Kolonia, Micronesia
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Countless stories retold, from islands so unique in their flavor that they might as well be located in different time zones....wait.....they are......well, island specks scattered throughout the millions of square miles of ocean that make up the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau....volunteers coming into the "home" island of Pohnpei from places like the outer islands of Yap, where women go topless and men still wear only the traditional loinclothes...like the island of Kosrae, where one will go to church 3-4 times a week, 2-3 times a day....like the outer islands of Chuuk, where the stars must be brilliant when there isnt an electic light for hundreds of miles....all of the remaining Micro 72 volunteers reunited after 16 months living extroidinary lives in the Pacific, for story telling, parties, and "training" courtesy of Uncle Sam. The place: Nahlap Island, one of the many small lagoon islands that dot Pohnpei States massive fringing reef. A beautiful place and time for reflection, comparison, laughing, and looking foward to the next stop on this strange trip: Close of Service Conference in Yap in 9 months. We are way past the mid point. Looking at the downward slope, the dim light of closure that grows brigher every day, knowing the rest of this trip will surely be a blur.
Next week: my Christmas/Chanukkah trip with my family to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, to soak in the asian lifestyle, abandon my island home for the first time in 7 months, and hopefully get homesick.
Enjoy the pics......
Jeff
