Thursday, September 29, 2005
Pictures.....
well they say a picture is worth a thousand words.....so that means I have 70,000 words to share with you just check your email address or email me and I'll email you the link
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Majuro...up close and personal....
Please feel free to edit this for errors or make comments....I'm thinking of using it to send as a letter to a few people....such as those who played a role in getting me here by writting my letters of recomendation.... :)
The heat envelops you. From the minute you wake up until you fall asleep you are conscience of the perpetual perspiration on your face and back. Even after being here for seven weeks I still sometimes find the heat inescapable. I spend many hours in the faculty room, because it is air-conditioned. The faculty room is in the basement of Assumption Church. The floor and walls are all cement, and the room is packed, 18 teachers’ desks fill the room. All the desks are piled high with textbooks and school supplies, because there is no room for shelves to put the books on. Some of the desks are adorned with handy crafts that the students have made in Marshallese class, and in turn have been given to teachers over the years. If it wasn’t for Marshallese class many of the students would loose an appreciation of their own culture.
During the school day the three teachers’ computers are all occupied. One usually occupied by a teacher playing Spider Solitary, passing the time between classes. There are 7 class periods in a day. Each period is 45 minutes. One of my homeroom students is responsible for ringing the bell at the beginning and end of each class. Her sister graduated valedictorian last year, and so the privilege/responsibility had to be past on.
The students for the most part remain in the same classroom for the entire school day, for the exception of Marshallese and computer class. There are two sections of: freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, one section of a new pre-9 program, consisting of 3 students who are not yet quite ready for high school, and only one senior class. The reason why there is only one senior class is do to students failing, and either getting someone pregnant or getting pregnant. The school itself is a cement fortress that has been in the works for over 30 years. Three of my four classes are on the third floor, which affords a nice view of both the Pacific and the lagoon. I try to appreciate the view and hope to make it up hear to watch the sun rise one day soon. The high school has been dubbed “The Project,” because there is always work to be done. Most of the classrooms do not have lights, but this is only a problem on days that are heavily overcast, which so far, has been very rare. The students’ desks are a random assortment that has suffered the wear of time. Many have deep gouges where they have been carved into and are brown with rust. A left-handed student may be hard pressed to find a desk that would be comfortable for writing. Being a good teacher requires more charisma and creativity then any Oscar winning actor has ever been able to capture on film. The attention span of students is 2 minutes on a good day when the heat has not lead them to rip off the back cover of their Composition notebook in order to fan themselves as they sweat heavily while copying notes from the board. On bad days a teacher should be lucky to hold the classes’ attention for more than 30 seconds. It is not easy attempting to compete with American influence. Even while in the class room ideas of video games and shopping malls are not at all foreign. A few of the students have spent time in the U.S., and have experienced first hand the consumerism that we Americans have grown up with. The appeal of American culture is easily witnessed, watching students crowd around a celebrity magazine, looking at what the white American celebrity is wearing, many times, the cost of clothing far exceeding the amount of money many of the students parents make in a year. The Marshallese refer to Americans and all white skinned foreigners for that matter as “Ri belle” a term meaning, a person with many possessions. The term has been around ever since the first western missionaries came to spread the word of Christ. The missionaries would offer goods such as clothing and food hoping in return that the local Marshallese would convert. Only about 9% of Marshallese are Catholic. The Protestant influence is very strong and has lead to an interesting mixing of faith during Sunday services. Mass is offered in English on Saturday nights at 6:30 the congregation usually consists of Americans, Fijians, Japanese, and many other Pacific Islanders who do not speak Marshallese. The American Ambassador attends mass, but is not Catholic. I believe she is Episcopal and prefers a high mass. There are two morning masses offered on Sunday, as a JVI community we have agreed to attempt to attend mass on Saturday as well as, at least one of the Sunday morning masses in an effort to become more a part of the Marshallese community that we are attempting to serve. The mass is all in Marshallese except for when Father Rich is off island and the visiting priest doesn’t speak Marshallese. Otherwise, I spend most of the mass attempting to follow along in a Marshallese/English Missile. I hope to at least be able to say an Our Father in Marshallese by the time the two years are up. A weekend has not passed that we have not been offered an invitation to attend a dinner, barbeque, or party. The hospitality among the Marshallese and the religious who are here on island is over pouring. Some of the Sisters have been in Majuro longer then I have been alive. They have seen not only the development of Assumption schools, but also the development of Majuro. They have educated some of the grandparent and parents of my students. I typically have around 18 students in each of my four classes. I teach English Composition 3 to juniors and biology to sophomores. I am finding it enjoyably challenging, and am realizing that teaching English has only motivated me to better understand the rules of English. I especially enjoy my sophomores who are beginning to show an interest in the subject. I am accepting of the fact that I am going to make mistakes, and find comfort in the fact that I will be able to learn from them and try to do better next year.
