohnpei. For starters, the roads are… well… they aren’t. Massive potholes fill up with water after each torrential downpour, making it nearly impossible to ford each individual Lake Huron in a tiny sub-compact from Japan. That said, it’s impossible to speed, and the only drivers likely to fall asleep would have to suffer from epilepsy. These were my first impressions of Chuuk.

I soon found out that the island is completely without power. The government has “run out” of money to provide electricity. This means that individual families rely on small generators if they must have electricity. With gas hovering right around USD 6.00/gallon, it is cost prohibitive for most of the island to have regular electricity, though some do run generators at night for fans, lights, etc. My family does not have a generator, though this has been less of a hassle that one might think. I have a flashlight (one of the windup kinds that doesn’t run on batteries), and there are plenty of lanterns. If you’d like to send candles or similar lighting devices that don’t require batteries, that would be super-duper.

The bathroom has a shower area with a giant garbage bin full of water and a cup for dipping, rinsing, etc. There is also a water-seal toilet, which requires one to dump a full bucket of water after using the toilet to flush. Not enough water, too much toilet paper, or pouring the water too slowly can cause the bowl to fill, but not flush. This has happened far too often to me, but I am slowly getting the hang of it, blushing cheeks and all.

Yesterday I attended a fundraiser at Holy Family Catholic Parish. Eight parishes from different islands sent choirs of kids, young adults, and adults here to perform songs, attend Mass, and then raise money for the next group of young seminarians. They raised on-site over $1,600, totaling around $16,725 with the cash they raised on their islands and brought with them. In a country with no electricity, no vegetables (currently), and infrastructure which mimics that of Chuuk 1945 (after the US bombed the heck out of the Japanese forces held up here), one has to be surprised and inspired by their willingness to give for a purpose and a need they hold to be dear. It is an interesting paradigm of development – from very little comes very much.

For your curiosity, some Chuukese superstitions/cultural tidbits. When walking or driving somewhere and a cat crosses your path, you must stop and spit on the ground, or else: bad luck. If a leaf of the breadfruit tree falls on you, you must pick it up, tear off the stem of the leaf, fold over the edges of the leaf, and stab the middle with the stem. This means you will eat fish. For New Years Eve, the Chuukese make huge drums and stay up late just parading around and making noise. They trick-or-treat on Halloween, but don’t wear costumes. I explained the term “trick or treat” which made sense to them; they said I could dress up if I wanted. They love Steven Segal here…enough said.

Peace,
Alex