Ahi Nohno o Ahi Pahpa Visit Pohnpei

Over the past 2 weeks I was blessed with a visit from my mom (ahi nohno) and my dad (ahi pahpa).  It was a wonderful time of getting to show them life in Pohnpei and creating priceless memories.  Here are some of the highlights of the time we spent together.

After hours upon hours of travel, Pohnpei is in sight!

 Being the procrastinator that I am, I was late getting to the airport to pick them up.  Luckily I have some great friends that were there to greet them and welcome them to Pohnpei.

Melody & Melsi gave them a warm Pohnpei welcome

I showed up shortly after, flustered, but so excited!

We immediately jumped into checking out the sights and experiencing the amazing local foods.

The best way to see town is on food, but notice you always
carry an umbrella :)

Gotta have drinking coconuts!

The first sip...so refreshing

Visiting school and checking out one of my classrooms

It's good to be cooking in the kitchen with my mom again

You have experienced Pohnpei until you check out the
ACE complex  - office supplies, hardware, and commercial

We were impressed by the great Christmas
trees in ACE that were made by elementary
classes on the island

Which one is the best for grilling?  Always trust the locals'
suggestions!

Seeing this made us feel like we were in Texas

Had to visit the Kapinga craft markets to pick up some
souvenirs and check out these talented men

They even got to experience the Pohnpeian sudden
downpour while enjoying some morning exercise ;)

They too enjoyed the many decorations around town

I think we went to the market just about every day.  There are so many new things to try!  You definitely don't see any of this at the markets in the states.

Naming the different types of bananas and explaining
their differences.  "Now this is the Akadahn Weitahta."

Pandanus - one of our most unique fruits

"Can you believe the size of this thing?  It's like a mammoth
drinking coconut!!!"  Of course we bought it, and it must
have had about 5 or 6 cups of water inside.  Amazing!

A banana I had not yet tried - Utimwas

Now that my  mom and dad have been exposed to Pohnpei bananas, I'm afraid Chiquita will no longer cut it.

Local taro

Soursop - an odd looking fruit but refreshingly delicious
flavor - similar to a sweet tart

After some visits to the markets I was ready to prepare them their first local dinner.

Clockwise from top left - drinking coconuts, boiled breadfruit
and baked breadfruit, salad with local cucumbers and mom's
made-up dressing, boiled yam, and grilled reef fish

Go Local!  It's the best!

Their first Karat banana and their hooked!  We ate one
every day for dessert.  They just couldn't believe how good they are!

After just demonstration, dad became the opener of drinking
coconuts.  I think he had fun using a machete ;)

They got to go to my church and even saw a baptism
in the ocean.

One of the greatest things was my mom and dad meeting
all of the people that have become so important to me
here in Pohnpei.  Prime examples: Bob & Carol and Melody

I couldn't resist including a picture of my banana
pancakes.  Is your mouth watering now?!

We even got to go to a cookie exchange to get us in the
holiday spirit

 Early in the visit we were able to book a room at The Village for a little get away.  I seriously felt like I was on vacation even though I was only 5 miles from home.  We had a fantastic time out there and soaked up every bit of it that we could.

A dream-like bungalow in a jungle paradise

Our little Bungalow #5

We're happy!

The view from our room -  pretty nice, huh?

Bedside decoration

The Village has their own restaurant, which is known for great food.  So after checking in and admiring our bungalow, it was time to try the lunch!

Dad was happy to see potato salad as a choice of side

We were excited to finally tasted the famed Soursop Sorbet
It's reputation for being a must-have is well founded

Satisfied with our delicious lunch we decided it was a good time to take a stroll down to the "sandy beach" we had heard about.  Not quite what we were expecting, but still a beautiful trail and peaceful little area.

Yep, that's the sandy beach.  Haha!

But see, still a great place to chill

Plus we saw a bunch of these cool guys on the way

Being out on a point, The Village offers great views of the ocean, Sokehs, and sunsets.  We found the deck on the Longhouse to be a great place for playing games and just enjoying the view.

Does that look like a postcard or what?!

Palm trees and sunsets...we needed someone to pinch us

After an afternoon of games on the deck and watching the sky change colors, it was time to try the dinner.

We dressed it up a little for the evening

So thankful to be enjoying a lovely meal together

When we went back to our bungalow after dinner we found the room prepared for the night. 

