YAP

My first impression of Yap actually came when I visited Queens for my first time. My tour guide was a girl that had been to Yap on her JBIP and I was fascinated. I had no idea what Yap was or where it was or that it even existed. I pretty much forgot about it until my sophomore year of college, when I befriended Alvaro and he would never shut up about it. When he talked about it, he never had a bad thing to say and the way he described it made me really want to go. He showed me pictures and explained some of the culture to me (obviously not all of it, as my quiz grades indicate) Ever since talking about it with him, I have wanted to go so badly. 

Before learning about Yap, I think I had a somewhat accurate picture of it. I envisioned a tiny island that had beautiful scenery and a plethora of wildlife. I envisioned the locals as a generally happy group of people, who’s concept of time and work was just a little different from those of most places. There is so much that I had to learn though. I never knew about the tectonic action that was behind the formation of the island, the customs of the natives, or the history that makes the region what it is today. A big misconception that I had about Yap was that it was Westernized in all of its beliefs. Although the cultures and the customs of the West (mainly America) do have an influence on Yap, their culture is uniquely their own and can at times be very different from that of the United States. I am so excited to experience and learn further about this culture. 

In addition, I am so excited to be on the island itself. I can’t wait to experience the ocean, the diving, the forests, and the Mangrove forests (even though I have a bit of an irrational fear of Mangroves) I love nature and wildlife and, having never been outside the United States, this ecosystem is unlike one I have ever experienced. All in all, I am PUMPED to go to Yap, and experience for myself all of the wonderful things that I have heard and learned about. 

 

What is a Yap?

 When choosing where I wanted to go on my JBIP trip, I was certain I wanted to go somewhere I would never go again! Most of the other trips that were offered were going to generic destinations such as Brazil, Italy, or England (probably the most boring place on earth), and really had no meaning or purpose. What stuck out about Yap, was the idea of integrating ourselves into their society and culture, and having an impact on their lives. I wanted to go somewhere that was not only unique, but where I had a rare opportunity to experience a culture and lifestyle unlike any other in the world. Yap was just that! 

Before learning about Yap, I envisioned a minuscule  tropical island just hanging out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean…I was right! Little did I know, this tiny Island has more history and life to it than I could imagine. As we learn about Yap and Yapese culture, I am becoming more and more interested and excited for this journey. One of the most fascinating aspects of Yap is their use and gratification of stone money. I have never heard of people who use an object such as a 10 foot rounded out piece of stone as property and currency. I find it difficult to understand how you can pay for something by giving someone a large piece of limestone, in which they can do nothing with. Who came up with that idea? Paper money is so much easier….

One of the aspects I am most excited for in Yap is going diving. I have always been an ocean enthusiast and Yap is known to be among the best diving locations in the WORLD. The idea of having crystal clear water, coral reefs, and all sorts of sea species makes me even more excited. When I heard we had the opportunity to go on a night dive I was a little excited. But when I heard we will be free diving with sharks, I was thrilled! Not only do I love the ocean, and sea life, but sharks fascinate me beyond belief. Although Im sure Ive swam with sharks before in Myrtle Beach, I couldn’t see them due to the poop brown water of the lovely Atlantic Ocean. In Yap, the clear water will allow us to actually see the animals, making for an experience that will surely be unforgettable. Overall I am extremely excited to see the Yapese lifestyle first hand, experience something I have never imagined, and expand my travels around the world! Who knows, I may even go back one day..(if the chinese take over and make it a huge resort with golf courses and waterparks and cool things like that!) 

Beaches, Boulders, and Boobies : My first impression of Yap

The first time I heard about Yap was during soccer practice my freshman year at Queens. Kat, Kelsey, Sarah Beth were Juniors on my soccer team and they wouldn’t shut up about this place: how excited they were, their daily countdowns to their departure, how awesome their group was, how cool the professors were, getting the chance to scuba dive, the list could go on. So I was immediately influenced by these girls and others that went on this trip two years ago to apply to go to Yap. After they got back from their trip, they continued to rave about it so I was obviously interested in looking at Yap for my trip.

So when it was time to decide where I wanted to go on my JBIP I didn’t want to rule out any places  immediately but I knew that Yap would be a phenomenal trip. I knew that I wanted to use my JBIP to experience a place where I may never get the chance to go again. After looking over the different locations, Yap was truly the best option for what I wanted to get out of the trip.

