Last sights of the Pohnpeian islands
As I wrote in my last entry, I wanted to keep this blog going for another month or so, writing on my life post-Pohnpei. Obviously, I failed miserably. I have been plenty busy though!
Like I expected, leaving Pohnpei was bittersweet. Seeing friends and family back home and enjoying some modern amenities (i.e. hot showers, orange juice, etc.) were very welcomed. Needless to say though, I miss all the friends I made in Micronesia very much. Not to mention the weather. Even when I got back on the last day of May, I was freezing! My blood very much thinned out and I’m still recovering! Since leaving the island though, I have not had a shortage of adventure.
My flight from Hawaii to San Francisco was delayed, making me miss my San Fran-NJ connection and hang out in the airport for seven hours, waiting for the red-eye. If I recall correctly, I was traveling for about 33 hours, being awake for 40 hours straight since I couldn’t get any shut eye on the plane. Unsurprisingly, the jet lag kicked me in the butt. The reverse culture shock kicked in the second I stepped in the Hawaii airport. The amount of people, most of them being white, was a slight adjustment, although it wasn’t earth-shattering. When I first got in the car leaving the Newark airport I forgot my seat belt since no one wears them on island. Then traveling in speeds over 70mph took me aback.
Despite these little things I had to get used to again, I had no major reverse culture shock for my first month back. Everything changed though when July arrived and I moved down to Washington, DC. Searching for housing in a relatively unknown area is a daunting task in itself, but it was especially so after having spent the previous eight months on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. I was very blessed to find a house with three other solid Christian guys and finding a solid group of friends. Throughout July and August though there were many moments when reverse culture shock was literally paralyzing.
One that sticks out is a normal grocery run shortly after moving in. There were so many options, so many people, so much of everything. I ended up getting the bare minimum and leaving as fast as possible! Another memorable experience was going to a local church service. The summer before my senior year when I was interning in DC, I attended this young adult service called Frontline. In particular from those services, I remember the worship being awesome - drums, several guitars, lights - the whole shebang. I was looking forward to returning to these services and participating in corporate worship again. Well, be careful what you wish for. The noise, the large group of people, the intensity (they even have a fog machine!), was overstimulation to the max. It felt like I wanted an appetizer and got a 20-course meal instead. It took months for me to get used to it, and even now I'm still adjusting.
Other changes were more subtle that impacted my psyche. My office has been on the 9th floor, surrounded by buildings well over 40 stories. In comparison, the tallest building on Pohnpei is three stories – and there’s just one of those. The best word to describe everything is overwhelming. To those who will go through reverse culture shock in the future, my advice is simple – just get through it. Lean on friends and family, put your head down and do what’s necessary. With time, everything gets easier until it’s normal again.
Like I expected, leaving Pohnpei was bittersweet. Seeing friends and family back home and enjoying some modern amenities (i.e. hot showers, orange juice, etc.) were very welcomed. Needless to say though, I miss all the friends I made in Micronesia very much. Not to mention the weather. Even when I got back on the last day of May, I was freezing! My blood very much thinned out and I’m still recovering! Since leaving the island though, I have not had a shortage of adventure.
My flight from Hawaii to San Francisco was delayed, making me miss my San Fran-NJ connection and hang out in the airport for seven hours, waiting for the red-eye. If I recall correctly, I was traveling for about 33 hours, being awake for 40 hours straight since I couldn’t get any shut eye on the plane. Unsurprisingly, the jet lag kicked me in the butt. The reverse culture shock kicked in the second I stepped in the Hawaii airport. The amount of people, most of them being white, was a slight adjustment, although it wasn’t earth-shattering. When I first got in the car leaving the Newark airport I forgot my seat belt since no one wears them on island. Then traveling in speeds over 70mph took me aback.
Despite these little things I had to get used to again, I had no major reverse culture shock for my first month back. Everything changed though when July arrived and I moved down to Washington, DC. Searching for housing in a relatively unknown area is a daunting task in itself, but it was especially so after having spent the previous eight months on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. I was very blessed to find a house with three other solid Christian guys and finding a solid group of friends. Throughout July and August though there were many moments when reverse culture shock was literally paralyzing.
