The Winds of Fate: Micronesian Love Story

By Jean E. Roy van Keulen

The Winds of Fate Micronesian Love Story is an adventurous story about a brave, young, ambitious African American woman and university professor, who accepted the challenge to train teachers in Micronesia during the 1970s on how to educate children with handicaps in their classrooms. The obstacles she faced were enormous and the lessons she learned were immeasurable. She traveled and worked alone in places she had never heard of; each island was very different, undeveloped and undergoing major political changes.

She discovered that special education concepts and practices were not part of the natives' cultures, languages, vocabulary or understanding in the societies where she worked.

She had to learn how to train teachers using their cultural norms, learning styles, languages and experiences. She learned immediately that the training agenda and materials from the U.S. mainland would not work in Micronesia. She learned that the teachers used storytelling, their ancestral medium, to teach and learn; therefore, she had to change her approach overnight. She created stories every night in her hotel room to be able to train the teachers.

During her seven year assignment on the islands, a riveting love story was born between her and a Micronesian man. They were two people from two different worlds, cultures, languages and ways of life but their romance became an enthralling, passionate, powerful love affair that seemed destined to happen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468585476

Jean E. Roy van Keulen

JEAN E. ROY VAN KEULEN, PH.D. Professor Emerita in Special Education at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California lives on the Central Coast of Monterey County. Dr. van Keulen has worked extensively in the U.S.A. and abroad in the respective fields of general and special education, and education administration with preschool age children through adulthood.

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THE WINDS OF FATE

Micronesian Love Story

JEAN E. ROY VAN KEULEN PH.D.

SKU-000543132_TEXT.pdf

AuthorHouse™

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The characters, dates and some places in this book are fictitious; however,

the story, in part, is nonfiction. Any similarity to real persons, living

or dead is strictly coincidental and not intended by the author. The

characters are the figment of the author’s mind and imagination.

© 2012 Jean E. Roy van Keulen Ph.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 5/9/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-8547-6 (ebk)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-8522-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-8523-0 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012906498

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The following is a list of photographers whom the author especially

wishes to thank for permission to use their works.

Courtesy of David Stanley, Micronesia Map

www.mapsouthpacific.com

Courtesy of Greg Vaughn, Photography of Micronesia

http://gregvaughn.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Micronesia

Courtesy of Alex Arce, Portrait of Dr. Jean E. Roy van Keulen, Author

[e-mail]

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

1

Micronesia in Transition

2

From Colonialism to Freedom

The New Micronesia

3

Beginning of Elizabeth’s Story

4

First Assignment:

Trip to Truk (Chuuk)

5

Truk (Chuuk) to Yap (Wa’ab)

6

Yap (Wa’ab) to Palau (Balau)

7

Palau Continental Hotel

8

Life Changing Experiences

9

Unexpected Invitation from Saipan

10

Midnight Swims

11

Prisoners’ Story Boards

12

The High Commissioner

13

Storytelling in a Palauan Bai

14

An Emotional Connection

15

Palau (Belau) to Guam (Guahan)

16

Elizabeth Returns Home

17

Aurora Island:

The Goddess of Dawn

18

Aurora to Saipan

(Northern Mariana Islands)

19

Saipan to Ponape (Pohnpei) Island

20

Ponape (Pohnpei) to

Marshall Islands

The Pearl of the Pacific

21

Marshall Islands to San Francisco

22

Micronesian Special Assignment Ends

23

Desperate Search for Madison

24

Good Morning Mr. President

25

Their Extraordinary Reunion

26

The Winds of Fate

27

An Affair Two Worlds Apart

28

Always & Forever

Dedication

Madison

My One True Love

You are my fantasy, my dream,

My hero, my passion, my special friend and forever love.

There are no words strong enough to describe the depth of

My feelings of love for you.

We are two people as one in spirit, love, understanding, trust, and loyalty

and

As one emotional joyous tear.

Lovingly yours,

Elizabeth

Susan Polis Schutz

Blue Mountain Arts

Acknowledgement

It has taken several years to explore my interest in writing fictional and non-fictional novels. In 2010 I decided to stop thinking about writing a novel and actually sit down and put my imaginative thoughts and life experiences on paper. As a result, in 2011, I sat down at my computer, outlined this book and wrote the first eighteen chapters in forty-five days and nights; I discovered that writing this book gave me immeasurable pleasure, relaxation and tremendous joy. After writing the first eighteen chapters, I stopped, caught my breath and thought, before I write another chapter, I should have someone read what I have written. So, I sought the opinions and critiques about my work from two of my best friends, colleagues and confidants who are exceptionally honest, and critical reviewers. I knew they would give their honest opinions, constructive critiques, and suggestions and not flatter me for the sake of our friendship.

Dr. Gloria Weddington, professor at San Jose State University, is an experienced editor for several professional publications, so, I asked her if she would read my manuscript and give me her critique and recommendations. Thankfully, she eagerly agreed to do so, and gave of her valuable time to edit and critique my work. Afterwards, she encouraged me to keep writing with great enthusiasm and said, Your next profession will be that of a novelist; the book is fabulous. I sincerely thank you Gloria and appreciate the time you spent reading, editing and providing to me feedback on each chapter of The Winds of Fate Micronesian Love Story. You were encouraging, supportive and very complimentary of my work, and I derived renewed energy from your enthusiasm and words of wisdom each time I sat down to write.

