Back Down Under

Last Thursday, my first good friend on Pohnpei, Jen, finished her two year contract as Legislative Counsel and returned home to Australia.

Jen and I met at Kaselehlie Diner in October 2004 when both of us were fairly new to the island. I was doing karaoke with some friends, and twisted her arm into singing "Advance Australia Fair."

After that, she took me up on an invitation to play tennis, and over the past two years we've done a lot of tennis, hiking, rock climbing, snorkelling, travelling to Black Coral & Nahlap island and other less-fun things, like Filipino Bingo.

Many people thought we were married, and apparently some still do. This probably stems from our rousing rendition of "Summer Nights" which we sang at a College fund-raiser two years ago.

Well, now she's back to being a high-power, panty-hose-wearing attorney in Sydney, and Pohnpei feels like a different island.