The Milky Way is Visible from the Greenest Place on Earth

Hello! It's Pete. I'm getting Sick!! somau enwai (American sickness aka flu). Let's see... I simply cannot explain how beautiful this place is. It cannot be put into words. The other day we went on the aptly named "six waterfalls hike" an 8 hour excursion. One hour straight into the thick heart of the jungle, then walking up a stream stopping at the six waterfalls and swimming at each one. The hike is part walking, part scrambling (it's very steep at points) part falling on your butt because the rocks are too slippery, part swimming, part wading. Everything is the most brilliant green. As green as the back of your eyelids are black. The falls are rediculous. Several points to jump off.

If I'm not writing perfectly it's because I'm really hungry. This hunger tends to be the state of things (food care packages?). The ATM on the island has been broken the past 3 chances we've had to get into Kolonia so we haven't really had money for like a month. Fortunately the island is made of food and we have quite a nourishing family-like thing over here so...

Let's see, we still haven't gotten our stuff from last years world teach stuff which leaves us without a bed, fan, table, silverware or pots (although we are borrowing some from our fam). The only reason we have a fridge is because once our host dad realized the state of things he aquired one for us the following day.  We're still getting by, though, especially thanks to some amazing care packages from home!  I never knew we needed Nutella here, but now that we actually have it... it's pretty awesome.

Anyway, this place is incredible and I'm feeling more and more that there could be nothing better than a year exploring this unique place.

When I say "unique" I really mean it. Of all of the countries to which I've had the fortune of traveling, this country is by far the most culturally isolated. I figured, due to my experience in tropical southeast asia, that my preconcieved notions of the life here would be at least slightly more grounded than those of others, but I've found myself being constantly thrown new curveballs from every direction. It's really an island.

People's ideas about African Americans have been really weird to confront. The whole teenage population is obsessed with rap pop culture and think that all black people are gangster rappers. They also reffer to African Americans as Africans almost always, and all of the teenagers dress all ghetto. Actually all of them.

We've got a hume mango tree in our front yard and apparently November and December is "little" Mango season. Now, even though it's not the beggest mango season, according to the everyone who's been here for at least a year says that there will be more Mangos than we know what to do with. Apparently they will just be lying all over the ground. AWESOME. Ok, I think that's all I've got in me now but I promise more. All in good Pohnpeian time:)

c/o World Teach
PO box 2378
Kolonia, Pohnpei 96941
Federated States of Micronesia