More Relaxation and Reading

Despite all the things that may not have gone our way thus far in our trip, one thing that I am loving is that I am able to read so much.  Out to Arno and back, I was able to read three books – all of which I’d recommend, if they sound interesting to you.

Fiction

Life of Pi by Yann Martel – a fun read; I thought it started a little slow, but then I got sucked in.  Pi (the main character) is the son of a zookeeper.  He and his family are moving with their zoo animals from India to Canada via a cargo ship. The ship sinks, and Pi is able to get into a lifeboat, but finds there are no other humans – just the Bengal tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra.  Most of the book describes how Pi desperately tries to not be eaten by the tiger before they reach land.  It all sounds kind of crazy, but that’s one of the joys of fiction.

Non-Fiction

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – This is a memoir written by a woman who became a reporter for MSNBC.  It’s the story of her childhood.  The book reminded me a lot of Angela’s Ashes.  I read in horror yet again about how parents didn’t do their main job of taking care of their kids.  I wonder if I would love my parents as much as the author loves hers despite their flaws.  
• Books like this make me:
• love and appreciate my parents more than I already do.  So far my brothers and I have turned out fairly well, I think.  For the most part, we’re becoming productive members of society. 
• think about how there are so many kids out there who need parents who will love them and provide them with a home that meets their basic needs and makes them feel safe and loved. 
• think more about the whole nature vs. nurture debate.  The kids in this family turned out remarkably well (for the most part) despite the non-traditional and sometimes non-existent nurturing they received. 
• Dispatches From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper – The title pretty much describes what the book is about.  He weaves his personal story (childhood up to working for CNN) into his coverage of Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Niger, Iraq, the Tsunami, Katrina, and more.  I had no idea that he was a Vanderbilt; his mom is Gloria Vanderbilt.  He didn’t use his family name to get into the business, though.  He started out just using a borrowed Hi-8 video camera and sending himself to places. Then he’d try to sell his stories to Channel One  - those near my age or who were teaching in the early 90s might remember it?  It was supposed to be 10 to 12 minute news broadcasts that was targeted directly for students.  Lots of schools would show it on close-circuit televisions.
• I still think that there should be another required class in schools today concerning current events in the world or not even current, but recent history. I think it’s important for kids to learn older history too, but things are happening today that they should be informed about – was 10 when Rwanda happened, yet I didn’t really know much about it until I was an adult and Hotel Rwanda came out.  I was 13 when my friends’ parents were being deployed to Bosnia, but I had no idea why until I was an adult and wanted to teach about it. 

Okay, going to get off my soapbox and back into a book.  

Arno Adventure

Again – plans don’t always mean it is going to happen.  The plan was a few days of sun, surf, and relaxation at Arno.  What happened:

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 – Setting Sail

We left Majuro late afternoon after restocking a few perishables – apples, oranges, cabbage, tomatos, etc.  The sail from Majuro to the pass was much like it was last time, downwind and calm.  I took advantage of it to read and relax on deck.  I love when Cherokee is sailing downwind.

Downwind sailing on Cherokee is the best!

After we got outside of the pass, I volunteered to take the 12 to 4 AM shift.  This shift is normally given to one who has the least skill, I believe.  You’re not really going to be going in and out of a pass or even near land often. 

So I went to bed at 7 PM.  Unfortunately due to my desire to not get seasick and consequent consumption of a lot of water, I had to get up two hours later.   I was so tired/lazy that I used the toilet in my ama.  (Although, if it had been as rough as it was on our attempted trip to Likiep from Kwaj, I would have gone outside.)

TC woke me at midnight for my shift.  During my 4 hours, I did my little workout routine – lunges, calf raises, squats, push ups, sit ups, etc.  This not only keeps me awake, but warm.  I got a little nervous since we sailed close to a point on Arno that sticks out, but thankfully did not run into Arno Atoll during my shift.  Unfortunately a little after 3 AM, the wind shifted and started to send us right back to Majuro.  Our final destination was now directly upwind.  Remember, Cherokee doesn't sail well or fast upwind.  I prefer to go downwind whenever possible.  Kind of like I'd like to run down hills constantly - not going to happen. 

