Lost at Pohnpei

Giving is natural to all of us, especially if we know that we have enough to share to other people. Here in Pohnpei, generosity seems to be second nature to the people.

The past two days flew by so fast, that I thought that there wasn’t anything significant that happened. I almost forgot that one of the projects of the Seventh Day Adventist and students in a local school was to collect funds for the Haiti Victims. This was the same sentiment at church last Saturday (English anticipated mass) where the collection went to the fund for the Haiti victims.

To show the generosity of the Ponapeans, a group of students dropped by the Pharmacy to leave a donation box, hopefully by February 5, there would be enough money to sponsor a family of victims or maybe more.

For more information about how to donate to the Haiti Victims, please click on this link:

Learning the Language

In the Federal States of Micronesia (FSM), different languages are spoken in each State, Pohnpei speaks the Ponapean Language. One step in getting acquainted with the people is to learn the language. From the simple greetings to asking pertinent questions especially in treating patients, language removes the barrier of misunderstanding and misinterpretations.

I was fortunate to have come across a Ponapean who gave me a booklet of the Ponapean Language. Hopefully, I would learn it soon.

Here are some of the basic words that I learned so far:

Kaselehlie – Hello/Goodbye

Menseng mwahu – good morning

Sowas mwahu – good day

Mwurin sowas mhau – good afternoon

Soutik mwahu – good evening

Pwong mwahu – good night

I know these maybe a mouthful, but practice makes perfect. I am not sure how much I’d be able to learn, but I am hoping that I could get by using the language even in the beginner level.