Ups and Downs

I am so lucky to have such great friends out here. Especially since we have to see each other so often, it's good to have people you like and trust!

For some reason I have fallen in with the lawyers from the national capital. My two best friends are Jen, an Australian who is legal council for the Legislature, and Janhabi, a Canadian who works in the Attorney General's office. And, of course, there is Rohaizad.

Unfortunately, the lawyer's contracts are only for two years, and we at the College sign three year contracts.

I was trying my best to convince Jen and Janhabi to stay for one more year, so Rohaizad and I wouldn't have to spend our final year without them, and I thought I had convinced them. But then they both had break-ins at their houses. It was depressing and scary.

It was frightening enough already that they often had men loitering around their houses at night trying to get some "action" from them, but to have them actually enter the house and take stuff from them ... yikes!

So that was a depressing time. Rohaizad and I slept over at Janhabi's to make her feel safer until she could change her locks. We also gave her one of our puppies (we had nine for her to choose from) to protect her.

When something like that happens, it is so easy to feel crappy about the whole place. But I have to keep in mind that it is just a few people who broke in; most of the people here are wonderful.

Fortunately, there have been some positive things that have happened since that event.

Last Friday I led the first annual College of Micronesia Holiday Concert. We had 70 performers from all over the country. I thought it was very exciting. The audience filled up the practice gym and many people had positive comments.

To celebrate that the concert was over, Janhabi, Jen, Rohaizad and I spent last Sunday at Nahlap Island Resort, the most relaxing place in the state of Pohnpei.

Now the semester is wrapping up. Lots of grades to compute and preparations for next semester. Although I feel good about being here, I feel sad that Janhabi and Jen will probally be leaving during 2006. Oh well.