I can't believe it...Only 28 days left

I have one month left in French Polynesia. Where did the time go?! Ever since I switched host families, the time has flown by, and I finally feel at home. For example, after I returned from Fakarava, I unconsciously included "home" in my Facebook status.

Ever since I began noticing "little" things like that, I started realizing I have made Tahiti my home, and it was an unconscious effort. I'm adaptable to situations and try to make them positive experiences, but this is a curse as well; I know I will shed more than just a few tears after I say my good-byes and the plane leaves Papeete.

A few of the other students are extremely excited to go back home. They began counting down the days our second week in French Polynesia. As for me, there were a couple weeks when I hit rock bottom and fell victim to this mentality, but I persevered knowing that things would truly become easier. Also, I didn't want to count down the days until I had to go home.... I wanted to think, "I only have X number of days left??"

My objective for this study abroad experience was to focus on enriching and broadening my international understanding of the world we live in. Having never studied abroad, I wasn't sure what to expect, but that is what I wanted. According to our text, based solely on how to maximize study abroad, it is helpful to have a goal but no expectations. Whether it is to strengthen language skills or dive into the culture, I agree that goals help and expectations harm. Or, if you have an expectation, you must be willing to recognize and accept it as a false hope. You will never fully understand or know what will occur. Sometimes the culture itself, or situations such as host families or friendships, doesn't measure up to what you imagine. Be willing to adapt to or let go of the image you have of how your experience will unveil.

Now that finals are over (YES!!), May term commences Monday and leaves us with four weeks left. We travel to three other islands the after next week. After we return, we have one more final week of class, and I leave the week after. I graduate soon, and finally it is the real world!!

I'm still not sure what to think about life post graduation. I won't resume classes in September, I won't have to work out for volleyball, and I won't have the luxury knowing what will happen in the upcoming year. I will work at Simpson as a mentor through June, but after that I am not 100 percent positive where life will take me. The "plan" is to be in Washington, D.C. by Aug. 1, but we all know plans change.

I do know though that this experience helped emotionally prepare me for the possibility of serving in the Peace Corps. Going from talking to my parents almost every day to not speaking for five weeks was difficult. I never thought it would affect me the way it did. They are my support group, and as I was undergoing an extremely emotionally charged experience, I was unavailable to reach them. The lack of communication with home is also difficult for Peace Corps volunteers. Lucky for me I got a taste of it! It really made me question whether or not I could make it as a volunteer. Also, knowing that I'm leaving a home in Tahiti will surely result again if I am accepted as a volunteer to serve elsewhere; it is always difficult to leave when you grow to be fond of where you live. Now I know at least a little of what to expect, and I still want to help others.

The weather is nice, the people are nice....even Polynesian sharks are nice

While in Fakarava, I snorkeled with sharks, scuba dived, saw one of the former presidents of French Polynesia, and took an 1.5 hr boat ride to snorkel at a motu while my host dad and host sister scuba dived with thousands of sharks.

Not only was the trip amazing because of what we did, but the hospitality of the people I met was heart-warming. We attended mass twice, once the night before Easter and once the second Sunday we were there. Both times random women would welcome us. Even with the simple faire du bisou (kissing of the cheeks), you could feel them welcoming your presence.

A beautiful Catholic church. Garlands made of shells strung across the ceiling, and  many shell chandeliers hung as well.

In front of us sat former French Polynesian President Gaston Flosse. He spent Christmas in jail and Easter at his home at Fakarava. Yes, you read that correctly. He was in jail for corruption that he committed during his presidency.

The first time I saw a shark, I was snorkeling by myself and swam back to shore as fast as possible. After the shock of realizing that I could quite possibly be attacked, I decided getting back into the water was worth price. Haha. Actually, my host parents convinced me that the Polynesians sharks are just as nice as the people. Rarely are there attacks, and people have safely swam with them for years.

The second time I snorkeled was at the motu I visited. At that time I saw six of them at once. I can't imagine swimming with thousands like my host dad and host sisters have!!

I met several interesting people who were visiting Fakarava. After I landed, no one was there to pick me up because my host parents thought my plane was stopping at another island before landing in Fakarava. As I spoke to a woman that worked at the pension we were staying at, I'm pretty sure this one couple overheard my feeble attempt to speak my accented French because after I hung up the phone, they asked if I was American. Haha. Come to find out, this couple had been traveling the world for the past year and wrapping up their journey in French Polynesia before their final destination in southern California.

I also met a family of five on a five-month world tour. They were traveling en route to Peru where the father will be working for a NGO. Their last globe trotting adventure lasted 18 months!! Their next destinations included Tahiti, Easter Island, Chili and finally Peru. What I would give to be able to do that with a family of my own one day!!

