To Jela, Jorion and Grandy
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Lomar, Laura. Majuro Lomar in yar. Lomar lagoon.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Irooj property, next to Monwaju weto. Between mon Grandy im mon Neiton.
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Lomar, Laura. Majuro Rachel, Victor and Telar playing volleyball at Laura Beach.
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Lomar, Laura. Majuro Sonya and Yame at Laura Beach.
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Lomar, Laura. Majuro Ajiri lo Salvation Army Church next to my house.
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Delap, Majuro. Ajiri watching a basketball game at dusk.
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Mon Rachel Lomar, Laura. Majuro Rachel, Meriem, Sally, Tisay, Elisabeth, LaCoffee, MySouvenir, Shineshine, LiTiti and the rest. I took this photo before I knew any of them. When Rachel was in Grade 10 and a tough student. Before the kemems, ilomej, the amimano dates, the bwebwenato. I love this family. I can't believe everything they have been through and yet they are still some of the most loving people I have met. They have taught me resilience and strength in so many ways. The house is now blue and pink and no longer features laundry out the front since the laundromat opened. This family is special and they were such comforting neighbours to have.
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During power cuts when I could no longer stand the heat and waiting, I would sit with them in the shade of their big ma tree. Elisabeth was so persistent and encouraging with teaching me kajin majol. We would sit together laughing at each other for hours. Rachel and Meriem, who I taught, would come and check on us every now and then, bringing us lukor and rolling their teenage eyes at us. Sitting in the front room eating rice, soyu and canned mackerel with Elisabeth. Bwebwenato and making amimano with the kids crawling around us, watching the cars and people passing through the open door. I miss that.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Ajiri playing in a downpour while I shelter at mon wia in irooj.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Ajiri kottar lo mon wia.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Man smoking at the Tialla store in Iolap.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro A rare photo of Jorion on Grandy's porch. A typical moody teenager dripping with sarcasm and rimajol wit.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Laddik in Laura High School play basketball at the pink Lobat courts.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Laddik in Laura High School play basketball at the pink Lobat courts.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Laura, fellow rikaki, lo host-mama Grandy's porch.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Neiton's house, where she taught me to make bwiro im amimano.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Ao rijikuul, Carl Kuli, husking ni at his house.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro. Ao rijikuul, Carlton, happily cooling off in the rain.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Grandy on a hot afternoon, choosing new plants to propogate. Of course she insists I also take some.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Dyson and Jorion 'doing weekend chores'.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Grandy on her 50th birthday, while we all sang for her.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Grandy's extended family at her 50th birthday,
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Mama im ninnin lo Grandy's 50th birthday.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro. Rowley im ajiri lo Grandy's 50th birthday,
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Grandy Iolap, Laura. Majuro Here is Momo with her bubu Grandy. Grandy is everyone's mama, she was mine too. The most selfless person I have ever met. She offers the most unconditional love, strength and unwavering support, no watter that we were ribelle. Cooking with her, christmases, birthdays and thanksgivings. Sunday morning breakfast before church; tonaaj, iu pancakes, bob and ni. Watching movies on the floor for hours and hours, bwebwenato in the kitchen. She looked after us when we were homesick or actually sick sick. She also gifted me my dog Tofu when she heard the neighbour's kidu had been hit by a car. Saying goodbye to her was the hardest of all and neither of us wanted to break that hug that we both know will last a lifetime. Anyone that meets her knows she really is one of life's true diamonds.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Mia, Grandy's grand-daughter who came to stay for a few months from Hawaii.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Grandy making mona for her family. Food made from the heart as it should be.
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Jela and Sonya Iolap, Laura. Majuro The three of us used to spend hours in this very spot on this jaki. Often there were others too, the cousins Rimos, Taylani and Kiana. But most often the three of us would plop down escaping the heat. Grandy would, of course, be in the kitchen and Jela would be entertaining us to no end. Silly voices, showing off, and in the later hours Grandy, retiring from her housework, would join us in curling up with pillows to watch a movie on their little tv. Just like his Mama and brother, Jela is special one. There's no real way to describe it, he is just pure joy. Raised by the best. Yes he's a kid, he has tantrums, he complains when he has to do chores instead of playing with his friends. But he looks after his mama, he always looked after us. You'll always have me in your corner J.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Aijiri play on the street as I make my way home from work.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Ajiri in Jeirok.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro The colourful houses of Laura village. This one near Yame's house on the way to Grandy's.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro More houses of Laura village. Living in the middle, in the jungle, is beautiful and at less risk of tidal flooding, but so hot without the relief of an ocean or lagoon-side breeze.
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Lomar, Laura. Majuro Leddik cooks ek in bedbed on the bbq at Majuro Day festivities.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Marlyna in rijikuul prepare marmar from hand-picked flowers for honor assembly celebrations.