I enjoy spending time with both my students and the local kids after school. A few of the sophomores are highly competitive and enjoy having me quiz them after school. I usually leave the faculty room around 4 and head to the JV house, which is located on Assumption property. Several children from Small Island, the village located directly to the South of the parish considers the JV house one of only a few plays they are welcomed.
Small Island is one of the poorer communities in Majuro, and many of these children are not in school, because even the public elementary schools are over crowded. Currently, several of the children are suffering from horrible cases of Pink Eye, and luckily Sister Dora, one of the hardest working individuals in Majuro is treating them. The kids, range in age from 9 to 18 months. The older ones taking care of the younger ones; many of them without shoes, and open wounds from the mosquito bites they have scratched raw. They knock on our screen door, because we have had to teach them not to just come in. They commonly ask for food and water, but we only give them water. Not because we don’t have food, but because we don’t have the means to feed them everyday. We are not here to create a dependence, but rather to walk in solidarity. Even though we are unable to give them food, we attempt to feed them in other ways that they are starved. Many of them enjoy spending time coloring and playing with the blocks from and old Jenga game. These kids are starved for attention and they feed off of every word and smile you offer them.
Today was good!
PS. I think im on to something....I am having my biology kids create hand signs for their vocabulary words....I think its a great trick espessially for ESL learners. We are starting a section on microscopes and some of my students who have failed the last two tests stayed after school (at my request) and I think they enjoyed looking through the microscope at a lice...off of the head of one of the students.....mmmmm yummmy! Lets just say they only get uglier the bigger they get.
PSS. Today is Emily's birthday. She is one of my community members....Dinner, wine, and dessert....So excited.
Nothing but love,
The heat envelops you. From the minute you wake up until you fall asleep you are conscience of the perpetual perspiration on your face and back. Even after being here for seven weeks I still sometimes find the heat inescapable. I spend many hours in the faculty room, because it is air-conditioned. The faculty room is in the basement of Assumption Church. The floor and walls are all cement, and the room is packed, 18 teachers’ desks fill the room. All the desks are piled high with textbooks and school supplies, because there is no room for shelves to put the books on. Some of the desks are adorned with handy crafts that the students have made in Marshallese class, and in turn have been given to teachers over the years. If it wasn’t for Marshallese class many of the students would loose an appreciation of their own culture.
During the school day the three teachers’ computers are all occupied. One usually occupied by a teacher playing Spider Solitary, passing the time between classes. There are 7 class periods in a day. Each period is 45 minutes. One of my homeroom students is responsible for ringing the bell at the beginning and end of each class. Her sister graduated valedictorian last year, and so the privilege/responsibility had to be past on.
The students for the most part remain in the same classroom for the entire school day, for the exception of Marshallese and computer class. There are two sections of: freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, one section of a new pre-9 program, consisting of 3 students who are not yet quite ready for high school, and only one senior class. The reason why there is only one senior class is do to students failing, and either getting someone pregnant or getting pregnant. The school itself is a cement fortress that has been in the works for over 30 years. Three of my four classes are on the third floor, which affords a nice view of both the Pacific and the lagoon. I try to appreciate the view and hope to make it up hear to watch the sun rise one day soon. The high school has been dubbed “The Project,” because there is always work to be done. Most of the classrooms do not have lights, but this is only a problem on days that are heavily overcast, which so far, has been very rare. The students’ desks are a random assortment that has suffered the wear of time. Many have deep gouges where they have been carved into and are brown with rust. A left-handed student may be hard pressed to find a desk that would be comfortable for writing. Being a good teacher requires more charisma and creativity then any Oscar winning actor has ever been able to capture on film. The attention span of students is 2 minutes on a good day when the heat has not lead them to rip off the back cover of their Composition notebook in order to fan themselves as they sweat heavily while copying notes from the board. On bad days a teacher should be lucky to hold the classes’ attention for more than 30 seconds. It is not easy attempting to compete with American influence. Even while in the class room ideas of video games and shopping malls are not at all foreign. A few of the students have spent time in the U.S., and have experienced first hand the consumerism that we Americans have grown up with. The appeal of American culture is easily witnessed, watching students crowd around a celebrity magazine, looking at what the white American celebrity is wearing, many times, the cost of clothing far exceeding the amount of money many of the students