This Child...

The town of Koror

It was a Friday afternoon.  School ends at 12:45 on Friday, so the bus usually arrives to take us back to PMA by 1:30.  It was hot and everyone was ready to go home.  I had just sent the kids out of the library and closed up, and I was sitting in the air-conditioned bus, waiting for the teachers to all arrive.  

Then I saw the kindergarten teacher talking to a little girl from first grade.  I had just finished subbing 1^st grade, so I knew the little girl well, and knew that she had tried to call her parents in the library, but hadn’t gotten an answer, and then I had sent her out.  She looked like she was just hanging around now.  Did she have a way to get home?

I went over to where they were talking, and Ms. K was asking if the little girl (I’ll call her Ruby, I guess) lived nearby.  She said yes, and when we pressed further, she said she could go home alone, but we were concerned about her crossing the street in the afternoon rush of traffic.  So Ms. K asked if we could walk Ruby home.

It started out normally enough.  Ruby didn’t seem thrilled to have us with her.  “Why are you following me?” she asked.  We told her we wanted her to get home safe.  She led us through a parking lot, past a park, to the sidewalk of the main road.  

“Is your house much further?” we asked.

“Further,” Ruby said.  “Why are you following me?”  She ran ahead.

“Stay with us!” said Ms. K.  “We don’t want you to get hurt by a car.”

The supreme court is down there where we walked...fortunately it wasn't dark though

Ruby looked back at us with an impish grin, and then took off.  I have to tell you that by experience I know that she’s a very…contrary little kid.  So much so that I think she’d float upstream instead of down if she fell in a river.  If you tell her one thing, that immediately triggers something in her that wants to do the exact opposite.

We tried to jog after her a little, but she just kept running a good 50 feet ahead of us.  Thankfully she didn’t disappear…maybe because we had her backpack which she had slipped out of when I grabbed it to slow her down.  Or maybe she realized we were trying to help.  Meanwhile, we were going further and further down the road as cars whizzed past in the midday Palauan sun.  We walked past the Rock Island Café, the Anthias Café, the supreme court, the community college, the information center…

Finally Ruby slowed down and we caught up to her. 

“Where is your house?” asked Ms. K with frazzled patience.

“Over there,” the little girl pointed across the street.

“Ok, wait with us and we’ll cross when it’s safe.”

Ms. K held onto her almost with a death grip until we had crossed.

“All right, how much further?  Tell us where to go.”

“Keep going!”

We walked down past a few more buildings, past construction and motels.

“Is it much further?”

“Walk!” the six-year-old ordered.

A minute later Ruby giggled.  “Just kidding.  It’s back there.”

Ms. K and I stared at each other.

“This child…”

“Don’t lie to us any more,” Ms. K told Ruby.  “Tell us where you really live.”

A lady driving by said hello to Ruby, and we gazed pathetically after the disappearing car.  “Tell us where she lives…”

Finally we got to a quiet street.  A man driving by waved at Ruby and we quickly asked him if she lived nearby.  He pointed us to the house she was taking us to.  Finally.  We sent her and her backpack inside.

“Bye, see you next week.  Be safe.”

We realized that she probably did walk home alone sometimes.  But all that way?  With all those cars?  We justified ourselves in that we hadn’t known whether to believe her or not.

There was no way to tell the people on the bus where we were, since Ms. K couldn’t get a Wifi signal for her phone.  So we started jogging back.  A light rain fell on us as we ran, two young white girls in polos and skirts, up the main road in Koror with our hair straggling around our hot faces.  I wonder what people thought when they saw us.

“I feel so bad for the people waiting!” panted Ms. K.  “I had no idea it would be this far…I thought she lived across the street.”

“Well, at least we know she’s back safe,” I said.

“I just couldn’t stand the thought of her going back alone and maybe getting hit…I think my heart is too big.  I think of them as my kids…”

I didn’t think her heart was too big.  Sure, we’d gone above and beyond the call of duty, but isn’t that what we’re meant to do?  I just wished that I had that big a heart.  I hadn’t gone because I felt that much love or concern; I had just thought it was the right thing to do.

“At least this will make a good story,” said Ms. K as we rounded the bend and thankfully found the bus still idling, waiting for us.  (The driver was asleep, and so were some of the teachers).  We had been gone about 40 minutes, and might have covered a mile altogether.  I guess everyone was too tired to be very irritated at us, but at any rate we were back.  We roused the driver, the bus shuddered into gear, and we were on our way.

I don’t know what lesson to draw from this episode.  I can think of a few…we’re all kind of like Ruby, running away sometimes from Someone who wants to help us, and acting like it’s a big joke.  No appreciation.  But that Someone keeps coming after us because of love and concern for our safety.  