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Belottie and Joshua Jeirok, Laura. Majuro My students were the reason I came to this island in the first place. And the reason I stayed longer than I ever planned. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was to experience on my journey will all these kids. They had this way of capturing my heart that no matter how many times they wrote their names on the tables or came late to class I still thought they were angels. They made me genuinely laugh out loud every day. Sometimes shout out loud too but those days were fewer than I could have hoped. I was lucky enough to teach these two for two years - Biology in their 10 Grade and Physics when they were seniors, not easy subjects for students who are learning in their second language. But these kids are smart and they're resourceful. And they're honestly just really funny. Gave me many many hugs and made me cry many many tears (of joy). Imissi kom aolep rijikuul in Laura High School im ilukwon iakwe kom nan indeo.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Ao rijikuul Kevinson im Stanny, one of them definitely just said something rude in Marshallese.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Laddik in Laura High School doing their favourite thing - playing basketball.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Principal Jimmy Kemem. Always well-intentioned and always thinking (and speaking) of his wife's cooking.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Rikaki im mama im baba of Laura High School parent-teacher conference day. Us rikaki all counting down the hours till the quarterly staff pot-luck feast.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Rebecca weaves mats in preparation for the school variety show.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro School counsellor (and everyone's bubu), Marlyna, weaving mats from coconut palms.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Harold grates waini in preparation to make lukor.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Allen, Brandon and Gimple working the bbq with ease.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Ao rijikuul backstage at the variety show.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Georgia, performing a hula at the variety show with her classmates.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Rijikuul im rikaki of Laura High School's 2018 graduating class thank their parents at a special pre-graduation ceremony.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Joy and her mama in traditionally matching muumuu honour each other and simultaneously shatter my heart.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Sonya and I on a jambo through Iolap, probably on our way to Grandy's in search of lukor and pandogs.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro LiRuth and LiStacy mid-jambo.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Piik in Jeirok.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Ao rijikuul Mika's brother, at his home ocean-side of Jeirok.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Houses of Jeirok.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Rimos' house. Right next to school. Kids spilling out every corner, day and night. Also the ultimate jikka smoking, betel-nut chewing spot for the odd reckless rijikuul.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Leddik play volleyball at the Araanan courts of Jeirok. A long-time stomping ground in the evenings, where I met some very special friends.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Ao motta Tasha. Fellow ri-Lomar. A fierce mama. Always with the sassiest of comebacks. The best person to eat lunch and gossip with.
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Jeirok, Laura. Majuro Tata im jera do weekend chores together.
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Lobat, Laura. Majuro Peter in pure jambo mode.
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Delap, Majuro. Builder works hard in Delap.
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Uliga, Majuro. Colours of Uliga
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Delap, Majuro Ajiri playing with basketball at Delap Elementary School
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Uliga, Majuro. Ajiri shelters under the old Nitijela building in Uliga.
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Delap, Majuro. Laddik im leddik pass time in the shade of their lagoon-side home in Delap.
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Delap, Majuro. Ajiri play outside their home in Delap.
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Delap, Majuro. Construction worker in the sweltering heat of Delap.
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Uliga, Majuro. Buildings of Uliga.
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Uliga, Majuro. Uliga Protestant church.
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Uliga, Majuro. Man rests from the unforgiving Uliga heat.
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Rita, Majuro A woman sweeps outside her home in ocean side Rita.
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Rita, Majuro Ajiri play in the back streets of Rita.
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Rita, Majuro. Houses of ocean-side Rita.
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Uliga, Majuro. Across the reef from ocean-side Uliga towards Delap.
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Uliga, Majuro. Plants always peeking through everything, even in the concrete jungle of town.
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Uliga, Majuro. Boti gets ready for the Education Week parade in Uliga.
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Maan Rita, Majuro. Man waits, ready to take his place in the annual May Day parade.
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Iolap, Laura. Majuro Iolap representatives dance and sing in the Majuro Day parade in Laura.
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Ajokla, Majuro. Jino, Jenki, Titus, Dooley and Don bwebwenato and prepare the fire for our lunch.
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Ajokla, Majuro. Vice-Principal Jenki prepares our ek, caught that very morning while the rest of us recovered from the night before.
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Ajokla, Majuro. Jimmy's wife, Tasha and Sonya make plates for our lunch, on a weekend jambo to neighbouring island Ajokla.
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Ajokla, Majuro. Even on the tiny island of Ajokla you'll find a way to play basketball.
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Acknowledgments Kommol tata nan aolep rimajol for having me in your home. To learn and live with you all has been the greatest privilege of my life. Thank you Sonya, without your friendship I would not have been nearly as happy. Kommol nan ao rijikuul in Laura High School, who took my heart and never gave it back. Kommolol to my fellow rikaki and staff at LHS, you all made the toughest days still better than any other job I've had. Grandy I will forever be grateful for your love and care, for teaching me so much about rimajol manit, life and unconditional love.
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Thank you to Jorion and Jela, without whom my majol life would have been much less colorful. Also to Taylani and Kiana - I love you sweet girls both endlessly. Kommol tata nan Sharlynn and Joe, who gave me my dream home and gracefully tolerated my bwebwe kidu. Thank you to the Kelen baamle, for accepting me as your own and loving me no less. And to Garrick for your unwavering love and support. For showing me the best places to eat and the best trees to watch sunsets under.
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