parents make in a year. The Marshallese refer to Americans and all white skinned foreigners for that matter as “Ri belle” a term meaning, a person with many possessions. The term has been around ever since the first western missionaries came to spread the word of Christ. The missionaries would offer goods such as clothing and food hoping in return that the local Marshallese would convert. Only about 9% of Marshallese are Catholic. The Protestant influence is very strong and has lead to an interesting mixing of faith during Sunday services. Mass is offered in English on Saturday nights at 6:30 the congregation usually consists of Americans, Fijians, Japanese, and many other Pacific Islanders who do not speak Marshallese. The American Ambassador attends mass, but is not Catholic. I believe she is Episcopal and prefers a high mass. There are two morning masses offered on Sunday, as a JVI community we have agreed to attempt to attend mass on Saturday as well as, at least one of the Sunday morning masses in an effort to become more a part of the Marshallese community that we are attempting to serve. The mass is all in Marshallese except for when Father Rich is off island and the visiting priest doesn’t speak Marshallese. Otherwise, I spend most of the mass attempting to follow along in a Marshallese/English Missile. I hope to at least be able to say an Our Father in Marshallese by the time the two years are up. A weekend has not passed that we have not been offered an invitation to attend a dinner, barbeque, or party. The hospitality among the Marshallese and the religious who are here on island is over pouring. Some of the Sisters have been in Majuro longer then I have been alive. They have seen not only the development of Assumption schools, but also the development of Majuro. They have educated some of the grandparent and parents of my students. I typically have around 18 students in each of my four classes. I teach English Composition 3 to juniors and biology to sophomores. I am finding it enjoyably challenging, and am realizing that teaching English has only motivated me to better understand the rules of English. I especially enjoy my sophomores who are beginning to show an interest in the subject. I am accepting of the fact that I am going to make mistakes, and find comfort in the fact that I will be able to learn from them and try to do better next year.
I enjoy spending time with both my students and the local kids after school. A few of the sophomores are highly competitive and enjoy having me quiz them after school. I usually leave the faculty room around 4 and head to the JV house, which is located on Assumption property. Several children from Small Island, the village located directly to the South of the parish considers the JV house one of only a few plays they are welcomed.
Small Island is one of the poorer communities in Majuro, and many of these children are not in school, because even the public elementary schools are over crowded. Currently, several of the children are suffering from horrible cases of Pink Eye, and luckily Sister Dora, one of the hardest working individuals in Majuro is treating them. The kids, range in age from 9 to 18 months. The older ones taking care of the younger ones; many of them without shoes, and open wounds from the mosquito bites they have scratched raw. They knock on our screen door, because we have had to teach them not to just come in. They commonly ask for food and water, but we only give them water. Not because we don’t have food, but because we don’t have the means to feed them everyday. We are not here to create a dependence, but rather to walk in solidarity. Even though we are unable to give them food, we attempt to feed them in other ways that they are starved. Many of them enjoy spending time coloring and playing with the blocks from and old Jenga game. These kids are starved for attention and they feed off of every word and smile you offer them.
Today was good!
PS. I think im on to something....I am having my biology kids create hand signs for their vocabulary words....I think its a great trick espessially for ESL learners. We are starting a section on microscopes and some of my students who have failed the last two tests stayed after school (at my request) and I think they enjoyed looking through the microscope at a lice...off of the head of one of the students.....mmmmm yummmy! Lets just say they only get uglier the bigger they get.
PSS. Today is Emily's birthday. She is one of my community members....Dinner, wine, and dessert....So excited.
Nothing but love,
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Grrrrr!
Blogger is giving me a hard time. All is well but I have a lot to do. I'll try to get back soon. Love you all. The posts were kind. Dad I hope you are doing better.
Love,
Greg
Love,
Greg
Short and Sweet.
So sorry that I have to keep this short, but things are busy and I have a lot to do. I am supposed to cook dinner tonight, I'm thinking baked potoatos with all the fix'ns and need to do laundry as well as a ton and a half of grading. Our midquater grades are due. Wow the time has flown. I hope that our phone is fixed soon I would love to talk to each one of you. Dad I hope you are doing better. Did you pass out, because of the pain or the needle? Either way take it easy. Shannon keep up the good work. the kids' stories make me laugh. Mom, I'm so glad that you are doing RCIA I think the kids will be more than lucky to have you. Dayna, I sorry about the rear and would love to take pics. Core Four Keep it real.... Got to go....I have to go grocery shopping and get dinner done, so that i can grade and go to bed! Love you all Have a wonderful Sunday.
