From Away

When I moved to Maine in 1989, I learned quickly that I was an outsider. I was “from away” and would never be considered otherwise no matter how long I lived there. Even those who had been brought to Maine as babies in their mothers’ arms and had spent their lives in the villages and small towns and rural areas of those northern woods were still, well into their 80s and 90s, “from away.” We could never hope to be otherwise. It would take at least two more generations for the label to disappear from those who came after us.

In the same way, I will never be anything more than a foreigner in a foreign land in Yap. Even those Americans who have lived here for 30, 40, 50 years, many married to Yapese with Yapese families, will never be referred to in any other way than “an American married to a local.”

Visiting a developing country only gives the traveler the merest hint of the truth beyond the front door of the hotel, even if that hotel is less than five star. Living in a developing country is allowing me to get below that superficial impression of the culture, the people, the challenges, the facts that reside behind closed doors, down alleyways, and even out in the open.  But I will never truly understand or experience the actuality of it. I can’t.  I am not of Yap. I am from away. My understanding is not due to immersion in the culture but rather information gleaned from other white people, Americans and Australians mostly, who have lived here longer than I have.  Their version of the truth is hearsay or observation but rarely more than a single toe dipped in still water.  During my Peace Corps orientation in Pohnpei, I was assigned a language tutor who is from Yap. She answered my questions, provided me with insights into what to expect when I arrived on the island, and gave me important advice about local customs and habits.  But I’m still learning something new every day.

Yap became a U.S. trusteeship in 1944 when the U.S. forces bombed the island’s Japanese bases. Some will tell you, when asked, of the Japanese occupation that began in 1914, of the cruelty of the Japanese who treated the Yapese like slaves, of the anger and resentment the people carried for decades. A few still carry it today despite the presence of the descendants of some of those soldiers and settlers. Remnants and scars of that devastating battle that brought the Americans here are scattered around the island and amid the memories of older locals who were small children back then. Shards of downed planes and abandoned equipment have been designated landmarks for tourists to see. But most if not all are on private land. Only a local guide can get permission from the owner to visit those landmarks. Photos and brief histories of American pilots who were shot down in the harbor and surrounding jungle are posted in a small memorial park overlooking the bay and docks in Colonia, the only town on the island and the center of commerce and government. The memorials were placed there by Americans to proudly show tourists and locals how we fearlessly died in the name of liberation.

Prior to WWI, the Germans controlled the four large, contiguous islands, seven small islands and 134 atolls that make up Yap, and before that the French and the Spanish, each bringing their religions, mostly Catholicism, to the island. Today, the majority of the residents are Catholic but the Seventh-day Adventists have a strong presence. Both operate high schools in or near Colonia. There is also a small Baha’i congregation a short walk from my apartment. Set amid banana trees and coconut palms that grow wild, the square wooden structure is built on stilts and has screened-in windows with shutters to keep out the rain and wind when heavy storms blow in from the surrounding ocean.

Yap became independent in 1986 when they joined with three other islands and formed the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). But the U.S. has continued to provide monetary support through a Compact of Free Association that allows Micronesian citizens and goods entry into the U.S. with few restrictions.  The Peace Corps arrived in 1966 and has been here ever since. Several volunteers have stayed on over the years and married locals.

Due largely to centuries of dependence on occupying nations and, more recently, the U.S. Compact which has been renewed twice since 1986 and is up for renewal again in 2023, the people of Yap have lost the ability to be self-sustaining to a large degree. Some go to the U.S. to attend college with scholarships and Pell Grants; some come back but others stay abroad to make more money than they can on the island. The minimum wage for government workers, the main employer throughout Micronesia, is 80 cents in Yap. There is no minimum wage for non-government workers. Two of my colleagues at the Yap Visitors Bureau make around $6.00 an hour. Both are middle-aged men with families to support. Food is expensive.

