On the Road to Locality

A Tropical Christmas: Part II

      I also spent a good amount of time in Utwe (“oot-way”) at the Pastor's house there. They have their store and gas station there, as well. Right across from those is the famous white-sandy beach of Kosrae. I learned that the whole island used to have white sand. Then they built the airport, and it altered the beach around the whole island. It shrunk the beach and in many places changed the white to a reddish-brown color. This particular beach is very rocky along the whole way. So, swimming in higher tides can be treacherous.

      One of the things that I was looking forward for a month was net fishing. Finally, it was here. We walked down a quarter-mile or so from the house and had a prayer before starting. Mrs. Tara and Tekla, the Pastor's wife and young niece, walked out and set the net among the rocks while the rest of us watched. Once it was set, BeeWee and I started throwing rocks into the water. We threw them in, aiming from the shore to about five feet from the net, to scare the fish into the net. Then, we walked out to check our catch. When the fish are found stuck in the net they have to be silenced before untangling them so that they can't swim away upon release. BeeWee and Mrs. Tara quickly used their teeth to crack the skulls of the little fellows. “Woah!! Haha! That's awesome!” Much surprised laughter followed from myself. I plan to do it myself next time.

      We repeated this process two more times, finishing right in front of the store. During this process I found some sweet coral, failed at handstands among the waves with Tekla, and learned about a fish that I've already eaten before. If a person happens to get poked from the bones that protrude from the top of its fins, depending on the person, they will experience some extreme pain. It is felt throughout the entire body, and can last for a day, days, or a week. Usually, they have to go to the hospital to stop it. Being the person that I am, I thought first of the great defensive weapon that would be combined with a blow-dart gun. Anyway, thankfully the toxin is destroyed when you cook it. It is a tasty fish.

      When we finished we had sixteen decently-sized fish in a bag. “Wow! That's a lot!” Then they told me that they usually get a 20-lb rice bag full of fish. That's a lot. It would be for trout, anyway. Mrs. Tara asked me to pray when we all got back to shore.

“Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for helping us catch these fish. …”

      I don't remember the rest of the prayer because my mind was stuck on the meaning of what I had just said. How often do we include in our prayers, “Thank you for this food”? Myself, I have become so used to saying it that it's not as meaningful as it should be. I do always thank God for my food, but how can I not thank God when I have to rely on something like the chance that there are even fish in the netted area? It brings a new meaning to the prayer when we are relying on the land, on nature, to provide for us, especially when we are the ones doing the gathering. It's not very often that most of us do any gathering for ourselves anymore. Not as if we need to, since Walmart or Fred Meyer are just around the bend. I'm not saying that they are bad, per se, but it helps one to be very thankful for what they have, or what they catch, when one has to do the work to get it.

      Once we got back up to level ground we pulled some coconuts off their trees that are along the beach. We cracked them open on the rocks and drank happily. Once we were finished, we threw the empty coconut into the ocean; that is a true, classic soft drink.

      Last week, on Monday (2^nd) and Thursday (5^th), I attended two different family Christmases. On the Monday I witnessed a rather large chicken-grease fire. I also learned how to make a local plate. They are made, out of woven coconut leaves, and used for special occasions. Mine was really sad looking. I learned about women jobs in Kosrae (which infuriated me because they wouldn't let me help make something). I picked some fresh chilies. (Oh, I should probably use those. They are still in my refrigerator.) Then I ate a huge dinner on one of the plates.

      On the Thursday I learned the cultural background and reasons behind the original distinction between male and female jobs (I felt much better after this). I learned how, and helped make, a version of local soup: ground banana, coconut oil, and fish. Ate some more fish eyes; I learned that they taste better with salt. Helped make some local plates; these were far worse than my first try, somehow. Then I ate a ton of food, including but not limited to: chicken, cow, kang kong (a local plant that you might use in place of spinach for a salad), turkey tail, tapioca, soft taro, hard taro, banana bread, and breadfruit. I also learned that if someone doesn't eat very much food at a party, the maker(s) automatically think that person didn't like the food. In other words, it's good that my eyes (have always been) bigger than my stomach. In other news, Pa Cooper is determined to have me obese by time I leave here. “Your mom won't recognize you.” Yes, he did say that.

      There you have a good outline of my tropical Christmas (Part I & II). Obviously, I won't forget not doing anything on Christmas day. However, I believe the thing that I will remember most from this Christmas is that I became more Kosraen through my different experiences. As more than one local put it, though, “You're becoming local.” Now that is exciting.