Micro 5 Peace Corps Training on Udot

Micro 5 Peace Corps
Training on udot

(summmer 1967)

For anyone interested, we have created a series of YouTube stories about Micro 5 training, and you view the two stories that took place on Udot using the links below:
1) Udot- Micro 5 PC Training, pt 1. 7/21/1967 (8/6/21)
2) Completing Micro 5 PC Training on Udot, pt 4. summer 1967 (9/17/21)

In addition to the videos, we have an entire story written below. We worked on this story first in hopes of having it ready for the 50th Anniversary NMI Peace Corps Reunion in New Mexico in October 2017. Peace Corps was in the NMI for roughly ten years. This site is a work in progress and brings together content from audio-tapes, pictures, letters and written materials, but it is not a polished or complete story. Also, some of what I said in 1967, I might not say now, but I have left it in.

Going into the Peace Corps was the start of my Micronesian experience that ended up being a major portion of my life. I had wanted to go into the Peace Corps when it was formed by President Kennedy but was too young. The ideals fit with my life goals, influenced in great part by my grandfather, Oliver James Schoonmaker, a philosopher and believer in Theosophy.

My former husband (Greg) and I applied and was accepted on May 4, 1967 to go to Korea, with training starting July 16, 1967. By then we had learned about the program in Micronesia and knew that the training started after the available date we had put on our applications. A phone call confirmed that if we could be available a week earlier we could go to Micronesia. I was teaching 7th and 8th grade English at Huntington Jr. High School on Long Island. The principal approved giving my exams early. So I gave my last exam, turned in my grades, drove to Massachusetts, packed all night and left from Logan Airport at 6am for staging in Oakland, California June 20 – 24. (letter Jack Vaughn, PC Director to Catherine Porter, Box #57)

Peace Corps Staging

We were at staging for three days getting ready for Peace Corps' first in country training. People were deselected at this stage. I recall one person who had a medical condition that would have been OK, but the person had not disclosed it on the application.

We were given a variety of tests. For one we had to fill in the blank after “I am ___________” twenty (20) times. For another we had fifty (50) sentence completions. One question asked, “Have you ever been more comfortable than you are now?” Exhausted and sleep deprived the answer was, “Yes!”

Later, on Udot during PC training, the psychologist, Dr.Weiss from Harvard, met with each trainee. He asked questions related to our responses to the questions during staging and we discussed the responses. I had never met with a psychologist or psychiatrist before and found it to be a unique and interesting experience.

We were assigned to go to the district of Truk, but were moved to the Marianas district after a week of training. In staging, we were prepared for going to Truk and wrote:

Today we had two 1-½ hour meetings with the eight other people to go to Truk, two psychological tests and a 3-hour evening meeting. We have been very impressed by all the people we have met especially the various people from Micronesia and Washington, D.C. They really are taking care of everything for us and planning very well. Tonight we saw a movie and learned about rules and regulations. I was amused when the director said we should dictate letters over our radio to the district director so that our families would hear from us. Evidently mail goes out once a week from the district center, but I am not sure that is where we are training. We will have access to a radio where we are stationed and will call at a specific time once a week so they can be sure we are OK. Some islands really do not see a boat for six months. (June 21, 1967, letter #L019)

Getting to Udot

From San Francisco, on June 24th, we took a bus to Oakland Airport and got on a new 707 chartered from World Airways by the Peace Corps bound for Hawaii. The menus were engraved with Peace Corps on the front and we were served champagne. Roughly 135 people were on the flight with the rest coming the following Monday. We only had 45 minutes in Hawaii before going on to Wake Island. The runways were being repaired in Hawaii and they didn’t have enough room to take off with a full load of fuel onboard so we needed to refuel on Wake. We landed in Guam around 3am Monday morning Guam time—having lost a day when we crossed the international date line. After about a ½ hour we got on a DC4 landing on Moen about 8am. We hadn’t been to bed for two days. We were greeting by quite a few Trukese as we stepped off the plane onto the muddy runway and into yellow school buses which took us to the dock. We then boarded WWII landing craft to go to the island of Udot in the Truk lagoon. (Letter #L019 7/4/67)

Things were disorganized (in contrast to the trip) when we got off the boat and after being assigned to a house that was too small, we were taken to one with two other couples. We took a fishing boat around the island to the other side on the first day.

The Journey to Training

Early Letter Home: Our Day & Adjusting

My first letter home describes the coconut trees, breadfruit trees, flowers, thatch houses and beautiful people but says the life is hard and “we do not stop to look often enough.”

We wake about five to the noise of children and roosters. We get up about six from our straw mats, put away our mosquito netting and get dressed. We live with two other couples in semi-private conditions. Breakfast--peanut butter, bread & instant coffee--is brought to us by our Trukese family. They will own the house when we leave and get paid $60 a month for our meals with food provided by PC.

