September 6, 2010- Diving the Abyss and More Planes...

     Heading down into the Abyss (named so for the stunning drop into dark blue nothingness next to the wall of coral you’ll find when you dive here), we saw schools and schools of little deep purple fish which turn at times flourescent depending on the angle of the sun entering the water.  Just like yesterday, the Abyss is a gorgeous wall dive with a variety of flowering soft corals and lots and lots of fish.  We were lucky enough on this dive to see a silver tip shark and a turtle swim by.  The best thing today is that we started out swimming against the current, so on the way back, we were able to simply relax and float by groups of parrotfish, Emperor Angle fish, and many, may smaller fish I couldn’t even attempt to identify as I have not yet had enough experience with this.  If you want to stop for a second to see something closer, it’s good to wear gloves underwater, as you may have to put a finger or a whole hand on a sturdy piece of coral to keep you from slowly sliding past everything.   Hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to write in more detail about all the coral and fish on these dives so it can come more alive for everyone when I write, but for now,  you just have to trust that it’s a myriad of a triggerfish, anenome fish, angelfish, grouper, butterfly, and trumpet fish just to mention a few.  

     Next, we hit a spot my boyfriend and I have only dove once before, and it was marked two planes as one day my sweetie was coming back from an afternoon on the water and looked down to see the image of two planes on the unusual glassy lagoon surface, so he tagged it on his GPS as a waypoint to check out later.  It is not an unfound dive spot, we just don’t know what it is called officially, so today we decided to investigate further. The first time we actually dove it, we discovered not merely two, but at least 4 planes that appear to be dive bombers like the SBD Dauntless dumped in the airplane graveyard which is quite aways from this particular spot.  Because there were 4 that we found last time, we figure it may be what is simply called “4 SBD’s” by the scuba club website, but if that’s it, they have it all wrong because we found closer to 10+ planes down there today, albeit some are practically hidden completely by sand now.  

     At around 30 feet on a sloping sand bank, there are numerous partially buried planes with some of the most interesting coral attached.  As we were hanging out at this shallow depth checking out the coral on the planes, we noticed another plane to our right, and each time we got closer to the plane nearest in our vision, we would find another one until we had made a complete circle of numerous planes in various conditions, some sitting perfectly upright with no sand covering them at all and others with wheels up in the air upside down or completely buried in sand except for a small piece of wing or cockpit sticking out.  Some of the planes were over 100 feet deep at the bottom of the sandy slope, so as we made our way back to higher ground, we discovered we still had time left to check out the sea life covering those first planes, and boy are we glad we did!

      We saw a nervous turkey fish (or it may have been a lion fish as they can look similar) lying sideways next to the corner wing of a plane trying to hide and blending in quite well, I must say, then there was the most fascinating piece of what I at first believed was a hard green coral growing in the sand next to the wing of another plane.  Once I checked it out close, I found it was an anenome like I have never seen before.  It was a soft pink color in the center, but had much fatter greenish blue tentacles growing out of the center unlike the delicate, skinny limbs of most of the anemones I have seen.  As I motioned to show my dive partner, he discovered a very tiny harlequin shrimp rooting around in the anenome, then I spotted a larger one.  We watched them for awhile, completely fascinated. It’s rare to find a plane shallow enough to have much dive time below to really visit with the fish and a plane shallow enough to have so much life growing around it, so this was perfect.  Every time I say that I can’t imagine a better dive than today, tomorrow proves better, and this is what makes diving so worthwhile and addictive on the atoll.  Happy diving those of you who have the privilege to dive here! 

September 5, 2010- Speedball and Corsairs

     All day yesterday, rain poured over the atoll. From the flooding playgrounds at school to the delayed flights to Roi, weather reigned supreme.  As can happen so quickly in the islands, the skies cleared and made for a beautiful Sunday morning, perfect for the diving I had been longing to do since the last time we went almost two weeks ago.  

     After a slightly longer than normal speed boat ride to the dive spot due to engine problems, we arrived at a favorite reef diving spot entitled “Speedball.”  Descending onto the shallow reef was like landing on the surface of the moon surrounded by little “alien” fish.  If it hadn’t been for the baby white tip reef sharks out in the blue distance where the reef dropped to unseen depths, I would have wondered if what I was seeing was real or not.   I’ve been to this particular spot only once before, and remembered it being a good dive, but this was beyond belief.  As the strong current carried us around to the drop off, we had to maneuver through crags and crevices of coral to emerge into the deep blue of nothingness in front and a gorgeous, thriving reef at our backs.  

