Monica came August 15th, and left September 17th, and it was absolutely amazing to have her here. Any doubt, any fear, any uncertainty there may have been with who we were and what we meant to each other was completely destroyed by that month together. To simply be together was happiness.
While Monica was here she had a chance to see this life in its day to day reality. She saw the students, had a chance to get to know them, to hear them sing, and even to teach them a little (she taught my Economics class, and then we also taught swing dancing together after school). She also saw our community lives, how we eat dinner, how we spend time during and after school, how we take out the trash. She was able to see the school, the other teachers, and the local neighbourhood. She had a chance to see everything that was “normal,” which was the idea exactly.
Monica and I also had a chance to visit a couple of places on weekends as well. One weekend we spent on Pisar with Marcos, Jessie and Caitlin (fellow community mates), which is nothing short of a tropical paradise. Pisar is a white sandy island, away from everything. It has incredible, colourful snorkeling in crystal clear waters, palm trees, coconuts, and an alright view of the sunset. Besides the fact that Monica at one point in the night thought that the island was going to sink because of the rain, it was nothing but peaceful and beautiful. We took pictures!
We also had a chance to visit my host family on their home island of Siis, my favourite island I’ve seen in Chuuk yet. It is not Weno and so has a true Chuukese feel. It is small with no noise, no raods, few stores and a quietness and peace that exists on many of the islands that are not Weno, the most “developed” island (the capital). People walk leisurely from place to place and visit each other without pretense or reason other than just to visit. We swam with my host sisters at my favourite beach, went to mass (Monica wore a Mumu, a Chuukese cultural dress!), went to a funeral (paid our respects), ate, slept, relaxed. As a bonus, we had beautiful boat rides there and back which took us between and beside other islands of the lagoon.
On top of these island visits, we saw Xavier and that JVI community up there “on the hill,” and Monica got a chance to see the international band of which I have found myself a part. It recently formed here on Chuuk, and I’ve joined them on the harmonica. Not necessarily the highest in quality, we have fun doin’ the mess around and playing songs of every imaginable style and genre that we like. Monica and I also made it to Truk Stop a couple of times, a nearby hotel with a dock that shoots way out into the water, for refreshing smoothies. A tranquil place to swim, read, watch the sunset and relax. Sadly, and inexplicably, the hotel makes fruit smoothies with ingredients like bananas, coconuts, mangos and pineapples (all of which grow in abundance here in Chuuk) with pre-made, sugary powders. What??
Anyways, besides these visits and outings Monica and I had a chance to simply see each other, talk to each other, catch up. In the end though, we could talk about intense things, mundane things, or nothing at all and it wouldn’t have mattered. What mattered was being together, and that’s what we had a chance to be, for a few weeks. It was recharging, and the departure, although sad, lacked the fear and apprehension of a similar departure a year earlier. That was probably the best thing of it all. I may have cried watching her walk across a tarmac onto a plane under floodlights and a beautiful starry sky, but my heart was at peace. I’ve found myself completely in love.
No comments:
Post a Comment