My sister-in-law, Annemieke Harris-van Keulen, an expert of European vintage lace, linens and home décor is an avid reader of fictional and nonfictional novels volunteered to read the chapters while under construction, and showered me with encouragement, excitement, praise and support. She was eager and willing to give of her time to read every word of the manuscript, and anxiously waited for me to finish each chapter so she could continue reading my story. She provided critical feedback which resulted in changes that definitely improved and strengthened the book. I genuinely appreciate and thank Annemieke for her time, critical reviews, feedback and support.

Experience and Character

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Helen Keller

missing image file

1

Micronesia in Transition

This story begins in 1974 in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands where the islands are scattered across a vast expanse of water as wide as the continental United States, with over twenty-one hundred islands, that make up the cultural region known as Micronesia. The area includes three major archipelagoes: the Marshalls, Carolines and Marianas. It is here that major battles of World War II were fought in the air, on the land and sea between Japan and the United States of America.

This period of history drastically changed the landscape and lives of the Micronesian Islands and the people who resided there before, during and after the war. The changes affected the colonial ownership of the islands, the people, their lifestyles, cultures, customs, languages, dress and day-to-day survival among other things.

America’s influence began to take hold of these islands during 1944, and began to surface within the islands shortly after the conclusion of the war, and more intensively after the Trusteeship of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was passed formally to the United States under the auspices of the United Nations in 1947.

Having passed through the colonial rule of the Spanish, Germans and Japanese, the islands of Micronesia became a United States administered, United Nations strategic trusteeship. This new arrangement of the islands was then named and became known as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Initially, the United States Navy controlled the Trust Territory before the islands were transferred to the United States Department of Interior in 1951. At that time the administrative headquarters were located in Honolulu, Hawaii before moving to Guam, and then finally to Saipan.

Relics and evidence of the war are still evident all across the islands and divers often survey wrecks of Japanese, American, German and other ships and airplanes under Micronesia’s warm, clear waters.

A High Commissioner, an appointee of the United States President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, administered the Trust based Territory islands and for administrative purposes, divided the islands of Micronesia into six districts on earlier colonial precedent: the Marshalls, Ponape, Truk, Marianas, Yap and Palau with the later additions of Kosrae and Aurora.

Micronesia was marching toward political self-government and it became a long and unsteady journey. It began when the Trust Territory made up six districts under the US administration, but a major step forward was taken with the creation of the Congress of Micronesia in 1965. Then, more ground was covered as the congress carried on negotiations with the US through the 1970s over its future political status. The districts began voting to end the trusteeship with the United States.

Successfully achieving this objective in 1986, the United States notified the United Nations that its obligations were fulfilled. Then, in 1990, the United Nations officially dissolved the Trust Territory with Palau being the last of the Trust Territory districts to vote to end its trustee status in 1994.

Along the way, the Trust Territory dissolved into four groups, each pursuing its own political goals and each with its own flag and self-government; this was a distant dream in the 1960s, however, today it is a reality in Palau, Marshalls, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and Aurora.

The back-drop of this Micronesian love story is set in an important place and era of enormous change that was taking place among the island districts and the United States. The districts were busy determining the paths to their futures.

In the midst of these political changes and time in Micronesian history were two people, two strangers whose lives were about to change in ways neither would have ever imagined. She is an American woman from San Francisco and he is a Micronesian man born and reared on the island of Aurora. They met during this period of history - - a time when the island people were warm and friendly but restless and relentless toward overcoming colonialism on their islands and homelands of their ancestors. They wanted to be in charge of their destiny and determine the course of events and actions that would occur on their islands.

Historically, the island people of the Pacific Islands had strong chieftainships that were decided by the people, were well respected and worked for their societies. They wanted their islands to regain the power and respect of their people and the fundamentals of their social structures, while at the same time, establishing their own modern day government structures and systems that would take them into the millennium.

The islanders wanted equity, freedom and social justice while maintaining their dignity, identity, customs, traditions, languages, religions, unique differences and lifestyles. They had learned from their histories and experiences of domination that they wanted their freedom to govern themselves and to become independent, self-sufficient sovereign island nations.

Most of the districts had already begun formulating their own constitutional governments in the 1970s. The islanders across Micronesia had spoken loudly and clearly; they wanted to be free of the United States’ domination and supremacy over them. They wanted self-governance and to become independent of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTIP), a United Nations Trust Territory, under U.S. administration. They wanted sovereignty and later received it as independent nations under Compacts of Free Association with the United States.

The Federated States of Micronesia was the first to form its own constitutional government on May 19, 1979, and became a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3, 1986 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Soon thereafter, the other neighboring island entities formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Aurora, and the Republic of Palau, the youngest of the small Micronesian Islands.

During this period in history, the islands were still recovering, reclaiming and rebuilding their unique ways of life after experiencing, surviving, and recovering from the horrors and historical events of World War II, and now the emergence from trusteeship to independence from the United Nations and the U.S. Government. These were tenuous times that lacked stability and certainty for the Micronesian people. Yet, they had hope, faith, dreams and determination to survive their situations and maintain their dignity, pride, cultures and languages with the goal of becoming independent island nations someday.

