MAHI International and friends at the recent volunteer appreciation dinner
I have been working on this post since I first arrived in Pohnpei. There were just so many things that were unique and distinct to Pohnpei that I started compiling a list. Every time I thought of posting it I would find something new and crazy, so I decided it was best to post it shortly before my departure.
I would like to say that if you ever plan on coming to Pohnpei, I'd recommend not reading this. Before I came I talked with my friend Alex who introduced me to Pohnpei. I tried to pick his brain to learn as much as I possibly could about this place and I consistently received vague answers. His response was essentially, "You just got to experience it for yourself man." While I might have been slightly frustrated at the time I'm very glad Alex allowed me to discover Pohnpei and all its idiosyncrasies on my own. Even if I did know all of this before I arrived though, I would still have to experience it. For example, I can tell you how there are crazy dogs all over the roads, but it’s entirely different when you have to walk home a mile at night in the pitch dark, navigating through all the dogs and beating off the aggressive ones with a stick.
That said, here’s a little taste of what makes Pohnpei, Pohnpei:
-Locals talk with their face. It’s very difficult to have a conversation with someone without having eye contact. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a local respond to a question with “yes.” Rather, they raise their eyebrows.
-Why did the chicken cross the road in Pohnpei?
a) It was being chased by a naked child with his fingers covered in Kool Aid
b) It was being chased by a pregnant dog
c) It was about to be run over by a beat-up pickup truck
d) It didn’t have a reason – chickens are incredibly stupid animals
e) All of the above
Correct answer: E, all of the above
-98% of all people wear zoris (i.e. flip flops) all the time. The other 2% is cowboy boots. (I'm not counting the few people who just go barefoot.) A trend among many Pohnpeians is the desire to be a cowboy. I find it very amusing every time I see Pohnpeians listening to country music.
A teacher in one of our adopted schools rocking cowboy boots!
-To show the size of something with your hands, you don’t hold your hands a certain distance apart. You put your hand on your arm for the distance of whatever object is from the tips of your fingers. So if you caught a fish a couple feet long, you would put your hand on your opposite arm a couple of feet.
-There is a Facebook epidemic here. Every time I walk into any place with computers, over 95% of the time Facebook is on the screen. The other 5% there’s some sort of computer game. Apparently, before they had Internet, solitaire was the king time drain.
-If Pohnpeians lived in New York City, many would be seriously injured if not killed. What I’m referring to is the Pohnpeian tendency to walk in the middle of the road without a care. Crossing the road? Take your time, what’s the rush? There are hardly any sidewalks anywhere and most roads are narrow as the jungle has creeped in on both sides.
-There is a Facebook epidemic here. Every time I walk into any place with computers, over 95% of the time Facebook is on the screen. The other 5% there’s some sort of computer game. Apparently, before they had Internet, solitaire was the king time drain.
-If Pohnpeians lived in New York City, many would be seriously injured if not killed. What I’m referring to is the Pohnpeian tendency to walk in the middle of the road without a care. Crossing the road? Take your time, what’s the rush? There are hardly any sidewalks anywhere and most roads are narrow as the jungle has creeped in on both sides.
Students walking home using the local path, I mean road
-If you ever come to Pohnpei, don’t be surprised or “weirded out” when the locals stare at you and continue staring after you make eye contact with them. First of all, you’re a “menwie” (men-why), i.e. a foreigner, so you don’t exactly fit in around here. Sometimes I feel like I should get that t-shirt that says “Keep Staring, I Might Do A Trick.” I got used to it pretty quickly though.
-You don’t need to iron clothes in Pohnpei. It’s so humid, no matter how wrinkled your clothes are, if you spray some water on them, the wrinkles will come out within 10 minutes or so.
-The multiple hairstyles here are awesome! Pohnpeians can rock the craziest hairstyles, I love it. I have multiple pictures to back up this claim, but here’s a couple:
-You don’t need to iron clothes in Pohnpei. It’s so humid, no matter how wrinkled your clothes are, if you spray some water on them, the wrinkles will come out within 10 minutes or so.
-The multiple hairstyles here are awesome! Pohnpeians can rock the craziest hairstyles, I love it. I have multiple pictures to back up this claim, but here’s a couple:
Slight mohawk with a mullet twist. Classic.
-It’s not unusual to see a male, at any age, taking a leak on the side of the road, at any time of the day. (Sorry, I don't have any pictures of this!)
