Life is great! It's definitely not easy, but
when are the great things ever easy. Plus life improves everyday with my
understanding of the language and my adapting to life here. Answers to a
couple of questions: Yes there are mosquitoes in Kiribati, but I don't
get bitten much. I have a couple on my feet and one or two on my arms
but they are few and far between and don't itch much. Miraculously I
haven't sunburned at all. I also have yet to put on sunscreen. I think
that it is the Morley blessing. Rachael didn't get sunburned in AZ and I
haven't gotten sunburnt here even though the sun is intense and I spend
a lot of time out side. I will just keep on being obedient because I
don't want to risk losing the help that I get (or my hearing! sorry
thats another story)
My favorite thing here is getting called
Imatong (white person) by the children. We'll be walking down the street
on our way to an appointment and kids will shout imatong and run at me
shaking my hand and talking to me. It's like I'm a celebrity! I've
started messing with the kids a little bit. Sometimes when the kids are
with their parents and they shout at me 'Imatong' I will shout back
'I-Kiribati!' The kids don't usually get it, but the parents think it is
funny. Also When they yell at me I'll look all confused and respond in
kiribati, 'Imatong? Where's the imatong? I'm black!' Again they'll look
confused, but they get this joke faster, so it has been a bit of a
running joke. When people say that I'm white, I tell them that I am
black. I can't really comunicate all that much, so I talk and play with
all of the kids. It is kinda discouraging when I talk to a 2 year old
and they're vocabulary is bigger than mine, but I still try.
 |
"Me at the dance competion feeling chill
in my skirt and little flower thing on my head" |
We
had stake conference this past weekend and before that there was a
competition where all of the wards performed the traditional (and
sometimes less traditional) dances and songs. I got to participate and
it was the coolest thing. There is a big (4'x4') wooden box that the men
sit around and use like a drum to keep the beat. I have no idea what
the words to the songs are, but I was copying the vowel sounds and
singing with all my might because it is so cool. I love being in a group
with everyone totally getting in to the music and singing and pounding
the box as hard as they can. We should do something like it in america.
Our most patriotic things are dull in comparison.
Stake
conference was hard. I told my companions to not translate so that I
could try to figure out the meaning on my own. Luckily the Mission
President and his wife are in town, so they both spoke and I could
understand them pretty easily (they are both american). He is a great
guy, I got to have an interview with him and have listened to him speak
a couple of times now. I could understand the speakers that spoke
clearly, but most of the time I was just confused. It is so exhausting
straining to understand. It takes so much concentration.
The
food is almost always good. It is always fish and rice, with different
stuff on the side. I like rice, because I always know it is safe and
will taste normal. The fish is usually tasty it doesn't taste like
american fish so it is good. One time I was at a dinner and they put a
whole cooked fish in front of me. It still had scales and eyes and lots
of teeth. So i just ripped off the skin and pulled off the meat. It was
good, you just have to be careful about the bones. They are like tiny
swords. So yeah, the food sometimes looks weird, but I am determined to
enjoy all of it. If it tastes bad I just quickly take a bite of rice and
smile. I have become a pro not-gagger, which is helpful in showing them
that I like their food.
Life is great! I love you all!
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