Quirks of life in Palau

Every country has its own little quirks that make life interesting. Here are three that I've noticed for Palau.

1. Roosters. It’s pretty common for Palauans to keep chickens. Eggs that are shipped in from the U.S. are actually expired by the time they reach a grocery store in Palau, so if you want eggs, your best choice is to get a little flock of your own. Plus, chickens are one of the few meat animals you can feasibly maintain on an island as small as Koror. Ok, so the stereotype is that roosters crow at sunrise, but that is an absolute myth. Yes, roosters crow at sunrise. They also crow every other time of day. They crow constantly. They crow to hear themselves crow. I will always associate Palau with the sound of a hundred roosters crowing all day long.

2. Hot showers. This is just a funny anecdote. I have been to Palau so many times that I’ve lost track, and the only time I’ve had a hot shower was when I stayed in a fancy hotel on my honeymoon. The water heater at PICRC has been broken for years, so every shower I’ve taken at the research station has been lukewarm. I mean, it’s not horrible, considering how hot it is outside, but I certainly would have appreciated the chance to increase the temperature by a few degrees. When I arrived at Maikani’s house, I was so excited to finally have warm showers on a research trip. But last Friday evening, as I was chatting with her parents and looking forward to my post-airport shower, the power went out. Household water heaters in Palau are electric, so guess what. It was a cold shower for Kirstin. Saturday night, I couldn’t figure out the dial on the water heater (the unit is mounted to the wall right above the shower head, and you have to turn on the hot water each time you shower). It turns out there’s a quirk with that particular unit, but I was in no position to ask for help mid-shower and ended up with cold water again. Just when I was beginning to think that the Fates have deemed me unworthy of any warm shower on a research trip in this country, Maikani showed me how to control the water heater, and I finally enjoyed a reasonable temperature in my shower yesterday. And guess what. I learned yesterday that the water heater at PICRC has finally been fixed – the one time I’m living off site. I just had to laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation.

3. Traffic norms. Palau is the second country after the United States where I have ever driven a car, and the behavioral norms are totally different. I mean, on the spectrum of traffic organization, Palau is actually relatively organized – it’s not one of those tropical countries with bikes and farm carts and motorcycles and cars and trucks weaving in all directions and somehow, miraculously, not hitting one another – but I’ve definitely had to adjust my behavior to fit in with traffic. There is one main road through town. One. It is the carotid artery of Koror. Between 7 and 9 in the morning, it is crazy busy – just a constant stream of cars going in both directions. Police officers actually direct traffic during rush hour, and they are aggressive! Constantly whistling, waving their arms with force – when it is your turn, you GO. During the middle of the day, the cops are gone, but the traffic stream is still pretty steady. If you’re coming from a side street, you just have to kind of inch out until someone lets you in – and thankfully, they do. Palauan drivers are very polite. The same goes with parking, actually. The parking spots in front of stores on the main street are all adjacent to the road, so when you back out, you’re frequently backing into traffic. But people stop for you – it’s fine. If I had to describe Palau’s driving norms in a word, I think it would be “collaborative.” Drivers just move along and help each other get where they’re going.

I'm really enjoying getting to experience Palauan life more deeply this trip. I'll keep you posted as I learn more!