Andy Markelz - Peace Corps

Final Chapter

Kiribati Classroom
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

Upon entering this world the cover is opened and our story begins. The pages lie blank awaiting the ink of our lives to be inscribed into history. Every passing moment is not a word; it is a thousand words capturing the essence of each time; recording it and storing it before the next page is turned; before a thousand more words fall upon our present only to hurriedly transform into our past. And always hidden beyond the horizon, inevitably impending, the ending lies in wait. Often forgotten . . . often unspoken of . . . every story must conclude, and ours will undoubtedly too. Predestined as that is, this point in time is where we live, and it is these pages between the covers that must occupy our time. Chapters come and chapters go but here is where our lives unfold.

We are the authors of our lives, holding the pens in our very own hands (September edition). With this comes the control of when a chapter will start then end. It is often the case that an author becomes too complacent within a single chapter. The roots of routine have grown deep, and the branches of familiarity have stretched too far and wide. Every Volunteer here knows how it feels to rip out those roots and saw off the branches; to be a stump on new soil, with only adaptability, self-reflection and resolve to flourish once again (March edition). Why would one choose such a path of self-loss and uneasiness? Look at the banana trees of Butaritari for your answer. From a seedling it will grow into a tree with a stock. Chop off the stock and there the tree will remain, never to bear fruit again. Cut down that tree from the base, however, and there it starts anew, to mature bigger and produce a stock of greater size. It is only by removing oneself from the box of placidity can one truly see oneself, the world, and one’s place within that world. And it is through this conscious choice can the path of enlightenment illuminate.

As I turn the page to a new chapter in my life and detach from my roots and branches of Kiribati; anticipation trickles in as a new journey begins, to bear fruit in the future that I cannot yet foresee. And while I wait in transition, reflection is a given. I know what I am taking away. It is a chapter filled with memories; an addition to my book; a physical, mental and spiritual sculpting experience. And what is it I am leaving behind? This cannot be known for sure, but hope is all I can embrace. I hope I have touched the lives of just at least a few. I hope I have filled the chapters of others with blissful words. But most of all, I hope I am leaving this place brighter than before. For if nothing else in this world, it can only be hoped that each person aspires to brighten each day. And that is all it takes my friends to gratify our lives until the very ends.

This is the last post in my Peace Corps blog. I will, however, leave it as is for others to stumble across in their searches to learn about Kiribati and the Peace Corps. For those of you who have followed my experience and possibly that of other Volunteers in country, I thank you for your support and kind words. Since a new chapter of my life is starting a new blog should accompany that as well. A link will be added to this webpage directing you to my future adventures.

Cheers and tiabo,

Andy

On the Water Again

The Crew and the Catch
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

Another weekend and another beautiful day on the water. We left the rods at home to try the Kiribati technique of hand-lining. The waters around South Tarawa are the most fished out, especially after the Korean fishing boats have been in town, but we managed to hook-up enough rainbow runners and barracudas to provide us with a tasty dinner that night. If you remember when I was in Nikunau I did some hand-lining down there and slaughtered the skip-jacks and yellow fin tuna; it was so easy. The waters just aren’t as plentiful around Tarawa. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s still plenty of fish in the sea, the difference is just noticeable.

And what do you do when it gets too hot in the boat? Well, ya jump in and go snorkeling. It would have been nice to have had an underwater camera during my time here. I’ve taken quite a few photos of the ocean and lagoon and their prettiness, but I’ve never been able to show you what’s underneath it all. And that’s a bummer because there are some really picturesque things down there. Oh well, try your best to imagine . . .

Cookie Time

Check out these delicious treats!
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

I recently received this photo from a friend, and even though Christmas is in the past, I still wanted to show Lindsey’s and my made Christmas cookie making skills. It is, however, quite obvious to see who has the artistic abilities in this relationship.

Welcoming the World to 2007

To Betio we will go . . .
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

Hey, did you know Kiribati is the first country to see the New Year? Well it is . . . and I can tell ya that we did! It was a night filled with the four D’s (Drinks, Dancing, Darts and Down pours). We started the night off at a friend’s house where snacks were served and some warm-up dancing took place. We then made our way to Betio to ring in the New Year. Although, along the way the Heavens opened up and boy did we get wet. But, it couldn’t put a damper on our spirits; actually it was quite fun. So we got to where we were going, did the count down, drank some drinks, played some dart and kept on dancing. Several hours later, a couple night clubs after, too many drinks to remember, legs soar from dancing, and the sun rising, it was time to call it a night. Actually, one of the most memorable moments of the evening was watching the sunrise to start of the New Year . . . and I have a feeling a good one it’s going to be.

Christmas in Kiribati

Oh Christmas tree . . .
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

Christmas has come and gone, but what a joyous time it was. All I can say is that when Volunteers come together and combine cooking skills we can produce some super ‘kangkang’ (delicious) eats. We had a Christmas brunch and dinner on the big day and boy I haven’t dabbled in gluttony like that in a while. But hey, that’s the beauty of the holidays.

