I am sitting in my bedroom, currently listening to the chilling and murderously demonic screams of yet another Xavier tradition. The Halloween possession is taking place tonight. Halloween is generally not a huge deal on Weno, though strong American influence has rendered it somewhat familiar. Some stores hang Halloween signs, and a few people on the streets today were wearing wigs or other costume-ish things. It’s definitely more prevalent within “Xavier culture” as many of the students come from more developed areas like Palau and Guam – places more open to American lifestyles. No one goes trick or treating or necessarily dresses up, but each year the boys construct a haunted house throughout the campus and, like tonight, stage a demonic possession for the freshmen, who are ignorant of the fact that it isn’t real. The validity, or lack thereof, of this game might seem obvious to most westerners, but possession for Micronesians is a very real possibility for two main reasons. The first is that, unawares to me until a short while ago, the Catholic church still supports the idea that people can become possessed by the devil through things like the occult (Ouija boards, etc.) – arguably one of the more medieval and irrational ideas of Catholicism as most of the things considered “occult” or “satanic” are actually just relics of other religious traditions that were and are considered backward and harmful. To me, this sounds just as superstitious as any Micronesian tradition Xavier tries to weed out of the students, but apparently this is still a legitimate Christian belief that a now largely Christianized society is acculturated into. The second, probably more weighty reason is that possession is also an aspect of many island religions as well. Spirits, though not necessarily evil ones, inhabit the body putting its victim in a kind of trance. Sociologically, spirit possession has become more prevalent among Micronesian women, used as an outlet for self-expression. For example, if a woman has something to say about a particular argument or issue within the family, she might become possessed by the spirit of her dead uncle or father so that she might speak through a “man” and thus be listened to. So, spirit possession is a very real thing for many Micronesians, and as such the freshman boys are usually terrified. An upperclassman (a junior this year) will fake a possession – with screaming, flailing, speaking in tongues, etc. and the other boys will act (or in the case of the freshmen, legitimately be) horrified. A few older boys will transport the possessee outside and take a truck down the hill with the security guard presumably to go to the hospital leaving the other boys something to talk about until the next day. As with most traditions, the boys take it very seriously, and while it might go too far, it’s part of the ongoing initiation into the “boys’ community.”

On a less creepy note, earlier tonight four of us went to the Blue Lagoon resort to have dinner. The JVIs went on their semester retreat to Pisar, so the independents decided to have a small retreat of our own. It took us about an hour to get to the resort despite its close proximity, but it was worth it, and actually only cost me about $15. It’s very intriguing, though, to walk into Blue Lagoon or Truk Stop and only see white people, except for the servers and staff. Most of them are here for diving, but it’s interesting that there really are so many of them, but they hide within the confines of their hotels ignoring the actual island they’ve come to utilize. Too be honest, it wasn’t an exceptionally bad feeling to be surrounded by westerners for a few hours if only that it made me feel a little more at home and comfortable being my loud, demanding American self, it’s just both fascinating and tragic that the places where they generally limit themselves to are closed off to most Chuukese people. Even on their home island, they do not have the same kind of access as wealthy, privileged outsiders.

Trying to keep this thing up, I promise!!
Two weekends ago, a few of us went to a small island called Pisar, which is largely uninhabited and located right on the edge of the reef (the defining line of rocks and coral separating lagoon from open ocean). Pisar fits the image of “paradise” that many people might envision Micronesia to be – the sand is white and the water is a very clear, bright blue. Palm trees, coconuts, and tiny hermit crabs dot the relatively tiny landscape, and I found some really amazing shells and giant pieces of coral to hopefully take home with me as actual souvenirs. The snorkeling was pretty great, though not as exceptional as when I went diving with my host family. We took a trip out to the reef and stood against the waves which, while were unswimmable because of the rocks, were beautiful and very welcoming to listen to. We built a fire and ate a communal meal of sashimi, grilled fish, taro, banana, and kon (pounded breadfruit). There was no power on the small island, so we started a bonfire on the beach before retiring to bed in hammocks.

