Eating Sea Turtle

(Now that I have ample free time and internet access while on medical leave, I will continue to update this blog with stories from Aneityum and Vanuatu. I am tired of writing about parasites and swelling, but will continue to update this blog when I have major updates on my health and hopeful return to the island.)

The people of Aneityum love to eat sea turtles. It has been a part of their diet and custom going back thousands of years. All of the meat of the turtle is used, nothing goes to waste. In fact, fried turtle guts are considered a delicacy.

Many Westerners are offended by the practice of eating sea turtle. All species are listed as threatened or endangered, so many worry about the impact on the local population. Turtles already face a barrage of obstacles- including fragile ecosystems, loss of nesting territory due to seaside development and pollution.

The picture above was taken the first time I ever saw a sea turtle hunted on Aneityum. I admit, I was a little shocked if not disturbed when I witnessed this. Turtles are normally hunted with a spear. In this case, a man out spear fishing saw the turtle and shot it. Being an especially large turtle, he had to tie the rope which connected to the spear to an outrigger canoe. The turtle continued swimming, towing the canoe behind him, until he lost his strength.

Another technique for acquiring turtle is to have a scout sit in the front of a motor boat. Motor boats are not used often on Aneityum, as fuel is expensive and in short supply. But when they are used, they provide plenty of opportunities to encounter sea turtles swimming around the coral reef. When the scout sights a turtle, he dives into the water attempting to bear hug onto the turtle, spearing it or stabbing it with a knife until the boat returns and it can be hoisted in.

Turtles are challenging to hunt so they are not eaten often. Making an educated guess, I would say around 20 - 30 turtles are killed each year on Aneityum. Even so, the turtle population around the island seems to be thriving. I often encounter turtle myself when snorkeling out on the reef or just going in the water for a dip.

The picture above shows my friend Darao cleaning a sea turtle out on the reef. This is hard for me to watch. The turtle continues to look around and function even as it is cut into pieces and cleaned. It is impossible to put them out of their misery quickly, even cutting off their heads will not do the trick. They continue blinking and following you with their eyes for over an hour. It is eerie.

When the turtle is cleaned, it is often baked in its own shell over fire-heated stones. A large turtle provides meat for many families for several days. Meat and protein are hard to come by here, as I stated before. So if they did not eat turtle, they would not have meat many nights. It is not as if they have the option of driving to the local grocery store and buying beef or chicken.

I have eaten turtle on numerous occasions myself. The taste is unique but pleasing. If forced to describe it, I would say it tastes remotely like pork. The fried turtle guts are my favorite, much like a tastier form of bacon.

While I feel it is important to protect endangered species, it is not my place to lecture the people of Aneityum on something that has been a part of their culture for thousands of years. Especially when my own culture bears a huge responsibility for making these turtles endangered in the first place with mass fishing and development. The small amount of turtles harvested on Aneityum does not come near to the amount commercial fishing vessels in Vanuatu snag in their nets accidentally every day.

The Cut Throat Fundraiser

I was walking towards a metro stop in downtown DC when a young college girl caught my attention. She was waving a pamphlet and staring straight at me.

In these situations where I am about to be solicited on the sidewalk, my mind normally goes on the defensive. It is a natural response developed from having traversed through cities for years and having been approached by an endless list of panhandlers, deviants and social crusaders. Also, the comedian Mitch Hedburg was on to something when he said, "When someone hands you a brochure, it's like they're saying, here you throw this away!"

Anyhow, once the girl with the brochure made eye contact with me, she was locked in.

"Good morning, how are you?" she said with a beaming smile.

"Good morning, I'm well, thank you," I replied as I continued walking.

"We're raising money for our global fight against poverty. Even a $20 donation would help so much," she rushed out before I could pass her on the sidewalk.

My body language was automatically telling her "No thank you" before she finished her pitch. I am sure she represented a worthy charity, though I do not know the specifics on how my $20 would contribute towards the reduction of global poverty. Truth be told, on my meager Peace Corps living allowance and after the recent purchase of a Chipotle pork burrito with guacamole, I'm not sure that I had a full $20 in my wallet at the time.

"Sorry," I said with a guilty conscience. She gave me a dirty glare, her pleasant smile vanished and would not return. I felt the need to set the record straight, to make her understand that I am on her side. I too was fighting the war on global poverty.

"I am in the Peace Corps," I mumbled apologetically.

I wanted to say more. I wanted to say that I was a business volunteer trying my best to help families in Vanuatu earn enough money to pay for their children's education or to buy basic food staples. I too was raising money for a needed cause, a solar energy project, and was struggling to raise the money due to troubled economic times. That although I may not have the money to contribute to your cause, I have donated 15 months of my life thus far with my Peace Corps service. That I left behind loved ones, a comfortable lifestyle and endured flesh-eating parasites in the sake of battling global poverty and improving lives.

"Thanks a lot. Enjoy that," the soliciting girl said as sarcastically as possible.

I kept walking. I had not communicated my point well. This girl had probably been standing in the sun for too long and the constant rejection from foot traffic was getting to her.

I have nothing against fundraising, even the forms of it I find personally annoying, i.e. mass mailing campaigns or solicitors on the street. But to try and make someone feel guilty for not contributing is wrong. I know that friends and family members who cannot give to my solar project have their own reasons for doing so. Perhaps they have just donated to another project or have major expenses coming up. But I would never rub it in someone's face if they are unable to help.

Maybe I should have should have skipped Peace Corps and just given out a handful of brochures instead. Probably would have less parasite problems if so.

The Latest

Doing well here in DC. I finished taking the 6 week course of medication for filariasis and some swelling returned very recently to my face. So the doctors no longer believe that is the cause of the swelling.

