Fr. McGarry is one of those "old guys" who says things under his breath and in a sort of mumbling way that, when you hear them, make you spit out your milk and start rolling on the floor laughing. Unfortunately I can't really give examples, because about 80% of the humour is of the "you had to be there" variety, but I'll hope you trust me on this one. Naturally, then, while all of the priests we are living with are exceptional in there own right (Fr. Fran is an encyclopedia, Fr. Cav is jolly as can be, and Fr. Dave has an ease and sensitivity about him that makes you instantly comfortable and at home), Fr. McGarry naturally became the one that we laugh with the most.
And so, naturally, the one we decided to play a prank on (don't worry, playing pranks on priests is kosher :) when you live with them).
The idea started developing the days before, as we listened to Fr. McGarry gripe and groan about this massive jar of three-berry jam that had been opened, and consequently needed to be finished before a new jar of jam - of a different flavoured jam - could be opened. He hated three-berry, but loved all other sorts. So he would eat as much as he could at any given sitting, and would do his best to get others to join him in his efforts (with little success I think).
Finally, a couple of days ago, the jar was almost empty. It would be done within the day or two. It was at lunch when we started asking what would happen if one of us finished it and decided we liked three-berry jam and opened another jar of it. Immediately, simply, and straightforwardly he said "I'd kill you." Never mind consequences.
The idea thus presented itself in our minds - what if Fr. McGarry did think another jar of three berry jam had been opened? What would he do?
That night, the three-berry jam was finished. Triumphantly, gloriously, and very vocally Fr. McGarry opened a new jar of STRAWBERRY jam. Giant, like the last one, but strawberry this time. He happily ate some toast and jam and went to bed. We - Colleen, Tim and myself, the JVs of the house - started brainstorming. The jars were the same size, same brand, everything, and eventually we thought we'd see if we couldn't switch labels. We tried pulling the three-berry jam label off and --- voila! It worked! Thank God for the humidity of the islands! We peeled it off, slowly and carefully, and equally slowly and carefully put it on the strawberry jam jar - and it was beautiful. Looked exactly like a jar of three-berry jam. Perfect! We put it back in the fridge, giggled, and went to bed.
The next day at lunch Fr. McGarry decided to have jam. We were all sitting around the circular dining room table, in great anticipation. Fr. Dave had also been alerted to the game, and played his party very well. Fr. McGarry went to the fridge, got the jam, a plate, his toast, sat down. Fr. Cav also got his pancakes from the microwave and BBQ sauce to smother them in, and sat down. Fr. McGarry looked at the jam and said "Does anyone realize what a terrible mistake has been made? Apparently I opened another bottle of three-berry jam... This is terrible..." In resignation to another long effort he opened the jar, stuck in his knife, and got himself some jam.
A lot of jam.
It was at this point that Fr. Cav realized he had BBQ sauce, not syrup, and got up again to switch them and put his coffee in the microwave.
It got better. Fr. McGarry started talking about how it wasn't so bad, it just wasn't great. Fr. Dave then said, quietly, "It's all in the mind father, it's all in the mind." Fr. Cav then got up because he realized he had put his coffee in for not 1 minute and 17 seconds but 1 hr. and 17 minutes. Fr. McGarry then, holding the jar up to the light, said he was trying to get the strawberry bits in the jam because they tasted the best. We all were cracking up (even Fr. Dave was enjoying himself), Fr. Cav told us to stop laughing at him (he didn't know about the jam) and Fr. McGarry was in a general state of distress and disappointment.
It was then that Colleen spun the GIANT lazy Susan around and quietly scratched off the "Three-Berry" part of the label, leaving the "Strawberry" underneath, and inconspicuously spun it again so the jam stopped in front of Fr. McGarry. Eventually, he noticed it, and rather sheepishly admitted to his craziness, thinking that he had opened a three-berry jam. He hadn't, he had opened strawberry, and so he made his confessions to all for his mistake.
We couldn't stop smiling!
After this we explained what we did. Fr. Dave was smiling, Fr. Cav was laughing, Fr. Fran was in the Marshalls, and Fr. McGarry wasn't sure what to do anymore - looking more than a little lost. Lost, but happy. After all, he had his strawberry jam.
A happy household!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Pohnpein Perspective
Perspective is a crazy thing. When I was training at Oberlin for soccer, as a goalie, our coach had us (my counterpart Clayton and I) do this exercise that exploited this fact. We were made to try and stop shots taken on larger and larger nets, until we were standing between two full-size nets doing our best to stop any shots being fired at us. After doing this for a while, we went back to a smaller sized net and it felt tiny - like the posts were right beside us. We felt infinitely more confident and able. Like many, many exercises and activities of the sort, it exploited our use of perspective in our game - what was doable, what was not. What was close/far.
