Poki the Puppy (like the children's book, but spelled cooler)

Hey all!

So… I GOT A PUPPY! I was going to dance around it and do the standard update, but I realized I really couldn’t hold it in. Boboni’s dog, Princess, had eight puppies and I couldn’t stop going over and playing with one of them. One day, Rosin asked, “You want to take a dog?” I instantly responded negatively because I hate how dogs are treated here, I don’t know what I would do with her should I decided to return to the states, I am barely getting by feeding myself, etc. Well, I was home for ten minutes when I had to ask Malcolm, “What are your thoughts on getting a puppy?” He did a good job being a voice of reason for about four days until I picked her up and just brought her home one night to watch a movie on my lap and give her a bath with some dog/puppy shampoo I found under our bathroom sink (clearly a previous volunteer had a similar weakness). That was it. It was done.

Originally, I thought she had bad dandruff, but Malcolm soon discovered the flakes were moving… our brand new puppy had serious doggy lice. We only had human lice shampoo, so the pup and I did our first team shower and treated ourselves. Later I discovered lice is extremely species dependent, so luckily we can’t get lice from her and I was being overly precautious with my personal lice treatment. However, I also learned that a bad case could actually result in so much blood loss she could become anemic and die. The treatment seems to have worked and I’ve been nit-combing her daily – she loves it.

Watching her behavior change over the past week has been truly enjoyable. Her first night here, she wouldn’t move, kept her head low in a submissive manner, she didn’t make a sound, and she nervously wet my lap once. Less than a week later, she’s growling in tug-of-war, she prances around after me wherever I go in the house when she isn’t napping in her box or on my purse, and I am addicted to getting excited little yips out of her with her little towel and sweatband we gave her for puppy toys. Her coat is so much softer and nearly nit-free. And we’re working on a nice little pot-belly – she eats ANYTHING. I’ve since moved away from her initial hotdog diet and tried ribs and chicken, which she loved and will unfortunately not touch the hotdogs anymore (they’re cheaper than the ribs and chicken)… spoiled little poop.

A US Navy ship was just in the Majuro port and apparently they left a ton of their vaccinations behind and I know the woman who is keeping them in her fridge. She knows a woman who lives in Long Island who knows how to administer vaccinations. So, the little one can get her baby shots for free! Yay small island relations! The woman who is storing the vaccinations used to head up the local Yacht Club, which I partook in last year, and she also says a vet should be coming into port in December or January (she’ll keep me posted), so I’ll be able to get the puppy spayed for free or super-cheap and save her from a life of rape and pregnitude here, which is the sad life of female Ri-Majol dogs.

I’ve named her Poki, like the sashimi dish made with soy-sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and onions (it’s AMAZING here). Amusingly, she permanently smells like fish (we’re working on this). I’ve since learned “poki” is Marshallese slang for “legook,” which means “buddy”. Awesome accident. “Poki” also means “curls” in Fijian, apparently. Good to know, right? Go me. She’s the cutest thing and is the spitting image of my previous rockstar dog, Destiny. Malcolm laughed when he saw a picture of Destiny. “No wonder you couldn’t take your eyes off of her – she looks just like him,” he said. I adore her and am so pumped to watch her personality start to evolve over the next couple of months.



This week was Manit Week, which essentially means barely any school because we’re listening to multiple stories in Marshallese and making handicrafts. It was fun except our principal dropped the ball and all of the scheduled speakers were never contacted or arranged to visit, so we heard WAY too many bwebwenatos (stories) from our principal as an improvised alternative to classes. However, I am extremely stoked for tomorrow’s Food Festival where each grade goes to a house on Ejit and prepares a traditional Marshallese dish. We all come together and eat the student-prepared Majol food on traditional student-made palm-plates. Oh my goodness; today was Pizza Night in Ejit House, but I am still pumped for the Manit Week feast.

Until next time, love from Ejit,
Kiersten and Poki (who is currently dancing in her flat-rate-box-bed with puppy dreams)