minority hand-writers unite for grandpa

(this is probably the last blog entry I write for this peace corps blog...seeing as how my journey with PC is now finished/ended/uma/kapoop. for more fun see my other (main blog) at:

http://mrcmain.blogspot.com

in the pics: things that made the whole two years in samoa (lavalavas, my university of portland mug, random orange tupperware container, birkentocks!, Tevas, a few shirts and shorts, and the lovely Finnish pillow case; I'm still cold, so more clothing; now the only place I will see coconut trees is on things like this little coaster, oh and the yummy porkchop, rice, salad dinner. AKA: palagi food!
and I'm signing off. it's 2:11am, and I have to get up too soon to help my mom make some secret recipe finnish bread.


12/23
I bought a new Acer laptop, that came with Windows7. I've always used windows XP in the past. but after reading an article on www.techradar.com, I've decided to keep my windows7 OS. Windows XP seems to do pretty well, but is nearing it's lifecycle end. Windows7 seems to be doing pretty well, with a few improvements, BUT is at the beginning of it's lifecycle, with lots of improvement ahead (well, i hope). so there you go...I choose windows7..for now.

hmmm...a new laptop and a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream. I'd call that a good day. there was even a nice sunset (no rain, but still cold.)


Thoughts since arriving back home: my grandpa in hospice. I’m so glad I got to see him alive when I came back to Portland; waterproofing my jacket—2 years in humid climate made it lose its water resistance; trying to find my friend’s house on Pacific st, wondering why Finnish Brotherhood/sisterhood can’t attract younger members; creating a simp;le PC pamphlet to answer questions such as samoa…Somalia? Where? I’ve been trying to write down questions people ask me: what’s the pay? Do you get benefits? What do you miss the most?


12/18
My first full day back in the USA: go out to breakfast, visit my grandpa, ride back to Astoria with my mom(visit my dad’s grave on the way), eat food, feel crappy, immediately sleep 12 hours.

2nd day: walk, eat breakfast (yogurt, fruit), tea and plum pudding lunch at a FANCY house, make pork chops recipe with breadstick appetizers. Watch video.

My planner is messy again—well, back to the real world. Things that are different here (in the US): it’s COLD, but I’m glad I’m not on the east coast right now; my mom’s dog gets wet dog food and “dog bones” which are really fake bones. She does not feed her dog real bones. But she’s a spoiled dog. I wish there was a walking group near where I live now—walking group—is that an “old person’s activity? Oh well. I like to walk. And sometimes it’s nice to walk and talk.



Flying in the sky…
Says one of the stewardesses: “US law requires that you do not congregate anywhere on the plane.” I guess that is a good thing not to do. The cat and mouse game continues…

Eucalyptus drops—“dispose of thoughtfully.” I like that wording. This was a loooong flight. They fed us—dinner and breakfast. Yummy, or maybe it’s just being cramped into an airplane for 12 hours that makes everything taste good. I was wishing for some hot sauce with the egg breakfast. Overall it was a good flying experience. Yah for VAustralia. They gave me a glass of milk. That’s important. To me. And the personal entertainment device attached in the seat in front of me was cool. Everyone can listen to or watch whatever they want whenever they want it. Speaking of the entertainment device, I watched…Mao’s last dancer—a good movie. I want to read the book (and also A River runs Through It, and a book called The Shack).

People have made fun of me for writing things on my hand. So here is another installment of the hand list: 1)buy razor…for that small patch I missed because a hurry was seen in the shower); 2)milk…to go with my mint cookies. A glass of milk seems to be a hard thing to find in an airport—at least in LAX; 3)LA…get luggage. Not really needed on my hand, since everyone had to get their luggage—international arrival thing; 4)put alcohol in checked luggage. I probably wouldn’t have bought the Gentleman’s special, but I walked into the airport with $200AUS to blow away. Outcome? A present for my mom, didgeridoo, and the alcohol, which finished all my paper money. Coins distributed in the convenient blue donation bag held by the smiling flight attendant as I got off the plane; 5) grandma’s present…don’t forget to give grandma present before I leave Portland tomorrow; 6)brush teeth…after a 12 hour flight my teeth felt nasty; 7)learn Spanish…I was helped by at least six different people who looked latino at LAX; 8)cut toenails. It’s time.


