What’s adventure without risk?

Iakwe (Hello)!

I have been in Majuro for a week now and I am still adjusting to my new lifestyle. I have done so much in this past week, I don’t even know where to begin. I have met some incredible people and seen some amazing things.

My journey started in Boston at 6 AM on Thursday, July 23rd and I didn’t land in Majuro until Saturday, July 25th. I was able to spend a night in Hawaii and meet up one of my fellow teachers. We got along instantly and she has become one of my good friends here. We met several other teachers when we got on the plane in Honolulu and quickly became friends with another girl from Canada. The plane was delayed an hour because it was absolutely full and packed with so much luggage that it was 100 pounds overweight. Soon, we arrived on the tiny atoll, Majuro.

I haven’t stopped moving since we got here. The principals had planned activities from the minute we got here and through the weekend. On Sunday we took a boat to one of the outer islands, Enemanit, and it was absolutely beautiful. We got to go snorkeling and saw a plane and helicopter wreck not far from the shore.  The new teacher orientation started on Monday and there are about 13 new teachers. The first day of orientation included hearing several guest speakers and we were joined by WorldTeach. The speakers were very interesting and gave us some insight on the culture and history of the Marshall Islands. It was also neat to meet the people from WorldTeach. As the week went on we went to different places to learn more about the island in our orientation. We also had a few Marshallese language classes in the morning. The language is very hard to learn and retain, at least for me.

During the first few days, I kept thinking to myself, “what the hell did I get myself into?” (I am still asking myself this at some points throughout my days). When I saw my classroom, I remembered, I am here to help these children by giving them the best possible education that I can. Helping young children learn and grow to become successful later on in life is a major passion in life. Every time I remember this I feel a sense of belonging on this remote island.

While walking around the outer island, Enemanit, my Canadian friend Sara broke her flip-flop and said, “what’s adventure without risk?”  This quote has stuck in my mind since then because I think that it pertains to my adventure because of several factors. I have moved to an island people know little about to teach a grade I have had little experience with and leaving my family and friends. I think it goes without saying that I miss them and home more than anything. I think that this is all very risky, but it wouldn’t be an adventure without it.

Kommol Tata (Thank you)!