On the day before our departure, we hitched to Tofol, on the other side of bay, where the waterline is fully covered with mangroves so we can’t go by tender. We needed to make outbound clearance with customs. From immigration we didn’t need anything because we have the stamps for Micronesia in our passports. That’s what I can understand, but the purpose of customs clearance I don’t get because it’s written that we will enter Pohnpei and we leave Micronesia. Sometimes there are things I don’t need to understand.

The car, a small lorry, which gave us a ride, passed a large property, where many people gathered and were busy with something. I could just see that there is a hole in the ground for a coffin. Somebody must have passed away.

On the way back, again a ride on the cargo bed of a small lorry, the driver stopped at the funeral. We got off as well and looked around. Many people, mostly women were very busy carrying things around and I’m sure there were more activities, which we could not see from the road side, where we stood and observed.

I started talking to a man who was standing close by, and yes, it’s a funeral. We talked a for a few minutes. When a young woman came with a tray and paper bowls offering a bowl to everyone along her way. When she came towards us, the man I talked to, indicated her to also give each of us a bowl.

It was a paper bowl of soup, with rice and two pieces of meat, which later turned out to be pork. No spoon was given and no spoon was needed. Just drinking from bowl.

I asked if we could sit over in the shade under several trees with some other men. “For sure”, was the answer and Tobi and I walked over to the 3-4 men sitting on the concrete cover of an older grave. “Can we sit down here?”, and the answer we got was a very friendly, “Yes”. We sat down and drank our rice soup. “Do you like it?”, we were asked. “It tastes excellent!”, was our very honest answer. The rice soup reminded me to the Japanese “okayuu”, but to the tasty version of Osaka. (The Tokyo version is tasteless and supposed be tasteless and i don’t like it. )

A guy with a Puerto Rico T-shirt
came by and a longer conversation developed. He came from Puerto Rico as a missionary to Kosrae, met his wife, and stayed.

Then suddenly boys walked around handing two different bags to people sitting around. When the came to us, we also got two of each bags for the two of us. Two of the bags we received contained eight frozen chicken legs, the other ones about two kilogram of rice.

But this was not the end of the distributed food. Another young woman came with tray of plastic boxes filled with rice and a small fried piece of chicken. Tobi and I got one as well.

We learned that this is the custom here when someone dies. Actually next morning all people will come again and get a breakfast. About the end of such treats I don’t know.

Now, while writing about what we experienced, I recognized, I forgot to ask a few questions more about the custom. Is it only on Kosrae like this way or also on Pohnpei, Chuuk, or Yap? Maybe I get in Pohnpei a chance to asked.

Then the coffin was brought. A simple wooden coffin, white painted. A part was opened to see the person inside for a last time. Something I know from Japan and I like it. To protect it against an always possible squall, the coffin and the grave was covered by a simple tent as a makeshift roof. Outside on one side many women gathered sitting on chairs brought in before. The women all wore rather colorful traditional dresses. The man, except for 3-4, who were dressed in black suits and neckties, all just wore their normal daily clothes. T-shirts and short pants. The men stood spread out.

A lady in her fifties went to the coffin and cried. Obviously the wife. It’s hard when you suddenly loose your partner for so many years. Another lady came. She was a bit fragile so helped by others. I assume she was the mother who had to bury another son next to two of his brothers who are resting already next to the new grave.

Then a man in his fifties in a red T-shirt, black short pants, and flip-flops went to the coffin to bid farewell. When he finished, he came to where we stood and watched how things are done here.

We started talking. He was definitely in a very sad mood. He has lost a close friend. A friend, he visited just the night before. The friend started coughing around midnight, and then, suddenly got a heart attack and passed away by 0100, is the story he told us. His friend was put to rest only 12 h after passing away; in climate where the temperatures are all year long around 30 degC, there is no other choice.

May the man rest in peace close to other family members who are buried in the same area of the family property. There are no public cemeteries in Kosrae.

May all who were close to him enjoy the good memories they all have.

I used similar words when I bid farewell to the man with the red T-shirt, who lost his friend.