Leaving Sydney, I realized there were only two people wearing sandles in the line for the plane to LA. This ain’t summer time fun anymore! It’s hard to come back to the grey, cold, drizzle that is many times the Oregon coast this time of year.


AUS pg34 top…
There were more lights in Australia, but the stars at night still twinkled bright as I listened to the crashing ocean. And I also saw no less than 12 or 13 rows of lights on the water—tankers/ships waiting to take coal from Australia to China (as Alan told me). I imagined that in 5-10 years AUS would by the shape of a donut—no middle—all the coal gone. Maybe that’s a bit extreme. So to wrap up this Australia adventure—the land of undiscovered territory, outbacks, and after a few days at home (USA) I realized the land of round-a-bouts. There were no traffic lights where we drove—round abouts abounded. I had a good time. Have I mentioned it was hard to come back to wet, grey, cold, Astoria, OR? It was hard. I can see my breath for the first time in 2 and a half years.

After being in Samoa and being the minority (white person), coming to Australia was kind of a shock, most everyone is white. Actually I saw many Muslims. Coming to Astoria—an even whiter community. I notice different things now.

a cold body does board on a trail

in the pics: I'm cold now, so more clothes, and nice faces for the camera:)

12/17
December 5-17…there has been a lot of nature, a lot of sunblock. Body boarding, biking, hiking, and running—in my new running shoes. I stayed with a family I met in Samoa. They live on the central coast—Eastern Australia. In the middle of a strip of land between the ocean and a lake. Very beautiful. A trail called coast track (trek?) I ran on that trail almost every morning. I liked it very much.

But sorry, I gave my camera to my school in Samoa, so a 1000 words for every picture I wanted to take. Or not…
No reef, where I met the beach, so “big” waves crash on shore. When hot and sweaty, crashing against waves feels so nice. Not the sucking in ocean water part. And timing it right and actually riding a wave feels nice. The water is colder than samoan waters. I guess a good thing because Oregon waters are even colder—brrrrrr especially since it’s winter where I’m headed—double brrrr. Alan is a surfer, so knows what he is doing. I learned how to spot a rip tide (where no waves are breaking). I also learned Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer (deadly sun), and the highest cost of housing in the WORLD.

The ocean is colder, so when the waves are not bashing me around—when I was looking for sea urchins or shells, I was cold. Two years in Samoa and I still don’t have much fat on me. So Alan let me borrow a wet suit—first time…stretchy. My arms and legs are still cold. Wearing a wet suit was what stopped me from entering a triathlon b4. well, I have no excuse now. After two years swimming in very warm water it kind of feels weird to have to wear a wet suit, dry suit, hot suit, warm suit, cold suit. I miss my fins, and goggles, and high tide.

Back to Australia. The bike. There was a bike. Alan had a bike he let me borrow to ride around the lake. The seat was too low, but I was glad I had a bike. I have a sense that a box I asked a PC staff to mail for me might not be coming back. It will cost more than I left in Samoa.

The smorgasbord …hmmm a lot of food food. Good food. I always feel inadequate at buffets, or I should say my stomach feels inadequate, meaning not big enough. 4 plates. Is that enough? Seafood, salad, fried, desert.

I found a trail, the trail. I don’t know…the Central Coast Trail is very nice. It rocks. I like it. It’s very pretty. I bought new running shoes. (I gave my old ones to my students.) I ran four days out of the two weeks. And yes, I was also a tourist and went to the wineries (well, 2)…cheese factories and an art gallery. And bought wine, cheese, and a few picture books—very pretty-and seeing how I didn’t have a camera, I thought I’d let someone else’s lense do the talking (www.kenduncan.com). I watched Alan spear fish ( I did collect shells (snails), but I got to eat bbq fish—yummy in my tummy with sweet chili sauce.

sticky images have power of going away

in the pics: my going away party at school (called a fa'amavae). some dancing and singing, speeches, giving of souvenirs, of course some eating, lots of picture taking...this was the last set of pics I got with my camera. the school kept my camera when i left.