Major social, political and economic changes were underway; the new mosaic of Micronesia had begun to form by the people and for the people with each island district reflecting its own unique values, customs, and traditions of the past, present and future; this was a period of transition. The Micronesian people were determined to define their destiny and restore, strengthen and preserve the ways of their ancestors.

It was during this remarkable period of history that Dr. Elizabeth Beth Richardson and Madison G. Kingtara met, coincidentally, for the first time. They were young professionals who were well educated, respected by their colleagues, and friends in the States and throughout Micronesia. They were full of life, self-confident, idealistic and ready to help improve and change the world.

She was a university professor of special education working in the Trust Territory Islands during this time on a special assignment and bravely traveled alone from district-to-district at least three to four times a year; each time, she worked on four or five different islands for at least four to eight weeks before returning home to San Francisco.

The people of the islands were humbling, unassuming, friendly, very proud of their heritage, ancestry and cultures; and most appreciative and respectful of Dr. Beth and her work. The islands were scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean where Mother Nature had worked her magic; the islands were truly picturesque unspoiled paradises.

Dr. Beth was a brave, beautiful and adventurous woman. She was from San Francisco, California, where she was offered and accepted an extraordinary special education teacher training assignment in the Trust Territory Islands during the 1970s - - prior to the Pacific Islands becoming independent Pacific Island Nations.

During her work and travels throughout the Trust Territory, she met many interesting and important people on the islands, within the Saipan government headquarters, elected Micronesian officials, local island leaders, businessmen and women, tribal leaders, educators, health professionals, visitors and many others who lived, and, or worked on the different islands of Micronesia, and from around the world.

She also accumulated many male secret admirers while working and traveling on the islands; and she was always very polite, respectful and professional when dealing with interested males; her mind and time were committed and consumed with her work and desire to do a great job. Therefore, her focus was primarily on training the public school and preschool teachers and administrators, and developing friendships and positive working relationships with the local people - - especially the district leaders, legislators, community agency directors, public school teachers, and education administrators. She was focused, personable and very diplomatic in dealing with the leadership of each district and the people.

After working on the islands for two years, she became well known throughout Micronesia for her work, knowledge, experience and commitment to her job and the teachers; and for some admirers, her height and good looks. Dr. Beth was a hit with the people and enjoyed every moment spent working with them and learning from them. After two years, she and the people of Micronesia had developed a mutual admiration society. She understood and respected their ways of life, and they accepted her into their cultures and societies.

She also met a very special Micronesian man, from the island of Aurora who was single, very handsome, full of life and well known and respected throughout Micronesia for his intellect, knowledge and expertise as a scholar, practicing attorney, and aspiring politician. He was in the process of clearly defining and clarifying his place in Micronesia and the world; and he was working hard toward achieving his personal aspirations and professional goals.

Dr. Beth and Madison met and developed a very special friendship on the island of Palau, where he was vacationing and working on some legal matters, and she was working with the public school and preschool teachers and administrators. Both, coincidentally, were staying at the infamous Continental Hotel when they met for the first time.

A friendship developed between them and later turned into a dynamic romantic relationship, which overtime resulted in numerous, passionate rendezvous throughout Micronesia and other parts of the world. They spent time together on his home island of Aurora, the Northern Mariana Islands, (Saipan and Guam) and other private places of beauty and serenity where they relaxed, enjoyed each other and deepened their special friendship and love for each other.

They enjoyed a fulfilling relationship for five years of her assignment in Micronesia; they fell in love and expressed their feelings to each other with incredible passion, sincerity, and respect. Their love affair was not showy and belonged exclusively to them; their relationship was not obvious to anyone or made known publicly and they wanted it that way. Then, after five years and without warning, they slowly drifted apart without saying goodbye after her last work assignment on Guam in 1979. Then, after finalizing and surviving a horrendous divorce in San Francisco, she made her final trip to Micronesia in 1981 to close-out her work, and spontaneously ended up in Aurora in a desperate search for Madison — her true love. Neither expected nor planned to end their love affair; instead, their lives and the personal circumstances of Dr. Beth changed considerably after she completed her last assignment in 1979 and returned home.

At that point, their paths took them in different directions and the personal demands on their lives practically consumed them, their time, and availability; as a result, they slowly drifted apart physically and soon lost contact with each other; but, they never stopped loving, thinking about and remembering each other.

As time passed, each of them, little-by-little resumed their separate, private lives in their two very different worlds - - he on Aurora Island where he was born, practiced law and eventually expanded his law practice throughout Micronesia while simultaneously exploring political opportunities that were in keeping with his growing political interests and aspirations. His political interests heightened considerably overtime; then, he actively began to explore possibilities in the political arena.

After Elizabeth left Guam and Madison, she went home to San Francisco, California where she was totally consumed by very emotional and strenuous days in divorce court, mothering her young daughter and working two and three jobs to pay for her horrendous divorce which was now in its fourth year. She was emotionally drained and the divorce seemed like an eternity that would never end; as a result, she had no time or energy left to nurture a love affair that seemed so far away in time and distance. She was exhausted most of the time, felt very alone and missed Madison terribly but simply could not handle anything else on her plate or do anything about their relationship.

