Extracurricular in Particular

Outside of work and snorkelling, I’m involved in a bunch of activities. Every Monday and Wednesday I play soccer or go to an aerobics class. Every so often some of the guys get together for Man Night, at which drinking, belching and poker go hand in hand. But the following activities are things I could only do here in Majuro.

Tutoring at WAM

WAM is a fantastic NGO that takes troubled older youth off the street and puts them through a 6 month carpentry course in which they work together to build the traditional outrigger canoes. On Thursdays at 4pm some of the World Teach volunteers and I tutor them in English. It’s a great chance for me to get out of the Ministry of Education to actually educate.

Scuba Diving Lessons

I’m reading a manual right now, but I’ll soon wet my feet with a scuba tank on my back. I’m excited to get going on this because once I’m certified I’ll be able to dive anywhere in the world. And what could possibly beat a coral atoll to scuba dive?

The Majuro Writers Guild

We don’t smoke pipes or wear tweed jackets, but once a month some friends, Ali and I exchange writing and read to each other. It’s a fun chance to get an audience for what I’m writing and also get valuable criticism. Wine and cheese are mandatory.

The Yacht Club

Starting next Sunday, Ali and I will be learning to sail. I’m really excited. The Majuro Yacht Club consists of a bunch of sailboat owners and locals like us that team up to race the yachts once a month. I’ll write more about that later since we’re just about to start next weekend.