In swimming class from 7 to 8 we have reviewed all our strokes, first aid and life saving and are now learning skin diving and water safety. From 8-10 we have language class. We speak no English and after a week can carry on a conversation in Chamorro. Area Studies and Community Development are 10 – 11 with many interesting speakers. Language again from 11-12 followed by lunch. TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) is 1-4. We have been learning linguistics and working with children here. Monday I teach some children a poem and Greg teaches a story. The program is excellent. 4-5 Area Studies again or Health. 5-6 language again. At 6 the sun goes down and we eat.

I am by our one kerosene lamp and surprised I am not at my 7 o’clock bedtime. During our spare time we take a shower (I pour water over Greg and he over me), read (during day) and talk. For lunch we have spam or corn beef and rice. For dinner, breadfruit, rice, fruit and something else. Most fish is canned. There are coconuts, bananas and limes all over the place but they need to be cultivated and few people do this.

We have gotten used to many things. There is no idea of privacy in Truk as well as no idea of time, work or cleanliness. There is a great feeling of friendship & sharing. There are customs to get used to—always say “ra-na-nim” when you see someone; never pass a person on a path; never stand higher than another person; never show the area between you knee and waist (swim in a skirt)—girls only; never show affection for the opposite sex.

We are getting used to nothing being cold; everything being hard except the sea. We sleep, sit and stand on mats or ground. Soft life begins to have a literal more than a figurative meaning. We never knew it could rain so hard or long. One thing that helps is that most of the staff has impressed us and they are in the same position. We wade through the mud and so does everyone else. One thing we know is that everyone who makes it through training really wants to be here. The biggest problem is deciding why we are here. These people do not work. Why should they? (July 6, 1967 letter to parents, letter #L015; and some content from other letters)

Right outside our door. Woman & children who live next door. 2 children closest to her are hers.

Man in red shirt lives next door and is the husband of the woman pictured above.

Baby next door.

Kit and another trainee with children soon after we arrived.

Life on Udot

The content of this site is my personal experiences. For an overview of Peace Corps in Micronesia, working and living expectations, training of volunteers going to Micronesia and related history of Micronesia, please read the 60-page booklet (with pictures) provided to new trainees.

Hand drawn map of the Truk lagoon. (Letter #L014)

The training site, the island of Udot, is the geographic center of the Truk lagoon (the largest lagoon in the world). The island has been divided into six village locations for the six districts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) with about 180 PCV, 100 staff and 1,OOO Trukese. The Udotese have built a number of houses with materials and technical assistance from PC.

Our families house and our PC house.

It took about 2 hours to walk around the island on the one path just outside our home. Although it is easier to take a boat than walk through the mud.

The usual Trukese house is made with coconut frons woven together and layered, however using tin was a status symbol and some houses were partially or all tin—the chief of the village had a tin house. Houses are usually one room with a cooking fire outside and mats put down for sleeping.

There is a meetinghouse in the villages. Greg is shown (pictured right) standing in front of Tumuk ute. The island of Eot is in the background with an outrigger canoe on the beach.

Trukese house on Udot. Made from coconut frons woven together and put in layers.

Greg standing in front of Trukese Ute. This is a meeting place in the village. Eot island in background. Outrigger canoe in background.

We were welcomed to Udot with a feast. The islanders killed a pig as we watched and roasted it. The women wove plates from coconut fronds. We had breadfruit, bananas, pineapple and melon. As the guests, we ate first.

There are no dangerous animals except the stonefish and sharks in the ocean. We have large spiders that scurry out of the way when you come into a room, as do the small gecko lizards that cling to the screen to catch flies. The cockroaches can fly.

Children and Families

Babies are carried all the time by everybody—do not see a baby not being carried and older children run around on the pier and in and out of the house--seem to be on their own. The first and second child of a couple might be raised by the grandparents. Others might be given to live with an aunt or uncle. We might even, if we wanted a child, be given one to raise and take care of. Their sense of family is much larger than ours.

It is also hard to know which husband and wife go together; husbands and wives don’t do things together. The women go out to bathe, for example, and men go out on their own. They think it strange that Greg and I walk together and go to class together. There is absolutely no public show of affection.

The two other couples that shared the house with us were assigned to go to Yap, the most traditional of the Micronesian islands. Married people do not live together so they were assigned to teach on the main island where it would be OK to do so—not an outer island. They even knew the schools they would be in. Nevertheless, they all decided to leave and not complete training. They did not feel sure about living in Yap or teaching. This made a bad week for us--remembering what food tastes like, what a bed feels like. Living without talking about things in the States. Wouldn’t it be nice to do this, although we are happy in our own situation and everyone is in it together. It is what we want.

Children are charming; win you over immediately. Even if you did not like teaching you could like the children so much that you like teaching. They are beautiful children. They are eager, playful, fun loving. We’ve had them in our house drawing pictures & playing games. Teaching them things. They are anxious to learn. They live on the island and run around and play all day; there is really nothing to do. The school is a welcome diversion. Organized play is a welcome diversion. They like learning games and playing things never known. Even playing catch with a small coconut is exciting; they do not know how to catch anything.

