Mandatory Improvisation and Other Cultural Norms

I attended a conference this week. It was called The Pacific Epidemiological Workforce Development Academy. Basically, people from the Pacific island nations gathered to learn how to use data better to help prevent substance abuse on their islands. I have attended a lot of conferences in the past but his one had a flavor of its own!

Every day we opened in prayer. Then there were the usual ice breakers and the serious work sessions. We worked collaboratively in groups and did a lot of brainstorming and problem solving. Lunch though was an hour and a half every day! And on the third night, there was a BBQ where everyone was invited.

I told Willard we should go and so we went, thinking we’d stand around, swap some stories, eat some food and gracefully leave. It turns out it wasn’t THAT kind of BBQ! We got to the beach and the tables were all set up with large bottom fish in the center of the tables for us to munch on. The woman who organized the party, got up and thanked the host (The Honorable Minister, Mr. Addy, the Minister of Finance), and grace was said by a Samoan in his native tongue. We all got up to help ourselves to a buffet of local foods: sashimi, yams cooked in coconut milk, breadfruit, rice, chicken, and on and on. Because the conference was about substance abuse, water was served. It was delicious and we were all happy! The real entertainment, however, was yet to come.

Each country was expected to contribute something for the evening. Because the Republic of the Marshall Islands was hosting, we went first. I was happy to have safety in numbers because I was able to just stand and clap while everyone sang the song in traditional Marshallese. We finished and the next country was called up, Palau, I think. There were only a couple of people from this country so there was no hiding behind anyone. But it turns out that all of these folks from the Pacific feel free to invite anyone or everyone to join them on stage and it also turns out it is rude to refuse. Really, you just DON’T refuse! So they had a great time taking turns getting the folks in the audience to come up and sing and dance. They make great sport of it and think it is hilariously funny when the people they have called on look silly because they don’t have a clue! This happened over and over all night long; they even called the host and his cronies up! In the meantime, we enjoyed traditional songs and dances from all over the islands. At one point I about fell off my chair when the man from Saipan got up and began by dedicating his song to Nancy Reagan! But remember, we were all together to combat drug and alcohol use in the Pacific, and if you recall, First Lady Reagan was the person who had the “Just Say No” campaign. So he calls folks up to the stage and sings a song in his language about saying no to alcohol, no to marijuana, no to all of the bad stuff. It was a riot! We did get up and dance with the rest of the group around the tables for one of the numbers, but other than that, because we are not island people, they left us alone.  At the end, the RMI group did a beautiful dance involving their fans made from dyed coconut fronds. At the end the women all gave their female guests the beautiful hand-made fans they were using. They closed in prayer and we left three hours after we arrived, wondering when we’d had that much fun!

The following day was the last day of the conference. We finished up at 3:00 and I was thinking about how nice it was to be done early so I could get back to the Coop campus. Wrong! There was a half hour of closing ceremony. The RMI sang a traditional song about waving goodbye as the guests take off in their canoes, while the guests all paraded around the room “paddling their canoes” as they went. The Marshallese hosts followed this with another two traditional songs (again, I just stood and clapped) and then bestowed the lovely handmade handicrafts for which these folks are famous, on their guests. The guests then took turns at the microphone, thanking the Marshall Islands for their wonderful hospitality. The Samoans graced us with a song of their own. Then we all stood around in a circle, holding hands, singing yet another song. Of course we closed in prayer, this time in the Marshallese language. Hugs and kisses – and some tears - and the conference finally closed. It was an amazing cultural experience, especially from a conference centered on collecting data!

(Willard did ask me when we left the BBQ, what song I was going to prepare for the next event. I told him I’d fan him like a chief with the traditional fan while he sang HIS number! Yikes!!)

I hope all is well on the other end of the world. Our church prayed for the Americans this morning as you honor the 9/11 victims. You are all in our thoughts and prayers, Becky