-I’m willing to bet that around half of the cars on Pohnpei wouldn’t pass a general vehicle inspection in the States. Some cases are more obvious than others!
-Abandoned cars litter the roads all over the island. Most of the time these vehicles become part of the jungle environment as plants start growing in and around them. Occasionally, like in a picture below, the cars are taken away by a recycling facility here. In addition to cars, the Kolonia harbor is also littered with abandoned ships. All of it contributes to what makes Pohnpei, Pohnpei.
-I’m willing to bet that around half of the cars on Pohnpei wouldn’t pass a general vehicle inspection in the States. Some cases are more obvious than others!
-Abandoned cars litter the roads all over the island. Most of the time these vehicles become part of the jungle environment as plants start growing in and around them. Occasionally, like in a picture below, the cars are taken away by a recycling facility here. In addition to cars, the Kolonia harbor is also littered with abandoned ships. All of it contributes to what makes Pohnpei, Pohnpei.
You can see a tree clearly growing directly in the car here!
We had some cars moved that were close to our property - you don't see this every day!
-It is perfectly acceptable and appropriate to spit at any place or time, regardless of age or gender.
-Occasionally when driving along the road you smell the strong odor of burnt hair. It’s rather gross. It’s actually not the smell of burning hair, it’s the cooking of turtle.
-Many guys wear female clothing and accessories, not knowing they’re associated as girly things. I’ve seen guys wear female rings, earrings and paint their nails. The funniest part is it’s usually the guys who are going for the “tough guy” image that make this mistake!
-Occasionally when driving along the road you smell the strong odor of burnt hair. It’s rather gross. It’s actually not the smell of burning hair, it’s the cooking of turtle.
-Many guys wear female clothing and accessories, not knowing they’re associated as girly things. I’ve seen guys wear female rings, earrings and paint their nails. The funniest part is it’s usually the guys who are going for the “tough guy” image that make this mistake!
One of our students rocking the flower over the ear
-Every day on the road I see doors of moving cars open, whether passenger or driver (sometimes both at the same time!). The person then sticks his/her head out and spits a giant stream of red juice onto the road. These people are chewing betelnut – a local nut that is combined with lime and cigarettes. An extremely addictive habit, many locals are constantly chewing betelnut. As a result, the roads, parking lots and sidewalks are littered with red stains.
-The 100m world record will likely never be held by a Micronesian. The 100m while in flip flops world record, would most definitely be held by a Micronesian.
-You don’t go more than a couple hundred yards on any road in Pohnpei without seeing an animal. Literally, I’ve tested this. Most of the time its chickens, dogs and cats, but every now and then pigs, goats and ducks come out to play.
-The 100m world record will likely never be held by a Micronesian. The 100m while in flip flops world record, would most definitely be held by a Micronesian.
-You don’t go more than a couple hundred yards on any road in Pohnpei without seeing an animal. Literally, I’ve tested this. Most of the time its chickens, dogs and cats, but every now and then pigs, goats and ducks come out to play.
The most common animal found on the roads are dogs, but here's a rather large pig, along with a chicken in the brush to the left of the pig.
-Pohnpei has something that brings me back home to New Jersey – you can’t pump your own gas. The world really would be a better place with more Petroleum Distribution Engineers!
-When Micronesians get new appliances or electronics, they don’t take the plastic coverings off, ever. By keeping the plastic on a stove or printer for example, others think you have new things, which Micronesians find appealing.
-Why on earth many young Pohnpeians wear beanies is beyond me.
-When Micronesians get new appliances or electronics, they don’t take the plastic coverings off, ever. By keeping the plastic on a stove or printer for example, others think you have new things, which Micronesians find appealing.
-Why on earth many young Pohnpeians wear beanies is beyond me.
-While you drive on the right side of the road, cars are from both the US and Japan, so some cars have the steering wheel on the left, while others are on the right. I've driven cars with the steering wheel on the right and it takes a little bit of getting used to - everything is the opposite. I hope I didn't look too stupid when I put the windshield wipers on instead of the turn signal!
-Bob Barker would not be happy with this place.
-Many Pohnpeians have interpreted “backpack” to mean “chestpack,” wearing a backpack on the front instead of the back. It looks a little silly if you ask me.
-Bob Barker would not be happy with this place.
