In an effort to complete my rough draft about my Peace Corps experience before I forget everything, I've temporarily suspended my other projects. Movie reviews have been postponed until further notice and "Fionnuala" is going to be set aside until July. It's really important to me that I write everything down while I still have the particular details clearly in mind. I still remember how I chose not to do that for my Spain trip. Now all I remember are the city names and the people I traveled with. Nothing is worse than not being able to remember an awesome experience abroad and I refuse to let that happen with this experience, which was a major landmark in my life.
I've reached the point where I make it on television yet again. The first time was on Armenian TV with my Peace Corps Georgia friends while we were waiting to cross the border. I'm sure they got some sweet footage of me playing catch in no-man's land and proving that I would have been a Superbowl champion in an alternate reality. The second time was Thanksgiving Day in 2008 on Kosrae, and my family still has the DVD. Like the majority of my adventures in life, this one was completely unintentional. I just volunteered to sing with my village because it seemed fun and reminded me of when I used to impress my friends by singing "West Side Story" songs in 8th grade. I had no idea it was being televised until a few days later, when random Kosraeans started talking to me.
Kosraean: Hey, I saw you on TV, Tulensa!
(Tulensa was my Kosraean name)
Me: Huh? I was on TV?
Kosraean: Yeah, for the Thanksgiving Day event in Lelu. Kom samat ke on! (You're good at singing!)
Me: Really? I got to check that out! Kuloh ma lalap! (Thank you very much!)
After twenty conversations like that, I finally did check it out, and indeed, my handsome young face was given a great deal of screentime. I was fairly decent too, considering I was with people who'd been singing since they were two years old. It was definitely one of my better memories of Kosrae.
I hope to be finished with my rough draft by June 30th. After that, I'm going to edit "Fionnuala" so that I can return to my Peace Corps Memoir with fresh eyes.
Stay posted!
