Programs Blog

Volleyball on Mo’orea

June 20, 2024

Author: Zeke Reilly, Grinnell College

It’s our 6th day in Mo’orea, we have been staying  at the UC Berkeley Gump Station, nestled on the Northwest side of Cook’s Bay just south of the town Piha’ena. This transitory home has offered us a comfortable stay while ashore in French Polynesia. Adapting to life in Mo’orea has been a subtle transition, with time passing swiftly. The notion of “island time” doesn’t entirely capture this accelerated pace; instead, our intensive classroom sessions seem to be responsible.

While our academic pursuits are essential for our upcoming voyage across the Southwestern Pacific, the yearning to set sail and engage in practical sailing and scientific tasks grows with each passing day. Amongst the sea of coursework and the mounting excitement for our expedition, a curious preoccupation lingers in my mind—volleyball. The approaching matches with the residents of Palmerston Island have taken on a newfound significance since the details of our visit were unveiled. The unassuming authorities of Palmerston Island, with its small population residing on a remote Pacific atoll, seemed to raise no alarms with our visit and were more concerned about arranging volleyball games than anything else.

When Captain Rebeca prudently shared this information, it became evident that some serious preparation was in order—especially glaring when our initial attempts on the court left room for improvement to say the least. The absence of dedicated practice time raises questions in my mind. Why hasn’t the facility allocated specific hours for honing our volleyball skills, considering the imminent challenge ahead? The peculiarity of this oversight adds a touch of bemusement to our days in paradise, underscoring the mix of anticipation and whimsy that characterizes our time in Mo’orea.

-Zeke