They are not very coordinated as far as being able to do exercises. As part of our training we have had PE with a lot of swimming but also PE tests, doing sit-ups and running. The children love to imitate us but have trouble coordinating to do the exercises. Although they are like monkeys and can run up the trees lickety-split to get you a coconut. (Audio tapes KPV to parents)

Water and Water Seal Toilets

A tape I recorded one Sunday morning, the day before we went to Wonie, the rain was so strong it was difficult to hear our voices:

Maybe you can hear the rain on the roof. I think we don’t notice the rain anymore; it rains quite a bit. I think we notice it more when it doesn’t rain because then we don’t have water to take showers and to drink. We have to walk down to the stream. When we have enough rain, the rain falls off the water catchment on the roof into barrels and we use this water to bathe and pour down our water seal toilet, which is quite a luxury. For a long time we didn’t have a water seal toilet. I had a few problems with flies and this sort of thing. So right now it is raining. I think it will rain all day and all night. There is always a wind before it rains and the chickens go up into the trees--scrawny chickens all over the islands who get this and that from the ground and are ample warning of when it is going to rain. (KPV audiotape to parents)

Back of house next door. Red rain barrel used to catch rain for drinking and cooking. Mother next door once dipped sick child in barrel to wash her.

Kit playing catch with small coconut with children next door. Kinito & wife sitting. Water seal toilet in background. Tent was used for additional people.

Water seal toilets are a PC project in Micronesia. We were given instruction on how to build them (link to document in process) and in fact did build one later that year when a typhoon destroyed our home and we had to rebuild. In Truk people relieved themselves outside or used benjos that went over the lagoon.

A lot of the babies die in this area and all over Micronesia of the diseases the older people and older children get used to such as dysentery and worms that a baby cannot handle. The baby next door to us is sick, cries a lot and has diarrhea and just does not look healthy. Chances are the baby will die. We were talking with a couple that did a survey in the Mortlocks and all but two people surveyed had had children die and many more than one—not in childbirth but later. The flies are the most dangerous animals here.

The women go to a stream to wash clothes pounding them on the rocks. I had brought summer dresses (no pants or shorts) and they disintegrated under these conditions. Also, the ones I brought did not cover my knees. A PCV bought cloth for me in Moen and a woman made me dresses.

Later Letter: Activities & Trip to Moen

It is about 5:30am; mornings around here are lovely. I hear the roosters crowing. The church bell (a left over rusted tank hit with a piece of metal) has been ringing and people are going to mass. We are not far from the church, which is a cement structure with half a roof that looks like it has been bombed, but they say it was just never finished. We usually sleep through all these noises and are woken by talking women and children. After we wake we have bread and peanut butter for breakfast--then off to start our day. Yesterday was our day off and we went to Moen. Moen is a depressing place with Quonset huts, rusted metal and dust. It takes about 1-½ hours to get here by boat. We pass lovely islands and have great fun watching the turquoise green islands. I am learning to use fins, mask and snorkel in PE—so many beautiful shells and fish to see. We found a bright blue starfish the other day. We hope to go skin diving someplace but one boat that went out found too many sharks.

Moen has one food store and one “department store” in a long Quonset hut. You walk up and down the aisles. We bought an umbrella, two folding stools, cigars and candles. This store looks like a New England country store with things tucked all over. It was an amazing feeling to be able to buy things despite the prices. Everything was a higher price except liquor—a ½ galleon of Beefeaters gin was $5.20. It took a long time to buy things—they are slow and not used to working with money. It could take 15 minutes to figure out change. After that we went to the hotel. It looks like all the other buildings. Its large room had tables and a bar where we got some real sandwiches and cold drinks—the first time we have had anything cold to drink. The jute box played records that were popular when I was in junior high school.

The night before had been Micronesian night with each group doing skits and songs from their district. The Marianas group sang songs. Four sailing canoes of men from the out islands sailed in for the night. The trip took them about two weeks. We watched them sail and felt we were seeing National Geographic. The boats are made from a hallowed out breadfruit tree with an outrigger. The men were dark skinned and wore thues. (KP letter to parents Aug 15-16, 1967)

Southern end of Udot. Shallow area going to Eot. Moen in background. Man in canoe made from breadfruit log.

Greg in his hat with Trukese sailor from Western Islands.

Visitors during Training

Many important people in Micronesia came to training—one of the advantages of having training in-county. Our house, because the other two couples had left became a “hotel” for visitors.

The High Commissioner, William Norwood, and his wife visited arriving Saturday on Fanoma dock (pictured right). The Girl Scouts met them with the traditional flowers. John Pinsetich and his wife follow them on the dock. Benjo on the left in the picture. They stayed for three days. We had a big feast. The people on Udot did a presentation for them and in the picture are practicing walking and singing. This was also done on Charter Day.