She thought about Madison often and relived the happiest moments of her life spent with him over a five year period. Thinking about him and reminiscing about their time together gave her comfort and inner peace when she felt overwhelmed or like she was drowning in responsibility at home, in court and at work. Plus, parenting her young daughter required and needed her time and attention. She could only hope, under her exhausting situation and circumstances, that someday and in some way, their paths would cross again. But, as months, then years passed, she knew that the likelihood of their seeing each other again was most unlikely and would, indeed, be a miracle. After five, ten and then fifteen years passed, she was totally convinced that they would never see each other again in their lifetime. She sadly accepted this as fact and often blamed herself for the demise of their relationship.

She had hundreds of photographs of her adventures with Madison and her work with the teachers and administrators on each island. These pictures were her prized possession that she would proudly look at occasionally with pride, fond memories, touching emotions and love for the people. When she looked at pictures of Madison, she wondered what he might be doing at that particular moment; then, reminisced for a little while before closing and putting away the photo albums.

After completing her Trust Territory teacher training assignment in late 1979, she made a final trip in late June 1981 to each of the Micronesian islands to finalized her work, to reflect and reminisce about her incredible seven year journey on the islands, to say goodbye to her friends, her job and hopefully find and see her special friend and lover once again on Aurora. She actually went to Aurora specifically to search for him but without success in 1981. But, she learned while on Aurora that Madison had recently married; and, this news left her feeling numb, surprised, shocked, and emotionally distraught.

She completed the teacher training in 1979 and finalized her assignment on the beautiful islands of Micronesia in 1981. She also successfully achieved her teacher training goals, made a major contribution to the public schools and teachers by advancing their knowledge, skills and capacity to serve children with handicaps in classrooms with their peers, and made many lifetime friends that saddened her to leave; but, it was time for her to move on and resume her life in San Francisco with her daughter and work at the university.

Sadly, doors that opened, embraced and welcomed Elizabeth to Micronesia for seven years of work, friendship and adventure, closed gently and sadly behind her when she boarded the Continental Air Micronesia airplane for the last time as she headed home. She had finished her work but not her love, attachment, and respect that she had developed for the people of Micronesia and especially for Madison, the love of her life.

2

From Colonialism to Freedom

The New Micronesia

After thirty years passed, unexpectedly, Dr. Beth was invited back to the Pacific Islands of Micronesia to work once again as an independent consultant. However, the former Trust Territory Islands, as previously known to her in the 70s had changed drastically and transformed from U.S. dependent Micronesian Islands to independent sovereign nations. Time had obviously brought about many changes… She had to reorient herself to the magnificent changes that had occurred and catch up on the latest.

In preparation for her new contract assignment, she began immediately to prepare herself for the work she would do in the new Micronesia by researching and learning what had transpired or changed since her contract work ended in 1979 and officially closed-out in 1981. She needed to brush up on the status of the new, independent developing nations, their recent histories, demographics, geographical changes, cultural, lifestyles and other changes that had occurred since her last trip.

She wanted to be current in her knowledge about the people who lived on the different islands in this millennium. She knew that reading alone about the changes in Micronesia could not prepare her for the actual changes and firsthand experiences that she would experience with the Micronesian people as was the case when she worked there in the 1970s.

During her past seven years of remarkable work and lessons learned from the Micronesian people, travel, and experiences from living and working with them in the 1970s and early 80s, her knowledge and respect for the people soared. Each district’s islands were very different from the others, and each district had its own government structure, culture, languages, dialects, values, norms, lifestyles, religions, traditions, customs and ancestoral histories.

Thirty plus years later, the former Trust Territory was comprised of four separate, self-governing, independent Pacific Island Nations: excluding the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and Guam, USA, the new nations consist of, The Federated States of Micronesia which is comprised of Kosrae, Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk), and Yap; The Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Republic of Palau (Belau) and the Republic of Aurora.

Graciously, Dr. Elizabeth J. Richardson, affectionately referred to as Dr. Beth, had the privilege, honor and opportunity once again to return to Micronesia to work with the people of these young, developing island nations.

This story is about Dr. Beth’s magnificent journey in the 1970s and early 1980s in Micronesia, and the reunion with the love of her life once again 30 years later. She shares her work and unbelievable experiences while working with preschool and public school teachers, administrators and the people for seven years in Micronesia. She carefully describes in great detail numerous events that contributed to her successes with the teachers and administrators, fears that resulted from an attempted rape of a colleague while she slept in her hotel room next door and tears of sadness resulting from her miserable personal life on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. When she was in Micronesia, she enjoyed pure jubilation, happiness, joy from the Micronesian people, her work and a passionate love affair with a Micronesian man.

She also shares her encounters with a few males whose behaviors made her feel very uncomfortable and a little suspicious of their motives. Dr. Beth had to learn about the cultures of the people and what they defined as being acceptable and unacceptable behaviors within their respective cultures. On several occasions, there were questionable behaviors toward her from males that she didn’t know for sure if the behaviors were culturally and socially acceptable within their Micronesian societies, or if she was experiencing cultural clashes due to their cultural differences. She didn’t want to misinterpret the male’s behaviors solely from her perspective; likewise, she didn’t want them to step out of bounds with her.