Nothing but Love,
Greg
Nothing but Love,
Greg
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Yokwe yok...Hello to you (singular)
Since I was unable to write last week I thought I would attempt to write two entries this week, (be sure to read the one below as well). The hard part is coming up with something to write about….
Today, I woke up around 7:30 and had to pull myself out of bed after grading papers and tests until midnight the night before. Hopped into the shower and was out the door at around 2 ‘til 8 It is so convenient to be located right next to the high school. I don’t know what I am going to do when I have to commute to work every morning and evening. My biology classes went well. We reviewed the test that they took last week after everyone finially finished taking it because of being late, and I am planning on meeting with the students who did poorly after school I hope to see an improvement in performance on the next test. In my Composition III classes we are working on plot development. In an attempt to make this more interesting I am having my student design there own comic, with a superhero and all. I think they are making great connections between the pictures they are drawing and what each should represent (rising action, climax, resolution…etc)
As of now there I have no plans for the weekend which means all I have is language lessons on Saturday morning, mass Saturday night, mass Sunday morning, and our community meeting Sunday afternoon….so even when I don’t have things to do I have things to do…lol
Well it is around 10pm and we just finished with our Rosary group. It was nice I am attempting to learn the Hail Mary in Marshallese, which has proven difficult. I am glad that tomorrow is Friday. My two English Classes have a quiz and were talking about Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates in Biology. I hope everyone has a great Thursday, and I hope your Friday comes soon…lol
Today, I woke up around 7:30 and had to pull myself out of bed after grading papers and tests until midnight the night before. Hopped into the shower and was out the door at around 2 ‘til 8 It is so convenient to be located right next to the high school. I don’t know what I am going to do when I have to commute to work every morning and evening. My biology classes went well. We reviewed the test that they took last week after everyone finially finished taking it because of being late, and I am planning on meeting with the students who did poorly after school I hope to see an improvement in performance on the next test. In my Composition III classes we are working on plot development. In an attempt to make this more interesting I am having my student design there own comic, with a superhero and all. I think they are making great connections between the pictures they are drawing and what each should represent (rising action, climax, resolution…etc)
As of now there I have no plans for the weekend which means all I have is language lessons on Saturday morning, mass Saturday night, mass Sunday morning, and our community meeting Sunday afternoon….so even when I don’t have things to do I have things to do…lol
Well it is around 10pm and we just finished with our Rosary group. It was nice I am attempting to learn the Hail Mary in Marshallese, which has proven difficult. I am glad that tomorrow is Friday. My two English Classes have a quiz and were talking about Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates in Biology. I hope everyone has a great Thursday, and I hope your Friday comes soon…lol
Time Flies...
Well I have officially been in Majuro for over a month now and I can hardly believe it. The days are all beginning to run together as if I have been here for years. Last Saturday, The JVIs were invited out to dinner by Father Ken. He is the Jesuit Superior for all of Micronesia. He said something that stuck with me while I chowed down my Chinese food. He said, “If you’ve been somewhere a week you can write a book, a month an article, and a year, well you can’t write anything. Same goes for photographers. In the beginning everything is new and interesting, but after a while it becomes routine and everyday.” I hope I remember this and am able to appreciate the small things more often. Last night I also happened to be doing some reading…Men’s Health…and read an article about the 24 top ways to earn respect. Number 8 was my favorite. “Do what you always told people you were going to do” Who thought words of inspiration could come from a media source.
Last week was complete chaos in a way to familiar kind of way. We had offers to go out, a volunteer family to hang out with, dinner plans on Tuesday, a barbeque on Friday, and a whirl-wind of other events to make an appearance at. ( a guy could get used to this!) Thanks to my wonderful up bring and ability to schmooze I had a great time, getting to meet fellow volunteers, local Marshallese, and others. I guess it is in my blood. Well, as for the rest of the house, they were kind of beat and were a bit overwhelmed by the weeks festivities. They found it to be to busy and not “simple” .
Ah, simple you say…Well that leads me to my next topic. “Simple Living” is one of the four values that sets JVI apart from the other run of the mill, leave your family and friends behind, after graduation, volunteer opportunities…lol. The other three are Living in community…CHECK. Doing works of justice…CHECK, and Practicing your faith Double CHECK. These three values, while not a walk in the park, by any standard are, I feel, better defined universally. Living Simply, however, can mean something different to everyone…( which can be problematic for attempting to Live in Community). So on Sunday as usual we had our community meeting. Where we all gathered around the dinner table and shared how we were doing, who was going to be doing what, what has been going well, are things being kept clean…typical roommate-ish questions and concerns, but then we introduced the topic of simple living.
