Spending time living in a tiny, flat coral atoll on
the other side of the world has really given me a new perspective and
eliminated old assumptions I used to hold about humanity. It has allowed both Janae and I to take
an outsiders glimpse at a unique culture and gain a new paradigm on the lives
we lived back in America. We have
come to the realization that whenever we do return to America we need to “trim
the fat” on our lives a bit. It is
refreshing to live in a culture where little or no stress exists. That is not to say life is easy here in
the Marshalls, quite the contrary for many of the Marshallese people, but the
outward ease at which daily life is led is so refreshing. We also continually witness a value on
being outdoors and enjoying what nature has to offer, there is almost no time
when you will not see Marshallese people enjoying the beautiful weather the
Pacific has to offer. And finally,
we have come to fully see the distractions of life in America that even the
keenest of American observers do not notice in the States.
For
many Marshallese life is not "easy." It is estimated that the unemployment rate is somewhere just
north of 50% and the poverty rate is probably higher. These are estimates since it is quite difficult to gain accurate
statistics in such an isolated country and one with a dramatically different
culture in which modern western economic statistics often do not apply. The real tragedy is that of the
positives that modern culture has brought to the Marshalls among them is not
the eradication of a subsistence lifestyle. Since the introduction of a cash economy many people, mostly
of the lower ri-jerbal class, have been dislocated from society and in a poor
country have sadly been left to languish and introduce new problems of suicide,
alcoholism and domestic violence into this beautiful nation. Despite these economic and social catastrophes
that have occurred value for the small moments in life and the here and now has
not been lost upon the Marshallese.
True, there are monumental problems facing a new generation of
Marshallese, but solutions to the aforementioned issues in a
"modernizing" Marshall Islands will need to be found amongst the
people of the Marshall Islands and not from the outside agencies (IMF, Asian
Development Band and the American government) who claim to have the economic
solutions for this tiny country.
The true issue here is the disconnection of a people from their land and
a new value upon the almighty dollar.
Although this new Marshallese society is based upon the dollar, people
are so eager not to lose their Marshallese identity and zest for the little
things in life.
This
zest transforms well into the children of the Marshall Islands. As I am writing this it is 7:00 am in
the morning and there are children beginning to come out to the field and
basketball court here at school and begin their task for the day, which is
playing. It is refreshing to see
kids out playing so much here in the Marshalls. I remember back in the States always seeing so many unused
or underused playgrounds and fields having been exchanged for the comforts of
modern society. In either a heated
or cooled indoor space kids would be utilizing facebook, video games or
television, is where too many children of the modern world spend their
days. In the Marshalls older
brothers and sisters are to look after the younger ones and all day long the
kids PLAY! While there is a
noticeable lack of adult supervision at almost all times which does lead some
kids down dangerous roads, the opposite of helicopter worry warts that are
prevalent in modern America is also just as damaging. Kids have to grow up all too early in the Marshalls, but it
may beat the generation of Americans who were so sheltered and spoiled that
they never grew up.
In
America it is so easy to just get rid of something that is broken or to waste
things. Water is free and clean,
goods are cheap and productive, but that is not the case here in Majuro. I never really knew how wasteful I was
until I came to a place that simply can't afford to waste. First off, things are really expensive
here, so you can't just "go buy a new one." (On average a box of
Cherrios costs over $8.00.) Secondly,
there is one tiny garbage dump on an island of just over 3 square miles with
more than 20,000 people. The dump
is continually overflowing into the ocean, but there's really no room or to
build another one. The influx of
modern goods with all its cans and wrappers and plastics have really done in
the beauty of this once pristine corner of the world. Our two amazing "fix it" men at Coop School,
Walton and Manuel, will fix anything.
When we first got here we had a badly broken futon in our apartment and
were hoping they could help us dump it.
Instead, they fixed it.
Then it broke again this year and this time they made a major fix that
now has it better than new.
A
few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to fly back to Chicago for my best friends
wedding and despite the difficulties that jet lag posed flying both ways, it was
a fantastic weekend to see so many friends, family and celebrate a magnificent
event. Living in the Marshall
Islands and then taking a 3-day break in Chicago really helped me notice the
stark contrast in life and culture here in the Marshalls and in modern
America. For the few
days that I was home I felt bombarded by advertisements and businesses, two
things I am relatively immune to in Majuro. At home some company was always trying to convince me that I
needed their stuff, and I never really noticed how prevalent it was until I was
removed from that situation. Just the
way that news reports, sports highlights and mundane commercials were delivered
irked me. I hadn't been inundated
with it lately that I was able to see it as an outsider for what it is,
polished well-delivered drivel. It
didn't seem like anyone believed or bought what they were selling, but wanted
to sell it for some unknown reason.
From the local news having two well made up minorities delivering
"sad" news of murder on the south side that they clearly couldn't
care less about to Al Michaels's promo for the "War of 1812" that was
taking place between Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. All the glitz and glamour surrounding
everything seemed so meaningless and empty it would have been comical if it
weren’t so sad.
I
love the city of Chicago and I have many cherished friends and family there,
but what I always notice when I am there is how busy everyone is. It is difficult to find a simple hour
to spend time with some of my closest friends. That is never the case here in Majuro. Everyday me and my closest friends make
time to check in with each other and see how our days were. We play basketball, go for runs, play
cards, share a meal or a beer and truly spend quality time together in
meaningful conversation. Nothing
is rushed and nobody ever says, "I don't have time." There's always time, nobody is ever in
a rush or late. It is impossible
to be late in Majuro. As much as I
am a person who is always on time, I appreciate the laid back and stress free
atmosphere that I now live in. It
seems that all too often in modern America people just don't have time for
anything...
I
love the country of my birth and I love the country I currently reside in. When we go back to America in the
future we will take these lessons we have learned. Living in a 400 sq ft. apartment with no TV and a lousy Internet
connection has forced us to spend more time together, to read more book and to
be better people. When we return
home we'll have to “trim the fat” of things that just get in the way in
America. The things we now live
without aren't a struggle, but in turn make us lead more significant
lives. We know how to get on
without cable TV, a car or clean water.
We appreciate more and more the beauty of the world around us and we will
spend as much time as possible living in that nature and not in temperature
controlled rooms.