He met with each group saying how pleased he was to have the Peace Corps in Micronesia. On Monday he came to Wonie to see the school being made out of coral. He wanted to watch a class being taught so I retaught the first grade class I had just completed.

People of Udot practicing for High Commissioner or Charter day. They walked around the field singing.

Chamorro Language Learning

We had three hours a day of Chamorro language class with homework. There were seven groups with four or five learners in each group (link to class groups). I do not learn languages easily (in spite of believing that everyone should know at least two languages) and was one of the slower trainees to progress. In a tape sent home to my parents, there was a short clip of me speaking some of the greetings in Chamorro. You can listen to the clip below:

Our lessons were based on research being done at the University of Hawaii, Pacific and Asian Linguistics Institute. In 1967 Dr. Donald Topping and Pedro M. Ogo were working on Spoken Chamorro. This would later be published followed by Chamorro Reference Grammar in 1973 and Chamorro-English Dictionary in 1975. We had a mimeograph “book” prepared for an earlier training in Molokai, Hawaii and a series of handouts (link to document in progress).

Every effort was made to combine learning and practice of Chamorro language. We had baseball games all in Chamorro.

Baseball game in which we spoke only Chamorro. Administration building in background. Howard Rake, Elayne Halpern, pAnne Doorn, Dennis Brennan, John Leekley, Fred Uvina, Steve, Carole Mihalko, Louis Tenario, Anna Cabrera, Carol Brill. PCVs except for language informants Louis Tenorio & Anna Cabrera.

Baseball game in Chamorro. School in background. Steve, Maura Milkie, Jerry Fite, Jerry Milkie, Howard Rake, Diane.

All our teachers were Chamorro from the Marianas and we learned about the Marianas and culture in addition to learning Chamorro. Sometimes we hurt their feelings without meaning to. Once the class was laughing and the teacher thought we were laughing at her and got upset and cried. We had trouble understanding why a child would throw rocks at another child and laugh. We did not understand pointing and making fun of a blemish on someone’s face. We learned about different attitudes toward animals, treating them as pets versus torturing them.

Area Studies & Community Development

In Area Studies we were learning about NMI and Chamorro & Carolinian Culture. However, because we did not know exactly where we would be assigned, the emphasis for all was on Chamorro culture and language, the majority culture group in the NMI. Speakers came to Udot to share their knowledge and perspective. Each volunteer in Area Studies had a project. Kit worked with the Girl Scout troop for Community Development and Greg worked on putting up screens in the dispensary.

Area studies class speaking about economics in the Marianas. Our house off to the right. Joe Ten (wealthiest man in Micronesia) in the middle of the group.

Area studies class.

On one tape we discussed Micronesian time and not being able to keep schedules. At first this was frustrating for us but we learned to distinguish between when “to go along with things and see what happens” and when to do things on our own or talk to someone who could help.

Another frequent discussion in Area Studies was on differences in values. On a tape I described that in the U.S. people plan for the future, save money and think about what they are going to do, but this is not the case in Micronesia. When there is an emergency people take care of it. If they are hungry, they fish or pull taro. There is no saving. If they are thirsty they pick a coconut. They do not plant because they will need the food later.

What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. There is no individual ownership. Stuff may be stolen or taken from the room but it is not stealing here—more borrowing without returning. If I have two pens, you can take one because I do no need two. Saipan volunteers explained they had to buy lots of combs, razor blades, and hairpins to replace what went missing. Everyone is related anyway so the sharing is part of family life.

An example given was the Western world paying $5 to someone to drive the boat. That $5 belongs to everybody. If the family buys food, they buy just what they need. If they have extra it goes to the family. Everyone’s life has to improve—not just one person.

Living here is making me a more generous person. Every morning there is a ring of sweet smelling flowers for my hair. Coconuts and bananas are given to us.

Here you will be able to view some of the handouts (digitization in process) I still have after all these year. Most are mimeographed and do not identify source or authors:

Outline of Chamorro customs used for discussion, July 1-5 1967
Non-Western – American Values, nd.
Minutes of the Semi-Annual Meeting, Copra Stabilization Board. July 20, 1967
Conflicts in Cultural Values, TTPI, DOE, 1967.
Micronesia from Encyclopedia Britannica by Leonard Mason, 1962
Letter from Melvin Koizumi, chief Division of Environmental Health concerning sanitation, July 13, 1967
Digital Community Survey by PCT’S/PCV’S, nd.
Your Binjo’s ain’t so hot? By Jay, nd.
Questions and Answers following speech to Congress of Micronesia, 7/19/67
(Find speech & put here)
Girl Scouting, Sue Costello, PCV Majuro, nd.
List of contents of the PC Book locker, nd.
NMI & Saipan drawing, nd.

