Post by Alan Vandermyden on Aug 20, 2010 13:57:17 GMT -5
Someone suggested we share our experiences regarding the first year we were given "responsibility," so here's my attempt at beginning to delve into that topic . . .
In the course of my 18 years in the work, I was officially the "responsible" worker only 3 years. Uncle Richard (Middleton) apologized more than once to some of us who were old enough to go with a "younger" companion, saying that at that time, within the California jurisdiction, the ratio of older/younger simply did not work out - meaning there were fewer people going - and staying - in the work.
I use quotes with these terms - "older" and "responsible" - as they are rather abstract terms, not always fitting the reality of particular situations. They do mean your name is in a certain position on the list. My first "younger" companion - Steve Peirson - is actually older than me, having gone into the work 8 years before me. His health had deteriorated in West Africa, and I believe he had been resting some, and this was his first year to be "active" again.
Really, it was a great way to "assume responsibility." Steve was a very gracious companion, with very helpful input, while at the same time, ultimately deferring to me to make certain decisions. This was in the Chico field in California, which extends from Red Bluff in the north to Yuba City/Marysville in the south, something like a 100-mile stretch of the Sacramento Valley. As things ended up, Steve and I moved or initiated 3 meetings - I think it was one Sunday meeting that was moved, and 2 union meetings that were moved or initiated. This was in the mid-90s, and I no longer remember all the details, but all 3 were very positive experiences, in which we developed a great rapport with the families involved.
I qualify the term "responsible," not to accuse anyone of being irresponsible, but because I spent several years - mostly in the Pacific - with companions who were close to my age. I spent 2 years - mostly on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands - with Eldon Huff in the early 90s. He had the "responsibility," but we did really work at it together, our particular strengths complementing one another well. Eldon was great at patiently waiting and gathering much information, but had difficulty making a quick decision when it had to be done. I was generally the one to take info he and I could pool (mostly him!), and then make a decision based on that - and it seemed things went well that way. I had been out there in Micronesia a bit more than Eldon too, and was already conversant in Marshallese. He worked hard on it during those years.
Talking about "teamwork" - Larry returned to Pohnpei in 1986, after a number of years back in Washington state. I had spent the previous year there with Harry Henninger, and had begun to work on the language. I learn languages kind of "backwards" from most people, and find it much easier to speak a language than to understand it (I have met one or 2 other people for whom this is also true). Well, I had a fair idea of Pohnpeian structure by then, and Larry generally remembered the basic nouns and verbs needed, and could understand people fairly well. I remember visiting one family in particular who knew no English. One of them would speak, Larry would figure out what they were saying, come up with the noun and verb he needed, and then I could fill in pronouns, prepositions, endings, etc. and relay the "sentence" to the family - hey it worked!
I also had responsibility my last 2 years in the work, which were spent in the Marshall Islands and on Guam and Saipan. I was with John VandenBerg the first of those 2 years, and with Joe Layman the 2nd year. John and I are nearly the same age (I'm 27 days older!), though I did begin in the work a few years before him, and had a bit more island experience and language too. But he had been there in Micronesia the year before, with Eldon Huff, and so had a more up-to-date "picture" of things there. Joe had been to Hawai`i before, but this was his first - and so far only - experience in Micronesia.
There is obviously a lot more that can be said about "responsibility," and I will share more, but I need time to kind of "formulate" my thoughts on any subject.
I'm wondering if it might be best for you to post any questions or responses to this topic right in this thread, so as to keep conversations more "connected." Let's keep the main Coffee Talk thread just for (ex-)workers, but we can create new threads for specific topics centered on workers' experience too.
In the course of my 18 years in the work, I was officially the "responsible" worker only 3 years. Uncle Richard (Middleton) apologized more than once to some of us who were old enough to go with a "younger" companion, saying that at that time, within the California jurisdiction, the ratio of older/younger simply did not work out - meaning there were fewer people going - and staying - in the work.
I use quotes with these terms - "older" and "responsible" - as they are rather abstract terms, not always fitting the reality of particular situations. They do mean your name is in a certain position on the list. My first "younger" companion - Steve Peirson - is actually older than me, having gone into the work 8 years before me. His health had deteriorated in West Africa, and I believe he had been resting some, and this was his first year to be "active" again.
Really, it was a great way to "assume responsibility." Steve was a very gracious companion, with very helpful input, while at the same time, ultimately deferring to me to make certain decisions. This was in the Chico field in California, which extends from Red Bluff in the north to Yuba City/Marysville in the south, something like a 100-mile stretch of the Sacramento Valley. As things ended up, Steve and I moved or initiated 3 meetings - I think it was one Sunday meeting that was moved, and 2 union meetings that were moved or initiated. This was in the mid-90s, and I no longer remember all the details, but all 3 were very positive experiences, in which we developed a great rapport with the families involved.
I qualify the term "responsible," not to accuse anyone of being irresponsible, but because I spent several years - mostly in the Pacific - with companions who were close to my age. I spent 2 years - mostly on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands - with Eldon Huff in the early 90s. He had the "responsibility," but we did really work at it together, our particular strengths complementing one another well. Eldon was great at patiently waiting and gathering much information, but had difficulty making a quick decision when it had to be done. I was generally the one to take info he and I could pool (mostly him!), and then make a decision based on that - and it seemed things went well that way. I had been out there in Micronesia a bit more than Eldon too, and was already conversant in Marshallese. He worked hard on it during those years.
Talking about "teamwork" - Larry returned to Pohnpei in 1986, after a number of years back in Washington state. I had spent the previous year there with Harry Henninger, and had begun to work on the language. I learn languages kind of "backwards" from most people, and find it much easier to speak a language than to understand it (I have met one or 2 other people for whom this is also true). Well, I had a fair idea of Pohnpeian structure by then, and Larry generally remembered the basic nouns and verbs needed, and could understand people fairly well. I remember visiting one family in particular who knew no English. One of them would speak, Larry would figure out what they were saying, come up with the noun and verb he needed, and then I could fill in pronouns, prepositions, endings, etc. and relay the "sentence" to the family - hey it worked!
I also had responsibility my last 2 years in the work, which were spent in the Marshall Islands and on Guam and Saipan. I was with John VandenBerg the first of those 2 years, and with Joe Layman the 2nd year. John and I are nearly the same age (I'm 27 days older!), though I did begin in the work a few years before him, and had a bit more island experience and language too. But he had been there in Micronesia the year before, with Eldon Huff, and so had a more up-to-date "picture" of things there. Joe had been to Hawai`i before, but this was his first - and so far only - experience in Micronesia.
There is obviously a lot more that can be said about "responsibility," and I will share more, but I need time to kind of "formulate" my thoughts on any subject.
I'm wondering if it might be best for you to post any questions or responses to this topic right in this thread, so as to keep conversations more "connected." Let's keep the main Coffee Talk thread just for (ex-)workers, but we can create new threads for specific topics centered on workers' experience too.