For years, Peace Corps worldwide has had a special focus on ensuring successful girls' development. Many posts hold an annual summer camp called "Camp GLOW" (Girls Leading Our World) focusing on issues pertinent to girls - physical, social, and educational development. Some PCVs were talking back in December about the success of the Camp GLOW project in Pohnpei, but were bemoaning the fact that boys development has been inadvertently neglected in the process. Here in Chuuk, boys stand to benefit greatly from such a personal-development-themed camp. So, with 2 other PCVs from the Mortlocks (Dan on Kuttu and Trevor on Ta), I authored a grant through the Australian Embassy's Direct Aid Program for $2,700 USD to run a camp. It was awarded in February, and so from June 16-19, the first annual Mortlocks Camp Boys to Men will be held on Moch!
Boys, on average, start smoking at age 13. They start drinking alcohol by 14-15. And they become sexually active as early as 13. About 25% of each graduating 8th grade class will not continue on to high school. And, anecdotally, if you ask a young man if they've been affected by suicide, almost every time they'll be able to give the name of a family member who has taken their own life. *(I was devastated to find out that a 24 year old guy named Sonson took his own life in March. He had worked at the hotel which hosted all the Peace Corps functions in Chuuk, and was a friend to our PCV community.) Substance abuse, mental health, reproductive health, and simply understanding the importance of education are not treated sufficiently here. In America, we take it for granted that we get sex-ed in 5th grade, again in health class in 8th grade, and then in health class in 10th grade. The rule of law prevents (most of) us from smoking before 18 or drinking before...18. We're conditioned to talk about our problems and thus are able to (much of the time) avert problems before they become serious mental health issues. The culture here, however, is not so hands-on.
So, we 3 PCVs in the Mortlocks are addressing these issues head-on among the 30-some 14 year old 8th grade graduate boys from Satowan, Ta, Kuttu, and Moch Islands over 4 days in a culturally-sensitive way. I'm in Weno for the week to process the payment, open a bank account, make some purchases, and otherwise organize it so we're set to go in June. While we can't make kids stop smoking, hopefully just having conversations and giving them the critical thinking skills to make connections between decisions and their long-term health will move them along a better and more sustainable path in life.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
the long haul...
I am leaving tomorrow for Moch by way of the 8-seater twinprop Caroline Islands Air plane. The next five months will be the longest continuous stint that I'm going to get, my entire service considered. I couldn't be more excited for it.
We have a saying among Mortlocks PCVs that one should never rush out there, because once you get to your island, you realize how obsolete your conception of 'time' is. If it weren't for the daily ringing of the school bell, I would become perfectly local, at least in terms of planning and scheduling: "m'eh - whenever..." To take one's time in travelling out there, however, helps smooth the rough edges where the hectic, daily grind of cars and clocks and caffeine butt against the slow pace of gently rolling wind and waves.
The students and staff of the high school on Moch continue to be the most rewarding part of my service, and I am excited to think about what they have in store for me next. It's funny - I came into Peace Corps to learn about "development on the ground." Ironically, what I've learned (and I've learned much) has perhaps been the least appealing and most frustrating part of being a PCV. Teaching, on the other hand, was the 'job' I dreaded, but it's been the golden ticket in this Wonka-bar experience.
Think about me, pray for the people of Moch, and feel free to send Starbucks decaf coffee (pre-ground 'medium' or for an 'electric-perc' coffee-maker - its for my french press). I miss you already!
Peace,
Alex
We have a saying among Mortlocks PCVs that one should never rush out there, because once you get to your island, you realize how obsolete your conception of 'time' is. If it weren't for the daily ringing of the school bell, I would become perfectly local, at least in terms of planning and scheduling: "m'eh - whenever..." To take one's time in travelling out there, however, helps smooth the rough edges where the hectic, daily grind of cars and clocks and caffeine butt against the slow pace of gently rolling wind and waves.
The students and staff of the high school on Moch continue to be the most rewarding part of my service, and I am excited to think about what they have in store for me next. It's funny - I came into Peace Corps to learn about "development on the ground." Ironically, what I've learned (and I've learned much) has perhaps been the least appealing and most frustrating part of being a PCV. Teaching, on the other hand, was the 'job' I dreaded, but it's been the golden ticket in this Wonka-bar experience.
Think about me, pray for the people of Moch, and feel free to send Starbucks decaf coffee (pre-ground 'medium' or for an 'electric-perc' coffee-maker - its for my french press). I miss you already!
Peace,
Alex
Monday, February 1, 2010
Post-Christmas Reflections
Let me just say that Moch is an amazing island and I am blessed to be serving there. A lot has happened in the 5 or so months since I posted to this blog: I served 3 months on Moch, a few weeks in Weno before my mid-service conference, a week at the conference, a month in Michigan, and now about another month being back waiting for the plane to go back out to Moch.