Or maybe you can just marvel at the patience and care of a girl who took a year out of her life to teach kindergarten on a little island in the Pacific, and who would rather chase a wild child through the streets of Koror than lie awake that weekend wondering whether she had crossed the street safely.  I have to say I really admire what she did on that Friday. (if her parents somehow end up reading this, I hope they're proud).

Whatever else can be learned from that day, at least we came back calling it an adventure.  Soon we were back home, safe and sound.

And so was Ruby.

Spend a day with me...

PMA dorm

So I wanted to take you on a little tour of my everyday life here in Palau.  That’s not easy since things change so often, but let’s pretend it’s a “typical” day…pretend that you’ve just arrived to Palau and that you’re going to shadow me for a school day.  So welcome to the island!  Here we go…

Our kitchen

We have to leave at 6:30am in the morning, so you’ll set your alarm early.  Depending on what you want to do before we leave (devotions, breakfast, shower, etc.), you might want to wake up at 5 or 6 or even earlier.  (I’m up at 4:30, but everyone thinks I’m crazy.)

Let’s say that you’ve adjusted to the time difference because you arrived a couple of days ago.  But still it’s not easy to get up.  It’s dark when you get out of bed.  It is not very hot out, but the air conditioning is still going and the sun will be up soon.  You flick a few ants off your legs, thankful that they don’t bite.  If you’re in our girls’ apartment, you’ll notice the other girls beginning to emerge and take showers and grab breakfast (the ants are happy when you spill a few crumbs).  You’ll see us putting on our uniforms (skirts and polos with the Palau SDA school logo) and grabbing our backpacks.  The bus is waiting outside.  Fortunately you get to ride our “new” borrowed bus which has air conditioning and cushioned seats, both of which the old bus lacked.  We all pile in by 6:35 or so, and somebody prays for a safe and productive day as our driver makes his way up the road.

You will notice people, stray dogs, palm trees, flying by out the window.  It’s very green and lush, and there are hibiscus and plumeria flowers blooming (the kind they make leis out of).  We’ll wave at the white man with the mustache who is always walking his dogs and carries an umbrella.  As we go over the KB bridge, you’ll want to snap a photo of the water and little islands that we see—it’s a beautiful view.  Even the ones who see it every day look up and raise their phones to take a photo, since the sun is reflecting off the water perfectly today.

Soon we’re in Koror, where there is construction, traffic, pedestrians, shops, and supermarkets.  We drive by Surangel’s and WCTC, both of which have groceries and department stores that are the equivalent of Wal-mart here (they aren’t as big but have a good selection).  The town is starting to get busy.  We wave at the guy who always sits by the road.  Soon we pull in to the school, which is right next to the church, and we climb out of the bus.  A few students are there, but hardly any because it is only 7am.  You follow me to the library, and the few kids sitting on the benches yell, “Who’s that?”

Where I spend most of the day

They trail into the library after us and ask you questions.  Where are you from, why are you here, etc.  Then before 7:30 we usher them out so that the teachers can have staff worship.  You sit and listen to the songs and the worship thought, and we pray for a couple of students or a teacher (the schedule has all the names lined up so we pray for everyone throughout the school year) and then the teachers head out to start the day with the kids before 8.

Meanwhile, I plan what I’m going to do for my ESL students and clean up any stray books kids might have left out.  You probably don’t want to stay all day in the library, so you might go visit some of the other classrooms as they have worship.  The kids are singing “We are Soldiers” or “Seek Ye First” or “Heart of Worship” or “Jesus Loves Me, (clapping version)”.  

When you come back, you see me tutoring one of the ESL kids for his spelling test.  He is trying to show me a magic trick, and I am trying to get him to write down words like “mirror” and “worries”.  I tell him he needs to study the words at home, where he has a translator device that translates English words into Korean, Chinese, or Japanese.

It is hot and sticky out, and you are glad that the library has air conditioning.  A few kids come in to the library and say, “Ahh, it’s so nice and cold in here.  I wish I could stay here.”  The AC in the classrooms is not always the best.  But we’re thankful for anything.

Middle of Koror, looking up the street from the school office

At 11:30 it is lunch time.  You can go up to the school office if you want to microwave something, but most of the teachers are eating in their classrooms.  Some kids come in to call their parents and ask for lunch.  You could go and get some food at a restaurant if you like, or grab some snacks at one of the little convenience stores that sell little things like crackers, bananas, chips, tama (like donut holes, but slightly less sweet), soda, and betel nut.