Learning to Teach ESL in the Trust Territory

Three hours a day were spent learning to teach English as a Second Language. I will discuss this further in the PCV on Rota 1967-69 section of this web site. The ESL program in the Trust Territory was carefully designed to accommodate limited equipment and supplies and uncertain attendance by students and teachers. The training of volunteers was excellent taking into account that most trainees had no background or training in teaching and that they might end up training teachers as well as students. The goal was to leave after two years with the people you worked with ready to take over.

We watched demonstration classes, did demonstration classes ourselves, made lesson plans and developed materials. An example is teaching a minimal pair of Pat and Bat--a problem for Chamorro speakers. By actually teaching we could see how quickly children learned or became tired.

Here you will be able to view some of the handouts pertaining TESL (digitization in process). Most do not identify source or authors:

Teaching English in the Trust Territory, 1965, DOE, TTPI
TESL Program Policies for the Schools of the TTPI, June 20, 1967, Office of the High Commissioner, TTPI
A program of TESL in the Schools of IIPI, 1966, Office of High Commissioner, DOE, TTPI
Classroom Management

PE and Health

The Udot training was the first Micronesian program to teach swimming and skin diving. In addition to learning ourselves, we learned how to teach others. Most women in Micronesia did not learn to swim and would just wade in the water. A year later when I was asked by a group of women to teach them how to swim, having had this class helped. However, they laughed so much and wore heavy skirts so that we made little progress (more in another story).

I had had little medical training and found it interesting to learn about the diseases in Micronesia and what could be done to prevent and treat. Many islanders had diarrhea and infections most of the time. TB was a problem and many had coughs and stomach trouble. We were tested for TB every 6 months. Parasites such as hookworm could enter through the feet if zorries were not worn. War years had taken a toll with near starvation that influenced life span. Some were missing limbs from left over WWII bombs exploding in the jungle or while fishing.

We were given several handouts about the topic of health. Those documents will be digitized and added here:

Preventing Medical Measures (4 pages)
A Guide to Health for Peace Corps Volunteers in the Mariana Island, Thomas J. Haverbush, M.D., Peace Corps Staff Physician, July 1967 (4 pages)
Health Lectures, July 10-22, Udot Peace Corps Training Program. Thomas J. Haverbush, M.D., Peace Corps Staff Physician/Mariana Islands (10 pages)
Hints for Teaching Games to Micronesian Children (2 pages)
Organization of a P.E. class (1 page)
Field Day Activities (1 page)
Outboard Boating Notes (2 pages)
Sailboat Nomenclature (2 pages)

Turtle for Dinner

We had fresh meat four times on Udot—at a feast for visitors, when turtles were caught and the welcoming and farewell dinners. One of the chickens that was always running around was caught and boiled. It was so tough; we had difficulty chewing it.

Five turtles were caught and brought to Fanoma dock. They were knocked unconscious and a man held them as they were cut open. You could see the heart still beating. About 12 men worked on them with the women cleaning the smaller parts. The turtle meat was weighed. Misco, who was in charge of food with two PCVs, checked the weight. Each piece weighed about 50 pounds. We had turtle steak and soup. The eggs were saved along with all parts being used.

Teaching and Living on Wonie

As part of training we went to the island of Wonie for two weeks to student teach ESL. We were greeted on Children’s Day with processions of children singing. We were introduced to our family for the next two weeks. The father was the protestant minister who spoke German and Trukese, but not English

Protestant children procession for Children’s Day. They met at church. Each group sang songs in Trukese and English.

Sindia & Sinfinos in back of our house on Wonie. They are children in our family. Benjo in background. Cook house on left where they made a fire and prepared food.

Wonie children meeting for Children’s Protestant Day. House we taught in while there is on left. It had been built by PCV of local materials.

Part of our family in front of house we stayed in. Oldest is Nates age 18, Next Debora. Neither married. There were 12 children in family. Other children in picture are grandchildren living in or near house.

Our house. Man in white shirt is our father and Protestant minister. He had organized the Children’s Day. Men on right are also ministers. Ute also used for classes is in background.

Our house. We slept in room where window is. Kit just back from teaching carrying school materials.

We were learning Chamorro and knew very little Trukese. Since the father was a minister, we would sit in the evening after dinner and sing Christmas carols in English—and in this way share the same language. I still think of our Wonie family when I hear Silent Night and remember our singing it in Trukese, English and German. (Link to singing if we can find)

We had brought some food with us, ship biscuits, peanut butter and spam that we gave to our family. Each PCV handled food to fit their own needs. When our family learned I did not drink coffee, the children collected limes and made me warm fresh limeade every morning served in a heavy white mug left from WWII days.

With few boys in the family to go out fishing, the girls would gather octopus from under the sea rocks. This would be cut and served on banana leaves with pounded breadfruit that had fermented in the ground—had the taste and consistency of dense bread dough. We would sit with the family in a circle with the honor of being served first and then the leaves of food being passed to the oldest on down. We dug into the pounded breadfruit with our hands.