I woke up Paul for his shift, we jibed, and I slipped back into unconsciousness happy that I had gotten seasick.  I think being well-hydrated combined with taking the full dosage of seasickness meds contributed to that.  Plus, I didn’t have a fever or sore throat like last time.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 – Arno Arrival

We arrived into Arno after sunrise.  I was awoken to help get the anchor set.  It took quite a while as our spot to anchor was not the best.  We were ocean-side since this is where we heard a surf spot was located.  After we set the anchor, TC and Paul kayaked into island to say hello and discuss checking in with the mayor. 

TC and Paul paddle in

When they came back, they made kids laugh by playing in the waves on their kayaks.  They also brought rain with them when they returned.  I wanted to take a jumping pic on the boat at Arno for Alex (see here fun photo blog: http://jpwstw.blogspot.com), but it rained the rest of the day.  So instead we read and took naps. 

We went to bed fairly early, but that probably turned out good since TC ended up awake much of the night.  He had to have gotten up at least 6 times, if not more, and for two of those times, he was up for an hour.  The problem was the current was crazy where we were at – it kept shifting, which would tug at the anchor chain and pull out a foot or two.  His fear was that it would end up pulling out all the chain.  To my credit, I awoke each time he got up and returned.  I think I also told him I loved him a couple times.  I really do love him – he could have asked me to get up with him, but he didn’t.  

Thursday, September 9, 2010 – Dragging Departure

We awoke at 8:10 AM because the wind had picked up and the rain had started to dump, which resulted in our anchor starting to drag.  Uh oh.  The engine started up (always great when it does that!), Paul pulled up the anchor, and then we kind of putzed around trying to figure out what to do.  It was super rainy and super windy.  I am pretty sure that TC did not want to spend another night at that anchorage, but we all made the decision to head back to Majuro, but stop at Enamanet for a night or two. 

TC had been telling me how the way back should be downwind and nice and calm.  When we started off, it was not like that at all.  Though there was little wind, there was some serious and steady chop.  My stomach did not like it.  I was given the go ahead to sleep.  Yes! 

When I awoke, it was a different world.  Super calm, glassy seas.  If it had been like that the whole time we were at Arno, we’d have stayed.  Oh well.  We chased a few bird piles, and Paul caught a little baby yellowfin.  I was able to read the rest of the way back. 

The seas are so calm, these guys had pulled up next to each other and were chatting.  I love the one guy on the cell phone.  

I also decided to celebrate the sweet seas, by applying my SPAM tattoo – a gift from Deanna who visited the SPAM museum this summer.  It goes well with my gifts from Jason, which I have not yet consumed, but will do so before the end of the trip.  Actually, I may pass on the SPAM Spread – that reminds me too much of the potted meat product that I tried a while back.  Yuck.  However, the real SPAM will definitely be fried up with some eggs and rice before we head back to Kwaj. 

I have great friends! 

Since it was so calm, TC asked me if I’d be okay with going back to our Majuro anchorage, and heading to Enamanet later in the week.  Why?  Surfing!  If the calm weather holds, that will make surfing on Majuro possible.  So, now we’re back at our anchorage in Majuro. 

One of the coolest things from this trip was that I spotted a water-spout and got a picture of it.  I didn’t have the big lens on, so you can’t see the actual water swirling at the bottom.  If we hadn’t attempted this trip, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to see the water-spout.  There’s always a bright side, right?

Nature is cool!

Fiction and Non-Fiction

This weekend I read another James Patterson book, The Quickie.  Actually, it’s written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, but only Patteson gets billing on the spine.  He’s been doing that a lot, huh?  Writing with other authors.  The book was okay; a quick read with some twists and turns.  I don’t think I’d buy the book, but it’d be worth checking out from the library (or taking it from the free book rack), if you have the time to read it. 