After applying and hearing that I was accepted, I was ecstatic. My uncle is a master diver so I called him to tell him the news. He was so envious. He had been diving all over the world for over 20 years and never been to this area of the Pacific. He told me all about Palau, where his best friend had just returned from a diving trip but didn’t know much about Yap except that it was world-renown for its diving. He wanted to know all the details that I didn’t quite have yet.

After talking to him, I wanted to know more about this island that I would be traveling to.  So like any curious person, I turned to Google. Googling Yap brought images of beautiful landscapes of beaches, giant stone discs, and quite a few bare chested females.

Learning more about Yap in this class has taught me that, these bare chested ladies are not how all women on Yap dress and that this is typical of the outer islander women.  I have also learned that these large round rocks were once valuable forms of currency and trade because of their journey and how difficult there were to come by. Although this fei or stone money is no longer used to pay for things as it was historically, it still has a sacredness surrounding it. They are used more today as a gift of respect to a village that has been wronged. For example, if a teenager from village A vandalizes village B, it is village A’s duty to repay village B in order to keep peaceful relations.

Now looking back to freshman year, I can completely understand why those that went on this trip two years ago couldn’t stop talking about their excitement. I am in the same boat now and rave to everyone about how amazing I know our trip will be.

“Yap.”…”Gap?”…..”no, not Gap. Y-A-P, Yap”

 I’ve always been an adventurer and I have really enjoyed traveling. I’ve been here and there in the United States. I’ve traveled down to Nicaragua and driven up to Canada, but one place I’ve never been is an island. My aunt is the world traveler in our family, so when narrowing down my choices for JBIP, I wanted them to be places my aunt had never been before. The final three were India and Nepal, South Africa, and of course, Yap. When I had to list my first choice, it was easy. I knew I would most likely; probably never travel to Yap on my own. I wanted a place where I wouldn’t be walking around a museum and looking at art all day. I can do that here in Charlotte. Yap has a brand new experience for me to encounter.

                Finding out I got accepted as a traveler of this trip was one of the best days (it was also a bonus that the class was going to be on campus instead of the 5^th Street Campus where all my nursing classes are held). I wanted to know everything we were going to do; what we were going to see and eat, but that had to wait for an entire summer and Fall Semester. Going into this class, I didn’t know too much about Yap, except it is an island that no one knew where it was located and that it has really cool stone money. I try not to go into brand new experiences with expectations, because every group is different and the experience is unique and changes with each person. I honestly had no idea what we were going to learn about. Culture, values, food….. those were my top picks. I didn’t think I was going back to 5^th grade science class where we learned about the Earth’s make-up or how there is such a thing as a tropical dry forest (they say you learn something new every day)! The culture of Yap has been the most influential thing I’ve learned about. In our interview I remember being asked if I’ve been anywhere with a different culture than we have in United States. I was able to answer that I had been to Nicaragua where their culture was much different than ours. They are very quiet people, so they do not shout or talk loudly. If two people are talking, it is rude to walk in between those two. I know I’m probably going to do something that is not culturally acceptable, but I’ll learn from it (and never ever do it again).

          Being able to translate all that we learn in this class to what we see/experience on Yap is such an amazing thing. Each day that goes by is one day closer to our departure date! I personally don’t think that the reality will hit me until we land in Yap at who knows what time on who knows what day. Until that day, I will continue to learn about the ecosystem, the political structure, the Gatchpar Village and much more.  

Yapalapadap

Jen Swanstrom

JBIP- Yap

Feb 21, 2013

Blog: Expectations

After having been in the Micronesia JBIP class for almost 2 months now, I have already learned so much. I soon realized that the confederate states of Micronesia were not how I pictured things to be in my mind and at the same time, was how I pictured some things to be.

Coming into the class, I saw Yap as a bigger island with tropical features like white sandy beaches, blue waters, and a place that still had night life and other forms of entertainment. I knew there would still be natives that still maintained and lived by the earlier culture of Yap, but I thought most people on the island would have evolved from that earlier culture and not practice it as much. I expected myself to be swimming, snorkeling, and diving amongst the coral reefs in hopes to find sharks, stingrays, and other types of colorful fish; a whole new world I was/ am so ready to explore. For the most part, I thought we would stay with our Queens group the whole time apart from the various tasks that we would help out with accompanied by the Yapese islanders. Exploring the blue waters from the beaches and from deep under the water was one thing that drew me in to Yap.