One that sticks out is a normal grocery run shortly after moving in. There were so many options, so many people, so much of everything. I ended up getting the bare minimum and leaving as fast as possible! Another memorable experience was going to a local church service. The summer before my senior year when I was interning in DC, I attended this young adult service called Frontline. In particular from those services, I remember the worship being awesome - drums, several guitars, lights - the whole shebang. I was looking forward to returning to these services and participating in corporate worship again. Well, be careful what you wish for. The noise, the large group of people, the intensity (they even have a fog machine!), was overstimulation to the max. It felt like I wanted an appetizer and got a 20-course meal instead. It took months for me to get used to it, and even now I'm still adjusting.
Other changes were more subtle that impacted my psyche. My office has been on the 9th floor, surrounded by buildings well over 40 stories. In comparison, the tallest building on Pohnpei is three stories – and there’s just one of those. The best word to describe everything is overwhelming. To those who will go through reverse culture shock in the future, my advice is simple – just get through it. Lean on friends and family, put your head down and do what’s necessary. With time, everything gets easier until it’s normal again.
Arlington, VA - My office building on the right, surrounded by what to me, were skyscrapers
Despite being thousands of miles from Pohnpei, the lessons I learned and experiences I had visit me every day. I have worked intentionally to visit my memory bank, but most often, Pohnpei comes back with no prompting. When riding my bike back from the Metro in the dark, I get flashbacks of riding on the Pohnpeian roads. Once, I saw a big dog and instinctively got in protect mode, wishing I had a stick, and ready to fight the dog. I then remembered I was in Suburbia, USA and the dog was on a leash. In restaurants, several times I have received perplexed looks after saying “Kalanghan” (Pohnpeian for “Thank you”) when the waiter brought me water. I also had folks thinking I was cursing after I screamed “KARAKAR!” after touching a hot pan (“Karakar” is Pohnpeian for “hot”).
So what have I been doing? Over the past six months I have been leading the Good Steward Campaign, an initiative organizing young Evangelicals (i.e. young adults) around environmental stewardship and climate change. Our target states are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. I have been traveling around these states organizing students, campus ministers, and clergy. My favorite part has been organizing events, bringing in various speakers to lecture at college campuses and church services. If you want to check out the blog I transitioned to maintaining after this one, go here!
Since I left, MAHI International’s English program has been going on strong! The 40 iPads we acquired are being put to good use and three new volunteers for the English program will be arriving on island shortly. Suffice it to say, I’m very jealous of them! There’s no doubt that I want to go back to Pohnpei again someday. Whether that will be a mere visit or a longer-term stay is to be determined. For now though, I’ll look forward to the next time I find myself back on Pohnpei, and will continue to carry the memories of the people and the experiences with me every day.
So what have I been doing? Over the past six months I have been leading the Good Steward Campaign, an initiative organizing young Evangelicals (i.e. young adults) around environmental stewardship and climate change. Our target states are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. I have been traveling around these states organizing students, campus ministers, and clergy. My favorite part has been organizing events, bringing in various speakers to lecture at college campuses and church services. If you want to check out the blog I transitioned to maintaining after this one, go here!
Since I left, MAHI International’s English program has been going on strong! The 40 iPads we acquired are being put to good use and three new volunteers for the English program will be arriving on island shortly. Suffice it to say, I’m very jealous of them! There’s no doubt that I want to go back to Pohnpei again someday. Whether that will be a mere visit or a longer-term stay is to be determined. For now though, I’ll look forward to the next time I find myself back on Pohnpei, and will continue to carry the memories of the people and the experiences with me every day.
Speaking at my alma mater, Dickinson College, in November for the Good Steward Campaign
With my brother and Dad at a Rutgers-Temple football game in Philly
One of the biggest things I have missed since Pohnpei is getting out in open space. Great Falls in northern VA has been a welcome place to retreat to
My housemates and I after cutting down our Christmas tree
My college roommates and I in NYC
How I long for wide open spaces like this! Standing on the reef looking towards Pakin Atoll
