May 1, Friday: The BIG day, Constitution Day, the 30th Anniversary of their status as an independent nation. There was going to be a parade, so I walked down to the starting point and watched all the schools collect and take their positions. When the SDA school group went by they called for me to join them, so I marched along with them to the capital building. It was amusing to see how the group grew as we marched because Jim the principal kept grabbing students from the spectators and reprimanding them for not being in the group already. At the capital building dignitaries from many of the other islands and other countries made a bunch of speeches and then things moved over to a large field that had a stage set up and many shade structures. The shade structures were set up for various schools and organizations to first provide shade, but also to sell food or souvenirs. Lots of “Pig in Plate” available, which I did not try. The stage was used for various musical acts, traditional dances, giving out the awards for many of the events of the past week (including the spelling bees). We went to the top of an old radio tower to get a better view and take some pictures. What made that kind of scary was that the handrails were made of pvc piping and not at all stable. We did not stay up there very long. There were so many acts, dances and awards that this was an all day affair. After the 2nd and 3rd place prizes for the spelling bees were given out, we left. I was quite roasted by that point, having forgotten my sunscreen.

We had vespers like normal, slightly late, a nice song service and a short talk by one of the SM's.

Later in the evening, around 9 they had a fireworks display from a boat in the lagoon. It was a decent show, but I think I have been very spoiled with a couple of fireworks shows in the past. When I was a kid, our family was in Zürich for the celebration of the city's 2000th anniversary. I remember the fireworks going on and on and on. It made an impression that has remained a yardstick against which all other fireworks are judged. And only one other display has rivaled it: a fourth of July weekend with some friends at the Lost Coast. It is a state?? park and since fires, etc are not allowed, I do not think any of use expected fireworks at all. On the beach very near where we were camped three separate groups put on shows in sequence. It was unexpected and amazing and a favorite fourth of July memory for me. After the fireworks, we walked around and, even more than usual, there were hordes of people wandering around. I think almost everyone was out in the streets. That seems to be a common occurrence here anyway, with people outside at all hours of the day or night. Between that and the reality that after spending only a couple weeks here you will start running into the same people (familiarity), I have felt completely safe here. (I have been much more at risk of injury from the kitten that is still learning when to use claws and when not to and who has an insatiable drive to chew on just about everything I own, it is an ongoing battle)

May 2 Sabbath: We were invited to a party/potluck this evening and spent part of the afternoon working on a sweet and sour (vege)chicken dish to bring. It was a gathering of most of the SM's at the Delap school and had a Hawaiian theme for the food. After eating we played a game kind of like 20 questions. Three people would pick a true story from one of their pasts and based on questions to all three we had to decide who it really happened to. It was a simple idea and it was quite a bit of fun. Then Cameron and I went to the gym and while he played volleyball, I stepped into the breach once more to play with some of the littlest kids. Tonita and Lonnie were two girls that stayed until after 11 pm. Several people have said that Marshallese parents show very little affection to their children and rarely if ever play with them, which does seem to be the case from my observation. The kids just latch on to you if you show them the tiniest little bit of attention and can not get enough piggy back rides, flips, swings, etc. I got a full workout by the time we went back to the apartment. Neither of us was tired after running around, so we watched “The Rocker”, a movie with the guy who plays Dwight Schrute in the American version of “The Office” His role as a bitter former member of a superstar band gets a second chance years later was amusing, if somewhat formulaic.

Earlier in the day I was asked to be part of the church service for next weekend.

May 3 Sunday: We went to Enemanot today. There was an Australian father/son duo, Mark and Brent, along for the day. They come from Melbourne and are just on vacation after some business in Guam. I walked to the next island over at about the midpoint of the cycle to low tide. It was chest deep in a few places. As we were leaving later in the afternoon, it was low tide and you could walk all the way across on dry land. I found a few shells, but not many. Seeing all the shells I have over the past few weeks has been reminding me of my grandmother. She and my grandfather both had a love of nature and spent a lot of time collecting seeds, pine cones, rocks, sea shells, etc. They took the time to classify and otherwise identify most of them and also taught groups like Pathfinders about what they had learned. I have many good memories of her different collections and I know she would have enjoyed seeing many of the shells in their native state. After returning and getting some food, I stayed in the shade for a good portion of the afternoon. I know I got burned pretty good on Friday. There was a group of guys near where we were congregated for eating and they wanted to join Cameron and I as we tossed a Frisbee around. Only one of the 14 of them could throw a Frisbee with any skill, this may have been due to their state of inebriation, but I suspect they would not have been much improved when sober.