After being in the Micronesia JBIP class, many of my predictions were spot on and also far from what I expected. Yap is actually a really small island formed by a volcano or a series of volcanos. A volcano as an island is a lot smaller than I predicted what Yap would be like. I was surprised to hear that there are only a few restaurants and grocery stores on the island and how very limited they are on different foods. Because Yap is so secluded it is hard to be constantly equipped with foods that are always so available in the United States. The current Yapese culture was what I expected it to be – having evolved from what it used to be where it was all about being with your extended families and now it is more about your nuclear family. One thing that made me realize how small of an island we will be on is how everyone will already know everything about you before you even step foot on the island. Word travels so fast between the islanders and different villages and they will know what you are going to be doing the next day or week before you have any idea of what you will be doing. Knowing this gives me a sense of being a part of a huge Yapese family; as if we are all related in some way on the island. I am also very excited to spend time with the Yapese and get to know them and hear from them how life is so much different from life in the United States. Of course I have already seen many pictures, learned from readings, professors, and other students, but I cannot wait to hear first hand from the islanders about themselves and their lives. I was happy to hear that we would be spending a lot of time with the Yapese and not just our Queens group.

YAP YAP YAP

I have never really been thrilled about traveling the world.  Most people talk about how they would love to go to a variety of different foreign places, such as France, Italy, Spain, excreta, but I’ve on only ever wanted to go to one place and that is Australia.  My parents and brother lived there for two years before I was born, so I grew up hearing all of the amazing stories about scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, the wildlife, snow skiing in New Zealand, and a bunch of other amazing experiences; of course I want to go there.  I got my scuba diving license as soon as I could.  You’re not allowed to get certified until you are 12 years old, but I started taking the course as an 11 year old in 6^th grade because the written test and checkout dives were after my 12^th birthday.  So there I was an 11 year old girl in class with adult men and women, the next youngest person was about 20, but I couldn’t have been happier; I was finally going to be able to dive with my family instead of snorkeling above them.

When it came time to choose a JBIP trip I had had my heart set on Australia, but then I saw Yap.  It intrigued me.  It was a place I had never heard of that was known for amazing scuba diving.  None of the other trips interested me at all.  So it was time to make my decision, Yap or Australia?  It was a pretty simple decision, especially because I would have to pay about $1000 to go to Australia.  Money was not the only deciding factor though.  When I sat down to make my decision, I realized that Yap truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I will eventually make my way to Australia whether it is with my family or on my own, but how many people take vacations to Yap?  No one that I have ever met.  So it was decided; I was going to Yap.  A place that I would have never even dreamed of going, because honestly, I did not even know it existed.  As Chris stated, everyone I talk to about Yap’s location barely even knows where Guam is, so I know this is an incredible and unique destination.  Once I interviewed and was accepted I was pumped and could not wait to go and experience all of the scuba diving and sea food.

We are now about half way through the semester, and my areas of excitement have changed a little bit.  Of course I am still pumped about the scuba diving and sea food, but through learning about the culture on Yap I am truly excited to get to know these people and dive right into their way of life.  From what I’ve seen this semester it seems like we have an awesome group and I know this is going to be the experience of a lifetime.  May 7^th cannot come soon enough!

Where In the World is Yap?

Yap – a small island country in the Pacific Ocean. That was it. That was the entirety of my knowledge about the country when I first signed up for this trip. Sure, I had heard about the trip from various students who participated during the previous years but I never got anything more than: “It is indescribable.” So then the question of what indescribable meant would flood my head for the months preceding the final selection. Before long, the curiosity was too much to handle and I decided to hit the internet and much to the dismay of what professors tell you, I found myself mesmerized by the Wikipedia page devoted to Yap. The page had a rough outline of the country’s government, history, and more importantly, an entire section devoted to the Yapese form of currency.