We slept on our mat with mosquito netting in the front room and used the overwater benjo for the bathroom. One night I had the runs and was very embarrassed by having to go out so often and stay out. Our mother came to help me and took my underwear (still using my husband’s 100% cotton) and dress to wash. Using the benjo required careful balancing and positioning. The tide would “flush” twice a day.

When it was time to bathe, the women would come and get me and we would walk to the waterfall. There, still wearing skirts, the women would “shower.” There was also a pipe with water left from the Japanese times.

In general, as a woman, I never went out walking alone. I stayed with the groups of women or with the children. On Wonie there was one boy who followed me around asking me to meet him in the evening even when I was with my husband and others. On the day of this walk he called my name when I was ahead of him on the path and when I turned he pulled down his pants. I said "no," and did my best to avoid him; you can see him trailing me (pictured right).

We were on Wonie to practice teaching ESL. We used the patterns from the books by Gloria Tate. These were used in Australia and were being adapted for use in the Trust Territory. Lessons started with “I am Jose.” “You are Maria” and continued to “You are walking.” “She is running.” To “We are carrying red books.” “You are carrying blue pencils.” And so on. We added skits, stories and songs for interactive learning and the children could quickly carry on a basic conversation.

When it was time for school I would walk through the village and the children would follow me to the teaching site. Someone would have a sweet smelling mar-mar for me. The children were very helpful and eager to learn. We would draw pictures on the ground if needed. The second week we taught, High Commissioner Norwood visited on Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday there were races in Moen so no one came to class and on Friday it rained all day and only 2 children came. I made a family tree for our family.

When we had time we would ask for help exploring. On a hill on Wonie we were taken to a former Japanese command post. The Japanese had blasted out caves with five connecting tunnels, roughly 5 ½ feet high. The Japanese headquarters were deep inside the cave. There was a water/shower system inside. These came out of the hill to gun emplacements looking over the whole bay. Had the Americans invaded by sea, the Japanese would have been able to attack the channel coming into the lagoon. In fact, the Americans attacked by air sinking most of the Japanese fleet in the lagoon. In 1967 the cave room had water and bats.

Greg on Japanese gun on hill in Wonie. There were 5 of these in the hill that were connected by tunnels going through the hill to paths to ruins of Japanese Headquarters. Overlooking the whole bay. Caves had bats and water.

View from the tree that overlooked the shower area. Boys climbed to watch people shower. Can see where village is below and dock to left. Pata is across the way. We swam dock to dock in about ½ hour. Large coral area in middle.

Later that day, we swam to Pata—about 20 minutes. The main difficulty was swimming over a coral mass without being cut. Our aim was to see a tunnel going through the mountain. We met the first grade teacher who offered to be our guide. He told us the legend of two turtles digging the tunnel to help the king get food and unite the inhabitants and protect them from the king on Wonie. The tunnel was very grand, maybe 30 feet high in a horseshoe shape with water at either end. Unfortunately we did not have our camera because we had swum.

We walked for 45 minutes to see the school being made of coral. On the walk, we went by a taro patch; an old man gave us breadfruit; a German missionary was teaching a bible lesson. Our guide took us to his home and gave us banana pudding and ship biscuits. Because of sharks he was concerned that we had swum across. We were not concerned because we had only seen small ones so far. He insisted in taking us back in his canoe. Midway we met our mother who had been helping someone who was sick and we moved from one canoe to the other in the middle of the lagoon between the islands.

When it was time to leave, the whole village came to say goodbye. We walked in a procession from the village to the dock.

People of Wonie waving goodbye from barge that brought materials for the school. 3 girls left of man in our family. It had just rained. We walked down in a procession with suitcases, bananas, etc.

As we left for the last time. You can see barge with supplies and school being built of coral. Men building it. Funds U.S.

Sick during Training

I had reacted to shots during staging. I got sunburned on the open landing craft from Moen to Udot. I had strep throat. I had a zorrie blister (had never worn them before) that got infected with the infection quickly spreading up my leg. The doctor gave me shots, pills and painful soaks in hot water to stop it. In the heat, I had an allergic reaction to nylon and anything not 100% cotton. Had to wear my husband’s underwear until my mother could go to Sears and mail cotton underpants. We all had cramps and diarrhea.

But then I got really sick the day after our first wedding anniversary. I remember walking up the trail to language class but not much after that. Maria Mafnas was teaching. I felt fine but then quickly got chills and high fever and passed out. Initially Maria thought I was upset at not being able to chat in Chamorro. The doctor came from Moen and they took me via stretcher to the hospital (Quonset hut) in Moen.

My memory is that the hospital had two rooms where patients stayed—one for men and one for women. There was water coming down the walls when it rained and occasional rats. I was put in a hallway—not in the communal room. After I became conscious, my first meal was canned fruit cocktail over rice. However, I was truly sick and did not feel like eating. I was in the hospital a few days and left as soon as I could walk on my own. I did not have a diagnosis until 16 years later (another story).

