My mother shipped a copy of the Economist over to Kosrae. It came packaged between anti-itch ointments and an external dvd drive. This was connection with the outside world, mosquito control, and entertainment. Essentially, it was Christmas in a box.
The Economist is one way of getting me to think of places other than Kosrae, but in truth, thoughts of faraway places are never far away. Namibia, the Netherlands, Oman, Ireland, Japan, Chile, and Singapore are frequent dinner conversation references with friends here.
Lately, it has been a season of coming and going. It took a lot to get to Micronesia, but a lot of us are starting to put in effort to getting out and going to other places. An unsurprising shared characteristic about the expats on the island is our willingness to propel ourselves into random, and not so random, corners of the Earth. Peace Corps applications to the Middle East and South America are frantically being completed via haphazard Kosrean internet. Grad School essays to international universities are being written. People are returning to Japan, getting married and moving on the next phase of their lives. Someone is ready to teach English in Macau (the land of my ancestors!), while another is ready to return back to America to recharge for Southeast Asia. Older volunteers are wrapping up their 2 year stint here and have thoughts on Africa.
For most of us, this island life is transitory. How transitory it is, well, that’s left up to the individual. We’re a bunch of travelers whose paths happen to cross on this tiny island; soon, we’ll be dispersed like dandelions, and going wherever the wind blows.
I think it’s great that many of my coworkers and friends have figured out what is best for them and are making plans to continue their adventure. However, I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to Asia (notice how I didn’t write America), or anywhere for that matter. It’s still a new relationship, me and Kosrae; it’s exciting to have no idea where things will lead. So far, we’re in the initial great stage of euphoric happiness. It’s super attractive, given its truly beautiful stretches of white sand and coconut palm façade. We have a lot of fun together, and our kayaking/snorkeling/hiking/swimming dates never fail to be amazing times that bring us closer together. But, having fun is not going to be enough (for me anyways, I don’t know about Kosrae) to turn this fling into a lasting, sustainable relationship. What is it going to take for me to stay with Kosrae for another year after this one? I’m definitely not ready to call it quits yet, and want to find out. More on this later.
Something entirely unrelated: I am now a SAT prep teacher. Fancy that.
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