This past weekend was the last for one of the Peace Corps girls, whom I actually just met a few weeks before so it seemed strange to already be saying goodbye. We didn’t really get to know each other very well, but I went anyway because it sounded like a lot of fun, and I’m always looking for good opportunities to meet more people here. It was a “sunset cruise,” which was somewhat deceiving since it had been cloudy and pouring rain the entire day. The small boat left around 5:30 from the PCR surf club dock (the same place where Tom and I had sake and pizza on his last night in Pohnpei). It was more of a booze cruise than a sunset boat trip, anchoring a few miles out in the lagoon by an old and unfamiliar lighthouse. Lots of people brought different kinds of beer and liquor; I brought a cheap bottle of wine that turned out to be the most foul tasting thing ever, but not surprisingly, was finished anyway before the night was over. We stayed out for 4 ½ hours or so, swimming, drinking, dancing, talking, and huddling into jackets when the rain started to pour down again. It was nearly pitch black since the sky was still cloudy, but in the distance I could see lights that I mistakenly thought were those of a city. I was told it was actually a Japanese fishing vessel with over 2,000 people on board. No wonder it looked so massive. The current was strong and when I jumped in, immediately had to hold on to a sturdy rope anchored into the water. It made me even more seasick than I had been sitting in the boat; a nausea that was only assuaged after eating a slice of cold pizza.
On Sunday, I was meant to go to Kitti with Greg to meet his host family from when he first arrived on the islands. However, even after waking my ass up at 7 am, the trip seemed less plausible to both of us. It was Mental Health Day (a misnomer really since it was technically a day for the mentally disabled/challenged/ill – not for the overall mental health of the community, youth, etc.) and Greg assumed that his family would be at the festivities for most of all of the day and would not be able to host us at their home. I agreed to reschedule and sank back into bed for another couple hours of a sleepless kind of sleep until taking a taxi to The Village for brunch with some World Teach volunteers. After that I went to yoga. Not the most strenuous day, but I’m not here to exert myself, right? Right?? : )
Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving (a holiday which, to be honest, I didn’t even really know existed). It’s the same as American Thanksgiving – surface-wise at least. There is no story about the Pilgrims and Indians, no story at all it seems, only pumpkin pie, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, squash, potatoes, and wine – all of which were present last night at the wonderful and hugely popular dinner held at the house of a Canadian woman and her husband. Along with some more interesting dishes like ziti, chicken curry, and couscous, 40-some mehn wai (and a few locals) got together in our hosts’ impressive house overlooking Sokeh’s bay. I missed out on the pumpkin pie, which is my FAVORITE holiday dessert, but I was asking for it when I piled literally layers and layers of food onto my plate. I validated this decision by noting that this was the last time in a while I would have such a meal. Of course, this also meant taking ample advantage of the delicious drink selections which included various wines, beers (coronas!), and coconut rum.
In conclusion, this past weekend was full of great food and better friends. I feel luckier and luckier as time goes on that I am here… of course, a phone call from my grandma and a card from my friend in NYC brings me right back again to missing home and looking forward to going back in December, even though there’s really nothing like partying out on the Pacific.
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