Sunday, July 6, 2003 ~ PohnpeiBeginning with my June 2008 post "It's Been Five Years," the following is the continuing story of my travels from the United States into Micronesia ~ Pohnpei, Guam and Saipan ~ and my life since June 2003.
Last week, I went snorkeling with the Australian ambassador. Today, the American ambassador was aboard. Nice guy. His last posting was in Nepal.The US embassy threw a 4th of July party that I went to for a few hours. I left before things really got started, as the humidity was getting to me, and I needed some air conditioning.
Just got back a little while ago from my first dive trip here in Pohnpei. A two-dive trip. I saw a turtle, a shark, a box puffer as big as a breadbox. Others saw an eel, an eagle ray, and more sharks, but I missed those. I've seen better reefs, but these were good dives. My first dive wasn't so good. I dropped my snorkel overboard, my fin strap broke, I couldn't put my vest on in the water, I couldn't descend (I had to borrow six lbs. of weights), and with all the struggle, I was the first to run out of air with at least twenty minutes left of the dive for everyone else.
The second dive was much more relaxed and more interesting. It was in a pass between some atoll islands and the sea ~ the current drifting back and forth with the tide. We dove out against the current the first 20-30 minutes, and drifted back the last 20-30. Neat way to view the scenery. I've seen more interesting reefs when I lived in Kwajalein, but I did see some neat stuff, and I'm told there are better places/times to dive. Sorry, no underwater pics. I'm also told I won't have to go to Yap to see manta rays. I want to go anyway, but it's neat to know they're closer.
Six of us taking the trip, plus two local divers. Me, the ambassador, a lawyer from the FSM Supreme Court, her boyfriend, who's a teacher at the College of Micronesia, a woman who's joining my office from the FSM Congress, and a young Australian woman. We picknicked at the same atoll I visited last week called Ant, which is a common spot for people to go to.
I've run out of clean clothes. I need to stock the house with food. The ex-pats (ex-patriots) here seem very happy. Many have renewed their contracts. The AG is a nice guy, as are other people in the office. Seven lawyers in all for the whole country ~ three including myself to do litigation; three to write opinions and do advisory work, and the AG, who spends a lot of time summoned to the President's Office. He mentioned something about sending me to Taiwan for a terrorism conference.
I have a Micronesian neighbor who is going to be a bit of a pest. There were four calls on my answering machine today, and he dropped by the house at about 7:30 a.m. Two cats have found their way into the house, I don't know how, and my house appears to come with a dog who visits at his leisure. I woke up my first night here to find a cat on the bed with me.
Trying to get used to the lack of air conditioning that I'm used to. My house is very nice by local standards, but "rustic" by ours. They're painting the interior at the moment. I don't have cable TV yet. They were supposed to come last week. Electricity here is weird. It's called "cash power," where you pay in advance and get a code to punch into a keypad at the house. I purchased $50 worth, but have no idea how long that will last. The food is OK, no vegetables, too much rice and starches, so I've been off my feed since I've been here. And, my furniture is still all in Montgomery. But the people here are nice, ex-pats and locals. And the scenery is criminally beautiful.
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