ABC Wednesday: J is for...

Wow, 'J' was a tough one for me! I thought and thought but could come up with nothing until I turned to the Picture Each Day archives. Last August I was lucky enough to get to visit a close friend who is a Jesuit Volunteer in the Marshall Islands. Jesuit Volunteers International (a branch of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps) is an organization a lot like the Peace Corps, except that it is of course a Catholic organization. Today I'll share a little bit about how the JVs live there in the Marshall Islands. You can click on any photo for a larger, gallery version.

(I have also posted some other photos previously.)


J is for Jesuit Volunteers

I arrived in Majuro on the same plane as the new JVs, and we were greeted by my friend and the other JVs, who took us home in a pickup truck. The JVs live together in a house



where they eat together, including such foods as breadfruit, freshly-caught raw fish, and pandanus (called "bup" [spelled "bōb"] in Marshallese)--among plenty of your more basic groceries, too.





The back of the house looks out onto Assumption Elementary School, where some of the JVs teach. The new JVs didn't get keys to their classrooms right away and so could only look at them through the windows.





The other JVs teach at the adjacent Assumption High School. As you might guess by the name, both are private Catholic schools.





Since it was the end of summer and school was about to start again, the teachers were cleaning the school, labeling new textbooks, and setting up their classrooms.






But my friend managed to find time to take me around town in a car borrowed from "the sisters."



We ate at a delicious Korean restaurant and sailed on a traditional Marshallese canoe





and did a little guam shopping.



("Guams" are popular dresses in the Marshall Islands that look a little bit like house dresses in the US, but with some crazy patterns.)



We even ran into one of the high school students who works at the grocery store--and who also starred in an independent Marshallese film made by a former JV and another Assumption teacher, called Morning Comes So Soon. The film addresses racism and teen suicide, two prevalent issues in Majuro. It was a huge hit on the island when it premiered.



I had a blast visiting, and I was so grateful to the Majuro JVs for hosting me at such a hectic time (when the new JVs were arriving)!


There are links to many more 'J' posts at the home of ABC Wednesday!


abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com