In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same. - Albert Einstein

After hours (more like days) of travel, layovers in Houston and Tokyo, with a brief stay in Guam, we arrived on Chuuk. Chuuk is one of the four island states of the FSM (Federated States of Micronesia) and is arguably the “roughest” and most corrupt of the states. One story we’ve heard several times has that international assistance funds that were intended to be used to provide electricity to the people of Chuuk were stolen by a local official and used to buy a condo in Hawaii. This left many areas of Chuuk without power for over 10 months. Locals tell us that for a brief period the FSM tried to figure out a way to remove Chuuk from the rest of the Federation because of its horrible reputation. Chuuk ultimately remains a state but its struggles are as great as ever.

The main road through Chuuk

The Chuukese traditionally used the land and natural resources to provide for themselves and their families, but with this sustenance based culture pitted against the recent advent of Western influences and economy, an interesting situation is created. As formal jobs became available, they were quickly filled leaving most families to continue their traditional lifestyles. However, as Western values infiltrated the area more and more, many abandoned this traditional lifestyle and sought temporary and low paying jobs. Eventually almost no Chuukese people were living as they used to, but still no new good or permanent jobs were available. One hiccup in the local economy later and the result is and unemployment rate of around 80%, poor infrastructure and sanitation, and coincidentally poor overall health. All of this since the introduction of Western conveniences to the area. We are only on Chuuk for two days initially, but will return later for a nine day stint. We will know much more about this occurrence then.

In addition to economic troubles, Chuuk is also ridden with social inequalities. During our first day on Chuuk we observed Kathy Mori, a childhood health screening specialist, as she saw patients. One young mother brought her child in for a hearing assessment. When the appointment was over, the woman stood to leave but did not advance towards the door. Chuuk is a male dominated society to such an extent that women (especially young women) duck or even "walk" on their knees when moving past men as a sign of respect and submission - a symbol of the social hierarchy on the island. Tyler was sitting between the woman and the door, so even by ducking the woman would not be able to be lower than Tyler. Tyler recognized what was going on so he stood, allowing the woman to duck past him and out the door. An uncomfortable feeling for us.