I had been taken off the island on a stretcher cover by a sheet to protect me from the sun. A rumor went around that I had died. The Trukese said the bad ghost had gotten me and I would not live. When I returned after four days people would back away from me on the path or reach out to touch me to see if I was real. Some people just stared.

We Are Peace Corps Volunteers

We made a tape home excited that we had stood in a circle, taken an oath, shaken hands with John Pincetich (who knew each new PCV’s name) and officially become volunteers. We had been counseled weeks before that we might not be selected and we explained this to our parents in this tape and the fact that we had not written anyone recently in case we were sent home before our letters were received.

No one had been asked to leave at mid-boards half way through training. All PC trainings have mid-boards where each trainee gets evaluated and gets feedback. During this we received feedback from each training area, eg., Language, PE, Area Studies, TESL. There were peer group ratings during which we were given 10 qualities and asked to list 5 people in our training group who had these qualities the most and 5 people who had them the least and reasons for these. We had a talk to find out our results in personal conferences with Dr. Weiss. Our mid-boards were favorable. They had “no question that we would be an asset to the PC and Micronesia and we should definitely stay.”

We had a lot of doubts and questions while going through training. Questions as to why we are here. Feel we are really going to do something. Could do the wrong kind of thing. Heard a tape from a couple on Pagan, a Marianas island with 80 people. They are the first Americans living on the island. People did not believe an American would live with them.

We can have an effect in our personal habits. They have built and started a school and started night classes. Two people just like us building and starting a school!! It is kind of frightening. Two people just like us having this influence just because we are Americans and people look up to Americans. They observe what we do. It is teaching by example. If the American washes her hands after each meal and after going to the bathroom, maybe this is a good idea. (KV audiotape to parent)

Later, however, as final selection neared, we had meetings again with Dr. Weiss who shared the training group’s concern that my being sick would be a risk to the Peace Corps and me. My low Chamorro language skills were also a concern—I had not done well on the FSI test given the Saturday after our first week on Wonie. In the first Micronesian training 40 people were deselected. In ours three—one for Truk, one for Yap and one for Ponapae—had been deselected. From our training, 46 people had decided to leave on their own. We wanted to be in the Peace Corps in spite of the problems and told them so.

One of the advantages of in country training is you know what to expect. One of our previous housemates found she disliked teaching, another disliked the environment. Another generally felt he would not make a good volunteer, and we agreed. We had been surprised at his attitude toward the Micronesians and his not wanting them in the house.

We were told we had been selected at a meeting Monday afternoon August 28 with the Northern Marianas group, John Pincetich & Dr. Exner. They expressed that our training had been the best PC had ever had and the best-qualified group was being sent to the Northern Marianas. The first training had been rushed. They asked for suggestions for the new agriculture group coming September 11, 1967 for training. A person had come to DC to obtain information on how to improve training. Suggestions included fixing the lack of communication and solving the problems with food—a generator had broken, meat was canned. Before training we had been told, “You can buy everything on site” but that was not even close to true. For example, in all Micronesia the only bookstore was on Moen-- However, we were given a book locker (link in process to book locker content). We were given checkbooks each containing: $150 settling in, $90 first month’s pay, $75 clothing.

Later I was told that the Marianas ESL staff had argued on our behalf and that the Marianas could and would be responsible for my health. In fact, I only got sick once in the two years as a PCV and that was with a bladder infection—a common problem for women in the tropics. Also my language skills quickly improved when we ended up living with a family after a November typhoon hit our home island in the Marianas.

I was one of few Udot trainees with prior teaching experience and with English teaching credentials. I thrived on teaching ESL and was greatly looking forward to being in the classroom again. In 1967 Peace Corps had attracted many recent college graduates with little or no work experience. Many who ended up working in Micronesia did not stay with teaching but did more with community development. They had never been teachers at the start.

Leaving Udot

We ended with feasts, of course. The PCV gave a picnic for the people on Udot serving hot dogs, breadfruit salad, sandwiches & punch. The Marianas group made a breadfruit potatoes type salad and hot dogs. The first 9 women in the picture are our family. The men ate at a separate location, as was the custom. A lot of people came and they ate first!

Picnic on Udot given by volunteers for people. Had hot dogs, breadfruit salad, sandwiches, and punch. Very successful. Kit on left. School in background.

Picnic given by PCVs on Udot. Our family in foreground—first 9 people except men. Men in family ate in separate place. Most activities separate.

Each group provided entertainment (I think in the language of their district). The Marshalls group won first prize with an adaption of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ponapae won second prize with a play based on a legend. The Marianas did a history of the Marianas based on the different culture groups that came to the islands using dances and song for each. Greg did a stick dance and I did a coconut dance.