It always takes me much longer to read non-fiction versus fiction.  I suppose it is because I want to make sure I fully take in what I am reading since its real.  I don’t want to miss out on chunks of information and then not understand what is going on. This weekend, I finally finished reading The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn’t Working by Robert Calderisi.  He worked for the World Bank for quite a while in Africa.  I’d been reading the book for a while.  It gets kind of depressing, though.  However, if you're interested in learning more about the world, it's worth a read.  Plus Calderisi doesn't just complain, but explains what he thinks could be done differently.

One of my favorite classes while in college was Foreign Policies of African States with Professor Solomon Nkiwane (who is missed by many).  It was a political science class, but with a heavy emphasis on geography.  By the end of the 3.5-week course (I went to Colorado College where you take classes one “block” at a time), you had to be able to identify every African country on a map along with its capital, name the year it gained independence and from which country, and name the president.  There are 54 African countries (including the island countries off the coast).  It was a lot of work, but I am glad I did. 

I’m normally a pretty cheerful and optimistic person, but I got into a kind of funk here yesterday.  What made it worse is that I know I am a pretty blessed person, so then I got even more cranky.  Boo to me. Trouble with Africa brought back memories and discussions of Prof. Nkiwane’s class, as well as made me think.  It’s amazing to see the difference that one person can make.  I’ve seen that here in the Marshalls too.  It makes me wonder about what differences I’ve made, if any, and how I can do more for others.  It also reminds me that I’m one lucky lady and I need to re-adjust my attitude when necessary. 

This is me as I attempt to adjust my attitude by smiling.  Yay for books!  We have more in each ama.  

Plus, we are about to head out to Arno Atoll (we think, we hope, we pray).  A change of scenery should do me good, plus actually getting into the water.  I suppose we could get into the water here in our little harbor, but I am a little wary of it.  Other people do and are fine, maybe I am still a bit prissy.  :-)

Weekend Update

This weekend, Paul joined up with Curtis and Bobby from Kwaj to participate in the 18^th All-Micronesia Fishing Tournament sponsored by the Marshalls Billfish Club here in Majuro.  It’s a big tournament with teams from Japan, Taiwan, Kwaj, Ebeye, Pohnpei, Australia, the US, and Majuro. 

The boats are lined up - kind of.

And they're off!

Paul and the guys did great on the first day and got a ton of fish, but unfortunately they hadn’t read the rules.  A tuna has to weigh 40 pounds in order for it to count, so all those huge aku they caught (which I don’t think ever get up to 40 pounds didn’t count).  So, even though they caught a few yellowfin and a whole cooler worth of aku, they only scored 41 points. 

The next day, Paul and the guys did catch a marlin, which they tagged and released for 200 points, as well as yellowfin and some other fish. 

We all learned that it is really a billfish tournament.  On the first day, a group (Skip Bonham’s from Kwaj) caught 2 big marlin (400 and 300 something pounds), tagged and released a third, and caught some sizeable other fish for a total of 947 points.  They didn’t catch anything worth points on the 2^nd day of the tournament, yet still won the overall thing.

End of Day 2 of the Tournament -Weigh In

It really is a billfish tournament.  

While Paul was fishing, TC and I read books, observed the start/end of each day of the competition, went and saw The Other Guys.  Plus, I got a run in both mornings, which was nice.

Labor Day in Majuro

The highlight of my labor day weekend might have been washing my hair.  Totally serious. I love it when I actually get to wash out all the shampoo and conditioner.  There are few things more lovely than washing my hair with hot, high-pressured water. (Thanks Curtis!)

TC and I worked to install the new starter and solenoid.  I have to say that my share in the work was handing him tools, as well as flipping switches.  Bad news – still not working perfectly.  The actual starters that we got don’t seem to work.  We tried both of them.  So then TC put the solenoid in the old starter.  That works, it seems.  Although, it doesn’t start on the first attempt.  It always started on the 2^nd.  Hmm . . . we will continue to try and work things out. 

Poor TC - the engine will be sorted out someday.

Also yesterday, Paul and I observed a dangerously overloaded boat.

