Check out this web-site for great photos of ligthning (spelled without an E as is correct), flowers, and more.
A Marshallese Wedding and Stick Dance
Originally published in the Spring of 2004
Last week some of my Marshallese friends dropped by my apartment to talk story and happened to mention that the residents of Roi-Namur had been invited to a wedding on Enniburr (3rd Island,
Today Rich helped me add photo galleries to our site. One thing I think is reflected here is that wherever I have traveled throughout the world I have seen many beautiful sites but what I remember the most are the people I have met. At this point my friends gallery has the most photos and that is a tribute to all the great people I met there. Many of whom are not shown on the gallery yet. But if you send me your photos I can add them.
The Science of Fishing
In a previous article I mentioned that Myla and I had gone fishing but failed to land a fish. We decided to try our luck again but this time chose a different crew. My friend Mike who is a very serious fisherman took us out. Mike is a retired Lt. Col. in the Special Forces who helped build the new power plant here. Mike and Rob are the island’s most dedicated fishermen. Rob is on vacation so poor Mike is forced to resort to taking out novices such as myself. Corey went along too to complete our crew of 4 on the Boston Whaler that the marina has available for renting to take diving or fishing or whatever. Mike is kind of a gruff old coot and he apologized in advance to Myla that he was going to yell a lot because that is what he does when he gets excited but really he is a teddy bear at heart.
Last time when we went fishing with Andy and Francisco we failed to catch a single fish. This time I felt a compulsion to seek devine intervention and found myself praying that we would catch some. There is something about the sea that makes one contemplate the almighty. During a storm it might be the fear of death but for me when fishing it might be more a matter of finding it beyond reason that a fish would chose voluntarily in all the great vastness of the sea to bite a hook I place in the water. I learned from Mike that there is a lot of science involved in catching a fish. As I mentioned in my last article on fishing, the first thing we do is look for a bird pile which is a large gathering of birds. But it turns out there is a lot more to it than that. Mike watches to see if there are splashes in the water. He also looks for the manner in which the birds are gathering. If it appears ordered that is a good sign. Ideally we tried to keep our lines dragging behind us close to the bird pile. If we caught fish Mike would note if there was a pattern to it. For instance, today we caught a yellow fin tuna, a kabayakaukelele or something like that (maybe he said it was a kaba kaba) and two rainbow runners. But after the first several fish Mike noticed we were catching them going with the current. It varies from day to day but if he notices a pattern any one day then he follows it to see if it will pay off.
This afternoon I went diving with my friend Shannon. We had just rolled off the boat into the water when I spied a gray reef shark circling beneath me. Usually I consider it a good omen when I spot a shark first thing, a sign that there will be more to view. … Read more »
This article was originally written in February of 2002.
The Circus, Headcount and Holidays
Last weekend was the final days of the Circus of the Pacific’s stay on Ebeye, another island on the atoll located close to Kwajalein. That is where most of the Marshall Islanders live. Just as
OK, Roi-Namur might not be exactly paradise but it sounded like a good slogan for the site. This site contains stories I wrote home to my family and friends while I was living on Roi. They are written from the point of view of an American who was discovering a new culture both on Roi and on the surrounding islands that are inhabited by the wonderful Marshallese people. In doing this, I sometimes focus on behavior that seems strange to an American but is reasonable to a Marshallese. But I try to do this in a lighthearted yet respectful manner. I apologize in advance if it comes off differently. I intend to post these somewhat in the order of what they were originally written to the best of my knowledge. I think the observant reader will see that my understanding evolved over time. There are some obvious misconceptions in the earlier articles that I later gained a better understanding of. I think it would be great if you are Marshallese and you posted a blog describing your impressions of America or Europe. Roi and Kwaj residents past and future are most welcome to add blogs. I only ask that they contain no offensive materials (either political, obscene or profane). I also hope to add a photo gallery soon. I would love it if you posted photos or sent photos to me to be posted. It is my dream to one day publish these articles in a book. If you are a publisher with a suitcase full of money feel free to contact me at the above addresses.
Welcome!!! More coming soon!!!
