Living

i've strayed and i've wandered; i've written for others rather than for myself. No more games, no more fluff.


The routine has set in. Life is "normal" now: less discovery, less excitement, less curiosity. Rather than experiencing, my mindset has shifted toward the desire to learn. No longer am i enamored with fried banana blossoms or the way the locals clear land. Instead, i want to find out how to do it for myself. i'm not visiting anymore, i'm living.


Since i've missed some things, i'll do a brief overview to trigger my memories:
PTA meeting: president talked forever, parents said nothing
Stingrays: within touching distance
Sharks:  spotted fins 4/5 nights i was out
Oci: he was sent back to kindergarten, parents got mad, had long conversation, now in 1st grade again
Mt Okat: this 1,526 ft mountain has been added to my life bucket list, will need gear to summit
Electrocution: our stove has a short in the element, we get zapped daily
Birthday party: i have over 75 no-see-em bites on my feet
New truck: automatic transmission stuck in sport mode, revs to the moon
Bread: made our first loaves of island bread
God is all powerful: surfing alone is my favorite place to pray. As i asked God how His week was going, the biggest wave i've seen in a long time broke right next to me. i'll take that as a "I'm fine, thanks for asking"



Next blog will be great; we'll play a game. i'm calling it: "Interesting International Ingredients"



Updates: Ryan learned what what the reef feels like on your back, i learned what its like to clean it. Coconuts are STILL addicting. Iced coffee is a blessing. A pig being slaughtered is a horrifying sound. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar (this applies to parents too). There is a large animal/rodent living in our ceiling (large rat or small cat?). The Jags are having a rough season, but a conference title is still possible (and so is a manned trip to Mars). i'm turning 22 next week, i'm taking out life insurance. Most of the parents think that we are trained teachers (what they don't know is that i don't even have a school curriculum let alone any elementary education training).


If you have another SM's blog that you read, please share it with me. I enjoy hearing about other people's experiences. River is also blogging about our experience on Kosrae. You can read that here.


Thank you for your prayers and reading,

Tyler