Authors: Peter Rudiak-Gould

Surviving Paradise (41 page)

For raising me from infancy:
Mom, Dad, Nat, and Ben.

For raising me from cultural infancy:
Alfred, Tior, Lisson, Elina, Tenita, Raymond, Fredlee, Joja, Essa, Steven, Robella, Elizabeth, and everyone else on Ujae.

For amazing quantities of hospitality in Majuro:
Caios and Wisse Lucky, Alfred Capelle, Josepha Maddison, and Jabukja Aikne.

For keeping me sane with insanely generous care packages:
Jeff and Kate Wooddell.

For that priceless combination of believing in this book and knowing all the right people:
my agent, Andy Ross.

For taking a chance on an unknown kid:
Philip Turner and Iris Blasi, my editors at Sterling, as well as everyone behind the scenesâRebecca Maines, Lori Paximadis, Fritz Metsch, and Elizabeth Mihaltse.

For feedback and encouragement on the manuscript:
Naomi Lucks Sigal, Ernest Callenbach, Emily Winkler, Alice Little, Helena Taylor, John and Elly Gould, Alain de Botton, Cindy Spiegel, Eric Hansen, Susan Page, Jasmina Tomic, Zipporah Collins, Cynthia Crooks-Garcia, and Caroline Dawnay.

For sending letters, supplies, and sundries:
Greg Burton, Grace Harbour, and Marguerite Buck-Bauer.

For being the most excellent group of people I've ever had the pleasure of belonging to:
all of the volunteers in WorldTeach Marshall Islands 2003â2004.

For letting me use the mosquito netting ode:
Sara Shahriari.

For making the program possible:
Iroij Mike Kabua, Secretary of Education Biram Stege, Minister of Education Wilfred Kendall, Patrick Lane, Helen Claire Sievers, and Ambassador Lien-gene Chen.

For agreeing to be interviewed for my fieldwork in 2007:
Kessai Note, John Silk, Fred Muller, Amon Tibon, John Bungitak, Yumi Crisostomo, Wilson Jibbwa, Rev. Enja Enos, Elton Note, Daisy Alik Momotaro, Clary Makroro, Henry Capelle, Diane Myazoe-De Brum, and many others.

For making my fieldwork possible:
Gertie Rudiak, David Gellner, Peter Mitchell, and St. Hugh's College, Oxford.