I am guessing they do not have enough life vests for everyone.

Then at the end of the day, we got a rain shower with a neat double rainbow here in the harbor.  It was a nice way to end the holiday weekend.

The double rainbow is faint, but it is there.  It was nice seeing the rainbow so close to us.

Mercury and Me

On the trip so far, we’ve caught dogtooth tuna, aku, mahi mahi, ono, and yellowfin.  Our main source of protein is fish.  Some days we could eat fish for lunch and dinner four or five days in a row (or like with that yellowfin for a week or two weeks). Awesome, right?

However, I know that certain fish have high mercury levels.  As TC and I are thinking that we might try to get pregnant in the upcoming year, I decided to do some research – what fish have higher levels of mercury?  How much fish is too much fish?  Turns out each type of fish that we’ve caught have moderate to high levels of mercury.  This would not necessarily be a problem for me except it can take anywhere from 44 to 80 days for an adult’s body to rid itself of half the mercury it is exposed to.   So “excessive maternal dietary intake of mercury in the months leading up to (as well as during) pregnancy may damage the critical neurological development that goes on in the womb . . . .”  Guess who’s not eating much fish for the rest of the trip?  This girl. 

How sad is that?  Tons of fresh fish and relegated to only a bite.  Actually, it all depends on what type of fish it is.  After all, it’s highly recommended that a woman eat at least 12 oz of fish a week since fish contain certain types of omega-3 oils that are hard to get from other sources.  TC and I started to wonder if perhaps fish that he can get via spear-fishing would be okay.  So, I did more research and found the following fish are considered safe and are recommended as part of the 12 oz of fish eaten per week by a woman who may have a baby in the relatively near future:

Anchovies

Butterfish

Calamari (squid)

Caviar (farmed)

Crab (king)

Pollock

Catfish

Whitefish

Perch (ocean)

Scallops

Flounder

Haddock

Hake

Herring

Lobster (spiny/rock)

Shad

Sole

Crawfish/crayfish

Salmon

Shrimp

Clams

Tilapia

Oysters

Sardines

Sturgeon (farmed)

Trout (freshwater)

Grouper, a fish that TC could easily spearfish, is in the high to moderate level of mercury category.  Hmm . . . looking at the above list, there are not many fish that we can easily find while sailing.  TC said that we could easily stock up on anchovies or sardines, but I just can’t do it.  We might find some lobster and TC could possibly get a flounder, but they’re not that common.

Long story short - I'll be eating fish, just not at every meal.

This is a link to probably the easiest to read info about fish (especially ones that we can catch out here) – it’s out of Hawaii: http://hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/wic/pdf/fishsafety.pdf

Other fairly simple guidelines from the FDA: http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm110591.htm

This link has more info with actual amounts of mercury in each type of fish (on average, it could always have more or less mercury depending on what came before it in the food chain):  https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/HEALTH_RESOURCES?topic=pregmercury

Have you seen what high levels of mercury in the mother can do to children?  I remembered going go a museum exhibit in Japan regarding the Minamata mercury poisoning.   A very sad story: http://www1.umn.edu/ships/ethics/minamata.htm

Recommended Reading

I know I’ve mentioned several times that I’ve been reading a lot.  I try to vary the types of books I read.  I love a good easy-to-read thrillers and love stories, but I realize it’s important to read things that will actually make me think/use my brain as I am reading it.  The other reason that I read so much is that once I start a book, I must finish it – even if I hate it.  TC, Paul, and I have been collecting books over the last two years in hopes of actually reading them on this trip.  Kwaj friends, I may have the book that you dropped off at the library’s free bookrack. 

After a month of reading, I have to say that I have enjoyed all the books that I’ve read, but I do have some that I’d particularly recommend.  I suppose in the future, I could just comment on a book as I finish it. 

Here are the books I’ve read so far . . . (feel free to ask me more about them)

Non-fiction

*Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost – memoir about the author’s time living in Kiribati

*Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost – memoir about the author’s time living in Vanuatu and Fiji

**Dove by Robin Lee Graham – memoir of a teenage boy who sailed around the world in the 1960s (I think it was the 60s) before GPS units and SSB radios were common on sailboats.  There is no way I could do what he did. 