12/05
Oka. Se long time since I wrote in you. Too much ka’a in the other book. It has been a very busy last few days. Two fa’amavaes. A whole lot of packing bags, repacking bags. Now headed to airport to Australia.

Images that stick: big samoan lady sitting in front of me, big hair, bare feet. Samoan man in shoes, last sunset at my village. Drinking and singing with the teachers, dancing around the bondfire at my school. Poka’s family around the laptop.

Sorry…no pics of a bucket shower. Use your imagination. A warm bucket shower under a clear sky and twinkling stars is very nice. And I’m not sure I have a picture showing just a knife (machete), coconut, lavalava, or rugby ball. More imagination. Oh and coconut shells and bamboo pieces used for drums. And the feau (chores) experience. I didn’t get enough feaus. “Begging for feaus.”

Business tips to remember (from a magazine in the airport): put it in writing, lead by example, provide a measuring stick. Chinese proverb: may we live in interesting times.
Yes indeed.

Things that are different: 1) I walked barefoot through the golf course—preferring barefoot to using shoes. 2) I’m more comfortable laying on the floor. 3) the van felt cramped when I got into it—and I hit my head getting in. 4) seeing fast cars on the freeway from the airplane.

Another flashback…Leata (our language trainer…I miss her) had a yummy pumpkin recipe using pi supo (corned beef), peas, cabbage, tomatoes, laupele (like spinach). Sounds good.

I miss Finland. I don’t miss the homogeny of people. I think being in a place where I am the minority had a big impact on me. I feel I’m more multicultural now. Attracted to that sort thing. God created all colors of people. I want to know more about my world. I guess I like talking to people more..more than reading books. That surprises me…not something I would have thought going into peace corps.



12/02
I’m leaving soon…and here are things I’m thankful for: swim fins I found in the office. Swimming in the ocean was one of the only ways I could really open my back (to make it feel better). I just love swimming in the warm south pacific waters too.; my bike…I love riding my bike. And I’m glad it held together for the whole two years; my MP3 player. I’m surprised it was functional for the whole two years. The music and the voice recordings I got (even if they are not the best quality) will be nice when I work on my presentation to people in America.


I don’t feel I have that many “accomplishments” …most of my efforts were in cajoling my teachers into doing the training.

“Worldwide project involved with giving hope to children of poverty stricken countries/communities”
I wouldn’t call samoa stricken with poverty. It is more of a creeping thing because of the culture and lack of industry. And the fact that much of the economy is supported by dollars from outside the country: remittances and aid money.

I didn’t really do that much with other volunteers. Especially my group 79…I felt our group didn’t want to do anything together. I kind of felt that all the palagis came to peace corps to work with people of other countries, not hang with palagis.

“Linking school ICT resources and education with the community” from the PC reporting form. I think I really sucked at this. The school didn’t seem to want to open it’s doors to the “community”

Learning not much happens in samoa just because you wrote it in a report, or asked for it in a report…you must go to that person and sit yourself in their chair and stare them in the eye. Then something might happen.

Digicel (cell phone company in samoa) network seems to send the texts whenever it feels like. I don’t like that. But it seems to know what the really important texts are and usually sends those when I press send.

James Woods 9-11 memorial

I volunteered to write a 9-11 memorial for james woods. better late than never.

We may have never met,
But I know your face.
This ambitious person,
No one will ever forget.

How fragile this life is,
A million tears will fall.
Your smile, amazing smile,
Brightening hearts of all.

Friendships grew, will grow,
The Fellas hold you tight.
Bringing everyone together,
Your sense of humor flows light.

Getting the most out of life,
Who says it’s top secret?
Just look at this person’s laughter,
Making the world a better place.

Jimmy, James, Woody, Woodrow,
We love you.
We miss you.
You are loved.

--matt crichton