She experienced many awkward moments when she first started to work in Micronesia; she didn’t know for sure what was expected of her, but she wasn’t afraid to ask and observe and that is how she learned the dos and don’ts of the Micronesian cultures over time. There are many examples of her eagerness to learn, adapt and fit into the Micronesian cultures and societies. She was very flexible, sensitive and very respectful of the people she worked with and lived within Micronesia. In fact, it seemed she had a natural affinity toward the people and could relate to them and their lifestyles, cultures and customs comfortably.

This book is filled with happy events, fearful situations, sorrow, laughter, surprises and intrigue from the time she began working on the beautiful islands throughout Micronesia to the very end. The stories and events of her Micronesian journey are in part educational, suspenseful, rewarding, surprising and one might say, Simply incredible.

3

Beginning of Elizabeth’s Story

In October 1974, thirty years after World War II, while the landscape of the Trust Territory was in the midst of making major changes, Dr. Beth, in her late 20s arrived on Truk via Guam. She was on a special U.S. government assignment in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Her actual name was Dr. Elizabeth J. Richardson, a young, full Professor of Special Education at San Francisco State University and called Dr. Beth or Elizabeth by colleagues, students and friends.

She was a special educator and trainer of preschool and elementary school teachers and administrators at the University, and she had gained a formidable reputation on campus for her professorial work, teaching skills, knowledge, expertise and personality. The students loved her and her peers respected her for her work, wisdom and congeniality.

Dr. Beth’s story begins early one morning, during the summer of 1974, when the doors of new opportunities opened for her. She was just a conversation away from the beginning of many new and exciting chapters in her life. She was going to travel and work in faraway places of Micronesia.

She was at home, in bed, when the telephone rang at 7:00 a.m.; she answered the phone and heard an unfamiliar voice greet her warmly and ask for Dr. Richardson. She acknowledged that she was Dr. Richardson and asked who was calling. She learned it was Dr. Chambers, Director of Children’s Services from the Region IX Federal Government, Office of Child and Family Services. She wanted to talk with Elizabeth about a special job assignment in Micronesia that she might be interested in pursuing; and, for which she had been highly recommended as a potential candidate.

The Director also said that her telephone call was because of the strong recommendations of several prominent University Professors of Special Education at San Francisco State University, and the San Francisco Unified School District’s Director of Special Education. She had made inquiries and sought assistance from these individuals to help her find qualified individuals who might be interested in this assignment in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Elizabeth listened carefully and said, That sounds interesting; but, I am really not looking for a job; I’m at the University full-time. But, from pure curiosity, she asked Dr. Chambers if she could make an appointment to meet with her because she wanted to hear more about this assignment.

The meeting was scheduled right away and the two met and discussed at length, what the Regional Office was looking for in the person for this special assignment; the details about the job were discussed, and Elizabeth’s questions were answered; for example, Exactly where is Micronesia in the Pacific Rim; how long would each trip last; how often would travel be required; who determines the travel schedule; are there other people on this assignment; can consultants be used if necessary; how is travel arranged and by whom; who would monitor and supervise the work performed, what is the salary; what are the fringe benefits, who is the supervisor, and who would help with the basic logistics related to the training, hotel accommodation, and car rentals when needed. These questions were answered thoroughly and included some perks that Elizabeth had not thought about asking.

Elizabeth became genuinely interested in the job after learning more about the assignment, and was really curious and intrigued about the possibility of such an adventurous opportunity in Micronesia; some places she had never been or even heard of; however, she needed some time to think about this intriguing challenge before making such an important decision. Then, she asked Dr. Chambers, as they were concluding the meeting, How soon do you wish to hire someone for this assignment, and she said, Yesterday" with a smile.

Dr. Chambers asked her to Think about it and get back to me within 10 days. Then she said, The Federal Government is seeking a qualified individual with credentials and experience in Special Education for preschool through high school age students, and I understand you exceed those requirements.

She encouraged Elizabeth again to think about this opportunity and let her know her decision, as soon as possible. Elizabeth thanked her for her time and the meeting; then said, she would think about it and get back to her within 7-10 days. Then, Elizabeth opened the door and left the office with her head in a daze. She was wondering how she might be able to do this job with a young daughter and estranged husband whom she was in the process of divorcing.

As she was walking out of the Federal Building, she thought, "Hmm, she said the work assignments would be on the islands of Guam, Saipan, Truk, Ponape, Yap, Palau, the Marshalls and Aurora. Exactly where are these places in the Pacific? She was aware of Guam, Saipan, Truk and the Marshall Islands, but not Palau, Ponape, Yap, or Aurora.

She kept thinking about the meeting as she drove to the University campus. Soon after parking her car in the University faculty parking lot, she walked straight to the library and looked up each place on the map that had been mentioned; then, researched each island’s history, demographics, cultures, languages, and lifestyles.

