Chuuk and cholera

I was impressed by the number of people who paid their respects to Celso Berdon.  Funerals in Chuuk have developed into huge gatherings over a period of 2-3 days.  Celso was placed in a pavilion adorned with white silk fabric throughout.  His wife and children remained beside the casket for the whole time.
I received some comments about my last post, and I want to correct something that must have been spread among Celso's family in PI.  He did not stay in the hospital alone; his wife was by his side always, and his children were also with him for long periods.  He was also visited by many friends.  Please do not worry that he died alone; he was surrounded by the people here who love him.
An update to the attempt to get Celso a US visa:  it turns out that you only need a visa to land at Guam's airport if you are alive.  Celso's remains will fly to the Philippines, including a stop in Guam, without needing a visa.  I suppose that the State Department acknowledged that a personal interview cannot be required in such instances.
Funerals have grown out of control here; people are expected to provide food for huge crowds, and it nearly bankrupts some of them.  Due to the aging population, it seems that each family has one or more funerals each month, and the burden never ceases.  I am sure that this was not the practice under tradition, but it has become the cultural norm, and it does not make sense.  It is as though everyone is entitled to a funeral like the traditional chiefs were given.  Nobody seems to realize that there just isn't enough money to keep doing that.
I recently learned that the halted road project, which also involves a new sewer system, is becoming very dangerous.  There is a bridge across a stream that was partially demolished to prepare for the new paving, but which has yet to receive the paving.  The delay in funding the work (ordered by the OIA) has left the bridge to deteriorate.  Now there are 3 holes in the steel pan that supports the paved portion, and inspectors have noted that the pan is failing.  It is a matter of time before a school bus loaded with children plunges into the waters below.  Thank you OIA!
Moreover, the sewers are backing up.  They are run by temporary pumps that get clogged with dirt and sand, causing them to stop, and the sewage won't flow.  We are lucky that this is the dry season - a time when rains are not heavy on a daily basis -- but soon the rains will begin again in earnest, and we can count on sewers spewing raw sewage into the environment.  Chuuk has suffered two cholera epidemics in the last 20 years; it appears we will do so again.  Way to go OIA!!!  Maybe the plan is to kill off several thousand so the US aid can be cut back.
Yet, the people here continue to smile and be as happy as they can legitimately appear.  This isn't the first time they have had to deal with adversity.  It is time for this American to learn how to deal with it as well.