Naval Ship visits Kwaj, end of quarter

We had quite the neat opportunity about a week or so ago. A US Naval ship came into the harbor after finishing up a really amazing project. Not far from Kwajalein sits the wreck of a German heavy cruiser, the Prinz Eugen, from World War II. Once the ship capsized, it was basically just left there to rot, but the oil inside the ship remained.

Unfortunately however, that oil had started to leak, and so the Navy decided it was time for a cleanup. A ship came out with a team of Navy divers and pumped out all the oil, but when the ship was done, she came to Kwajalein for fuel and supplies. During that brief stop, the crew was kind enough to let the Jr/Sr high school students on board to tour the boat.

I got to tag along for one of these tours, and while no pictures were permitted inside the ship, I was able to get a few shots from outside.

It's hard to believe, but the first quarter is over and I've been on Kwajalein for about 2.5 months now. It's been quite the whirlwind, from an epic journey, to exploring a new life, and starting a new school year. But things have settled into a pretty normal routine now, with school five days a week and a few days of relaxation on Sunday and Monday (our weekend).  But now that it's coming up on winter back home, it certainly feels nice to walk outside to this...

We're also expecting to finally get out shipment of household goods, so that will be a nice little surprise when they finally arrive. Things will feel a bit more like home here.

Speaking of which, there are only about seven weeks or so before I'll be heading to my actual home for the winter break. It's going to feel strange coming from a tropical island to frigid Chicago (when many people are doing the reverse), but it will be nice to be back amongst friends and family again. And I will be very happy to see my canine buddy again...

Casey - or CaseyRaptor, or the CaseMonster... I have too many names for him. It's a problem. 

I knew it would be tough for leave him while I went on this little adventure, but I honestly wasn't prepared for my own emotional response. I miss the little guy! He's a handful sometimes, but I didn't realize how attached I was to this pooch until I had to leave him behind. Getting him back in December will be a heartwarming moment, but it will kill me again to leave him in January. If I'm not able to find a way to bring him out here, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay, because giving him up for good is just not an option.

Thank you to Chase (if you read this) for looking after him, and to the rest of my friends and family who may be helping care for this critter in the coming months. Ya'll rock!

Ebeye

I had a chance this weekend to visit one of the islands that is neighboring Kwajalein. The island is called Ebeye, and it sits around 4 miles from Kwaj. In fact, it's so close that during low tide, it's technically possible to walk between the islands (but not generally a good idea).  Ebeye is not owned by the United States, but is a part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). A ferry runs between Ebeye and Kwajalein about 10 times a day to shuttle workers and visitors back and forth.

The ferry, right before boarding

The trip by ferry takes about 20 minutes, and is a fairly pleasant journey across a small part of the lagoon. We enjoyed the short journey and as we got closer, Ebeye became visible off the side of the Ferry.

Ebeye has a population of around 16,000 people, but has an exceptionally high rate of poverty and unemployment. It's unfortunately been nicknamed the slum of the Pacific. The population density is enormous and the quality of housing is rather poor. That said, the people were all exceptionally kind and we had a great opportunity to walk around the island and do a little shopping.

Those are just a few shots of the island - I took quite a bit more, but it gives you a general idea of what the place looks like. On some level, it's not a bad place to be really, crime is low, people are friendly, and climate is fabulous. But the overcrowding and dire living conditions are abundantly clear.

Yet these islanders are generally the ones who provide the lower wage labor on Kwaj, from the maintenance staff to the check out clerks, the people of Ebeye are a critical part of the operation at the Kwajalein base. Without the base, many of these folks would have even fewer economic opportunities.

And the United States recognizes this contribution... we allow students from Ebeye to study at the American school system on Kwajalein. About 40 or so kids from Ebeye come over on the ferry every morning to go to class at the American school, There, they gain a stronger education than would be possible on Ebeye, and ideally get a chance at college or career readiness. Better still, due to a compact of free association with the Marshall Islands, anyone on Ebeye can come to the United States without a visa, at anytime.

So ultimately, we stayed on Ebeye for about an hour and a half, explored a bit, and took the next ferry back to Kwajalein. It was quite the contrast going between the two islands...

Quite the difference - a Kwajalein neighborhood