This past weekend was Girls’ Gathering – a Xavier tradition in which the female students sleep over at the school (generally they stay with host families all around Weno) and play games, watch movies, and just bond in general. The boys are relegated to the dorm so that the girls can have free reign of the campus for once, which is much deserved. The girls here definitely get the short end of the straw when it comes to resources and access at Xavier. They get less study time, and less time for extra help since they leave at 5 and often have chores to do at their host families. They also have to make the tiring and arduous ride up to Xavier every day, twice a day meaning they have to wake up around 5 or 6, and don’t get home sometimes until around 7. I participated for a couple games, most of which involved humiliating me as “new teacher initiation” goes. It was all in good fun though, and I tried to be a good sport. They were all really excited that I joined in, and it makes me happy to know that my presence mattered to them.
Speaking of which, I have officially become the sophomore “mom.” Their class moderator, Sammy, has become the “dad.” They have created a whole, imaginary family life for us. I thought this was a strange game at first, until I noticed there is a multitude of Xavier “families.” Students will be other students’ grandparents, parents, sisters, brothers, and children. They will build entire family units and complex genealogies for themselves which are testaments to their generative creativity. One sophomore girl who spent an afternoon chatting in my office told me a story of a teacher last year who jokingly made fun of her for always flirting with a particular boy. She finally got so upset she cried for the rest of the class because this boy was her “Xavier father” and it hurt her that someone would accuse her of liking him. This story was particularly eye-opening because it demonstrated how seriously these students take the families they create because they are so far away from their own families, if they have them at all. They need both the attention and the structure of familiar familial relationships.

There is so much coming up in the next few weeks. FSM Independence Day is Tuesday, so we have Monday off from school. Papers and projects are going out like crazy because we only have about 7 more weeks of classes before Christmas break, which I can’t believe! Before I know it, second semester will be here and the year will be over just as quickly as it came upon me. When I first got here, I couldn’t fathom the amount of time a year would take – I left feeling like I would be gone forever, like I wouldn’t really see my things or my friends or my neighborhood anymore. The last minutes I spent in New York City were with Emily, Chris, and Gabe and I remember waving goodbye to them from the subway train windows feeling like the next time I saw them, we’d all be old and grey. It was an unrealistic way to look at things, but with the daunting picture of a very new and foreign place in front of me, it didn’t seem that unreasonable. Now the year is almost over. I don’t feel like a year is enough, but I think I’ll still be ready to go home.

Busy as usual.
Last Sunday, Megan and I went to visit our host family at the Korean Research Center, which used to be a hotel. Unlike most of the volunteers’ host families, ours is not completely Chuukese (only the mom is Chuukese, the father is Korean) and we spend most of the time at the center/resort rather than at their home. It’s not necessarily a very cultural experience, it’s more like a mini-vacation especially considering that Megan has her air conditioned own room with a hot-water shower and a mini-fridge. Four of us including Tom and Matt were picked up by one of the researchers and taken to the research center. We filled up two motor boats and shipped out to a small island only big enough for one or two palm trees. We went snorkeling and with the aid of a professional instructor, scuba diving. We weren’t necessarily too far out in the lagoon, but we could see massive amounts of coral, some crazy colored fish, and a couple decent-sized sharks. I was a little anxious about diving, but snorkeling is still the most amazing feeling, especially farther away from the shore. We wore special gloves so we could pick up some corals and some pretty cool looking clams. We had some sandwiches on the boat and then a larger, spicier Korean lunch when we got back to shore. It was my first time at the Research Center, so Megan showed Tom, Matt, and me the huge tanks they keep of radical tropical fish. I feel a little like I’m cheating the Chuukese experience by having such a host family, but I also get to experience a lot of what the island and the lagoon have to offer by virtue of the access my host family has.

This past week we also had ten visiting Australian high school students from a private Jesuit school. They were here for “cultural immersion” but since they spent the majority of their time here at a high class hotel snorkeling and eating more than decent food, they weren’t immersed in much more than the continuously looming Western presence. I never had much of a chance to speak with them, but the students enjoyed taking them hiking and showing them how Xavier students typically live, which is also very different from Chuukese life as a whole.

Today I went for my first run down in Sapuk and Penia. It’s hard to run in the road since it switches between piles of rocks and gravel and deep ditches and potholes full of dirty rainwater, but it’s the most beautiful and peaceful run I’ve ever been on. There were not many people around today, maybe because of the heat, and so I just tried to absorb the silence of the still water to my right, and the jungle surrounding me on my left. I went too early to see sunset (mostly because I wanted to get back before dark), but it was still a gorgeous route to go down. Of course, like always, the natural beauty of the island is sharply interspersed with what looks like a vast wasteland of trash dotting almost every corner of the ground. Even though most people are, or at least seem, content, an overwhelming sense of poverty saturates the villages. I met a lot of cute Chuukese children who always want to know my name, where I’m coming from, and where I’m going. They get excited when I mention that I’m from the states, especially from New York which is a place that many of them know. They immediately guess I’m from Xavier, since there are only a literal handful of white people on the island, and ask when I’ll be back to see them. I also ran into Stephanie’s host brother who remembered me and asked when the next time I’m coming to visit them at Wichi would be. Hopefully it will be this weekend. I want to maintain the already fleeting relationships I have with the Chuukese people I’ve met so far, but I also want to try new things and go to different places both on the island and outside of it.