***A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah – memoir of a boy who grew up in Sierra Leone during the 90s; became a child soldier.  I was crying at times throughout the book.  I think you should read it. 

Fiction

The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter de Jonce – criminal/legal thriller where common folk try to get justice for one of their own (common vs. rich folk)

*Masquerade by Gayle Linds– a spy thriller, but with a female main character; it was a fun read

Life Support by Tess Gerritsen – medical thriller & I didn’t realize that she lived in Maine

Death Match by Lincoln Child - a technothriller about a dating service where people who get matched up start committing suicide together; this was written by the same guy who wrote Relic, which was a book (a good one) turned into a movie in the 90s (don’t even both watch the movie)

Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch by Haywood Smith – a fun novel about a southern woman and her family

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift – a classic; gotta get those in right? I enjoyed this way more than I would have in high school because I know the historical times that Swift is satirizing fairly well now (I had to teach it the past 4 years).  However, the character of Gulliver himself kind of annoyed me, not sure why.

**Snow Flower and Secret Fan by Lisa See – a novel about a girl in 19^th century China and what her life was like; talks about food binding (CRAZINESS)

Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter – criminal thriller about a serial killer set in Tacoma, WA

Fiction and/or Non-Fiction – Highly Debated (You Decide For Yourself)

Bible – in the fall of 2003, I started reading through the Bible cover to cover and I’m still not done.  I hope to be done by the end of this trip.  Always an interesting read.

Making the Most of Majuro

We are still in Majuro.  Hmm . . . we had thought of maybe going down to outside of Arno (heaven forbid we actually make it into an atoll on this trip) for some surf maybe.  However, it looked like we’d be going right into the wind the whole time, which would make the trip more difficult/not as comfortable.  Normally, we’d just go for it, but since we’d actually only have two days there (Paul is going to participate in the All Micronesia Fishing Tournament on Saturday and Sunday), it didn’t seem worth it.  Hopefully, early next week we’ll head out to other atolls (only briefly though since we have to keep checking back for engine parts). 

So, what have we been doing in Majuro besides ordering parts?

I have been doing a LOT of reading.  I love to read.  Maybe too much.  When I was a kid, I would totally get into the book I was reading and block out everything else. (That may also be the result of growing up with five brothers – blocking out noise  was a matter of survival.)  My parents would have to ask me to do something five times before I’d even hear them.  TC would probably say I still do this. 

I was going to list the books I’d read and my recommendations, but can’t remember them all (well, either the full title or the author), so I’ll get to that later. 

I haven’t just been reading, but I’ll summarize the rest of my/our activities with pictures and captions.

TC and I pulled out the guitar and attempted to sing.  Lucky for Paul, he was not around. 

Here I am shaving, a glamorous photo, I know.  Remember what I said about boat life not being too romantic?  I think I've only been shaving once a week (to save water and because I am lazy).  In my former, prissier life, this would not have happened. 

I've been catching up with some former students who are in Majuro enlisting in the Army.  

I've also been running.  Here I am running by some government building.  Take note of the (yet again) culturally appropriate running outfit.  I can't wait to run in just running shorts and sports bra.  It's way less laundry to do.

Also, while sitting and reading on the boat or sometimes laying down and reading on the boat, I observe the water and activity around me.  Some fun shots while sitting in the harbor:

This day the water was like glass.

This day was also the day that this boat got a little too close to us.  

I like this picture - the modern and the traditional.  Plus the difference in size.  

Another of the traditional sailing canoes.  I love the bright colors.

There are five guys in this tiny boat.  They are a frequent sight.  

Oh and I’ve been practicing driving the dinghy.  I hate doing this, but how else will I get better, right?

TC thought it'd be funny to get a pic of me after I was complaining about not wanting to drive the dinghy to the dock because I knew it was crowded.  I am totally NOT comfortable driving this yet.