After thinking about the assignment for several days and completing her research about the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and having most of her questions answered, she decided to accept this adventurous opportunity. She notified the University about this incredible assignment in Micronesia and requested an unpaid, extended Leave of Absence which was approved and worked out with the University’s Human Resources Office. Then, she notified Dr. Chambers of her decision to accept the special assignment within eight days of their meeting. She was ready to train teachers and administrators in Micronesia about a recent Federal Law that required free, appropriate special education services to children with handicaps in the U.S. and Micronesia.

Elizabeth’s University colleagues, family and friends were happy for her and thought her decision was the right one. They jokingly asked if they could go with her; or, carry her luggage for her when traveling. Elizabeth was also happy she said, Yes to the offer. For days, she couldn’t stop thinking about her decision; she had accepted an interesting assignment filled with lots of unknowns at this stage, to train teachers in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

She kept thinking about her travels to all of these exotic islands that were so far, far away, the work to be done, the people, their lifestyles, rich histories, colonial ownerships, and cultures. Yes, she was happy with her decision, a little afraid too of the unknowns, but very curious and excited about the people and places her future work and travels for the next seven years would take her.

After being thoroughly oriented by the Regional Office of Children and Family Services staff about the job, and being on the job for four months, she was assigned to make her first trip in October 1974 to the Micronesian Trust Territory island of Truk and three other islands. She traveled alone and had no idea that the trip would seemingly take forever. She had never flown so long or so far in her life. She had no idea what to expect once she reached her destination, but she was eager, curious and a little anxious to find out.

4

First Assignment:

Trip to Truk (Chuuk)

Finally, after approximately 26 hours of flying and layovers from San Francisco to Hawaii, to Guam and Saipan to Truk, the airplane pilot finally announced that the plane was approaching Truk for landing. The pilot also announced that he would first circle low over the landing field to chase the chickens and pigs off the runway; then, he would land.

The passengers were looking out the windows of the plane to see the Truk airport and landing field. To Elizabeth’s surprise, there was no airport as she had imagined and expected; instead, there was only a wooden shed that could accommodate about two or three of the airline employees during rainy weather while the passengers stood outside under shade trees or sat in their vehicles with their luggage to wait for the plane to arrive.

The passengers at the airport usually stood around talking to each other, walking around while smoking cigarettes, chewing betel nut or standing alone daydreaming while waiting patiently for the plane to arrive or depart; there were no seats anywhere to sit.

The landing strip was crude; it was dirt and gravel, and had been created from the airplane wheel markings from landings and take offs over time. Otherwise, the rest of the field was covered with weeds, brush, chickens and pigs running wild. The landing strip was very short; in fact so short; that, when the airplane touched down at an incredible speed, the passengers wondered if it would come to a stop before its nose would touch the water of the Pacific Ocean.

Once the plane touched down, it came to an instant, abrupt stop that caused all of the passengers to tilt forward and brace themselves while strapped tightly in their seats. It was a very rough landing and scary experience.

Upon her arrival in Truk, she was met by her local contacts: two gentlemen, Chris and Raymond from the local school system, and Lela, female director, of the early childhood programs. They welcomed Elizabeth to Truk, introduced themselves; and then, began putting beautiful flower leis around her neck and mar mars on her head.

This was a new experience for Elizabeth; she loved flowers which made this a very special moment. She really felt honored and with a big smile and excitement, she thanked them for the flowers, for being there to meet her, and driving her to the hotel.

As they waited for the luggage to be unloaded from the plane, Elizabeth looked around at the airport’s immediate surroundings, and saw on the fringe of the airfield, many local Trukese adults and children standing back in the bush watching. The director saw Elizabeth scanning the perimeters of the field and said, People always come to the airport to watch the plane land, take off and watch the people coming to and leaving Truk.

Elizabeth’s local contacts spoke to her in English, but spoke their native language to each other. These were the people who would assist Elizabeth in any way needed during her stay on Truk. They would orient her to the island, and coordinate the logistics and interpreters for the training of twenty local school teachers for a week.

They made themselves available to Elizabeth each day she was on the island working, and were extremely helpful and accommodating. Elizabeth seemed to make a hit with them right away and by the end of the week, they were very comfortable with each other, and had established a very friendly working relationship.

While in Truk, Elizabeth stayed in the only small, privately owned and operated, hotel located on the beach front of the Truk Lagoon where many war ships, airplanes and remains rest at the bottom of the blue Pacific Ocean waters of the lagoon.

The owners of the hotel were Quakers from the United States, and had moved to and settled in Truk at the end of the war. They were an easy going couple and had constructed and decorated the hotel in such a way, that it appeared more like a large, single story house with eight guest rooms and bathrooms, a large dining room, where meals were served family style, a large kitchen, managed by a local cook, and a small gift shop filled with local handicrafts.

The hotel was very small, but cozy, and had a friendly atmosphere. The guests were from different parts of the world that stayed there, and often mingled in the dining room over meals for conversation and cocktails at the end of the day. As a result, by the time most guests checked-out to leave, most of them felt they knew each other, and exchanged business cards, telephone numbers, and addresses then promised they would stay in touch.

Most meetings and social time among hotel guests and local Trukese people were held in the dining room over breakfast, lunch or dinner. There were no other public places in Truk to eat, meet or socialize except the hotel’s dining room. It was in the Truk Lagoon Hotel dining room that the local people and visiting guests learned a lot about each other, shared stories, and talked about why they were there. Most of the guests staying at the hotel were in Truk on business trips; whereas, the tourists were usually there on touring or scuba diving expeditions.