Small kitchen gardens, taro patches and the wild banana trees and coconut palms supplement the food that is shipped in and sold in the co-op market in Colonia. But vegetables like broccoli and green peppers are usually turning brown or moldy and past their peak. Frozen vegetables often have freezer burn so canned vegetables are often the only option. Pigs are raised for celebrations and chickens are relied on for an endless supply of eggs. They’re considered too lean and tough for eating so stores carry frozen chickens and turkey tails that may have thawed out during transport and look less than appealing. It will be awhile before I enjoy a plump roaster again.

Government leaders talk about becoming self-sustaining; about developing a sustainable tourism sector and finding their way back to a sustainable fishing industry; about creating a sustainable food base and bringing development to the island to support more visitors.  Business and government conversations often center on how much money the local or national government or the U.S. or Japan or China through their embassys' funds or government grants, can be applied for to support various ventures. Everyone ends up grabbing for funds from the same sources year after year. And they usually get it.

Oversight of expenditures tends to be lax, corruption exists, and monies are often switched around in budgets to support things that were not in the original application despite regular government audits.  It’s not entitlement, it’s working the system where money and resources are scarce.  With only two flights into and out of Yap every week and container ships that arrive every two or three months, the arrival of food and other goods is a constant topic. You learn quickly when to get to the local convenience store down the road for that loaf of fresh bread that is put on the counter on Sunday morning after arriving on the Saturday night flight from Guam.  It sells out within an hour. There are loaves of bread at the other store in town but it’s sweet and not as desirable so be sure to get to the Aces store when it opens Sunday morning. Working the system. You begin to learn how to do it within the first day of arrival.

A recent Chinese tourism and development invasion has replaced residual feelings about the Japanese with anger and distrust of the Chinese. Five years ago, a Chinese developer came to the island with grand plans to build a 10,500-room resort; to expand the airport and bring in charter flights laden with vacationing groups of Chinese tourists and their guides. He would build and staff the hotel with hundreds of Chinese workers who speak Chinese. This on an island of fewer than 11,000 residents who would be shunted aside and get very little out of it other than the destruction of a valued and carefully tended environment of pristine coral reefs, brilliantly colored tropical fish and the largest population of sensitive manta rays in the world.

The developer announced that he would sign land-lease agreements with anyone willing to give him the rights to build on their property. Property is owned by matrilineal families and never sold so land-leases are the only option. But once signed, the developer can put any structure on it he wishes. Some residents signed the agreements expecting a windfall. But they didn’t show the agreement to a legal expert and ended up with $200,000, 99-year leases that are paying out only $100 or $200 a month.

With the U.S. compact coming up for renewal in a few years, some legislators jumped on the Chinese developer’s bandwagon despite the fact that there would be little trickle-down to the community. However, enough resistance to the idea was generated that the developer scaled his proposal down to “just” 1,500 rooms.  By then the Chinese had overtaken the nearby island nation of Palau, turning it into “little China” with Chinese restaurants, Chinese-run hotels, apartment buildings bought up and turned into even more hotels, and the litter and disregard for the environment that come with the invasion of Chinese who have become affluent enough to visit other lands. Yap leaders are now reconsidering their run for this type of questionable economic development. Nonetheless, some are still advocating to not renew the American compact, but rather to sign an agreement with the Chinese government that's knocking on the door with business and government grants and free college education for any students who wants to go. Once in China, the students must spend their first two years learning the language. Only then can they be admitted to a four-year program. Those who don't pass the language test are sent home.

A group of senators that included the current Speaker of the House, went on a junket to China two weeks ago. I have not heard what the trip was about or the outcome. At some point I probably will. It’s a small island and gossip is the common news carrier. Some speculate that the trip is related to Chinese developers who have been on the island trying to work up interest in establishing “billionaires clubs” on leased land. Special flights would arrive bearing wealthy men who would stay at the extravagant clubs. Gambling would be the attraction even though gambling is illegal here. And, although no one has said it directly when I’ve been in meetings where the idea has been discussed, prostitution, drugs, alcohol and human trafficking are understood. There would be no financial gain by the local economy since the men would never leave the clubs other than to arrive and depart.  Many of the elder legislators are opposed to the clubs but the discussions have not been cut off.

