Meck, Eniwetak and Ebeye

Over the past few weeks, I've had opportunities to visit three more islands, each different from the others and, for the most part, different from Kwaj . . . . Right after my last post, I went to Meck Island, about an hour north by catamaran, traveling at about 14 knots per hour. That ought to work out to about 15 miles. When this missile range was busier, missiles were launched from Meck. Back then people were living there, but these days it's mostly just a commuter job. About 10 people stay each night through the week and a few people stay over the weekend, probably just fire fighters and the power plant operators. The fire house is new, very modern with a day room, kitchen and individual bedrooms, but most of the other buildings have seen better days. The old fire house and the old dining hall don't look safe to enter. There is no new dining hall. The commuters pack a lunch. I'm not sure what the folks that stay over do for breakfast and dinner . . . . and I don't want to find out . . . . The following week, I took a day off and headed to the only nature preserve in the atoll, Eniwetak. (En-ah-wee-talk) Normally people are not allowed on the island. One of the Environmental engineers, Mike Malone, was doing his monthly surveys. Also, it was Earth Day and about eight or ten high school students, the science teacher, and one parent went along. Me? I just got lucky when I asked if I could go . . . . Not all the Marshallese recognize the fact that the island is a preserve. It's a favorite place to harvest spider conch. I'm not sure how they get the critters out of the shells, but the shells are left on the beach. One of the things we did was clean up a bit. That way the green turtles - which we didn't see - would have a better place to lay their eggs. . . . . The island has the biggest stand of pisonias trees in the whole atoll. Black noddy terns favor the trees for nesting. One of Mike's duties is to survey the noddys. At first there weren't many to be seen, but as we got into the interior, noddys were everywhere . . . . After that, we 'had' to go snorkeling to get an idea of how many spider conch and giant clams are in the area. Mike may set up a clam and conch survey and I volunteered to help with the diving part . . . . The trip to Meck was related to my work, going through buildings to determine what it would take to get them up to standards. The Eniwetak trip was related to Mike's work - I'll take his work any day. . . . Last Monday, I took a trip I've wanted to make since I got here. . . . . Ebeye (E-buy) is only a 25-minute trip by LCM but it's a world apart form Kwaj . . . . Ebeye is home to all of our Marshallese co-workers with the exception of the very few that live on Kwaj. There are hundreds of Marshallese working on Kwaj. The guys I work with tell me they get up anywhere from 4:30 to 5 AM to catch one of the boats. I think the LCMs are 'limited' to 150 people per trip. When I rode, there were maybe 50 people on board; I can't imagine how crowded it must be with 150. If workers get here too early, they have to wait at the DSC, Dock Security Checkpoint, because they aren't supposed to be on Kwaj more than an hour before work. And if they get here late, well, it's the same as any job anywhere . . . . Talden, one of the fellows I work with, volunteered to show me the island and was waiting when I got off the boat. . . . The dock is on the edge of the commercial area. There was a fish market, grocery store, hardware store, bank and another store that reminded me of Woolworth's or any of what we used to call five-and-dimes, complete with a lunch counter. There was also a lot with used boats and vehicles for sale. The only car I saw on the island was there, a very small one of a brand I didn't recognize - Chinese possibly? - priced at about $9,000. That's quite a bit when you figure the workers in our shop, some of whom are good electricians, make about $5 or $6/hr. Most of the vehicles on the island are small pick-ups with crew cabs. These are taxis that continuously race around the island. All traffic is a loop in one direction only - probably a good thing. . . . . I've heard the Marshallese will take the cab to go just a block or two. It can't be because of distance - the entire island is only .14 square miles in area. A census 2 or 3 years ago put the population at 12,000 making it one of the most crowded places on Earth. Some people were moved from other islands when the US government was testing atomic bombs. Others were moved when the missile range was set up, but a lot moved to Ebeye on their own. An older Marshallese man was asked why so many people would leave their home islands to live on Ebeye. His reply was, "Why did so may ribelles (Americans) go to San Francisco in 1849?" He knew American history. Most people come in hopes of working on Kwaj. . . . . Kids are everywhere. School is supposed to be mandatory up to eighth grade. Some kids were too young, some according to Talden, were on break and some just weren't going to school. I didn't see many air conditioners, so I might not want to be in school either . . . . After eighth grade, students must pass entrance exams or pay if one of the private high schools will take them. It appeared that most of the kids went to the private elementary/middle schools. Talden told me it cost him about $130 each month for his two children in school. There are Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Adventist