Right out of a dream

Now we had heard that the mosquito nets weren't really necessary, just more for fun and looks.  We would disagree.  We found them to be quite essential if for no other reason than keeping one of these guys from plopping down on you in the middle of the night:

They seriously will randomly drop of the ceiling and land
with a huge THUD only to scamper off and run back up
to the ceiling.

Lightly rolling on a waterbed and listening to all the night sounds was delightful.  We got well rested and woke up early to enjoy the morning view and to claim the most desired spot in the restaurant - the gazebo area.  We hogged it all morning and actually into the afternoon.  We enjoyed breakfast, games, reading, and relaxing out there. 

Couldn't get any better

That is the look of one happy man.  Do you think he was
liking it out there?

Morning coffee...

and since we couldn't seem to make ourselves leave it became
time for lunch tea!

So thrilled with our time at The Village!

 Some of the greatest experiences on the island seem to just happen when you leave yourself open to whatever happens, happens.  I happen to run into a co-worker while having lunch the 2nd day and she invited us out to a private island for a picnic.  We seized the opportunity and off we went to Kitti for a truly Pohnpeian adventure.  What makes it truly Pohnpeian you may ask.  Because it included...

a huge container of raw meat in local marinade,

overcrowded boats,

a barbeque over a coconut shell fire in an old barrel,

a meal of bbq chicken, hotdog, heaping pile of
rice, andboiled banana,

thatch-covered huts,

fishing,

intense sun on our little island and heavy rain on the main
island,

crystal clear water for spotting cool fish and shells

fish,

the sound of crashing waves,

and plenty of blue starfish!

I have no doubt it will be an experience we never forget - full of many memories both great and hilarious.

Also during their time here they were able to meet both of my wonderful host families.  First we had dinner with the Samuels.  Maryanna made a local feast far greater than anything we could have ever hoped for.  I couldn't believe the spread of food that she put out before us!

 It was all local food!  I will do my best to list every tasty item we got to enjoy: fried fish, breadfruit, bananas with rice and coconut milk, bananas mashed with coconut milk, yams in coconut milk, baked yams, tuna in coconut soup, red taro, and fried bananas.  Needless to stay we were stuffed.  Maryanna is an amazing cook, especially when it comes to local foods!

She even found and prepared a mangrove crab for my
mom and dad.  Amazing!

Yes, you need a hammer to conquer this guy

What a fun meal!

The next day we were able to visit the Hadleys!

Billy, Nohno Paula, Gradely, & Fransa

Dad got to experience the fun of Crazy 8s with Gradley!

 Everyone here LOVED meeting my parents.  They're still talking about how much then enjoyed meeting them.  I think they are all just as sad as me that they're gone. :)

We also got to do Christmas together, just a little early.

First, a trip to Wall Mart for a Christmas tree!

Strap 'er down!  It's no wonder they think menwai are so
entertaining and crazy.

Next, it's homemade pizza time!

We all play our part in the pizza-making process

And the result was our most delicious pizza yet!

Merry Christmas!

Our island-style tree turned out to be quite
adorable

We decorated while watching Elf!

Santa came!!!

Yes, thanks to Grandma & Papa, I now have my very own ukulele.  I'm addicted already and practice all the time.  In fact I've been playing while creating this blog in between pictures uploading.  My goal is to have Somewhere Over the Rainbow mastered before I return home.

Believe it or not, in just 2 weeks we were able to do so many more things than I can even include here.  In fact, we took 2 other big trips that will just have to be blog posts of their own.  But I hope you can see that I absolutely loved and cherished having my parents here.  It was hard to see them go, but I am just overly thankful for the time we got to have together. 

I sent them off on Friday, but not without one last adventure.  We loaded up all the luggage in the car to then find that we had a flat tire.  Ahhh!  Luckily the landlord of the place I'm staying, Mads, came to the rescue!  Mads had an air pump that got the tire aired back up and it lasted long enough for us to get to the airport, have lunch, and get back to the airport.  Later, just about the time I was totally confused about where to take the car for tire repair, Mads to the rescue again!  He seriously showed up out of no where and told me exactly where to go.  About 10 minutes and $4 later I had the piece of metal from the tire as a souvenir and I was set to go.  All I can say is "Thank you Lord for the crazy ways you provide!"

What a great two weeks!  And the best Christmas gift I could ever hope for from my mom and dad!!!  I am blessed!