During my orientation in Scranton, PA it was said jokingly that entering into a JV community was like entering into a marriage, except for the fact that it’s polygamist, you hardly know one another there is a finite end to the relationship, and no bedroom benefits…lol. So, just like in a marriage all five of us JV’s have our different view of what living simply means to each of us. The spectrum was wide. For some people if they were asked to live simply their first thought might be on material things, but this is only the beginning. So after you buy non-name brand food and are not focused on material things such as TV, Internet, clothing….the more challenging side of living simply has not even begun. This includes simplifying ones life and relationships. What does that mean…well “simply” stated it means getting rid of all preconceived notions, gossip and junk that prevents one from truly getting to know someone else. It also means choosing who you spend time with as well as where you spend your time.
Two and a half hours later we ended our meeting. The discussion was to be continued at a later date, it is more of an ongoing process rather then a question with an answer. Well as a side note….I find the community meeting to be a necessary evil, and find it amazing how 5 people can all have a different opinion on the life span of a kitchen sponge, weather to buy wheat bread even if its slightly more expensive, or if knifes should be placed in the drying rack blade up, or blade down. If you know me at all….you will no that…..the typical house sponge should be used no longer then one month after its first use and only on dishes and countertops, wheat bread is worth the money if it is in fact whole grain, otherwise its just brown white bread, kitchen knives should be kept blade up, angled toward the back wall, to prevent the blade from being placed in stagnant water. (LOL….LOL ok so really….I could care less about these small things and instead found it amusing to hear the views of my community)….If you really thought I would have an opinion on the life span of a kitchen sponge then you most not know me to well and I would love to hear from you so write a comment or send me a letter.
Gregory Montoya
Jesuit Volunteer International
PO Box # 8
Last week was complete chaos in a way to familiar kind of way. We had offers to go out, a volunteer family to hang out with, dinner plans on Tuesday, a barbeque on Friday, and a whirl-wind of other events to make an appearance at. ( a guy could get used to this!) Thanks to my wonderful up bring and ability to schmooze I had a great time, getting to meet fellow volunteers, local Marshallese, and others. I guess it is in my blood. Well, as for the rest of the house, they were kind of beat and were a bit overwhelmed by the weeks festivities. They found it to be to busy and not “simple” .
Ah, simple you say…Well that leads me to my next topic. “Simple Living” is one of the four values that sets JVI apart from the other run of the mill, leave your family and friends behind, after graduation, volunteer opportunities…lol. The other three are Living in community…CHECK. Doing works of justice…CHECK, and Practicing your faith Double CHECK. These three values, while not a walk in the park, by any standard are, I feel, better defined universally. Living Simply, however, can mean something different to everyone…( which can be problematic for attempting to Live in Community). So on Sunday as usual we had our community meeting. Where we all gathered around the dinner table and shared how we were doing, who was going to be doing what, what has been going well, are things being kept clean…typical roommate-ish questions and concerns, but then we introduced the topic of simple living.
During my orientation in Scranton, PA it was said jokingly that entering into a JV community was like entering into a marriage, except for the fact that it’s polygamist, you hardly know one another there is a finite end to the relationship, and no bedroom benefits…lol. So, just like in a marriage all five of us JV’s have our different view of what living simply means to each of us. The spectrum was wide. For some people if they were asked to live simply their first thought might be on material things, but this is only the beginning. So after you buy non-name brand food and are not focused on material things such as TV, Internet, clothing….the more challenging side of living simply has not even begun. This includes simplifying ones life and relationships. What does that mean…well “simply” stated it means getting rid of all preconceived notions, gossip and junk that prevents one from truly getting to know someone else. It also means choosing who you spend time with as well as where you spend your time.
Two and a half hours later we ended our meeting. The discussion was to be continued at a later date, it is more of an ongoing process rather then a question with an answer. Well as a side note….I find the community meeting to be a necessary evil, and find it amazing how 5 people can all have a different opinion on the life span of a kitchen sponge, weather to buy wheat bread even if its slightly more expensive, or if knifes should be placed in the drying rack blade up, or blade down. If you know me at all….you will no that…..the typical house sponge should be used no longer then one month after its first use and only on dishes and countertops, wheat bread is worth the money if it is in fact whole grain, otherwise its just brown white bread, kitchen knives should be kept blade up, angled toward the back wall, to prevent the blade from being placed in stagnant water. (LOL….LOL ok so really….I could care less about these small things and instead found it amusing to hear the views of my community)….If you really thought I would have an opinion on the life span of a kitchen sponge then you most not know me to well and I would love to hear from you so write a comment or send me a letter.
Gregory Montoya
Jesuit Volunteer International
PO Box # 8
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