and Jehovah Witness congregations on Ebeye and several of these operate schools. . . . . Talden pointed out the king's house, but he did this twice, so the king may have more than one house or there may be more than one 'king'. . . . The queen had a separate house next to the second king's place. . . . . I know there is an elected government on Ebeye and for the entire Republic of Marshall Islands also, but the royalty still have power . . . . None of the royalty's houses were much more than what you might find in an older suburb in the States, but they were at least a step or two above the majority of the dwellings on the island. . . . . Marshallese live in extended families. To a Marshallese, their mother and her sisters are all held in the same regard and all equally referred to as 'mama'. Likewise a father and his brothers, grandfather and his brothers, grandmother, etc. Cousins are the same as brothers and sisters . . . . Talden's household wasn't large from what I'm told. He showed me the small house he shares with his parents, wife, four children, sister and niece. The family built the one-story house, sturdy and very clean if sparsely furnished. It's not far from the dock. There is electricity and plumbing, but most houses still have gutters and downspouts to collect rainfall. Workers on Kwaj carry plastic jugs and other containers to fill with drinking water to take back to Ebeye . . . . Many of the Marshallese have cell phones, refrigerators/freezers and TVs. They watch the same Armed Forces Network programming we get here on Kwaj . . . . The infrastructure on Ebeye is not in good shape. Last year the power plant needed repairs. For a while, half the island would have electricity for 6 hours and then it would go to the other half of the island for 6 hours. That went weeks until several older portable generators were taken from Kwaj and strategically placed around the island until the parts arrived to repair the power plant . . . . I'd like to think it was the goodness of the Americans that caused that to happen. The issue that was most talked about was the fact that without electricity, the sewage lift stations weren't operating. Disease on Ebeye would impact Kwaj greatly . . . . The land fill/dump is on the north end of the island. Every time I've been in a boat passing by, it's been burning - and, as expected, it stinks. With the winds predominately out of the north and east, you would think the dump would be on the south end, but then, that would put it just north of Kwaj . . . . The power plant and a 'park' with a couple deteriorating concrete benches and tables on the beach are on the south end. . . . . Some of the guys on Ebeye got permission from the local government to cover part of the dump with sand so they would have a place to play softball. It's a pretty crude field, but it turns out some good ball players. The champs of the Kwaj softball league, the Sundowners, were almost all Marshallese. I watched them beat out a team of young American, former high school/college jocks. Not only were the Marshallese better, they had a lot more fun. The Americans were taking themselves way too seriously. It was a best of three series. When the islanders won the first two games, there were some bruised American egos for a couple days . . . . While the big stores are near the dock on Ebeye, there are little shops scattered all over. I suppose they are like the neighborhood stores I remember as a kid, but I can't imagine how they all stay in business. From what I could see, people walked up to a large open window where someone inside dispensed goods, mostly food and incidentals. The good thing about these little stores, Talden said, was that since the people lived in them, they could be accessed 24 hours a day . . . . take that, 7-11! . . . . The most modern facility on the island was the hospital, named for a favorite aunt of the king (not sure which king). It opened a few years ago. A visit costs $5, Talden said. . . . . I don't know how much the hospital is used, the guys frequently come in and say they are using Marshallese medicine to treat different things. Why not, natural methods are becoming more common in the States as well. . . . Things like the police station, government offices, telephone facility, post office, water plant and other municipal shops are scattered everywhere. I guess things were built wherever there was room at the time there was money and material. A new school is being built right up through the remains of the old hospital. From the looks of things, it will be a while before the school is open. . . . . He didn't point them out, but Talden said there were two or three bars on the island, one near the dock with a big dance floor. It was still morning when I left and I don't know if the bars were open but I do know the only beer on Ebeye is Budweiser Light at $2.50/can. No wonder there are Marshallese in the Pacific View bar on Kwaj until the last boat goes each night . . . . There were several other Americans on the boat with me, but I didn't see many on the island. At one point, a half-day tour of Ebeye was part of the orientation for new Kwajalein employees, but not any more. Some people have made the statement that Ebeye is just another "dirty little third world country" that they don't need to see. I don't know if I will go back, but I wanted to see it at least once. It certainly gives me a better understanding of the folks that I work along side every day.