#1- I went to Pohnpei for IST (in service training) it was great to see all the other volunteers! I did feel a bit lonely at times since there are no other volunteers on my island, which also means no one to relate to. Overall, IST was great! Great laughs, great food, and great...well okay training (I mean does anyone really like sitting in a room for 8 hours listening to someone talk) the information is very useful though!
#2- I changed host families. Now I really didn't want to have to change host families, but it became a necessity. Also, looking at statistics, a lot of volunteers end up having to change host families or sotes for one reason or another. The reason I changed was simply because at my old host families house I was treated like a child, not a professional adult. I understand that this is part of the culture, but over time it became harder to do my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer. So, after I teturned from Pohnpei, I moved! I love my bew host family! I feel like part of the family. The house is right on the water, this means on the weekends I get to swim and every morning I get to see the sun rise! I am truly happy where I am at now!
#3- I joined a volleyball team. I am not very good, but the bonding with the other team mayes is amazing. We have our tournament this weekend, soo good luck to us!
#4- I am still teaching my workout/ boxing class there times a week. I have lost some students because it was tok hard for them, but I have one that comes everyday and hasnt missed one! She makes it all worth it for me! Plus it's a good workout for me! I think I am going to start another blog on my health and fitness as a Peace Corps Volunteer, so stay tuned!
#5- I have a local boyfriend, my mom will probably kill me for talking about this on my blog, but I feel like it is a very important part of my life here and has really taught me a lot about the culture. Here in Yap, if you are in a relationship, it is a complete secret from everyone. Especially your parents and relatives. Once they find out, you are basically married. They do this as a sign of respect. They don't want to introduce their parents to multiple boyfriends or girlfriends. There is also absolutely no PDA! Men and women do most activities seperate so finding time together is a struggle. It is a miracle that this population is still procreating! My boyfriend and me are lucky, we both enjoy sports, this means we get to spend time together at the complex, which is also healthy. We are also lucky because my host mom approves of him, but he is still not aloud at the house or to even walk into my village (he lives in the village next to mine) this is also done as a sign or respect. I am still learning, but I am happy 😍.
#6- I am soon going to be joining an organization called "women and sports" which promotes women to play sports, and all sports, even ones that target men. More on that after the first meeting.
#7- I am going to the Outer Islands next weekend to visit another Peace Corps Volunteer. I am very excited, but a little nervous to be flying on sucha small plane.
Well I think that's all the main points! Keep an eye out for new posts and my new blog! Miss and love you all!!
Oh also forgot to mention, Yap Day happened, which is like the 4th of July in the U.S., but everyone dresses local! Below is a picture of me and the bf on Yap Day!
