Watch the Walk

I'm in the middle of a set of travel right now, as I make my way from Clove Island to the US. On a call with my cousin, her son was quizzing me about my travels, so I thought it might be fun to describe my trip so far to all of you here. My first flight was from Clove to Volcano Island, where the international airport is. The flight takes all of 30 minutes, but you still have to deal with being there for check-in, for a police check, security, and then finally flying. The limits on luggage for this flight are pretty strict: 44 lbs checked and 12 lbs carry-on. Because I was traveling with more stuff this trip, a soon-to-be-priest agreed to check in together with me and made it so I didn't have to pay for having extra luggage. We ended up chatting in English while waiting for the flight, then said goodbye on arrival.  I walked out to the main road to catch a taxi into town, and the aforementioned almost-priest was exiting the airport with a friend. They offered me a ride into tow...

One of the most commonly seen animals here is the goat. Some goats are tied up or secured in a backyard, but most of them in the city are left to wander and forage for themselves. I find it a bit surprising to see something so valuable wandering the streets unattended. And what's the risk of a goat wandering about on its own? Well, it could be stolen. That happens. It could be hit by a car; I once watched a young goat get run over by a car on a rainy night. It could also forage in a place where it shouldn't, and end up in trouble with the property owner.  My friend and I were discussing this the other day as we watched a herd of 10 or so goats wander down the road. "What happens if a goat eats someone's garden?" I wondered aloud. "Oh, the garden's owner will take the goat to the police and file a lawsuit." The image of the police station filled with random lawless goats tickled my fancy. "So, they'll sue the goat?" I asked. She laughed....

The talk of the town of late has been the many shortages and the rising price of food. Food prices here have risen 20-50% while salaries have remained the same, making it harder and harder for families to feed themselves.  In addition, shortages have made basic food items either difficult or impossible to obtain. A basic cheap meal here is typically a little fish, cooked with tomato sauce, served over rice, all prepared on a single-burner kerosene stove. There's no kerosene, so many are cooking over wood fires. The "50% broken" subsidized rice is hard to obtain, and the price has almost doubled. With fuel for motorboats hard to get, and the ocean being rough, fish is less available, and at 3 times the previous price.  Tomatoes are available, but the price has gone up, and the price of tomato paste has gone up too. So families are left struggling to figure out a new plan. What to cook? How to cook it? Will we feel full tonight? I remember when I first came to the islands h...

Transportation from one island to the next is sometimes an issue here. We have small commercial planes that go back and forth, a "high-speed" passenger boat that goes between Clove Island and the bigger island which hosts the international airport, and then some fishing boats or other small fiberglass boats which make the trek between islands. But sometimes the options start to disappear, or become less appealing. Fishing boats and little fiberglass boats never really seem like a good option, but when even the fishermen don't want to brave the seas, they seem rather unappealing. The passenger boat can be a pleasant enough experience, but when it's stuffed with 200+ passengers and the seas are rough, pretty much anything seems better than being trapped for 6 hours between puking passengers in a poorly air-conditioned interior as the sea rocks in and out of sight through the windows. And planes? Well, one airline had an accident and hasn't been allowed to resume wor...

 Consider this situation: you've known your mother for all your life. You know her sense of humor, the things she often says, the places and people she loves. You know her appearance-- her height and hair, eyes and skin.  But then one day a stranger comes to you and says, "Let me describe your mother to you", and proceeds to describe someone who, while bearing a passing resemblance to your mother, is in reality nothing like her. "See," they say, "I know your mother! I've just told you all about her! In fact, I really love her!"  Do you agree with them? Or do you answer that they have no idea what they're talking about?  This was the illustration that I found myself giving a random man in a shop last week, as he tried to tell me that he and his people knew and loved my Savior. It's a line I often hear: "We know J. Everything about him is contained in our book! We love him too, just like all the others." But how can they say that th...

How do you recognize a generous person? A friend of mine here was recently describing a business contact of his who is wildly successful. He dropped out of school in 2nd or 3rd grade, but everything he does is successful. He's building a large addition to his house and has plans in the works for what to do after that project is finished. "What's the secret to his success?" I asked.  "He's always giving to others," my friend said, and then he quoted an island proverb: "The hand that gives is always on top" Can you recognize a generous person? A generous person doesn't have a particular way of dressing, they don't carry a sign to advertise their generosity. They might tell others about their generosity, but some of the most generous people don't talk about it at all. In fact, if you aren't a person in need, you might never know of a person's generosity, because it's only apparent to those who receive from them. Perhap...

  Let me ask you a question: if you heard of a new couple getting married, where would you expect them to live? Would the man move in with the woman's family? The woman move in with the man's family? Or perhaps you'd expect them to move into their own place.  What about the town they live in? Would they live in the same town as her family? The same town as his family? A new town, based on their work? The other day my English class was discussing living situations, and who each of them lives with. Traditionally on Clove Island, the woman's family is responsible for providing the new couple with a home. If possible, they provide a piece of land and build a new house, but sometimes the home that's provided is a new story on the family residence, or even simply a private room in a shared house.  Of course, there are exceptions. There are men who build a house, or families who live in a residence that the man's family owns and allows the new couple to live in. But t...