Ebeye is known as the "slum of the Pacific", and one terrifying causeway / road away is Gugegwe, where my friend and fellow World Teach volunteers lived (the students from Ebeye are bussed out...the why is a mystery since the busses always seemed to be broken). They were the closest volunteers to me: only a trip on the causeway, ride on a ferry, trip thru an American military base (with clearance required), plane ride, and another boat ride away. It might as well have been on a different planet.
^Ebeye dump on the way to Gugegwe
This was my volunteer friends house, and let me tell you we were ALL jealous of it. It has rooms. And mattresses, and a shower, and a kitchen....and sometimes, even wifi. (Note the kids playing with sticks and a can, pretty normal.)
Gugegwe itself is really small and there isn't a lot to it. Just a small grocery store, a few houses- the populations is pretty small as well. It really just exists to support the school.
^ NOT the school my friends taught in, this was the Catholic School (I think)
I was able to stay with them for a few nights while I waited to go to my little Island- they were great hosts and we always had a great time.
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Related: I have been reading a lot about volunteer tourism lately, and the benefits and negatives that go along with it. I honestly never thought of myself as a "volunteer tourist", and I still do not. I went to the RMI to live with a host family, and had a job the entire time that was thru the Ministry of Education, I didn't pay out of pocket for the program (it was funded by the government). I lived very much like a local (or as close to as my host family would let me)...
When I hear about people going to Haiti, or Africa for a few weeks to work in an orphanage or hospital I really question the morality and ethics of such a trip. Is the 3k you spend in plane tickets/fees to do that really going to help the country or are you going for your own personal satisfaction? Would the community/people be better off if you donated the money and didn't go? ...and don't get me started on people who spend two weeks in a country and think they are some kind of expert or that they feel so connected to the kids/community. In that amount of time, it's just not possible, and anyone who thinks it is is seriously deluding themselves.
After my time in the RMI, I will always, always strongly believe that the first priority should always be to train members of the community, before bringing in volunteers. It is better for the country, community, and people in so many ways. Rotating volunteers can never have the impact that a trained member of the community can....end rant.
:) xo
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