Life here is an interesting combination of a ridiculous amount of action and calm. For instance, a few weeks ago, my friends and I spent a Saturday hiking through rivers and Temple of Doom-like jungle scenes, to sit under waterfalls and view monoliths:
(To get to the Ngardmau Waterfall, Palau's largest waterfall, we had to hike along this river. It posed a challenge for me and my chacos, but we made it, with only one near-fall, which is thankfully undocumented.)
(During our hike, the trail follows the tracks created for the bauxite mining that took place during the Japanese colonial times. We waited for a little cart to take a ride down to the waterfall, and then realized we weren't at the Epcot Center.)
(Ngardmau Waterfall, http://www.ngardmau.com/index.php?section=nature, is Palau's largest waterfall at 100 feet high. It's located in the State of Ngardmau, which is on the island of Babeldaob, north of Koror, where I live. The waterfall is a gorgeous site, and because it's gentle, we got a chance to wade out and sit underneath the falls!)
(Climbing through mud and hiking in the heat for about an hour were quickly forgotten after getting a massage, compliments of the waterfall!)
(The Stone Monoliths are located in northern Babeldaob. The myth is that the gods were creating a meeting place, called a Bai, at night. The gods turned to stone when the sun came up earlier than they expected. Needless to say, they're worth a visit. We decided to make this angry-faced monolith a little girlier.)
And if we're not climbing through the jungle or scuba diving, we'll spend a lazy Sunday snorkeling, sunning, reading, and swimming at the Palau Pacific Resort (PPR).
But then Monday evening rolls around, the work day ends at 4:30, I've already worked out, and I wonder what to do with my time. So lately I've been seeking out ways to find a normal routine to remind myself that even though every weekend is like a vacation, Palau life is actually pretty normal. Here are a few things I've been up to lately...
I thought I'd feel a bit guilty coming to Palau armed with English and a few random Spanish words remaining from high school. But here my ability to occasionally form a proper sentence is actually useful! I've started meeting with an extremely bright and sweet Korean woman, helping her with her conversational English. After learning that she was teaching herself grammar and didn't want to learn anything technical from me, I got a lot less nervous about how I would explain the crazy conjungations commonplace to our language. Instead I'm feeling guilty that she'll most likely adopt my Wisconsin accent and colloquialisms. Then again, who doesn't like the sound of a nice girl asking for a "Plastic baaaag" in the grocery store?
2. Teaching swimming
From the ages of 16 to 22, every summer was spent lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, and coaching synchronized swimming (yes, I'm proudly admitting that). And I had a blast doing it. The kids were fun, the people I taught with were enthusiastic, and we got to play in the pool all summer long. Sadly, my teaching certification has long since expired, and apparently once one graduates from college and grad school, one is expected to work during the day. Even in the summer.
Lucky for me, here in Palau, it's warm enough to teach lessons outside after work, and they really don't care if you're a certified instructor. All you need to do is volunteer! So for the past several weeks Veronica and I have been teaching a small group of 5 to 7 year olds swim lessons! We've had a blast playing Red Light Green Light, Duck Duck Goose, Tag, and learned a few skills here and there. It's been a great way to end the day and to get to know some of the kids in the community. And to all my former FPMP colleagues, Freddy the Fish has made his appearance!
3. Cooking
Sadly, while I've been living in Chicago I've learned to love the restaurants a little bit too much. It got to the point that where I didn't go out to eat, I wouldn't have a clue what to do in my apartment and often ended up with crackers and hummus or cereal. I've been dating Jesse since the end of May, and all I've done is chop vegetables at his directions and mess up an order of pancakes. But I have picked out plenty of good restaurants for us!
Now that restaurant choices are somewhat limited, I've started enjoying cooking. I'm hosting brunches, looking up recipes, and baking all sorts of desserts. Whereas before I got here I was just showing up to family events with a frozen Lou Malnati's pizza, now I'm hosting brunches where I make strata. Strata!
And this weekend I got together with some girlfriends to bake Christmas cookies. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions, and I'm thrilled to have some fun ladies to cook, chatter, listen to Christmas music, and watch Christmas movies with. It might be eighty degrees outside, but it'll feel like a traditional Christmas!
4. Basketball...?
I just agreed to play on the Palau women's basketball team. I'm 5'4" and was cut from the team my junior year of high school. And my only experience playing basketball for the past ten years is losing to my siblings in games of high contact lightening. So you'd think I'd run screaming away from the courts. But this team is a great way to meet people, it's low pressure, and apparently I can't resist the chance to publicly embarrass myself. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
So those are my attempts at normalcy in a place where my weekends are anything but!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and that you're all enjoying the holiday season! I'm sure you're all wondering what the holidays are like here. In a word, they're BRIGHT--this place gives Clark Griswold a run for his money. Describing it doesn't do it justice though-- I'll be posting photos of the sensory overload that is downtown Koror very shortly!
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