One way to offset this type of overture is thought be an increase in the number of tourists coming to Yap. About five thousand visit the island annually. But the remoteness and the lack of flights in and out make it difficult to attract many more. A preliminary proposal to generate publicity for the dive industry, mainly the one primary resort catering to divers, had been presented to Yap’s two Congressmen and they wanted the Visitors Bureau to offer an opinion on its viability. The last legislative session was taking place the following week and they wanted to sweep some leftover funds into a tourism initiative. During a meeting that I attended with two of my Yap Visitors Bureau colleagues and the Congressmen to discuss the original proposal, we offered to build out the proposal to gain more awareness beyond just divers.  As the one with experience in developing this type of proposal, I quickly pulled together a document for a program that will generate coverage in target markets around the world for Yap as a safe, beautiful destination for adventure travelers. We are now waiting to hear if it has been approved. But without the infrastructure...good restaurants, more rooms, shopping, arts and crafts and cultural demonstrations...attracting more tourists will continue to be a challenge.

The goal of the original proposal? 100% increase in the number of tourists by 2020. The strategy? Bring 20 journalists to the island, give them tours, take them diving and encourage them to write stories about the experience. The budget? $118,000. My goal? 10% increase per year over the next five years. Strategy? A deep dive into traditional and social media to generate stories aimed at affluent travelers who want a safe place (no terrorists here!) to spend an adventurous holiday amid one of the last remaining Pacific cultures. Divers, WWII buffs, canoeists, kayakers, sailors interested in the dying art of celestial navigation, and more. The budget? $117,000. We’ll see. Fingers crossed. But will it save the island with enough visitors to eliminate the need to accept the false promises of Chinese developers? Doubtful. But it will put the dollars into the hands of the locals at least.

The ramifications of leaving the U.S.’s protection are significant. American money is the currency used throughout Micronesia; the government and court systems are based on the American system; English is the common language in business and government; Americans have oversight of various agencies or conduct regular audits to insure the $130 million given to Micronesia every year is spent properly; the U.S. Embassy and approximately 25 federal agencies from the postal service, agriculture and the environment to education, fisheries and small business development and finance give grants to the Chamber of Commerce, the Yap Sports Complex, the Small Business Development Center, the Visitors Bureau, the schools, and much more. The Department of State website notes: The U.S. has full authority and responsibility for the defense and security of the FSM. FSM citizens are allowed to live, work, and study in the United States without visas. FSM citizens volunteer to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces at approximately double the per capita rate of U.S. citizens, and are eligible for admission to U.S. Service Academies, though they cannot serve as commissioned officers as non-citizens. U.S. citizens can live and work freely in the FSM with no visa requirements.

Pulling away from the U.S. would create an enormous schism in the island’s structure. But some legislators continue to advocate for the change. My work with the Yap Sports Council and the Yap Visitors Bureau, and requests from the Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center and the College of Micronesia to provide training in marketing, presentation skills and strategic planning means I am in demand. I facilitated a Marketing 101 workshop on September 1^st that drew 31 people, leaders from the government and business sectors including current and former Senators and the Speaker of the House. Marketing is a skill that is lacking. But when you live on a remote island with guaranteed direct assistance and grants and services arriving from the U.S. every year combined with a business base that has little or no competition, is it really necessary to know about advertising, public relations and social media. For the few resorts, yes. For everyone else, no.  

I will be here until next August and they will then eagerly await the arrival on a 10:30pm Saturday night flight from Guam of another American or Australian business consultant or Peace Corps Response Volunteer to provide teachers and medical professionals, small business experts and building pros with whatever skills or knowledge they can. In the meantime, I will never be given more than a brief glimpse of the culture, the lives and the motivators. Nor will I completely understand those that are shared. I lived in Maine for 13 years, became an active member of the community and met and worked with a large number of business and government leaders as well as locals. But I was never considered anything other than "From Away."

View across the lagoon from the porch outside my bedroom.