     It’s so easy to descend to 100+ feet without realizing it as you discover resting nurse sharks with only their tails sticking out of the holes in the reef or stop to visit the anemones that always make me think of Nemo.  My boyfriend noticed a large grouper, which made him think of delicious grouper sandwiches while one of our other dive partners was checking out the Titan Trigger Fish who was clearly in nesting mode and watching out for intruders. As far as dives go, this is one of the most exciting and challenging in these waters. It’s easy to allow the current to take you too far, so you have to be aware of turning around before you get carried down the reef, and then begin watching your depth and holding on to the reef as you ascend and explore some more before ending your dive.  Because of the ever present swirling current in this area, this reef is extremely colorful and diverse with lots of soft corals which can look like anything from flowers to feathers as they sway in the waters which pull you past them, sometimes before you want to leave.  I can’t wait to do this dive again!

     Next, after a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some water to keep our energy up and our bodies warm and ready to swim, we hit the Corsair, which is slightly north of the airplane graveyard we’ve visited several times before. Because of the depth of the plane dive and the sheer number of them, it’s almost impossible to hit both the 13 planes and the Corsairs on the same one tank dive, so I had never seen the Corsair before. As we descended, we were pleasantly surprised to discover we could also view a couple of the other SBD Dauntless planes we had not seen previously, and another plane that we will need to research as we could not identify it.  In addition, there was an aging 2 ½ ton truck off to the side of the last plane we investigated.  It was a fantastic dive as each plane has its own character. The Corsair, for example, is nose down, and it’s different from all the rest because of its characteristic bend wing design.  The last plane we saw that we were not sure of was bigger than the rest with the wings broken in two and bent backwards which may have occurred during its upside down landing.  

     It’s not just the planes themselves that are fascinating, but the life that grows on and in them.  For my very first time, one of our dive partners discovered a fried egg nudibranch attached to the underside of one of the Corsairs wings, and there was a magnificent branchy coral attached to the wing of one of the SBD’s I checked out briefly.  I think I’m becoming addicted to diving! There’s always something new to check out and see, even if you’ve been to that spot before.  The ocean is a whole other world, so even though I am not able to travel to sightsee in other countries as much as I would like to, I am sightseeing other worlds from underwater! 

September 4, 2010-ECCF

     After another very busy, crazy work week trying to rearrange and settle in to our new school reorganization, everyone is ready for the long Labor Day weekend.  As for me, I’m heading back to Roi for at least 3 days of diving before the trade winds kick in full force with the fall and keep us off the water.  On Kwaj, the myriad of school year activities are ramping up.  

     To start off, the first and last Roi ECCF Chili Cook-Off will be held on Kwajalein’s beaches.  ECCF stands for Enniburr Children’s Christmas Fund, and it is an organization established several years ago on Roi as a charity to support the nearby island of Enniburr (also referred to as Third Island) with school supplies given to them during a large Christmas celebration held either on Roi or Enniburr.  There are several fundraisers put together throughout the year including the Coconut Cup (where painted and modified coconuts are floated down from the Surf Shack to the Pier just for fun and all donations for entering coconuts and the winning coconut monies are given to ECCF) and the Chili Cook-Off. What is different about this year is the holding of the Chili Cook-Off on Kwaj. It has always been held on Roi and with support from the range, extra flights and/or catamarans transport Kwaj residents up to join in the festivities which range from pie throwing contests to the actual chili tasting competition and selling of goods from the various private clubs around the atoll. 

     This year, there was not enough support to hold it on Roi, so it is being held on Kwaj, and as a consequence, it will most likely be the last year ECCF will be able to continue to operate.  In many ways, it is the dying of an era, which we have seen a lot of on the islands in the last few years due to the reductions in force and budget.  Last year, the annual Christmas party usually held on Roi for the Ennniburr residents had to be taken to them on their island as once again there was not enough support and money to put together the large carnival games, meals, Santa and gift giving of previous years. 

     This is the toughest part of living here during a transition in the base, watching those fantastic private organizations who are giving back to the host nation community die out due to lack of volunteers and overall support.  I hope that somehow the ECCF will be able to continue to live on, albeit maybe on a smaller scale, for years to come, but either way, I’m sure this weekend on Kwaj they will have a kicking party and go out with a bang, and maybe with further Kwajalein community awareness and financial support of the event from being “downtown” this year, the ECCF will be able to come back.  Long live the ECCF!! 