There is still no definite diagnosis. But here are some possibilities:

Gnathostoma- a parasite caused by eating undercooked fish or shellfish. Very rare and normally found in Asia, although cases have been found in Mexico and Africa too. So it is very possible that this parasite could be found in the South Pacific as well. A tropical disease doctor just told me today that this could be the cause. It causes migratory swelling also, often around the eye and face. So we started medication for this parasite. Blood tests to confirm the parasite's presence are only conducted in Thailand, so I will have to wait several weeks to hear back on the results of my blood sample.

Angioedema- a confusing medical condition that produces swelling or an allergic reaction within the body. It can be caused by an underlying infection, allergies, genetic mutations or a hereditary lack of a certain protein in your blood. I met with an allergist last week and we did some blood tests for this condition. I am fairly confident that this is not any sort of allergic reaction, as I have had swelling occur in many diverse environments and while eating many different types of food. The hereditary form of this condition is very rare though, only 1 in 10,000 people have it.

The swelling that has returned to my face has been smaller than before and usually last for only a few hours.

Returning to my island hinges on the following. I must demonstrate that the swelling will not return again anytime soon. I need to go at least 2 weeks without swelling. Also, finding the cause, or coming up with a definitive diagnosis will help. Otherwise, Peace Corps may hesistate to send me back if they think this problem could easily return. I have around 30 days to get medically cleared before Peace Corps would medically terminate my service.

If I am separated from Peace Corps, I can apply to be reassigned to my site once I prove that I am medically fit to return. It will just require much more paperwork if I do not meet the 30 day deadline from today.

Wish me luck, I am hoping to return to Aneityum sooner than later!

DC

I have been in Washington DC for one week now. The trip in was lengthy. 1.5 hours to Fiji followed by a 4 hour layover. Then, a 13 hour haul into Los Angeles with a 25 hour layover at LAX. Finally, my 5 hour flight across the country to DC had me arrive to my hotel around midnight.

Thankfully, on the long flight to LA- I sat next to a friend who just so happened to be on the same flight. We were aboard what was likely the oldest plane still in the Air Pacific fleet- where leg space was minimal and free drinks were unheard of. The same few movies looped continuously on dim screens made in the early 90's, including the latest Hannah Montana along with a song and dance piece from Bollywood. It was prolonged torture.

My head had some decent sized swelling on the plane. Since that time however, I have had zero swelling and have been feeling very good. Coming down off a high dosage of steroids now too, which is contributing to my feeling better.

Peace Corps is taking very good care of me. My doctors here are very thorough and capable. I have had a cat scan of my chest, MRI of my brain, and numerous blood / urine / stool tests. I have met (or will soon meet) with all types of doctors: an internist, immunologist / allergist, tropical disease specialist and parasite doctor. So far all of my tests have come back normal. Which is good in the sense that we have discovered no medical problems, but bad in the sense that we have not found a cause to the swelling. It is possible still that I have filariasis- those blood tests for this parasite take many weeks to process for some reason.

The only bad medical news so far was that I have a confirmed case of giardia- or parasite in my stomach. Not too uncommon for Vanuatu, I probably acquired it through my drinking water. Eventually, I will take antibiotics to clear this up.

My family flew in to see me this week. Had not seen them for 15 months, so it was nice to spend time with them. I went to high school in the DC area also, so I hope to meet up with some friends in the near future too.

It is a bizarre feeling to have dessert and after-dinner cappachinos at a fancy four star restaurant when just a week ago I was sitting on a coconut mat eating roasted fish with my bare hands. I am optimistic I will be medically cleared within the coming weeks and will be able to return to my site though. Will post updates when I can...

Back to the USA

Peace Corps is flying me to Washington, DC for a medical check up.  I am feeling okay at the moment, but I did have some swelling return when I was on Aneityum, so we want to play it safe and have it re-evaluated.  

This does not mean that I am finished with my Peace Corps service.  It all depends on what the doctors say in DC.  But it is possible that I will be coming back home early now.

It is also possible that I do not have filariasis and that the doctors in Australia were wrong with their diagnosis.  Blood tests never confirmed it.  Also, my island was mass-treated for the parasite with drugs several years ago and the locals do not appear to have it.  So right now, there are several large question marks hanging in the air.

Leaving Aneityum was hard, especially since I did not know if I was making final goodbyes or not.  Left a majority of my possessions behind for the locals.  Several of the projects I was working on were not finished, so they are in the hands of the other Peace Corps volunteer on the island, should I not return.  I had several farewell dinners and kava sessions with families on the island that I will never forget.  I am very thankful for my time in Vanuatu even if it is being cut short.

But my family is flying into DC to see me now, which I am very happy about.  Unfortunately, our family vacation here in Vanuatu and Australia has been canceled.  It will be good to see them nonetheless.  Hopefully I can reconnect with some friends in the DC area too.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes, I'm sure things will turn out for the best...

Back to Aneityum

Well there has been no major swelling for a while now, so I will attempt to go back to Aneityum tomorrow. Kind of intimidating to go back to some place so remote when you are having medical issues, but the doctors seem to think my parasite problems are under control. Also, I have been assured that Peace Corps will charter a plane to come get me in case of an emergency. So, I will be optimistic and just hope that things are finally better now.

Received a phone call from the village last night. There are rumors going around that I am dying and returning to the US. I look forward to disproving these rumors.

Will be back in town mid-July for a family vacation! Farewell...

My Front Yard

I have very high speed internet for once, so thought I would take advantage and post a video on here.  Here is my front yard on Aneityum.  Enjoy...