The stone money was by far the most interesting thing that I read about the country at first. Little did I know that the stone money was probably one of the most prized possessions on the island for some people. The stone money looks as simple as can possibly be and yet the native islanders have made it the focus of their economy for much of their existence. I did not understand why this was the case but it reminded me that money can be anything you want it to be. When I later found out that the money’s worth was not based on size but rather story, I saw the complexity of such a simple aspect of their life.

Beyond currency, the internet had a wealth of knowledge about a country that, for most people, is probably a fictional place in some book they read. From the internet, and especially pictures, I started to picture what my trip would be like. I imagined white sand beaches, palm trees, coconuts, and waves gently crashing into the surf. I pictured sitting on the beach and relaxing one day and “adventuring” through the forests and jungles the next day trying to take in as much as the island had to offer. Of course, I imagined the work that we would be doing, but never in my mind did I consider what I was doing as a service trip or learning trip. I had it stuck in my mind that this trip would be an adventure and a time to relax. While my first projections about the trip might have been slightly off, I believe that I will be enjoying the sounds of the ocean and the sway of the coconut trees along with the along with the breathtaking views of nature that I will see. More importantly, I have found where in the world Yap is.

Happy Yappy

I’ll be honest…when I began my walk through Burwell Parlors last March to explore my options for the John Belk International Program for my Junior year, I had no idea where I wanted to go. I walked in and browsed my way through a few tables and tri-folds for places like Spain and Morocco, Brazil, India and Nepal, as well as various Language Immersion sites, just sort of window shopping my way around until something jumped out at me.

As I passed by another meaningless table, I looked up and saw Dr. Pillar sporting a very classy Hawaiian button-up shirt. I was intrigued. I had seen Dr. Pillar around before, but had never formally met him, and standing with him on the other side of the tri-fold was Dr. Perkins, who was also dressed in a very casual, island-like manner. There was something different about this place already. Just a few steps ahead of me, Ryan Cook, walked up to table. I almost kept walking, but thankfully was still intrigued enough by this enigmatic duo of chaperones that I continued to the table and began to listen to the two professors as they spoke to Cook and myself about a small island called Yap. I had only heard of Yap very recently as it had come up in discussion with some upperclassmen who traveled there the year prior.

The map on the tri-fold placed Yap on the other side of the world and there was something about such a foreign place that captivated me. Not only was I looking to literally expand my horizons to the utmost, but I was also genuinely fascinated by the pictures on the board too. As Amy phrased it, it was very much an “untamed” beauty. It was the serene beaches, tropical forests, and beautiful water that one would expect to see at a big, fancy resort in a tourist hot spot, but in these pictures there were no grand hotels or lavish resorts. And even later that evening after having left the event, I looked up more pictures and information about this mysterious island and was impressed to learn that in fact it was a very untouched and unaltered island with a culture to match. Dr. Pillar and Dr. Perkins had also informed us that this project was also a service trip, which at the time didn’t really mean much to me, but now, I am glad that on this trip I will also have the opportunity to give back to others.

Today, halfway into the semester and our class, I am even more excited about the travels that await us in May. I have not only grown to be fond of Perkins and Pillar, but also could not have picked a better group of students to travel with. From classroom discussions to our endeavors during our retreat, I am consistently reminded of how lucky I am to be in this group. I actually look forward to learning more and more about this mysterious island culture that will inevitably change my life come May.

Im going to be so wet in Yap

When I told people I wanted to go to Yap they all looked at me like I was talking about going through the wardrobe to Narnia. Most people have absolutely no idea where Yap is or that it even really exists. I end up having to explain to them that its in Micronesia….which means I end up explaining where Micronesia is and the only thing anyone understands is that its near Guam, and im still not confident most people I talk to could point out where Guam is on a map. Then the conversation usually goes to why I decided on Yap when I could have gone to Spain, Italy or anywhere else in the world. I simply explain I want to go where nobody else has gone and for the world class diving. Now I must admit that the original reason I wanted to go to Yap was solely for the diving but after learning about the people history and culture I think there is so much more to learn, but this blog is about my unparalleled excitement to dive so we will talk about that later. 

