Training is officially over and as of this morning (Friday, Nov 14) I am a Peace Corps Volunteer. I can hardly believe I have been in Micronesia for 9 weeks the last 6 of which I have spent at my permanent site in Kosrae, which is pronounced koshr-eye.

A brief overview of Kosrae: it is the eastern-most state in the FSM and, unlike the other three states and Palau, has no outer islands. There is 1 road around the island, no traffic lights, 1 post office, 1 hospital, 1 bank, 6 elementary schools, and 1 high school. The island is divided into 4 municipalities: Tafunsak, Lelu (Lela), Malem and Utwe. The majority of the population is Protestant with a minority of practicing Catholics, Pentacostal, Mormons, Babtists and a sporadic Jahovah Witness. It takes about 40 minutes to get from the south side of the island to the north shore, and there is a village on the western side that is accessible by boat (only at high tide) or by 4-wheel drive (the ultimate off-roading experiance). The spoken languages include Kosraean and English. The island’s name comes from the word “kasrao” (pronounced kah-shrao) which means “heavenly kingdom”.

I was fortunate enough to be placed with my permanent host family upon arrival because of their proximity to the training site. They are wonderful; so welcoming and friendly – I feel like I’ve known them much longer than a month and a half. I have 3 host brothers (21, 18, 4) and 1 host sister (23). With their help my Kosraean is improving daily. It is a fairly straightforward language. No verb conjugation per se – the context of the conversation is very important, as it determines the verb tense and the meanings of many words, which may have 2, 3 or even 4 different definitions. The most difficult aspect of Kosraean is the use of “hanging suffixes” as I like to call them – different “ah”s, “uh”s, “an”s, and “ay”s that just appear at the end of words or sentences for no apparent reason, other than “it just sounds right” as our language instructor fondly explained to us. Not the best answer for a bunch of Americans who are used to strict grammar rules. The great thing about Kosraean is that it is spoken very slooowly and the syllables are often drawn out so it gives the new learner – such as myself – ample time to register the sentence and formulate an appropriate response, which can be spoken equally as slowly.

On a completely different note, we had a second water safety day the other week, which is more than anything else an excuse to take us out snorkeling. As some of you may know, I don’t particularly care for snorkeling – mainly due to an irrational fear of fish and steep ocean drop-offs. You would think that after living in Hawaii for so long this strange phobia would be cured, but I definitely came to Micronesia – often rated # 1 in the world for snorkeling and scuba – excited about the beaches, the swimming and the canoeing, but a little apprehensive of the underwater activities. After our first water safefy/snorkeling day in Pohnpei when I saw a giant manta ray and then this latest snorkeling adventure, which featured the most spectacular coral I’ve ever seen (a sight that might be featured in Planet Earth or National Geographic), I have a newfound love for underwater sightseeing activities. I foresee some scuba lessons in my near future :)

To summarize, in the last 6 weeks I have: attended 3 funerals and 2 weddings, woven countless coconut leaf plates, ridden on 3 boats, eaten turtle – twice, sang 4 (Kosraean) songs in a youth group choir, received 5 hand sewn dresses, gone fishing once, taught 2 9th grade classes, eaten pounds and pounds of fresh ahi (at $1.75/pound and it’s the best I’ve ever tasted), and acquired a whole new set of family members. It’s been a busy month and a half.

One last thing before I fall asleep at my computer – YAY PRESIDENT OBAMA! Just what this country needs: a new direction and passion – a new generation with a renewed enthusiasm.

I feel so good about the United States, about being an American and about representing my country abroad, which is such a nice change.