No Home to Go Back To

Well, I sold the house.

JF and I had discussed it extensively before I left and finally settle on renting it out and keeping it since the market was soft and we weren't sure what we were going to to do after Kwajalein. We figured that it would be good to at least have the option to have the house to come back to if nothing else or after two years or so it would at least be sellable at a decent price so we could profit off of it and move on.

What ended up happening was one of our friends started asking me questions about it and asked me how much I wanted for it and when I told him he said "Sold!". I'm not dumb and I figured if I did sell it I could sock away what I was making in payments and we'll still have a nice reserve for whatever we decide to do next.

Now that all of that is over I'm hoping we can get JF out here soon and we can enjoy this place together. I really like it but it would be so much better if he were here to enjoy it with me. He's been working hard to get the house ready for the sale and getting himself out of it. Now that that is done, hopefully we can find a job for him and we'll be together again. I'm very much looking forward to that.

Spring Music Festival

Yesterday was the Spring Music Festival here on Kwaj and it was a blast. Many of the locals showcased their talents on the stage and did a darn good job too. There was a chili cook off, a pulled pork cook off, there was a beer garden featuring 12 home brews and there were a couple of EXCELLENT beers. Yummy! There was beach volleyball and I think almost everyone on the entire island was there. It was a great time.


This is the t-shirt design created by Denise Dorn here on the island.

I also got to meet a woman who just recently came to Kwaj after following my blog. It was fun to get to meet her finally. It seems that she is enjoying it as well.

Overall I really like it here. I think it's a good fit for me, I've been doing a lot and having a good time. I have some friends now so that makes it even easier. I still think it's not for everyone but if you think it's for you, do it. I'll see you here!

Experiencing The Natives

This weekend a group of us went over to Ebeye for a couple of hours to check it out and see what it was like. According to Wikipedia:

Ebeye is the most populous island of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, as well as the center for Marshallese culture in the Ralik Chain of the archipelago. Settled on only 80 acres (360,000 m²) of land, it has a population of more than 12,000. With crowded living conditions, an inadequate school system, and scarce clean water, Ebeye has been known by the unofficial and unfortunate title of "Slum of the Pacific."

It's pretty dirty. We walked around the whole island and then got on the boat and went back home. We got to experience a third world country in a few hours and then go home. It's the best of both worlds.
Here are some shots from the trip:

The Kwaj Crud

Sounds nice huh?

I don't know what it is but that's what everyone says I have. The Kwaj Crud.

Sunday and Monday, I had sore throat, Tuesday my lungs felt tight and since then, I have a very dry cough and I haven't been able to talk ! I sound like a squeak toy, when I can actually get out a squeak.

Very frustrating; I'm a talker.

Cough drops and cough syrup seem to help the most but those aren't really my worst symptoms. Just this stupid lack of voice. Overall I feel just fine. Someone said there is usually a low grade fever with it that you don't notice because it's so warm here.

Fun, I really hope I can talk again soon!

**UPDATE**
3/30/09 3:00am

I figured out what the crud is. Well, my crud at least.

It's a sinus infection but because of all of the air conditioning around here, there was no "evidence" of it because the indoor air is so dry. The air conditioning system in the BQ's runs 24/7.

After breathing in hot steamy water I was able to break it up enough to get the "evidence" and proceeded to spend about 45 minutes this morning, steaming and inhaling salty water and blowing it all out and guess what!?! I can talk!

Now it's 3am and I'm fully awake but that's ok. I'm glad I figured out what was going on. I wonder if the crud is more prevalent in people who aren't used to air conditioning. Tomorrow I'm going to get some OTC nasal spray and knock this out completely if I can.

It's just so nice to be able to talk, although the only one to talk to at 3am is the cat but he seems to be enjoying it. :)