Back to the real world

I returned today from Fakarava, the most beautiful place I have visited in my life thus far! It was absolutely gorgeous, and it was an amazing week spent with my wonderful host family! I will post tomorrow about the week and let you know more! For now, I have a quiz to study for and e-mails needing responses!

The Real Tahiti

This is for all of you who thought I would be spending the semester in paradise....

The real Tahiti... Approximately 131,000 people reside in Papeete, the capitol of French Polynesia and located in Tahiti, and its development shows. Hundreds of cars travel to and from the city; commuting is extremely time-consuming because Papeete is where a majority of people work, and there is also only one main road that enters and leaves the city. If someone lives across the island, oftentimes they have to leave work two or three hours prior. Traffic is mainly regulated by round-abouts, which can back up traffic the same as stoplights. Also, businesses that are based in Papeete, such as Hinano and Air Tahiti, contribute to the amount traffic flowing in and out of the city because they are sources of employment. 

Tahiti is not as clean as most people might believe. As beautiful as the island is in certain areas, trash is littered throughout the streets, alongside the roads and corners, as well as on the beaches. Clusters of trash, cans, and bottles are observable once you leave the resorts. In addition to trash, sometimes the occasional smell of sewage occurs in Papeete, and wild chickens and dogs stroll throughout the island. 

Homeless dogs roam the streets throughout the island. At the university, they stroll through the café or cafeteria and lounge where students congregate. Personally, it is difficult to watch these dogs beg for attention or food. There are simply not enough people who want to own a dog, nor do a lot of people desire to keep a dog as a pet. Owning a dog is quite difficult because most people keep their homes as open as possible for ventilation, and dogs can also run away when the gates to their driveway are opened. People can call an organization that will come to euthanize a dog, but it does not appear many people do this. 

Despite what people believe, Tahiti is not a paradise. Living in Tahiti is different than vacationing the island. Although it has gorgeous beaches and beautiful colored water, paradise does not consist of geological landscapes, like I once believed. When living in Tahiti, you notice cultural differences and experience the hospitality from others living on the island as well as the frustrations that result in adapting and integrating into a different culture. It is sometimes difficult, but if an individual has the desire to become familiar with Polynesian culture, he or she will leave with a greater understanding of what lies behind just a beautiful beach.

Downside: Exhausted from hiking ... Upside: Visiting another island soon

Meeting prior to the hike.

We- Simpson group- finished hiking up a mountain about an hour ago. I am exhausted!! Not only was it quite a long hike, but it was also pretty steep. There was even a rope at the end that you had to use!!! Luckily, what greeted us at the end of our hike were three waterfalls! We were able to slide down the first two, which were pretty small. If you went down the third waterfall, you would die.

Right before we had to use the rope, we saw a decrepit stone wall. Our professor informed us that it is a wall of a fort built by the French during the French-Tahitian War in the 1840's.

Fakarava, which is an atoll, is only about 2-3 meters high. I've included a picture of the island. As you may have already noticed, there's no land in the center! Before studying here, I always thought islands were an "island." You know, land throughout the entire thing. Well, here's a geography lesson for you! Islands are formed by underwater volcanoes. The lava builds up and hardens enough so that it peaks out from the water and continues forming. Eventually, the volcano stops erupting and begins sinking and coral forms-creating a lagoon- around the island. The volcano will eventually be fully submerged under the ocean, leaving the coral reef, making it an atoll. These specific island formations are common throughout the Pacific, because of the warm ocean waters. I learned this in our first geography class of the semester.... Interesting!!

The water was FREEZING, but it was still a great to swim with everyone and eat lunch together. We even had a few extra people with us that were friends of another woman that came with us.

Oh!!! Exciting news!! I will be going to Fakarava in the Tuamotu Islands with my host family next weekend!! Last week they invited me to go, but I had to see if I could rearrange a final, and they had to check on seat availability. Well, it's official; I have my ticket!!

I'll be missing a week of school, so I have quite a bit to accomplish before I leave!! I have to complete my cultural rich points journal and take my French exam and Polynesial cultural oral exam. Busy!!

*I wish I could post more pictures, but the pictures aren't going through the upload.

Winning my first international athletic competition

At lunch yesterday, my host mom invited me to go walking with her and her friends this morning. Exercise?! Of course I said yes!

Once again, the morning came too early. After we picked up a couple of her friends and met the third woman at the location, I noticed it wasn't just walking. It was an actual competion, and it was up one of the steepest hills I have ever seen! There were a few other runners and a lot of bikers. I can't imagine riding up the steep grade on a bike.

As I'm running up, I could feel the burn throughout my body and the humidity in my lungs. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but luckily there was some shade provided by the flora. The competition was timed like the Tour de France, and I was the last one to begin. I caught up to one of the other woman, and we finished together.

