Day 66

March 6, 20

 

Day 66:

            Today I woke up early to run errands and get things ready for the Youth Nitijela. Eric went to the hospital last night halfway during tech rehearsal and turns out he has Strep again. That’s now twice in three weeks. So I then became in charge of the food preparation because he can’t touch the food. So I had to make the marinade and prepare about 50 pounds of chicken. We ended up giving about 20 of those pounds to Tide Table Restaurant because we had nothing to do with it and we had so much left.

            The banquet for the Youth Nitijela was really  nice though. Derek had awards prepared for them and everything. It was a pretty official occasion. I gained a lot of respect for Derek tonight though. Some of his better students gave speeches. Some in English and some in Marshallese but either way it was VERY clear that Derek had a huge impact in these kids’ lives. They were so appreciative of the work that he’d put in and I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with what he’s done. Getting these kids to write bills about issues affecting them here in the Marshall Islands, getting them to write it in bill format, getting them to speak publicly to their peers and into a microphone in front of strangers, that’s truly a testament to Derek. For those of you who don’t know, Marshallese people are shy by nature. Many students won’t answer a question if they’re called on in class. Most of them never raise their hand whether they know an answer or not. So to get them to speak into a microphone in front of strangers, I just can’t say enough about how impressed with Derek I am. I know Mrs. Summerville reads this blog and I’d like you specifically to know how impressed I, as well as the rest of the group, is with what Derek has done here in Majuro.

            After the banquet we were all pretty tired. I came back to the trailer and just chilled. Watched two episodes of Entourage, Lion King and most of Ratatouille before falling asleep.

            Also, for the avid readers, I apologize for not updating you on the status of the kid who went into diabetic shock during school. Turns out his name is Reinhart. Reinhart went to the hospital that Friday and was back in school on Friday. Ben has him in class and has asked him about it but he won’t talk about it. I’m pretty sure it was diabetes but it’s pretty typical for males not to admit to any weakness, diabetes being considered a weakness. He’s good though. Until next time, from Majuro, bar lo yok.