Whatever. The point is that the experience was no less dramatic for Colleen and I, returning to the state of Pohnpei for a second time after ten months in Chuuk. We stopped by Pohnpei on our flight to Chuuk back in August, and spent a few days here, before heading to our final destination and future home. During that time, we didn't think much of the place, although our second year JVs from Chuuk praised it and seemed to glorify the mundane in it. Silly things like "the roads are SO nice here" and "enjoy the 24hr power." Now, after 10 months in Chuuk, our return to Pohnpei has been full of similar exlamations.
The first day here we went to visit the house of Tim and Greg, the Pohnpein JVs, where we can't stay because they have to build a new wall in preparation for a new JV next year, and I almost died on the way back. In Chuuk, if a car is coming up behind you, you have about 5 minutes from when you hear until when it will eventually get to you. Even then, it's usually a better idea to look behind you as it gets really close to see whether you moving to the right or to the left would be a better idea, given the location of whatever holes and/or ruts are in the vicinity. In Pohnpei, however, cars will just go straight and you have about 5 seconds between when you hear a car and when it gets directly behind you. My reactions are not used to this, so I almost didn't make it out of the way. When finally my brain registered that I need to get out of the way quickly I jumped off the road as the car flew past. A bit of a wake up call.
And there does indeed seem to be power on 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. I do wonder how much this fact alone accounts for the development discrepancies between Chuuk, specifically the island of Weno, and Pohnpei.
Not only is Pohnpei "hooked up" as it were, we also are fortunate - and extremely thankful - to be staying at the Jesuit house here in Kolonia town. A beautiful, relatively new residence it provides us spacious and comfortable rooms, with our own desks, fans, and sinks, a place to eat with great company (the Jesuits themselves) and food made by a talented and joyful cook (Nini) as well as access to this place, the Micronesia Seminar (a treasury of history and information on the islands), and a truck (from time to time). How was that for a sentence? Nothing, compared to this place as a place. Kolonia itself is overflowing with luxuries. There's even a movie theatre - with three screens! It costs money, so we'll probably go once, maybe twice, but the idea alone is exciting. And of course, like Chuuk, it has its own natural luxuries. Beautiful hikes, places, and people.
Tim, Colleen and I are going to be running a summer school program here for high achievers, so there will be some work to be done, but the principal of the school we'll be using commanded that we not work too hard. He said, "two bits work, three bits play at least." Ok. :)
The summer is shaping up to be a good one! *knock on wood*
Whatever. The point is that the experience was no less dramatic for Colleen and I, returning to the state of Pohnpei for a second time after ten months in Chuuk. We stopped by Pohnpei on our flight to Chuuk back in August, and spent a few days here, before heading to our final destination and future home. During that time, we didn't think much of the place, although our second year JVs from Chuuk praised it and seemed to glorify the mundane in it. Silly things like "the roads are SO nice here" and "enjoy the 24hr power." Now, after 10 months in Chuuk, our return to Pohnpei has been full of similar exlamations.
The first day here we went to visit the house of Tim and Greg, the Pohnpein JVs, where we can't stay because they have to build a new wall in preparation for a new JV next year, and I almost died on the way back. In Chuuk, if a car is coming up behind you, you have about 5 minutes from when you hear until when it will eventually get to you. Even then, it's usually a better idea to look behind you as it gets really close to see whether you moving to the right or to the left would be a better idea, given the location of whatever holes and/or ruts are in the vicinity. In Pohnpei, however, cars will just go straight and you have about 5 seconds between when you hear a car and when it gets directly behind you. My reactions are not used to this, so I almost didn't make it out of the way. When finally my brain registered that I need to get out of the way quickly I jumped off the road as the car flew past. A bit of a wake up call.
And there does indeed seem to be power on 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. I do wonder how much this fact alone accounts for the development discrepancies between Chuuk, specifically the island of Weno, and Pohnpei.
Not only is Pohnpei "hooked up" as it were, we also are fortunate - and extremely thankful - to be staying at the Jesuit house here in Kolonia town. A beautiful, relatively new residence it provides us spacious and comfortable rooms, with our own desks, fans, and sinks, a place to eat with great company (the Jesuits themselves) and food made by a talented and joyful cook (Nini) as well as access to this place, the Micronesia Seminar (a treasury of history and information on the islands), and a truck (from time to time). How was that for a sentence? Nothing, compared to this place as a place. Kolonia itself is overflowing with luxuries. There's even a movie theatre - with three screens! It costs money, so we'll probably go once, maybe twice, but the idea alone is exciting. And of course, like Chuuk, it has its own natural luxuries. Beautiful hikes, places, and people.
