I enjoyed schooling when I was younger. It seemed like there was so much I didn't know, and I wanted to know everything. I wanted to get a glimpse of the outside world, outside my small town that is. I think it's interesting how people do things differently depending on where you are from. Like tying rope. Every person knows what rope is, but there are a hundred different ways to tie a knot. It all depends on where you're from, what the knot is for, and how you were taught.
I had not thought about continuing education when I left home. I assumed school was behind me. My plan was to travel, to explore, to see the world. It's funny how quickly your plans can be shipwrecked, lost at sea, and marooned.
All four of us from the lifeboat survived our eleven-day ordeal at sea. Our boat found its way to the small island of PukaPuka, and the Sand Maru. The villagers have been welcoming and kind. They have offered water, food, and friendship. We have no choice but to accept. A few of them speak English, and I am learning their language.
They tell me it has been eight years since a passing ship has stopped here. I might be stuck here for eight years, or maybe even sixteen. I could live out my whole life and die on this island and never see another passing ship. I may never go home. I realized I have no control over my situation, but I can control what I do with my time.
So now I'm back in school. Nothing formal mind you, just listening and learning every day. My teacher is Mano, one of the village elders. He is friendly and wants to practice his English; in exchange, I practice my Pukapukan. Words are easy, but learning culture is difficult. I ask as many questions as I can. Mano doesn't seem to mind, and he often laughs at the way my mind works. I try to talk to different people every day, in an attempt to spread my questions around.
I have a new friend named Fetu. He is about my age, funny, and speaks a bit of English. He's been a great help with the women. It's not what you think, probably the opposite. I'd only been here five days when a beautiful woman approached me and asked, "I have sex on you?"
Now, I'm no Puritan, but I didn't even know her name. Those five words were the only English she knew. I tried to politely decline, but I think I made a mess of it. Fetu helped me figure it out, and just in time because she was only the first of a dozen. Women outnumber the men on PukaPuka, so women are the initiators most of the time. I was explaining to Fetu that I wanted to have a look around before I picked one, and he fell over laughing. "Why just one, why not all?" he asked. Talk about a culture shift. So, each day I watch, I listen, and I learn.
There is one woman I am drawn to. A beautiful woman on an island full of beautiful women. I have tried to talk to her four times now, but she has not spoken to me, much less acknowledged me. I have ten women who want to 'make sex', but the one I want doesn't see me. She walks past me without a glance, and when she does look at me, I feel like a fly on her poi. There is so much I don't understand about women, but I don't think it has anything to do with this island. I recall something that Edward once said and it stuck with me; the more you know, the more you realized how much you don't know. I wonder who Edward learned that from.
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