100th Post!!!

 Well, well, well, folks. This is my 100th blog post for this particular blog! I mulled and humphed and mused all weekend, all day today, and now all night into the next morning, wondering what in the world could I possibly post about. I had some ideas: post a survey, or post another snippet of my story I've been letting you all have a sneak peek at every now and then, or post a great picture and have you, my loyal, dedicated readers use your creative writing skills to come up with some great stories. Maybe even do one of those you tell a little here, he tells a little there, and she tells a little here type stories<--sorry, it slips my mind what those are called. I'm not going to rack my mind, trying to think of what it is (actually I am but while I move forward...later I'll possibly remember and be like OH YEAH). Alas, the final decision. I decided to describe my home, my heritage, and my place of birth. People ALWAYS ask me and when I say Pohnpei, Micronesia, nine times out of ten, I get these blank, vacant stares always accompanied by a not so reassured smile with the blink, blink and crickets chirping. That occurs for like a milisecond before one gives up and finally inquires what and where that might be.

So Pohnpei, Micronesia. Well to give you an idea, this map might be useful. I usually tell people South Pacific, near the Phillipines...you know, near Guam. Actually Guam is a part of Micronesia...which Micronesia is a chain of very tiny islands that include the Caroline Islands and the Marshall Islands. Micronesia's history is abundant, rich, and complex. There are so many different groups of indigenous people, all influenced greatly by a vast array of outsiders. I know that my neck of the woods was discovered by the Spaniards in the 1400's probably around the same time Columbus found America. After the Spaniards, then whalers and merchants of Europe and the Dutch, then the Germans took over and just as World War II came about, the Japanese populated our streets and homes; all not only brought their weapons of war but left their mark on the people especially the Japanese. And you can see the traces of these influences in the language, the food, and the culture of the people.

 This is the famous view of Sokehs Rock. A rock that I once hiked up with my family in the summer of 2000 or so. It is the highest point on the island, I believe. That summer when we climbed the rock, I couldn't help but feel the history around me even amidst the lush jungle greenery. I imagined living in the past, climbing that rock and looking out over the horizon to discover the sight of large, billowing sails of merchant ships heading into the reef. My brother and mother did our family history and traced our ancestors all the way back to a chief's daughter. A chief's daughter who married one of those whalers/merchants who then was disowned due to the dishonest acts of her new husband. I guess merchant also meant sneak, a lie, and thief...in other words...a PIRATE! (Insert Beethoven's 5th here or something from Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack whichever floats your boat...har har har....).

These were the people back in the day

This is kinda how my peeps look these days

We are a fun-loving people who love to eat. The picture below...parrot fish!!! I craved this when I was pregnant with Isaac, and I still would love to get my hands on some more. I'll pick saltwater fish any day above this muddy freshwater fish they have here in the USA. I love to watch parrot fish fry and crackle in oil. I don't know what it is about the oil, the heat, and the blue hue of this fish, but it mesmerizes me to watch the chemistry. And then the aroma is just mouthwatering. Is anyone else hungry? 

Sashimi- my fave growing up!

And then there is the sakau. Some other Polynesian islands have a different name for this...I think they call it Kava? To my understanding, this drink is pounded from a special pepper root. I'm not sure of the process but I know that a couple guys will sit around a large, flat stone that is made especially for the pounding of this root. They gather the root which at first looks almost like corn husks (from my vantage which is far) but as the men pound, it gradually becomes moist, soft and almost pulp-like. I don't know how that happens but it happens and it takes FOREVER! But it's a big deal when it occurs. And people gather because they know when they hear those stones pounding out that 2/2 rhythm, the party is ON. Sakau, I will say is like their alcoholic beverage. I don't know that it us truly a liquor or alcohol per se, but I know that when people drink it, they want to sing, shout, tell stories, laugh boisterously, and TRY to dance. It's a hoot to watch someone try to dance after a couple sips of this nasty concoction. I hear after drinking this, your legs become numb, your mind becomes slow, and although coherent, you look like a stumbling lunatic. But having never partaken of this, I'll leave it to those who partook to demonstrate that. 

And then the floral. My favorite flowers abound here. Hibiscus. The prettiest flower that can adorn my face, my hair, my crown. All around the island, there is GREEN. All around there is moisture and humidity. And salt. The sun can be abrasive. The saltwater can be abrasive. But the people, the food, the culture, the laid back atmosphere...yes, paradise and dream vacation. Well for me that is. My people may tease me that I'm more American than I am a Pohnpeian. But deep inside, my heart belongs to the ocean and the blue horizon. Which is why I call this blog Over the Horizon. Because I am here, but my eyes forever gaze over the horizon, taking me back to my roots and birth place.