Traditional dress is very modest on the Marshall Islands.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Homeward Bound
It's one o'clock in the morning. An old landing craft is used as the ferry between Kwajalein and Ebeye. As you can imagine, it's jam-packed during the day.
KELET!
Election time in the Marshall Islands, and it struck me how bright and clean the candidates posters are, juxiposed against the decaying buildings of it's citizens.
Local Color
I actually liked this bar. The music wasn't too loud, and the people were nice. Of course there were a couple of fights, and a man was passed out and spread eagle on the floor, but it just added to the local color.
Yokwe
"One Marshallese word is yokwe, which means both hello and good-bye. It also means love. (Compare Hawaiian aloha.) This word may also be written iakwe and iokwe." Wikipedia - Marshallese language.
The island's biggest bar was closed due to some private function, so that only left the other two. This one picked-up later in the evening and got crowded, but the music was so loud, it made my ears hurt. The man on the right is Evengle, a janitor at the building where I work. Real nice guy. Showed me around and looked after me for the evening. The other two gentemen were friends of Evengle's. Nice guys, but totally drunk, prone to fights and naps.
The Old End Of The Island
This used to be the end of the island, where that bump is (an old bunker, I believe). A couple of miles was added, and now it is packed with family housing, the local school, community center, etc. where the Pacific used to be.
Halloween
This is Myra, the cleaning woman at the building were I work, and her daughter on Halloween. Her daughter is dressed as a little Marshallese girl. They were only letting 100 Marshallese on the island for Halloween, so Myra was lucky to get her name on the list. It was kind of funny to see the Marshallese kids trick and treating because they really had no concept of what the holiday is about. Just go door to door, say some gibberish words in a language they can't understand, and get candy! I tried to get Myra's little girl a costume, but the local store here didn't have anything her size. The Marshallese kids didn't dress-up anyway, it was all about the candy.
A little after the photo was taken, a monsoon hit. Man, it was pouring! Some kids broke out their Kwaj rain gear, clear trash bags with head and arm holes cut out. Most just got wet. It was insane. The wind, the rain, I was expecting everyone to just call it a night. Everyone continued to trick or treat. Halloween decorations were flying everywhere in the wind, candy bags were getting full of water.I was soaked to the bone. Craziness. If I wasn't there, I wouldn't believe that people would be trick or treating in that weather.
Friday, October 05, 2007
KRI DEWARUCI
The Marshallese workers taking an old landing craft back to Ebeye, the island where they live. The catamarans in the back are for US government use.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The KRI Dewaruci is in town
The KRI Dewaruci (sometimes spelled Dewa Ruci or Dewarutji) is a Class A tall ship owned and operated by the Indonesian Navy. She is used as a sail training vessel for naval cadets and is the largest tall ship in the Indonesian fleet. The Dewaruci also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the country of Indonesia to the rest of the world.
Built in Germany by H. C. Stulchen, the Dewaruci is a barquentine. Construction on the Dewaruci began in 1932, but was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II, which caused heavy damage to the shipyard where she was being constructed. She was finally completed in 1952 and launched in 1953. Since then, she has been based out of Surabaya on the Java Sea. Her name and figurehead represent and display the mythological Indonesian god of truth and courage.
The Dewaruci also participates in tall ship races and events around the world. As a unique feature, the ship has her own marching band.
Wikipedia
Sunday, May 13, 2007
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