The day we left Udot, our family made us flowers and gave us a party the night before—turtle, fish, breadfruit with coconut, milk, pineapple, chicken killed earlier that day, ice gotten from the contract teacher’s house. They gave us fans they had woven that were taken away by customs in Guam. We wore the flower leis they made and they were not taken away.

Coral reef that surrounds 38 square miles of Truk lagoon. Taken from plane day we left.

Roughly 1/3 of those who started training ended up as PCVs. At the end of training, everyone who had come to the island was trying to leave. The previous Tuesday, 87 people wanted to get on the flight that came from Hawaii to Marshalls to Ponapae then to Truk and on to Guam. Only five got on. Joan Emmett needed to prepare teachers on Saipan to teach ESL and John Pincetich needed to prepare for the new PCVs—they were bumped. A ticket and reservation do not mean you have a seat unless you have priority. The couple teaching PE at training missed the boat to their island in the Marshalls and would wait four months till the next boat. PC had a policy that anyone deselected would be off the site in one hour but they were still on island Friday.

On Friday Sept 1, Labor Day weekend, we left Udot for Moen. The boat was scheduled for 8:00 but came at 9:30. We were each allowed one carry-on. The plane from Moen was delayed at first because of engine trouble and then because it was too heavy to take off and cargo had to be removed. They wanted to take all the carry-ons but were persuaded not to. We had packed everything that was most important in out carry-on knowing that our luggage might get delayed. It still had not arrived weeks later—but eventually did. We left in the early afternoon. Looking out the window we saw the reef that surrounds 38 square miles of the Truk Lagoon.

Guam

When we landed on Guam it was too late to continue to Saipan; the Saipan airport did not have lights. Fifty-six (56) people needed a place to stay. The Cliff House had a new section not open yet and the owner let us stay there at no cost—four couples to a room. We turned on the lights, sat on the chairs, bounced on the beds and took hot showers. By putting the mattresses from the two beds on the floor we made four sleeping areas. At the Red Carpet restaurant overlooking Guam we had steak, peas, baked potatoes, bread and butter for $4.75. Felt like we could afford to splurge.

The next day a couple from training that did not go to Yap and had gotten jobs on Guam, Sheryl & Darren Matson, took us shopping at the Town House that was having a sale. We bought an iron, shirts, and cooking utensils.

At 1:30 we left for Saipan, a 45-minute flight, not sure where we were going to be assigned. Sue Fite, wife of the PC director, met us with a PC couple from Rota, Sue and Bob Learmonth, and that was when we found out we were being assigned to Rota. Most were assigned to Saipan. We were told that the priest had not wanted non-Catholics and we had to agree not to discuss birth control. Another couple was assigned to Tinian and we visited them later.

Should we be in Micronesia?

Our August 30, 1967 tape shares our reflections on being in Micronesia paraphrased here:

When we first joined we did not think about representing the US. Objectively Japan is closer; their goods are cheaper. Most of what is bought is from Japan although beef and rice are from Australia and corned beef from Argentina. Getting funds to invest in businesses in Micronesia is difficult because the status is unclear and is going to change with the plebiscite.

Each district is isolated by geography, culture and language from the other districts. Most people in Truk could not name the other districts in Micronesia. The people need more than a few military running around. The Trust Territory does not have the budget to do everything that needs doing. Peace Corps will give a boost to education to a degree that the TT is not able to do.

The people are bright and have a right to enough teachers—to have a school and education. Peace Corps will provide manpower—a buffer to the 20th century so Micronesia will not be hit too hard. Some people say the PC should not be here—others say they are not doing enough. The US has a moral commitment for the only Military Trust Territory in the world but has failed to live up to that commitment. PC is a buffer between the 20th century and whatever century the PC is in.

The plebiscite will make a difference but it is possible the people are becoming too dependent on the US and will have no choice. We reference US News and World Report Aug 7, 1967 page 53 and the discussion there on the US military possibly going to the Marianas to build a base for 30,000 troops.

Story Gallery

Information Provided Prior to/at the Start of Training (to be digitized)

Training Program for Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Micronesia, TTPI June 26 through Sept 2 1967 on the Island of Udot and neighboring islands in the Truk Lagoon, Truk District, Trust Territory: An enterprise of PC/Micronesia, its Volunteers, the TT Government and the people of Micronesia. April 17, 1967
The Peace Corps Education/Island Development Program in Micronesia, nd.
What you may not know, nd.
Suggested General Supply List to bring with you, nd.
Magazines offered free or at reduced rates. 7/20/67
Adjusting Overseas, nd.
Before You Report to Training, nd.

Related/Additional Documents

The Peace Corps Micronesia Handbook

Source Info

1967 Letters: (kit to parents) L003, L004, L013, L014, L017, July 6, 1967 (not numbered yet)
1967 Digitized audiotapes: kit to parents A037A, A038, A039 partial,
1967 Digitized slides: from June to Sept 1967, Rota and PC Udot Training
Inventoried box: #57 (PC), #09 (ESL)