Kids acting out the wise man and foolish man parable for chapel

Little restaurant for burgers and smoothies

By this time you may be bored, so you might want to visit a gift shop—they’re only a few minutes away.  You can get a key chain, some souvenir taro cookies, some coconut soap, a sarong that says “Palau,” a mug, or (if you really want to splurge) a carved storyboard. 

Palauan storyboard

Later you might want to watch the kids at recess.  Throwing basketballs in the gym, playing ukuleles, swinging on the playground, talking and laughing.  They run up and say hi to you, maybe hugging you as if you’ve been their friend for weeks.  A kid runs up and hands me a library book.  “Ms. Hillary, I forgot to give it to you yesterday!”  

At 2:30 I am tutoring a Chinese student, trying to explain the meaning of some English words to her (fortunately she has an English-Chinese dictionary).  I have her write some sentences, and we have a stunted conversation while the little kids from 1^st-2^nd grade come in now that school is out for them, and complain when I tell them they can only use the phone or quietly do their homework until I’m done tutoring.  More kids come in as the other classes get out at 3 and 3:30.  Some read, some want to check out books, some do homework or draw, some want to just sit in the air conditioning, and some try to horse around until I tell them not to.

After school completely lets out, you might want to take a trip to the store to pick up a few things.  We walk up to Surangel’s (about 5 minutes away) and see if they have any produce.  Sometimes there’s fresh fruit and veggies, and sometimes things are a little sparse as we wait for the new shipment of the week.  You can get a variety of things, from apples to papayas, coconuts to sweet potatoes, sugar cane to bean sprouts, bananas (always) to lettuce.  Just be aware that not everything may be available every time you go, and some produce may be a little worse for the wear after being shipped in from afar.  You can also get all sorts of canned and packaged and frozen foods—most of them are just going to be more pricey than you’re used to.  Triscuits and Lays chips might be around $4, and Honey Bunches cereal is around $5.  Notice the variety of Korean and Chinese snacks available, and some Filippino brands.  As we walk around the store, we bump into some kids from school shopping with their parents.  Usually they say hi, although sometimes they look perturbed at seeing their teachers outside of school.

Shopping center

We walk back to school with our bags and wait for the bus, which usually arrives around 4:40.  On the way back you’ll notice even more stray dogs, and we’ll probably have to stop for construction.  You see a bunch of tourists walking up and down the streets—some are from America, Australia, or Europe, but a good share are from Korea and China.  You’ll see big hats and sunglasses, short shorts and flowery sundresses, Hawaiian shirts and striped polos (but those people in striped polos are usually Bangladesh workers, not tourists).  The Asian tourists make sure to wear big hats, sunglasses, and to carry umbrellas to keep from getting tanned.

When we get back to the academy in Airai, everyone is tired and hungry, and the kitchen bustles as several people make dinner.  Some people go to work out in the PMA gym, while others write lesson plans, nap, listen to music, watch movies/shows on laptops, read, shower, prepare things for tomorrow, etc.  Often we have a little Bible study or reading group together around 7:30, so you might want to join.  We’re in 1 Peter now, or reading the book, Captivating. If not, the sun has already gone down, so you might want to take a look at the stars.  If it’s clear out, you will see Orion, Cassiopaeia, and other constellations.  It is not as hot now, and the bats are fluttering around the streetlights on campus.  There might also be toads, large snails, chirping insects, millipedes, rats, a stray dog, or a crab peeking out of its den.  The campus dog, Buddy, will look at you suspiciously and snuff before going to sleep on a bench.  You’ll see the other families (the cooks, maintenance people, and teachers who live there) cooking or watching TV.  Some of the dorm kids at the academy will be getting wifi on their phones or hanging around talking (they’re mostly Chinese and Korean, though a couple are from the Palauan island of Peleliu).  It’s fairly busy even at night.

Finally I’ll be going to bed around 8:30.  Others might stay up later, so you can go to bed when you like.  Tomorrow will be almost the same, but you never know when there might be a heavy downpour of rain (more likely than not), some student drama (skinned knee, a tearstorm, finding a lizard in the classroom), a visitor from afar in the area (like a professional photographer or martial arts star), or a visit to a store or restaurant.  No matter what happens, it will be an adventure.  That’s becoming my motto.  

Hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you stay for the weekend, Principal Sanchez might want to spend time with you (he loves visitors—and people in general), and we might all go out to eat or visit a waterfall or—if you’re lucky—take a snorkeling trip to the Rock Islands.  Be sure to charge your camera, because you won’t want to miss a moment.  Sleep tight.

Oh and that weird chirping noise that you just heard?  I think it’s a gecko.  Just ignore it.

Baby gecko!

Palau islands on a rainy day