-Many Pohnpeians have interpreted “backpack” to mean “chestpack,” wearing a backpack on the front instead of the back. It looks a little silly if you ask me.
A girl rocking the chestpack on the left
-Having to set the clock multiple times every day is just a normal part of Pohnpei life thanks to the frequent power outages.
-It’s not uncommon to come back to your car and people to be leaning or sitting on it. I always wondered what it would be like to bring some Micronesians to the US. If you’re caught leaning against someone’s car in the States you might get your head blown off.
-There is a high degree of copyright infringement here in Pohnpei. Here’s a short sample: Wall Mart, Cost Go, and South Park Hotel
-It’s not uncommon to come back to your car and people to be leaning or sitting on it. I always wondered what it would be like to bring some Micronesians to the US. If you’re caught leaning against someone’s car in the States you might get your head blown off.
-There is a high degree of copyright infringement here in Pohnpei. Here’s a short sample: Wall Mart, Cost Go, and South Park Hotel
-Despite being one of the rainiest places on earth, only on a handful of occasions have I ever seen a Pohnpeian carrying or using an umbrella. No matter how hard it’s raining there are always locals walking around like it’s a beautiful, sunny day.
-Speaking of rain, the phrase “when it rains, it pours” must have originated in Pohnpei. Hardly ever does it just drizzle in Pohnpei – most of the time it’s an absolute downpour.
-There's no limit to how many Pohnpeians can fit into the back of a pickup truck. It's hard to count when they drive by fast, but it's fair to say that I've seen pickups with at least ten people in the back.
-Speaking of rain, the phrase “when it rains, it pours” must have originated in Pohnpei. Hardly ever does it just drizzle in Pohnpei – most of the time it’s an absolute downpour.
-There's no limit to how many Pohnpeians can fit into the back of a pickup truck. It's hard to count when they drive by fast, but it's fair to say that I've seen pickups with at least ten people in the back.
This is only a glimpse at how many people can fit in the back of a pickup. This truck has a big yam inside so that's taking up a lot of space. It's not fully shown, but the truck on the right is a more accurate representation of how many people can be squeezed into the small space.
-It’s not unusual to see two people walking down the street holding hands regardless of gender. If it is a male-female duo, they are not “together” – they are just friends or maybe brother/sister or cousins. The same goes for male-male or female-female. As a relatively conservative country it would be considered very inappropriate to publicly express solidarity in a homosexual relationship or even in a heterosexual relationship.
-Pohnpeian “billboards” aren’t exactly kid-friendly!
-Pohnpeian “billboards” aren’t exactly kid-friendly!
So there's my list. I'm sure if I stayed longer I would find new things to add to the list and I'm also sure there are plenty of other things those who have been in Pohnpei with me have noticed that I missed. But I hope this list gives you a slight taste of what makes Pohnpei such a crazy place - and I mean that in a good way! Below are some pictures that I have taken over the course of my service here that are just so incredibly random! I love walking out the door here and never knowing what I'm going to see. I'm going to miss that. Too much of the same is plain boring.
I call this the "Box Hat." This guy is trimming the bushes and found an innovative use for a pizza box to get some extra shade!
Mr. B and I were driving to Pohnlangas Elementary School and were stuck behind this truck for a good while. You can't tell from the picture, but a couple of those rocks were tipping whenever the truck hit a bump. This was just a little sketchy. If one of the rocks managed to roll out Mr. B and I would have been squashed.
I LOVE this picture, and took it just the other day. I call this "Pohnpeian Groundskeeping." This is at the local softball field in downtown Kolonia. That is a government vehicle raking the field. Incredibly random, incredibly Pohnpeian!
This is at Pakin, where I mentioned in my last post there are more pigs than people. Here are some piglets hanging out on the basketball court.
This picture above says SO much. Here - read the story behind it.
Think you'd ever see this in the States? Here's a man outside a funeral walking with a leg of pig. An image that will forever remain in my head, that I failed to capture with my camera, is a ten-year old boy lugging a pig head on his shoulder. Crazy.
This is a Pohnpeian BBQ. It works very well. A cleaned-out 55 gallon drum with a little welding work to cut out a whole to feed the fire.
Colorful reef fish alongside chicken
It's hard to believe but I have less than a week left in Pohnpei. While I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family, I'm going to miss this place incredibly - in large part due to living in a place that is so unique, as evidenced by everything above. I'll leave the rest of these thoughts until my next post.
