Yap in Retrospect

Home again on Kwajalein for a week gives me time to reflect on the adventure of Yap. It also gives me a chance to view my blog on a real monitor and see just how I did with the laptop as far as image editing. I didn’t do too bad, but I wanted a new look, so I’m changing my blog host. I like the Look of WordPress.

Yap is an amazing place, in retrospect, I know of no other place that is able to choose just how modern technology will affect their daily lives. They are able to make intelligent choices as to just what they will embrace of the “modern” world, and how much they will keep of their traditional culture. Hence WiFi and grass skirts coexist side by side. One can only admire a people for keeping the ability to make these kinds of choices in a world where the steamroller of technology is flattening all the rest of us into one smooth look alike society. The trip did remind me why I came to this part of the world in the first place. A passion and a dream are funny things. I gave up all I had in CONUS for a 16×16 room to live in and an opportunity to photograph things rarely photographed by a professional. I have found after almost 3 years friends and family no longer answer e-mails, giving me up for lost, but yet the dream continues. Alone and undaunted I will peruse my dream as passionately as the people of Yap protect their traditional culture.
I am indebted to Brian and Brie Greene for making allot of the images possible, and for their friendship and support. I will return to Yap for yet another obvious reason. 15 days is not enough time for a photographer. You just barley get to know where to go for images and just start to understand the people and then you must leave. So I will return. The images are here: http://www.leecraker.com/find.html
I did put a warning on the folders. I felt it prudent to do so while I am living on Kwaj, not wanting to offend anyone who would be shocked by some of the photographs of women without tops and only grass skirts.

~ by Lee on April 19, 2008.