Tuesday, September 1, 2015

June 12th, 10:30pm    
                                                                                                                
After breakfast this morning, we flew from Yap to the Ulithi Atoll (specifically, Falalop island) in the seven-seater Pacific Missionary Air plane “from the sixties” (there were two flights out to get us all over there).  I got to sit up front in the co-pilot seat with PMA pilot Amos, who has been at this for ten years, running supplies, mail, and other necessities.  The visuals from the windshield of this tiny aircraft were excellent.    

When we landed on the Falalop airstrip and pulled up to the airport-slash-post office, the small crowd of locals applauded.  It felt significant, though I’m sure it was really just for the fun of it.  Nicole and Giacomo met us there, and we walked to the lodge that would serve as our homebase here.  The coconut trees have been reduced to sparse toothpick-status since Typhoon Maysak back at the very end of March.  This was visible from the plane coming in, and very jarring to see.  There is still a great deal of damage and debris, though much cleanup has been done already.  There are hens with chicks and tethered pigs here and there, in the vicinity of modest homesteads.  The larger buildings that remain standing seem all the more regal for it.  Our lodge, I think, is beautiful.  It’s missing some roof and some beams, but it is grand and there is still plenty of space for us all.  

Some of us go snorkeling at the beach just beyond the lodge.  The reefs begin so near to the shore, so wonderful and teal glassy blue.  The blue of the water here is unreal.  It  is warm, with cooler pockets here and there.  There are black sea cucumbers all over.  And the fish!!!  Such an incredible array (though nothing like they say it used to be).  And there are great coral rings and mounds and clusters and shelves!  These are what we will be focusing on when data collection begins soon.  The water is shallow at first, then rocky and dynamic, with sudden deep drop-offs into cerulean blue depths.  The final dropoff into the atoll’s lagoon has no visible bottom.  It is intimidatingly beautiful.  We return for lunch and then have a study sesh, reviewing the papers and materials that describe the ecology here and what our transecting procedures are, just to jog the memory. 

There is a group of young locals – high school and early college aged – hanging out on the lawn next to the lodge, and at Nicole’s suggestion, we went and introduced ourselves.  I didn’t realize it at first, but this is our youth group, with whom we will be working during our time here.  Skyla, Tiffany, Miles, Austin, Keenan, Lexina, Bertha, Alexia, and interns Sam, Shanthi, Cole, Kelsey, Lucas, Alessio, Amalia, and I all sit in a wide circle.  We chatted, sparsely at first and then more warmly.  Sam got her ukulele and Austin played it beautifully and sang.  They both did.  They left with promises to return tomorrow.   The rest of us newcomers had dinner at the lodge and then science team storytime.  A fat cane toad hopped across the lawn in the dark, heavy dull thumps.  Time for bed.








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