Beginning 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.
Thursday, August 21, 2003 ~ Pohnpei
The government agencies here want to be told what to do. Part of it, maybe half, is that they'd rather pass off the work to us. Not all. There are some good hard workers, but some will try and have us do what they should be doing. I've had meetings where they knew what to do, they just needed a memo from us outlining, being told, what they should do. The other part is probably ingrained from a century-plus of occupation ~ Germany, Japan, U.S., and the Spanish before all that ~ and just being told what to do. It's easier for them that way. Just to do as they're told. I want them to make their own decisions, to do their own work, with advice from us, where needed. It's a lot of why I've wanted to come out here ever since law school. The AG and another lawyer in my office feel the same way.
Speaking of the AG, there's an odd feeling in the office that would've seriously disoriented me a month ago, or maybe it hasn't sunk in yet. The AG's contract expired a week ago. Because of personnel regulations, he can't be appointed temporarily pending Congressional confirmation of his re-appointment. The president has already submitted his name. Congress doesn't come back until next week, on the 25th. So, he's been contracted as a "consultant," but has no authority. Another lawyer in the office is "acting" AG. No serious tension there, just a bit, it's just the hurry-up-and-wait thing. And another lawyer, the chief of litigation (there are only three of us in litigation including him) is applying for a job in the Cook islands as head of their department of banking and finance. Not legal, administrative; and he had 12 yrs. experience with the FDIC. He thinks he's on the short list, the AG doesn't think he'll get the job. I like working with these guys. Would hate to see them go. The uncertainty about whether they'll be here or not is ... just ... Micronesia. I'm not freaked out about it the way I would've been a month ago. But the lack of stability in who my co-workers are and who my boss is going to be at any given moment is still a bit disconcerting.
What a day yesterday, work-wise. I have more and more authority to direct other departments than I'm used to. Yesterday afternoon, I directed Immigration to allow two Taiwan fishing vessels to off-load their sashimi grade tuna on Chuuk and depart. Had it been delayed, it wouldn't have been sashimi grade anymore, and the plane to take it to Japan would have meant lost profits. The issue was undocumented seamen. No passports, expired seaman's cards. They had similar documentation problems as the first one from yesterday. (All sorts of shenanigans with our own people going on we're trying to get a handle on. We suspect our immigration people on Chuuk are involved in a "shake down" of at least one company.)
It appears the secretaries haven't been giving me messages when Lynn calls. It's happened before. If I'm not in, or am in a meeting, they don't write it down, and I don't know she's called until I see or talk to her later after work. I don't know if they're messing with me, or with her. Maybe in Micronesian ways they think the man isn't concerned with such calls. Maybe they think they're doing me a favor. Whatever, I'm going to have to get firm with them on this.
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