A day in the life of Tulpe-Peace Corps

6:00:   Attempt to turn off my alarm
           
6:45:   Make oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast.

7:00    Depart on my bike ride.
Riding my bike to and from school is the most dangerous part of my day. It is about a 15-20 minute bike ride to my school but during this time I have to keep my senses with me so that I don’t get bitten by angry dogs. Dogs in Kosrae are not used to seeing a) white people and b) bikes so they often get riled up when I bike past them and start trying to attack me.  When this happens I get off my bike, thrust it at them threateningly, and shout “Tchock”. Tchock is a word used by Kosraens to tell dogs to go away.

7:20    Arrive at school
I am normally the only teacher at the school until about 7:50. Then there are a chorus of “Tuwoh” (Good Morning) and “Kom fukah?” (How are you?). 

8:00    Class starts
            Most days we are lucky to start at 8am but class actually begins at 8:15.
            I Co-teach 5th grade English Reading and Writing. The subjects that are taught from 3rd to 8th grade are English Reading, English Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Kosrae Language arts.  There is also a 20 min period of Oral English which functions as homeroom.

11:45 Buses arrive
            This is the unofficial end of the school day. Whilst the buses are only meant to help transport the ECE and 1st graders they actually to take the majority of kids to and from school. For some of the students missing the bus means walking between thirty minutes to an hour back home.

12:20 Classes officially finish

13:00 After attempting to lesson plan I head back home on my bike.
           
13:15 Stop at M&M market.
            Most days on my way home I stop at M&M Market. This is a small produce store where my friend Rebecca works. Sometimes she gives me free coconuts or tangerines. I love the local fruits and this is one of the only places where I can buy them.  Some of my favorite fruits and vegetables include: Soursop, Bananas, Tangerines, Oranges, Watermelon, Papaya, and Squash.

13:20 Arrive at home
            When I arrive home I do my chores, which include washing the dishes and sweeping the lawn. I also help out with other things when they need to be done. Whilst my host siblings and I are doing our chores my host mom makes a big meal that will be eaten for both lunch and dinner.  Whilst lunch isn’t the same everyday there are some common lunches these include; fried turkey tails and rice, fried chicken and rice, hot dogs and rice, fried spam and rice, soup and rice, and boiled chicken and rice.

14:30 Free time
            Once chores are done and food is eaten there is an abundance of free time. I spend a lot of time reading on my hammock, going for walks, studying for the GRE (Graduate school version of the SAT), and playing table tennis with my host siblings. 

19:00 Eat the leftovers from lunch 

20:00 Retire to my room for the night      
            This is when I get to have my “American time” and watch some of the TV shows that I have gathered from other volunteers’ collections. 

21:00  Bed time
           


Comments

  1. Flygirl10 May 2017 at 04:31

    I love reading and learning from your blogs. Please keep them coming.
    Love and miss you
    A. Sue ❤️

    ReplyDelete

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