It really is quite amazing living on this tiny Atoll in the
middle of such a vast ocean such as the Pacific. When I look up at the stars at night and I see them glowing
and twinkling I start to realize just where I am after the business of the day
has made me forget. I think about
where we are on a map of the world and it makes me chuckle and shake my head
sometimes. Every Atoll has an
ocean and lagoon side, and there are few parts on the island where you can’t
see both sides. I live right on
the ocean on the thickest part of Majuro and it is less than a 5 minute walk to
get to the lagoon. There are days
where I barely leave a space of less than one square block. I wake up, exercise, watch the sunrise,
walk 30 steps to breakfast, 15 back to my class, teach, go home, walk 20 steps
to play basketball, go home, cook dinner and do some work. This does not require me to go very far
from home at all and yet I don’t have island fever or feel claustrophobic at all.
I
have actually come to really like “Atoll living.” It is nice living in a small community where the weather is
amazing and you have a job that really gives you a sense of meaning and
belonging in and to that community.
Of course there are things I miss about America and my beloved Chicago
and Colorado.
On
top of this list of course is family and friends. We really enjoy our new friends here in Majuro, but dearly
miss our loved ones back home.
With the time change it is difficult to Skype and keep in good
communication, but we try our best.
We miss attending our family gatherings and seeing Neyla playing with
her cousins. We wish we could
combine these two worlds, but alas it can’t be done.
I
also miss Illini basketball, golf, Stephen Colbert, a good glass of Bourbon and
a proper pint of beer. It seems to
be virtually impossible to get Big Ten Network in the Pacific and there are no
golf courses here in Majuro. The
nearest golf course (and only one in the Marshall Islands) is on Kwajalein at a
US military base, but from what I understand I wouldn’t be allowed to
play..? Stephen Colbert too is
very difficult to find here, especially if you don’t have a TV. Maybe I can convince him in a letter to
come and do a show here in Majuro.
Alcohol is terribly expensive here and the selection is not great. Buying it at the store is at least 3
times as expensive, but is actually a bit cheaper at restaurants. The beer selection seems to be
Heineken, Bud Light and few Aussie beers that I’m not a big fan of. I can’t find any good Porters or Stouts,
but then again, it’s not quite dark beer weather here.
There
are however things that we don’t miss.
We don’t miss strip malls, television, American politics, mass media,
“News,” or mass consumerism. Not
having a lot of those “distractions” has made it easier for us both to focus on
our jobs, Neyla, each other, reading and just becoming better people. Without all of the nonsense that modern
technology seems to bring we are able to fill the time in our day more
productively and with less empty fillers.
We
will be home this summer and are very excited to see our friends and
family. I can’t wait to play golf
and enjoy a proper drink afterwards.
While we’re home the Illini will be on summer break, but hopefully they
will create some chaos in March Madness and I can watch them here in the middle
of the night.
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