Tim, Colleen and I are going to be running a summer school program here for high achievers, so there will be some work to be done, but the principal of the school we'll be using commanded that we not work too hard. He said, "two bits work, three bits play at least." Ok. :)
The summer is shaping up to be a good one! *knock on wood*
A Response to "Privilege Confuses Me..."
Abby Browne, a great friend from Vermont, wrote an email to me after reading my post about privilege. She had some good things to say, at least things that I needed to hear, so I asked if I could post them. Here are highlights:
Privilege. What does it mean? Unfortunately it seems as though it's another one of those abstractions that we all take for granted, and that people like you and me, are labeled as having it. Though I don't entirely disagree. Sure, it's socially constructed, what commonly used abstraction isn't? To me, I see privilege more as opportunity than just economic stability, though they do relate. You and I never questioned where our next meal would come from growing up. We never hoped that we would be fortunate (there's another one of those words, fortunate) enough to have shelter in a storm, because we never doubted having a home. We have families that love and support us, and due to our circumstances, we were able to go to college (even if we're paying for it twenty years later), and able to support ourselves effectively. Of course it wasn't necessarily a simple process, but we do not have the limitations that so many people have across the world, and that is what makes us privileged.
*
When I think of poverty, I think of those without homes, without jobs, without food, without any sort of shelter, without the economic means of supporting their families. Poverty to me is a much more physical, concrete, thing than privilege. Yes, I think we should fight poverty. When half of the world overconsumes, is overweight, and wastes enough food to feed those impoverish countries, then something should be done to make sure that no one is left out.
*
We are lucky that we have choices that don't sacrifice our personal nourishment. We are lucky that we can sit here and discuss our privilege. Would we be talking about this if we were too busy hunting for food, whether in a trash can in the park, or across the savannah? It's not just money, it's not just choices, I certainly don't think it's material possessions or power. It takes an amazing person with something much more than the physical world to see life like the Zionist woman did [a South African Zionist woman, of grandmotherly age, who had to walk several miles to work every morning, and lived illegally with her son and his family in government housing, during Apartheid, and would joyfully sing praise to God. She was happy.]. It seems to me that it's much easier for us as humans to fall into material self-doubt, hatred and greed than find the good in every situation. Is that our culture, or our human nature? Or is that our next discussion topic?
-----
Poverty is real, privilege is real, and a greater equality - a greater global, social equality should be sought. We just need to fight the battle with as much self-awareness as possible. We need to be able to identify our human needs and our cultural needs, distinguish the two, and do our best to act in the best interests of both. It feels daunting, but necessary. Poverty and privilege are ideas, but they are also very real, and that while discussions are good, they must never lose sight of nor distract from this reality. It's a little clearer now... :)
Privilege. What does it mean? Unfortunately it seems as though it's another one of those abstractions that we all take for granted, and that people like you and me, are labeled as having it. Though I don't entirely disagree. Sure, it's socially constructed, what commonly used abstraction isn't? To me, I see privilege more as opportunity than just economic stability, though they do relate. You and I never questioned where our next meal would come from growing up. We never hoped that we would be fortunate (there's another one of those words, fortunate) enough to have shelter in a storm, because we never doubted having a home. We have families that love and support us, and due to our circumstances, we were able to go to college (even if we're paying for it twenty years later), and able to support ourselves effectively. Of course it wasn't necessarily a simple process, but we do not have the limitations that so many people have across the world, and that is what makes us privileged.
*
When I think of poverty, I think of those without homes, without jobs, without food, without any sort of shelter, without the economic means of supporting their families. Poverty to me is a much more physical, concrete, thing than privilege. Yes, I think we should fight poverty. When half of the world overconsumes, is overweight, and wastes enough food to feed those impoverish countries, then something should be done to make sure that no one is left out.
*
We are lucky that we have choices that don't sacrifice our personal nourishment. We are lucky that we can sit here and discuss our privilege. Would we be talking about this if we were too busy hunting for food, whether in a trash can in the park, or across the savannah? It's not just money, it's not just choices, I certainly don't think it's material possessions or power. It takes an amazing person with something much more than the physical world to see life like the Zionist woman did [a South African Zionist woman, of grandmotherly age, who had to walk several miles to work every morning, and lived illegally with her son and his family in government housing, during Apartheid, and would joyfully sing praise to God. She was happy.]. It seems to me that it's much easier for us as humans to fall into material self-doubt, hatred and greed than find the good in every situation. Is that our culture, or our human nature? Or is that our next discussion topic?
-----
Poverty is real, privilege is real, and a greater equality - a greater global, social equality should be sought. We just need to fight the battle with as much self-awareness as possible. We need to be able to identify our human needs and our cultural needs, distinguish the two, and do our best to act in the best interests of both. It feels daunting, but necessary. Poverty and privilege are ideas, but they are also very real, and that while discussions are good, they must never lose sight of nor distract from this reality. It's a little clearer now... :)
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