So this was my first real Christmas in Kiribati . . . I was in training during my first Christmas but for some reason that doesn’t count in my book. Then, the last two I’ve had the fortune to travel home and be with family. There is definitely not the holiday vibe here that is found back in the states. I’m sure the ninety degree weather doesn’t help but it’s not just that; the spirit of Christmas doesn’t exist as we know it in Kiribati. Ahhh . . . I just had an epiphany! A consumerism mentality is what propels the commercialized Christmas which creates the ‘Christmas vibe’ that we as little boys and girls grew up with. An absence of that mentality is an absence of the foundation and everything crumbles. For obvious reasons (i.e. developing country) the people of Kiribati remain far from that mentality (for better or worse . . . excellent debate topic by the way). So besides the Christian religious aspect, which I still feel dangles on superficiality in this culture, Christmas is just another day. But the ‘I-matangs’ in country did our best to carry on the cheer and enjoy the day in our traditional way. I hope everyone back home did the same. Enjoy the last few days of 2006!

A hard day's work

The crew
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

Another month means another fishing competition. This month I had the privilege to go out on the Australian High Commission boat with Brett, Evelyn and Lindsey. The beauty of going out with Brett is that if the fishing ever gets slow we just pull into the lagoon for some snorkeling and wakeboarding. I’m actually getting a feel for this wakeboarding thing, although, I still wakeup the next day feeling like I’m ninety. So, all in all it was a great day. Caught some fish . . . a yellow fin tuna and a wahoo (good eats)! Caught some rays . . . actually too much and got burnt. And caught some sick air . . . not really.

This will probably be my last entry before Christmas rolls around, so, Merry Christmas everyone!

In the spirit

The holiday seasons is upon us and its 90 degrees and sunny.  Kinda hard to feel the Christmas spirit around here, but I got my Christmas tunes to get me in the mood.  I haven't written an update in awhile . . . things have been fairly slow (this guy, however, has enjoyed the calm).  Nevertheless, Christmas approaching means many Volunteers traveling.  And I'm sure of those who do have loved ones traveling over the holidays the recent developments in Fiji might have caught your eye.  But rest assured, PCK has been keeping a close eye on things as well as maintaining dialog with both the US embassy and PCF (Peace Corps Fiji).  Luckily the coup has remained centralized in Suva, leaving Nadi and the international airport uninhibited.  Let’s hope it remains that way so all transiting Volunteers can get in and out with no delays.  Doesn’t Air Kiribati give us enough stress during the holiday travels?  Now we have the international flights to worry about too?  Well, I wouldn’t worry too much; I’m feeling lucky on this one . . . although I’m also not traveling!  Cheers~

Weekend delight

Posing with the Prez
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

I woke up to rainy skies on Friday morning, but as the afternoon rolled around and Swear-In time approached, the sun came out providing a beautiful day for a beautiful ceremony. I’m not going to write too much about the ceremony because as you can see from the beginning to end progression of my photos, everyone had a great time . . . including Kiribati President Anote Tong. (I heard my last entry created some confusion about which President would be in attendance. With all due respect, I don’t think President Bush has ever heard of Kiribati . . . had any of you?)

So the trainees are now Volunteers and its off to the outer islands for them. The training wheels have been taken off and its time for self-reliance to bloom. Only time will tell, but I hope a solid foundation has been provided for each and everyone of them to build a successful service.

Of course after the ceremony, the celebrations began. That evening we all headed to Betio and danced the night away (all photos have been censored to the public for liability purposes). On Saturday we squeezed in a softball game against the Taiwanese, where Peace Corps +3 Australians came out victorious. There was some great fielding and hitting by the rookies. There’s a lot of potential there.

Then on Sunday we had an Early Thanksgiving dinner because most of the 35s will have left by Thursday. It was all such delicious food . . . but Corey’s devilled eggs were number one in my book. I didn’t realize I liked those things so much. I think I ate at least eight of them.

So that’s my weekend re-cap, in the briefest form. But one more thing . . . Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Down Time

I was suppose to head down to Beru this week for a final site development for K35 and Volunteer visit, however, my streak of healthiness has come to an end as I woke up with strep throat yesterday.  This has actually been the first time I've been sick all year, so I can't really complain.  I was never really knocked down and out too many times on Butaritari; however, living below 100% is something you just have to adjust to here.  In fact I can probably count the days on my fingers where I felt 100% in those two years.  But I have definitely noticed an improvement in my health since moving to South.  This is a result of many reasons but I think primarily food preparation sanitation is a biggie. 

Its actually been nice taking a couple days off, although I know things have been quite busy around the office, especially with K35 Swearing-In on Friday.  Apparently the President and First Lady will be in attendance as well as the U.S. Ambassador from Fiji.  So it will be quite the dignitary event.

Well its back to my house and bed for me.  I haven't enjoyed this much reading time since I left the outer island.  Its like I said . . . I can't complain.

K35 Site Assignment Day

Hold up your islands everyone!
Originally uploaded by amarkelz.

One of the most exciting days of training was yesterday and that was . . . I bet you can figure it out! After all of these weeks to finally know where you can call home is, to me, the apex of training. Now all that remains is another week up North, one in South, Swearing-in, and then whoosh . . . off to your island. But let me tell you, these next few weeks are crammed to capacity.

It was a quick trip up to North for myself and a couple other staffers. We were suppose to leave on Wednesday, spend the night, then have the whole day for sessions and site announcement. The weather, however, held us back until Thursday afternoon. So, we zipped across the lagoon, hopped on the truck and drove 40 minutes to where the trainees were having their center day. I think we were there for at most two hours; loaded up the truck, headed back down to the canoe, zipped back across the lagoon and got back to South just a little after dark.

Even after three years, I gotta say, I still . . . and quite often, get taken back by the beauty of this place. The rides across the lagoon there and back were both amazing; clam sunny skies on the way up and a gorgeous sunset on the way back . . . Its the colors man . . . the freakin' colors!!!