The hotel owners, Michael and Marie Patterson, husband and wife, had lived in Truk since 1946, and loved it. They had found their paradise, learned the language and customs of the local people; and, had gained total respect and acceptance from them. The Patterson’s were very friendly, accommodating and a great source of information for their hotel guests.

They knew the history of the war, the islands, the people, their culture and language, and all that Truk had to offer to locals and visitors alike - - in the way of human services, shopping, dining and sightseeing. In each case, the choices were extremely limited.

Truk was a developing island and was very beautiful from its natural environment and surroundings. At a quick glance, it appeared to be a forgotten paradise on earth with very few people or buildings; however, it was rich with nature’s blessings. The mountains, flat lands, tropical trees, giant plants, fruit trees and fruits, birds, and turquoise blue water of the Pacific Ocean were breath taking.

It did not have paved roads, public utilities or waste management systems; the public services consisted primarily of public schools for the children, one night club frequented by men only, a small hospital, an old warehouse filled with relics from the past, a few little make-shift supermarkets with shelves half full, and a small liquor store with the shelves practically empty.

Most of the food that was not available in Truk was imported from the United States and Australia. The basic diet of the Trukese people consisted of rice, fresh fish and tropical fruits, as there were no refrigerators in the homes to prevent spoilage. Therefore, each meal had to be prepared for total consumption - - and no leftovers. Meat and vegetables were not readily available except when shipments arrived by plane or ship every two or three months.

Surprisingly, a few of the local people operated a few food stands along the roadside with some local fruits; but what usually captured visitors’ attention were the cans of Spam, Tuna Fish and Corn Beef prominently displayed. It was later discovered that the local people had been introduced to these canned goods during the war; they loved them, treated them as prized staple foods in their diets and enjoyed them with steamed rice.

The landscape of Truk was very green and picturesque looking down from the airplane window. Elizabeth learned later that Truk consisted of flat lands, hills and mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets on a barrier reef. The two major geographical and dialectic divisions of the Truk Lagoon were Faichuuk, the western islands, and Namoneas, the eastern islands. There were also several more sparsely populated outer island groups to the southeast, north, northwest, and the west which were, reportedly, some of the most traditional islands in the Pacific and the people were culturally related to Yap, another chain of islands to the west of Truk.

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Truk Lagoon – Chuuk

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Chuuk – People on beach, palm

Trees and Lagoon

The islands of Truk were covered with thick tropical forests, palm trees, tropical foliage, giant plants, tropical fruit trees, coconuts and colorful flowers everywhere. Truk, like each of the other Trust Territory Islands, had its own distinct landscape, people, unique characteristics, culture, language, lifestyle, customs and history.

Historically, during World War II, Truk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan’s main base in the South Pacific theatre. A significant portion of the Japanese fleet was based there. One of the most important Navy battles executed by the United States was on Truk in 1944 when twelve Japanese warships, thirty-two merchant ships and 249 aircraft were destroyed. Since then, tourism, especially scuba diving among the many wrecks of Truk Lagoon became the islands main industry.

Elizabeth was so fascinated with everything she saw, heard and learned in Truk. Everything around her was different and totally new to her senses and life experiences. She felt so foreign in a foreign land; and, realized right away that her job was not only a special assignment; it was a privileged assignment; an opportunity of her lifetime. She was rapidly becoming a full-time student while on the job, as well as, the special education teacher trainer.

On Monday morning, the director picked up Elizabeth from the hotel and drove her to the elementary school where the training would take place. All schools had closed for the week to allow all of the teachers and their assistants to attend. When they arrived at the school, Elizabeth was given a tour of the school and the outdoor play ground.

The building was practically empty except for some typical, old desks of varying sizes for the children, a chalkboard in each classroom and old desks and solid wooden chairs. Everything was so worn and rusty from aging, high humidity and years of use.

The school looked like a typical American stucco school building; however, it was an open-air structure without any glass windows. There were big openings in the classroom walls where windows would have been typically installed in the United States. Instead, the building was constructed in such a way that it was open so air could circulate throughout the entire indoors. All of the classroom doors, leading to the hallways, were open to allow the air to circulate as there was no air conditioning. The lighting was natural from the outdoors and entered through all of the large openings of the building causing the classrooms to have poor lighting, but adequate enough to see and function during daylight hours.

The outdoor playground was empty of any play structures; there was only open space that was not maintained. Weeds were growing everywhere and some debris was on the grounds as well. It did not have the appearance that children had ever been outside to play on the grounds.

The training took place in one of the classrooms of this school. The teachers and their assistants sat on the concrete floor of the classroom, while some were able to fit and use some of the children’s desks and chairs. Elizabeth was provided the teacher’s desk, solid wood chair, and some chalk for the chalk board. A large container of ice water was placed on a small table of the classroom with paper cups.

