What's Going On

Whew, it's been a while since I've written, so here is an update on my Kosraean life.

Thursday, June 21: Played tennis with Semeon, an old friend of mine and current State Senator. I did rather poorly, but the highlights of the game were:

1. Searching for a ball in the jungle and meeting a three-foot-long monitor lizard.
2. Hitting a ball that landed on top of a palm tree. THAT'S a challenge for you!

Friday, June 22: My friends Ben and Joanna came to visit from Pohnpei. Their flight was six hours late, so they missed happy hour, but they got here eventually. YEA!

Saturday, June 23: Ran the Olympic Day 5K race. It was a relaxed thing; it was even held seven days after Olympic Day. Eighteen runners/walkers participated and I ran the whole thing with Adam, one of the local Peace Corps volunteers. We tied for first place.

Sunday, June 24: Went to church in Malem to hear the singing, which is amazing as usual. In the afternoon we snuck in an illegal snorkeling trip near the airport (there are very strict laws of what can and cannot be done on Sunday). In the evening we played Scrabble by the ocean and went out for cheap pizza at Nautilus Resort.

Monday, June 25: My friend Milt flew in from North Carolina! I put him right to work teaching a guitar workshop at the college campus. Then in the evening I arranged for him to perform at Island Cafe as part of my "Birthday Eve" celebration. We drew in a huge crowd - about 50 people! - for the performance at the Cafe. It was perfect. We stayed up till early morning remembering the old days and ringing in my new decade.

Tuesday, June 26: I woke up 40 years old.