We live on a tiny island.

Still no water, but we're focusing on bigger and better things these days.

Such as the local fads.

With a population of only about 30,000 people, Pohnpei is about as big as a state university. What this lends itself to is trends spreading like wildfire throughout the entire island, and no one knowing exactly by whom or why it was started. When Pete and I first got here, we noticed a lot of students walking around between classes holding their cheeks. It looked kinda funny, so it was pretty noticeable. We only just found out that it's a sort of game that they've been playing: you have to hold your cheek, and if you don't, anyone around you can slap you in the face really hard. Are we having fun yet??

The next fad wasn't so much as a game, but more like an annoying call. Anytime someone says something jokingly, or if you even think they're joking or should be joking, you yell "kaing!" at them. This is just to say, "Yeah right!" or "Liar!" They say it in a very nasal, loud way, and it's kinda hilarious.

And now, we've entered the Budget Phase. Any time someone asks you a question and you say/indicate "Yes," they yell "budget!" at you and then you have to do something for them, if they ask it. It's pretty innocuous, but also ridiculous because our students often engage in budget wars with each other or, even better, with us during class. So Pete and I have had to be really careful about answering our students, and they're getting more and more sneaky about weasling a "yes" out of us, haha.

That may be all the wisdom I have to expound on this fine afternoon. We had a little bit of on-and-off rain this morning, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that it'll come back in force soon!