Everything and everyone was now set for today’s training. Introductions were made by Lela, the director and each teacher gave her name and grade she taught. Then, each teacher introduced her assistant with the help of the director. Following the introductions, the teachers were asked how many could speak English. There was no response; the room was totally quiet; instead of answering, they all looked away or down to the floor. Then Lela said something to them in Trukese at that point, and a few mumbled something in response to her, but avoided eye contact with Elizabeth.

Then, Lela said to Elizabeth, They are shy; but, most can speak and understand a little English. They are afraid you will ask them a question and expect an answer in English. Elizabeth asked Lela to please reassure them that she would talk to her; then, she would interpret everything for them; please assure them that they will not be asked any questions directly - - only from you in your Trukese language so they can relax. After Lela told them they would not be asked any questions by Dr. Beth, they looked at each other and smiled with obvious relief. Then, they looked at Lela with happy faces, big smiles and said something in Trukese to her and she said, You are welcome" in English to them.

The teachers were encouraged to ask questions or make comments through the interpreter who, in turn, would ask Elizabeth their questions or share their comments. After this exchange, they seemed to relax a little more but they still avoided direct eye contact with Elizabeth. They did look at each other, whispered in Trukese and shyly giggled every now and then.

The training began slowly with Elizabeth telling them why she was there, followed by, the introduction of special education, and followed by the recent legislation. When Elizabeth looked at the teachers’ facial expressions, after the interpreting was completed, she knew she was not reaching them; they had blank expressions and questioning eyes that said, I don’t understand a thing that you are talking about. So Elizabeth thought she would slowly introduce some of the terminology used in special education; then, give them some examples of what the words mean in practice - - maybe that will help. So she started with education first; then added special to education on the chalkboard. They looked at the chalkboard and one teacher told Lela in Trukese that special education meant, that education was very nice and very special for children."

Then, Elizabeth tried to get it across to the teachers why education was called, special education." To say the least, it was a very tedious, challenging experience trying to teach foreign words and concepts to teachers who did not have a clue what was being taught because special education had never been part of their world or their vocabulary.

By noon the first day, the teachers still did not understand the concept of special education; so Elizabeth became concerned and started to wonder if her assignment could be accomplished on the other islands if Truk was an example of what to expect. She began to feel a little frustrated because she was not reaching them; she felt responsible, on the spot and didn’t know for sure what to do about it. Her mind was racing while she continued to talk calmly and slowly to the teachers. Nothing seemed to work… So, she had the teachers take a break so she could talk with Lela.

She asked Lela’s opinion about how things were going and expressed her concern; Lela told her that she would need to take it very slow, and she probably would only cover about one-fourth of the information she had planned to cover in the training this week. She said, The teachers were having difficulty with the words and concepts that were so foreign to them, and simply were not part of their culture, language or society. Lela told Elizabeth that, Right now, they think you are talking about them and their education and nothing related to children with handicaps." With that information, Elizabeth knew she had her work cut out for her.

She was on the spot! She had to use every teaching strategy she could think of to get this information across to the teachers. She wanted the teachers to understand something about special education and the new law before she left Truk. She was determined to keep it simple but successful. So, she decided she would focus on terminology during this first week of training; then introduce some concepts the next time; then classroom practices after that; then different strategies that could be used, and continue to build from there. She realized that she was going to have to spend a lot more time in Truk when scheduling future trips based on this initial training experience.

However, she didn’t mind the trips, she just wanted the school teachers, administrators and eventually the parents, to learn that the majority of children with handicaps can learn and/or be trained in school with the other children; and, they do not necessarily have to stay at home; they can and should go to school.

Likewise, she knew what she wanted to teach was going to take a miracle to learn and implement because Truk did not have anyone or any resources to make educating children with handicaps in the same classroom with their peers possible. They needed everything … they were starting from zero.

After the break, the teachers were slowly and patiently introduced to some terminology used in special education during the training; and the teachers’ facial expressions continued to be totally blank. They would occasionally speak to Lela in Trukese and repeat some of the new terminology; they were overheard speaking softly saying the words mainstreaming and handicaps into their class in perfect English … then, they would giggle. At least they were saying the words; that was a break-through and music to Elizabeth’s ears. She was so happy to hear those words come from their mouths.

However, conceptually, she knew they had no idea or clue what the words or concepts meant in practice. At this phase of the training, Elizabeth knew it was going to take a long time to eventually teach them about special education and mainstreaming because they simply did not know or understand anything about children with handicaps, special education services, or what it would involve in developing and implementing successful programs and services for the children.

All of the special education talk was so foreign to Lela as well as the teachers. However, Elizabeth was determined to train all of them about special education and set out slowly, through patience, illustrations, drawings on the chalk board and many examples, to help the teachers understand little-by-little what she was teaching them.

The training process was very challenging, intensive and tedious for the teachers and director, as well as Elizabeth. She had to keep reminding herself that the teachers were not college students, most had not completed high school; plus, it was going to take years of training, teacher support and lots of resources to help them to do what was required in the Federal Special Education Legislation.

The training was even more challenging because the teachers in Truk had not received high school or any formal post high school teacher education courses, preparation or training. With this discovery, she knew that she was going to have to make even more radical changes to her thinking and original training plans. She realized that she had run into her first cultural clash that registered clearly in her mind that "What she brought from San Francisco for the teacher training won’t work in Truk - - none of it; she had