On our way up, I couldn't wait to blog about this event. If I knew more French, I know Bridgette would have been able to give me more information on what I was agreeing to! But, that's part of an exciting study abroad experience!! :D

We finished the uphill 2.5 km and casually walked down together as the five-member group we were. We ended at a gazebo near the starting line where everyone was looking at the results. Come to find out, I was first! I was so shocked!! I hadn't even tried to win. I just wanted to reach the end where water was available for the particpants! I received a "medal" made from a shell, which has the competition's logo engraved on it, and t-shirt.

There's a triatholon in a couple weeks that I'd like to do. Bridgette and two of her friends are splitting the events, so hopefully I can find two others to join me!

Afterwards we came home, showered, and took the rest of the family to meet Roxanne (host sister) and Pascal (host dad) for lunch. Finally, we have some time at home before attending mass at 6 p.m. This has been the busiest weekend in Tahiti yet!!

Dance Dance and Scuba

Saturday: What a busy weekend this has been already!! Last night I went out with Manuel—the lone male from Simpson on this experience—and met up with a few other people from school whom I had never met before. They took us to a Tahitian bar, and I “tried” to dance “Tahitian style.” You know it’s been a fun night when you’re missing a button from your shorts by the end of it!! Haha. The three girls I met were extremely sweet and a blast to hang out with! One of them even—Lorilie— invited Manual and I to her home for a Tahitian dinner she is having at her home next Saturday.

The morning came early and then I was headed to scuba dive for the first time!! I was so nervous!! I never realized fully the amount of precautions and level of experience a diver must have. Since I was a newbie, an experienced diver held on to me at all times and guided me around the coral. Although Emmanuel didn’t speak English, he was great at making sure I felt comfortable under the water. I can see why first-times are required to have a diver hold onto them.

To be honest, once I was under the water I was terrified. Sometimes while I’m snorkeling I become claustrophobic. It has happened a few times while I’m far from shore, and once it occurs I race back to land as fast as possible. Take that emotion and times it by 20…that’s how I felt today (Saturday) but couldn’t come up on my own or reach land by swimming. Also, breathing from a tank while submerged five meters is a lot different than being only foot under water and using a snorkel. I felt like I couldn’t breathe or that I needed more air from the tank, but I forced myself to realize that I was only psyching myself out. I’m pretty sure Emmanuel noticed that I was gripping his hand a little too hard. Thankfully, I overcame the mini panic attack and managed to enjoy the dive after the first five minutes. It was pretty exhilarating to know that I was “one with the ocean” even if it was for only 20 minutes. To anyone even remotely interested in scuba diving, do it at least once!!

This afternoon my host mom, Bridget, had dance class at our house. She and a group of women from her studio dance class get together throughout the week for more practice. Well, today I danced with them. I’ll be honest…I was horrible! Even though the women aren’t expert Tahitian dancers, they definitely aren’t beginners!

This evening we went to Le Meridien (hotel) for an art exhibition. I had mentioned to my family that a couple of my friends were contributing artists. Come to find out, one of their friends was also featured in the exhibition so Pascal, Bridget, Roxanne and I went for a night out.

A group of rooms had been blocked off for artists to with their room as they pleased. Each room was uniquely different. My favorite room was titled "Evolution-Revolution." As you entered, the sound of beating drums blasted from the speakers. It reminded me of Africa. There were two paintings on the wall, and each painting had its own projector. From the projector, different "light" designs hit the painting and highlighted the colors. The one painting had what looked like Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. The other had a horse sketched with minimal strokes. The artwork and music were touching and the room beautifully expressed

After we left Le Meridien, we went to a restaurant, Caption Bligh. They had Tahitian dancers for the patrons and what do you know....a minute after we were seated I was asked by one of the dancers to dance, which is typical of dancers. As the show nears the end, each dancer grabs someone of the opposite sex to dance on stage for "fun." I accused my host parents of calling the restaurant and telling them we were on our way. Haha. After my embarrassing display of dancing earlier today, the last thing I wanted was to dance in front of strangers! :)

Tahitian dancing at the Beachcomber Intercontinental Hotel that I saw for the first time right before my family visited. The island's major resorts have shows Friday and Saturday nights for people to watch.

I provided a couple links for you to check out Tahitian dancing! The first features how the men dance and the second features the women.

I'm working on putting together a Youtube account that will feature not only my videos, but also the other Simpson students, which will some of the actual dancing that we have seen here in Tahiti!

Another "interesting" room was made to look like a beach party. Black tarps hung across the room, separating the area, and Hinano beers cars were strewn throughout the floor. Extremely loud music also added contributed to the ambiance. There was a girl sleeping on the floor. Sleeping? Right! The others girls were dressed in short dresses and high heels, and the guys had their shirts wrapped around their heads. A couple of other guys were wrapped in Saran wrap....with nothing underneath.