Imagine everything that happens in your daily life, your routine, your home, and your society, then imagine having none of it. Doug Englert, a beloved Timberline Teacher, doesn’t have to imagine he’s lived it.
Englert, craving a new experience, traveled to the Marshall Islands in 1990 as a Peace Corps volunteer. Living for two years with 225 Marshallese on an island a mile long and a quarter mile wide, with no running water or electricity, opened Englert to a whole new culture, way of living, and experience. This experience cemented into him that he was never going back to who he was before.
“I had no idea what it meant to be an American until I was in the Marshall Islands.”
The Marshall Islands are a group of 1,225 islands in the Central Pacific, just about halfway between Hawaii and Guam. All of the islands together total 70 square miles. To put that in perspective, Boise city limits have approximately 80 square miles. “The mound of sand with a coconut tree you see in cartoon panels? That’s the Marshall Islands,” Englert said. Their culture is much different than American culture, what’s true in the United States isn’t necessarily true in the Marshall Islands. Take property ownership for example.
A young girl drinks a coconut right from the fruit itself.
“The Marshallese have a different idea of ownership,” Englert said. “One day, I saw a man walking toward me with one of my shirts. He had gone into my hut and taken it. In the Marshalls, that’s not stealing. It’s sharing. What’s mine is yours.”
We asked Englert, “If a student told you that they wanted to do something like this, what would you say to prepare them?” His advice? “Lean into your fear, prepare to become a different and more complete person, know that hardship is a small price to pay for the experience you will have.” He also suggested learning some of the language and culture wherever you’re going.
“It taught me to be more open, respectful, and accepting of people from different cultures.”
When asked to describe his experience in one sentence Englert said, “Hands down, the most formative experience of my life.”
“You can’t immerse yourself in another culture for an extended period and not change,” Englert said. “I’m grateful that my friends and family stuck with me as we redefine our relationship.”
Most Marshallese would only husk their coconuts if it were a special occasion. The occasion here, Marshallese children are husking coconuts to celebrate a baby’s first birthday, which is the biggest celebration on the islands.
One question that Englert explores with his students is “How Ought One Live Life?”
Graduates, there are many ways that you may choose to live your life, from traveling abroad to staying home. From going to college to going to trade school. From your personality to your clothes.
Without the Marshall Islands Englert would not have been able to discover new things about himself while also not taking himself too seriously. From that experience, decided to live his life simply, valuing what he has, and being true to his values and beliefs. How will you live yours?
Englert’s assignment on the island Aur was to teach English as a second language, and to be a health educator. But his greatest success from the Marshallese point of view, he said, was teaching them how to play basketball. “It was fun for me too,” Englert said. “Because I was taller than all of them and because the rim was only nine feet high, I could dunk on them.”