Moch has picked up where Satowan left off. My main issue on Satowan was a lack of host family - folks having moved to Pohnpei, my host father moving a lot because of illness and his job, and a high turnover of extended family. Basically, I'll never know how much of a real community bond I formed with the people of Satowan, because I never got comfortable enough in my own skin and PCV-identity to forge a strong one. By keeping these lessons in mind, I have forged that identity on Moch with an awesome host family, a job I love, and relationships which make it tempting to sign on for another year!
My host mom, Carleen, is a teacher at the school - 3rd grade. Her husband Mathias is getting his degree from College of Micronesia on Weno, so it's just her, me, and my siblings - all 7 of them: Kition, 23; Diane, 16; and students who live with us while they attend Moch High School: Advin, Chompan, Edson, D-boy, & Erick. Our home is white, pink, and blue, made of cement, with a corrogated tin roof. I have my own bedroom, with a raised platform, a foam mattress, a mosquito net, and a table. I have a corner room, with windows looking out across the lagoon water - a mere 20 feet from the shore.
I teach 11th grade English to two sections of students in blocks: English reading followed by writing. My students are just as eager and attentive as last year's, with a greater percentage knowing more English. I am enjoying teaching this year a lot more than I did last year. Having had a year to work out the kinks, I feel more comfortable each day with myself, and I am driven by the knowledge that my work is the most sustainable job I could be doing on that island. No matter what else these kids learn, it is true that a strong command of the English language will open doors to their future no other skill can. That's both an empowerment and a challenge.
My closest friend on the island is named Sitae, and he is my language tutor. He is also the senior pastor of the protestant church and a teacher at the school. He wears many hats on the island, but he has been an understanding friend and a reliable person to share my thoughts and questions with. In a way, he seems to "get" Americans - or at least, this American. With a laugh that says it all, he conveys the kind of empathy that I need to remind me that my experience is supposed to be full of ups and downs, and it's the challenges that, at the end of the day, are going to make my experience so unforgettable.
Christmas was an awesome time to be home with friends and family, and I'm grateful to my mom and dad for bringing me home. My mom asked if I was ready to go back, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer. Did I want to leave everyone a second time? No. But I missed (and I still miss) Moch and the people there. I have a job to do, and it's not yet finished. I can't wait to get back to work.
Moch has picked up where Satowan left off. My main issue on Satowan was a lack of host family - folks having moved to Pohnpei, my host father moving a lot because of illness and his job, and a high turnover of extended family. Basically, I'll never know how much of a real community bond I formed with the people of Satowan, because I never got comfortable enough in my own skin and PCV-identity to forge a strong one. By keeping these lessons in mind, I have forged that identity on Moch with an awesome host family, a job I love, and relationships which make it tempting to sign on for another year!
My host mom, Carleen, is a teacher at the school - 3rd grade. Her husband Mathias is getting his degree from College of Micronesia on Weno, so it's just her, me, and my siblings - all 7 of them: Kition, 23; Diane, 16; and students who live with us while they attend Moch High School: Advin, Chompan, Edson, D-boy, & Erick. Our home is white, pink, and blue, made of cement, with a corrogated tin roof. I have my own bedroom, with a raised platform, a foam mattress, a mosquito net, and a table. I have a corner room, with windows looking out across the lagoon water - a mere 20 feet from the shore.
I teach 11th grade English to two sections of students in blocks: English reading followed by writing. My students are just as eager and attentive as last year's, with a greater percentage knowing more English. I am enjoying teaching this year a lot more than I did last year. Having had a year to work out the kinks, I feel more comfortable each day with myself, and I am driven by the knowledge that my work is the most sustainable job I could be doing on that island. No matter what else these kids learn, it is true that a strong command of the English language will open doors to their future no other skill can. That's both an empowerment and a challenge.
My closest friend on the island is named Sitae, and he is my language tutor. He is also the senior pastor of the protestant church and a teacher at the school. He wears many hats on the island, but he has been an understanding friend and a reliable person to share my thoughts and questions with. In a way, he seems to "get" Americans - or at least, this American. With a laugh that says it all, he conveys the kind of empathy that I need to remind me that my experience is supposed to be full of ups and downs, and it's the challenges that, at the end of the day, are going to make my experience so unforgettable.
Christmas was an awesome time to be home with friends and family, and I'm grateful to my mom and dad for bringing me home. My mom asked if I was ready to go back, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer. Did I want to leave everyone a second time? No. But I missed (and I still miss) Moch and the people there. I have a job to do, and it's not yet finished. I can't wait to get back to work.
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