Observations

Friends, as you know, when I am traveling, I am constantly observing. Chuuk has been an insightful place for me to be, so I’d like to share some of my observations. I’ve learned a lot just by talking to the resort employees and other expatriates who have been living here.

We barbecued on an island between dives once, and this was
our view - stunning!

1) Everything about life in Chuuk centers around the ocean. Dive tourism is essentially the only industry here, and many of the Chuukese employees commute to work by boat. There are ferries between the islands in Truk Lagoon – essentially, small wooden boats with outboard motors. It took us a long time to figure out that the boat traffic adjacent to the resort was actually public transit, because the dock is unlabeled and the operators are not in uniform. If you live here, you just know which boat to get on.

2) Chuuk is a very conservative, religious place. Carl and I went to the grocery store in town, and in our 5-minute cab ride, we passed about 5 churches, 3 Christian schools, and two different pairs of Mormon missionaries visiting peoples’ homes. There are signs around the resort here warning guests to dress conservatively and respect local customs – women should never show their thighs. In fact, most of the Chuukese women we’ve seen both around the resort and in town wear dresses or flowing, baggy tops with long skirts - never anything form-fitting and never, ever pants. People also get married young and have large families here. Our dive guide said he has 6 children, aged 18 years to 3 months.

3) There is no such thing as homelessness in Chuuk. People live in large family groups, and even though employment is very low (dive resorts are the only employers), unemployed people are always cared for by other family members. A multigenerational family will be supported by a few individuals who each make just a few dollars an hour.

4) The standard diet for Chuukese people these days is Spam and rice. Carl and I met a Japanese man who was living in Chuuk for 2 years, and he said his host family eats Spam and rice for almost every meal. It got very monotonous, he said. The traditional foods – breadfruit, taro, and fish – are actually more expensive than Spam and rice, so the Chuukese people switched over to the cheaper imported foods. Agriculture, fishing, and public health are declining as a result.

5) There are lots of dogs and cats in Chuuk. They are all well-behaved and look well-fed, so we actually couldn’t tell if they were pets that allowed to roam or if they were actually feral. There’s a family of tabby cats around the resort that likes to perform for food. Carl and I would open the door to our room every morning to find one or more cats seated at attention, and as soon as we stepped out, they would lay on their backs, stretch out, purr, meow, and generally try to look adorable. Such manipulative beggars!

6) The utilities in Chuuk are less than 100% reliable. (Please note: I don’t intend to complain – it’s actually been a fun adventure to figure out how things work here!) I’m not sure if this happens across the whole island or just the resort, but electricity is from diesel generators. Four times a day, at 6:00 am/pm and at 12:00 am/pm, the generator is switched, so the power goes out for 1 – 2 minutes. Carl and I consider the power outages our “dinner bell,” calling us to the restaurant for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As one may expect, the internet is slow enough to make even e-mail challenging, and cell phone service is non-existent. The maximum temperature of water for showers also varies by time of day. Carl and I quickly realized that the best time for internet usage was the early morning and showers were warmest after 4 pm, so we adjusted our daily schedules accordingly!

7) Chuukese music is really interesting. It’s pretty monotonous and repetitive, at least based on the radio station that plays in the resort lobby. The typical song consists of a voice signing 3 – 4 different phrases in a half-octave range over and over and over, with light percussion and strummed string instruments as accompaniment. To be honest, it was hard for my Western ears to listen to for more than ~10 minutes at a time. The Chuukese people sing sometimes while working, which is equally repetitive but actually very beautiful.

It’s the poorest country I’ve ever been in so far, but I really came to like Micronesia. The natural surroundings are absolutely stunning, and the people are laid-back and extremely polite and helpful. Of course resort employees are paid to be nice to us, but when we went to the grocery store in town, we actually had a stranger volunteer to help us find the shopping baskets. I was surprised and grateful.

I went to end on a moment from our last day in Chuuk. I was on the dock, busy rinsing all our dive gear in fresh water, and the man who had been driving our boat most of the trip came up to me. He was on his way to the ferry to go home for the night, but he shook my hand and bid me farewell and safe travels. A teenage dive shop employee was slouching on the table behind me, and as the ferry’s motor roared to life, he started singing softly to himself. The sun was on its way to the horizon behind some clouds, so I had this beautiful, serene moment accompanied by the sun and the sea and a song.

If you are planning a vacation, I encourage to consider Chuuk. This place relies on tourism dollars, and it is absolutely worth the trip.