   

September 3, 2010- First Grade Follies and Favorites

     There’s never a dull day in first grade. Day one started out with a massive nose bleed from one of our sweethearts, and we still don’t know where it came from or why. Then, within the first seven days of school, we’ve encountered a zipper from a hoodie getting stuck between the gap in a first grader’s tooth that had to be “drilled” out, so to speak, by the dentist, and we’ve also had one child bite another on the playground. It just goes to show that no matter how much of a “big girl” or “big boy” you are, there are still things to learn and improve upon.
     Academically, the children have learned about handwriting and how their letters start at the top. They also learned many wonderful songs including the “Hello Song” and “I Can Read Colors,” reviewed sight words, and their numbers for math. But my absolute favorite part of first grade academically is the writing workshop! My oldest son was in this very same class a couple of years ago, and I am very proud now to say that my youngest is too. Kudos go to the lead teacher of first grade as writing workshop takes a lot of work, but the benefits for the students are numerous. It improves their ability to work independently, to be creative, to learn how to spell, and to even grammar and content check their work, and last but certainly not least, to illustrate, putting the pictures together with the exact actions happening on each page, and it’s all down at a first grade level and perspective. I started out as a parent volunteer in this class during writing workshop in the 2008-2009 school year, and last year and so far this year, I have been lucky enough to continue to help as a specialty teacher here at the elementary school.
     Obviously, writing is one of my passions, but I wish we could have a writing workshop at some level in every grade as I believe the magic of being able to communicate effectively through the written word works wonders in the world and in the lives of those who love to write and read. Being a part time college level English professor for many years, both in the classroom and online, I am amazed at how many adults still struggle with English, especially writing. I always require journal writing in my classes, and that’s because if you can get students writing when they don’t have to worry about grammar, spelling, etc..., then you can bring up their comfort level and reveal to them how great writing out your thoughts and feelings can be. I have never had a complaint about the journal writing assignments in my over 12+ years of teaching English. Of course, some students allow themselves to dive into it and enjoy it more than others, but I still have more positive comments from the students than anything else. It’s the same with the first graders; some write line after line after line until they are writing so small on the very bottom edge of the book page that we have to redirect them to move some of their ideas on to the next page; whereas, others can barely get one sentence down before they are done and moving on, but they are all learning and increasing their skills.
     What’s so fun as a teacher of writing is that you get to know the students so well, and their personalities shine through in the stories they tell and the way they tell them. Right now, the children are writing about something they did during summer vacation. They have four pages with several lines at the bottom and room for a colorful, descriptive illustration at the top of each page. They start with an idea page that has one picture and one sentence, then move on to the 4 page booklet. It’s a great introduction to the art of writing, and I still have all of my oldest son’s books from his year in first grade. He wrote about the trip we took to the states, about superheroes, and about how the zebra got his stripes, which is part of the how and why story series they complete later in the year.
     For me, it’s kind of like this blog. Writing gives me a place to let out all my ideas, creative or not, and attempt to put them into short vignettes or journals and share them with others. And after I’m done writing, I feel that I’ve really accomplished something, recorded a part of my life that’s gone, and I’ll never live again, and that’s what the kids in first grade do, preserve and share a part of their life, their experiences, their thought processes and imagination at an age that is very unique and will never be experienced again. I think it’s a beautiful thing, and it’s also a great way to teach and impart learning about writing, communicating, and so many other things. So, I say, “Write on, FIRST GRADE! WRITE ON!”

September 2, 2010 Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

     Sometimes within hours of lay-offs or terrorist attacks, or natural disasters, the after effects begin to wash over us. This time period right after may involve going through the stages of grief including, denial, anger, and acceptance. Within days, weeks, and sometimes months or years comes change, change for those who have to start over and change for those who were affected indirectly. The past couple of weeks, I’ve watched so many go through the anger, sadness, and acceptance stages of grief over the transition of this island, and I’ve been through most of the stages myself, but if you think about it, you may realize that life is constantly changing in one way or another.
     For example, raising kids is different month to month and year to year as they grow and go through the stages of childhood and adolescence, and as adults, we too are always gaining experience and maturing in one way or another, so we never view things quite the same way from one year to the next. As far as change goes, you have to roll with it or risk being crushed by it. The saying goes that people don’t change, but I don’t think that’s true. I maintain that we change throughout life. Let me clarify that statement with an example. My son was born with a very stubborn personality, and he will always be stubborn, but he can learn how to control that stubbornness and calm his emotions, which allow that stubbornness to work for him at appropriate times. He is already learning this, and he is only 6. My oldest was born with my Type A Perfectionist, People-Pleaser gene, but as he grows, he’ll learn how to mange the stress that comes with that and hopefully how to let go of things that don’t have to be absolutely perfect all the time. Note: I grammar and content check every one of these journals before I post, but I know there will still be mistakes at times, so I limit my obsessive-compulsive tendencies with editing and let the rest go. Can't you tell? :)
     Have you ever noticed how grandparents and parents change as they grow older? Grandparents are never as strict on their grandchildren as they were on their kids, and in general, the older generation becomes less concerned about what others think and about being so hard on their kids than they were when they were younger. That’s change, and it’s a good thing. The bottom line is that change is simply a repeating stage in our lives, and right now, life on the atoll is all about change and transition, so get ready to tuck and roll! Hey, maybe I need to change the name of this blog to “Atoll Transitions” since that seems to be my main topic for the last few posts!

