I'm going to borrow your stuff...

I'm going to borrow your stuff indefinitely

... and other concerns

I woke up this morning in a great mood. The night before we had a staff potluck with dancing, guitar playing, singing and a generally nice kum-by-ya evening. Even though I'm not officially staff this year, they let me and Neyla come along for the ride for the social gatherings. Potlucks are my favorite because someone often makes these delicious coconut sticky white rice balls that are amazing and I eat as dessert. I try to limit myself to one.

The next morning, I wander out the door, probably to look at the ocean or something, and I notice Neyla's shoes are missing. I had left her new swim shoes outside to dry and I forgot to take them in overnight. I cursed at myself for leaving them out and then proceeded to tell Bryan how angry I was someone took her shoes.

In Marshallese culture there is a very "what's mine is yours mentality," I guess it's from living on such a small island trying to survive for so many years. If I catch fish, I give you fish and if I collect coconuts, I give you coconuts. Mind you, that was many, many years ago. In today's Majuro, you go to a store to buy food like most of the rest of the world, but sharing is still expected.

I kept thinking, those darn kids took her shoes! They've taken her soccer ball a couple times before when I've left it outside. I found kids playing with it later and got it back. One time, I heard kids by my front window trying to be sneaky and giggling. I had old cardboard boxes by my front window and they took them, clearly thinking that I still wanted them but instead they just took out my trash for me.

Bryan, good ole Bryan, set me straight and said these kids have nothing, literally nothing, often no toys, no shoes, no clean clothes, and are constantly knocking on our door looking for food. If they took Neyla's shoes maybe they are better off with them. That is good reasoning but it still didn't make me less mad it just made me guilty and mad.

Bryan's coworker at Coop used to live on an outer island and he said they his host family would constantly take his stuff, like his iPod, but never return it. They would also "borrow" his light bulb for the main house. He said he ended up buying like 3 lightbulbs because anytime the main house's went out, they'd knock on his door to have his. The kids here in Majuro embrace this idea and will play with any and all toys left outside. Sometimes they are permanently borrowed. I don't mind so much with the toys, but the shoes are a different story. They wereher reef shoes and they fit her exactly.

Well back to this morning, I was sulkily taking the trash out and lo and behold I see Neyla's shoes. The stray dogs had taken them and chewed them up.