 

Diving in Micronesia is at the top of most divers list due to the great marine diversity, clear waters and its exquisite beauty. While diving in Yap you are almost guaranteed to see some Grey Reef sharks, which is not as common as most people think. Ive been diving for a number of years and have dove about 50 or so times and may have seen six sharks. Either way they are absolutely beautiful to watch in their environment and you gain a different understanding of how these apex predators really operate. They aren’t mindless killing machines but are very precise and calculated with their actions. I don’t know its sounds cliché but once you guys actually are under with them you will understand what im talking about. I had the opportunity to do a shark dive in Hawaii a few years ago. The dive master took us to the ocean floor and broke out a huge bucket of chum that attracted the sharks. As you can imagine quite a few came and ate the chum. I was fairly oblivious to anything happening around me besides what was in front of me but while I was watching the dive master I felt a solid punch in my rib. I looked over and saw a nurse shark had ran into me and was floating right beside me. I looked around a little nervous but the dive master informed me that this particular shark liked to have its nose scratched.  So I began to stroke her nose, which was by far one of the most surreal moments in my life. She just laid in my hands until she decided she was ready to move on to the next person. This opportunity is really what gave me a completely different outlook on how sharks really operated compared to what everyone had seen in movies and on shark week. Another huge attraction to the Yap diving scene are the Manta Rays. Mantas are truly gentle giants regardless of how intimidating they may look or be.  Mantas can weigh up to 5000 pounds and span 25 feet wide.  They are filter feeders so they consume a ton of plankton or small creatures daily. According to a lot of websites they are actually very curious friendly creatures that aren’t bothered by humans and will actually come very close to you. Ive never had the opportunity to see one of these magnificent creatures but I can only imagine what it would be like to see a giant Manta gliding through the water.

 

Needless to say im so excited to have the opportunity to go to Yap and experience all of its island culture and its people. I really feel like this is a once in a life time opportunity and I plan to make the most of it. Ive got to be honest though….im super excited to get under the ocean and explore Micronesia’s diverse marine life. Like the title suggests, I plan on getting super wet in YapC

I can’t wait to go to Yap!

Yap.  Where in the world is that?! would definitely sum up my first thoughts about this amazing group of islands I will be visiting this summer.  “Yap Proper is the main island within the Yap Islands within the Federated States of Micronesia which is a country within the group of islands called Micronesia” is definitely one of the ways I heard to describe Yap which I have been using to explain where I am going this summer as part of my John Belk International Program study tour.  The one thing which has stuck out to me the most about Yap is how the traditional culture clashes with the modern culture.  There are definitely a lot of mutually beneficial relationships between Americans and Yapese, but I see the struggle to maintain a cultural identity as the one topic about Yap which sticks out to me the most.  A shift in family structure from the extended family to nuclear family is just one of many aspects of Yapese culture which is different.  Who are we as Americans (or the Germans, Europeans, and Japanese beforehand) to decide how Micronesian people should live?  Why are our cultural values sometimes seen as more important than theirs?  My impression is that the “untamed” beauty and wonder of Micronesian islands is what initially drew people to visit these islands.  I put “untamed” in quotes because I am referring to the ecosystems which are so dramatically different from those found in Europe, for example.  This word choice by no means indicates any slight against the Yapese people themselves.  Different languages and cultural customs caused a lot of conflicts in Yapese history because of European versus Micronesian ideals on how rulings should be made and on how people should live.

I admire the laid back attitude which so commonly embodies the Micronesian spirit.  It contrasts so much with the aggressive attitude focused on constant development and financial gain of people from the United States.  The people from Yap who are adjusting to modern currency from stone and shell money are adjusting pretty well in some areas but not as well in others.  With any good change there will also be bad change.  Alcoholism which was not common before the modern age is now very prevalent in Yap and throughout Micronesia.  The changing family structure also messed up the security blanket that extended family members used to provide on Yap.  These two changes are negative, but my impression is that the more diversified daily life, diets, and experiences are very beneficial for the Yapese.  Educational opportunities which now exist in the modern age are absolutely key to helping the Yapese to advance.  There has undoubtedly been some resistance to the modern government style in comparison to the traditional government style which is on Yap.  Problems arise when there is an established leader who still may be powerless in comparison to the village chief.  Those problems are what stick out to me about Yap as well.  Certain things such as fire departments and police departments have some real limitations when it comes to the chief system on Yap because so much of their land is privately owned.