September 1, 2010 Black Wednesday

     Today has been dubbed “Black Wednesday” on the atoll due to the large number of lay-offs which occurred because of the drastic budget cut for fiscal year 2010-2011 starting this October. It just goes to show that living in paradise does not exempt anyone from the problems affecting the rest of the world. It may take a bit longer to reach us, like everything else from milk to movies, but the problems in the U.S. economy and job market have now hit us too. On a small island such as ours, it’s extremely difficult to go about this process as everyone knows everyone fairly intimately, and it’s heartbreaking to see not only your co-workers lose their jobs, but your friends. Not to mention that when you lose a job here, you lose your life. You can’t look for a different job with a different company in the city or in a nearby town because that doesn’t exist here. You have to actually pack out your household goods and fly thousands of miles on a plane to go home (wherever that may be) and start over. My heart and prayers go out to those affected today. All any of us can do is pick up the pieces and start over, and as Americans, we’ve proven time and time again that we can survive anything. September 11 is a perfect example of that. As humans we are quite amazingly built to survive natural disasters and all manner of emotional and physical trauma, so I know my friends and co-workers will be okay. And the sun will rise again and bring new opportunities and open new doors for us all. It’s not the best start to the month or the school year, but it is better than not having this life at all. So, I hope for everyone to be able to focus on or remember one positive or one blessing in their life today and hang onto that until the storm passes and the clouds lift. Life does go on. Sometimes, we just have to take it one day or one hour or even one minute at a time.

August 31, 2010- Taking Risks

     Tonight, I am faced with making a risky choice. This choice entails a possible career transfer to another department where I will no longer be on the same daily schedule as my children and where I will no longer enjoy a teacher’s life of holiday breaks and paid summer vacations for 2 ½ months, but rather, I’ll have much longer hours and less breaks and holidays to enjoy with my boys. There are benefits to this job change. I have worked in the department before, so it will be fairly simple to get back up to speed; it’s definitely a step-up career and finance wise, and it’s a teaching job more closely related to the majority of my experience over the years. So, it has both advantages and disadvantages, I suppose, but any more from a place you are perfectly comfortable involves risk.
     I look forward to the challenge, and in many ways, I am excited to go back and have a chance to work at a higher level where I can possibly make positive changes and be a welcome addition with colleagues I already know and enjoy being around. The difficult part is this: my resume will now contain 6 different full time jobs that I have held over less than 5 years. This has not entirely been my choice each time as several of these positions were completely cut due to budget, and others were (as this possible transfer is) a step up in my career or at least a step closer to my overall training and experience. I worry though about how this will look when I try to get a job in the states. Will I be seen as flighty or possibly a risk for another company or education system to take on since I appear to never last in a job much more than one year? I don’t know. At this point, it may be a risk I have to take.
     Also, I do love my current position. I love being so much a part of my kids’ school day; I love working with such a fabulous and talented group of teachers (they really are quite amazing, and I’ve learned so much from all of them), and I love teaching and getting to know all the kids, period.
     So, why would I even take the risk? Because it may mean a place of my own with my children. It may mean the ability to get a better job when it’s time to move home. Bottom line, it may mean a better life for my family overall, so how can I turn it down, even though I have no true guarantee it will result in any of these things. It’s a crack, a chink in the armor, a glimmer of hope, and that’s all it is right now. But, it all goes back to what we all do for those we love, especially our children. In many ways, they push us to our limits, but I believe it’s almost always in a good way if we choose to grow and learn from it. In order to be able to stay on the atoll with them and provide everything I can for my kids, I have stretched outside my comfort zone, and I have discovered that I am so much stronger than I ever knew I could be. I have become much more confident in my abilities professionally and in my self personally, and all because I wanted to be there for my kids in every way I can. So, tomorrow, I will make a risky choice, preferring to call it a step of faith and say my prayers that it will be the best choice toward reaching my ever present goal of being the best mom I can be for my boys. Wish me luck! :)