Far south of Japan in the islands of Micronesia, there is a small nation called Palau.  It is an independent country composed of about 300 coral islands. Many of those islands are really small and cute, but some are much larger with deep jungle.  Most of those small islands are uninhabited; people live on only the larger islands because those small islands often lack groundwater. Without groundwater, it is difficult for people to live.  Palau is close to the equator and the weather is always hot.  The sea is crystal blue; and colorful tropical fish swarm among the corals.  The sandy beaches are bright, pure white.

     Miyoko, a Japanese lady, was a high school teacher in this beautiful country.  She taught Japanese to active Palauan boys and girls.  Palau High School, where Miyoko teaches, was located on the island of Koror.  The island of Koror is not a large island, but it is situated almost at the center of the country and is the capital of Palau.  Even if it was the capital, Koror was small, and Miyoko, who was born and raised in Tokyo, thought it was like a toy town at first.

     Palau High School was surrounded by banana and palm trees and was facing the town's main thoroughfare. Students go to school in white cotton shirts with navy blue pants or skirts.  The main street is paved.  Across from Palau High School there is a two-story wooden building which is the Ministry of Education.  Next to the Ministry of Education is the Court House.  This was also a very small two-story building.  In Palau, there are rules which prohibit rising structures higher than palm trees, just as nature is protected and green is full.  Along this boulevard, the post office, the police station, and other government offices were lined up. There is also a small prison. The prison is an open building with a roof, floor, and waist-high walls.  Miyoko has long thought of it as a civic meeting place. There is also a parliament building in the center of town. It is a splendid concrete building. There were a few shops and restaurants between these government buildings, and that was all in the center of Koror. 

     From the main street, many narrow, unpaved roads stretch through the trees, and these roads eventually end at the sea.  Koror is a small island, but the trees are so dense that you can't see the sea at all from the town center. People live in houses among the trees, keeping pigs or plowing small fields.

     Students talk to each other using English and Palauan, but to Miyiko, they speak in English because Miyiko understands English but doesn't understand Palauan at all.  Miyiko is constantly surprised that the students have a very good memory and learn Japanese very quickly. However, outside the classroom, the students' abilities surprise Miyiko even more. Students can climb barefoot the dizzying high palm trees. There are many coconuts at the top of the palm tree; and the children know which fruit is ripened and the best for juice.  Using a very sharp machete, they expertly create a small hole at the top of a coconut, and give it to Miyako with a friendly smile. The coconut juice is faintly sweet and very refreshing.  Miyiko believes that there is no other fruit juice as delicious as coconut’s.

     The students are also master fish catchers. Miyiko, who is a city-girl, can only do best to walk around the shallow sea collecting shellfish and sea urchins. On the other hand, her students use stones and spears to catch many fish in a short time. From an early age, Palauan people practice throwing stones and sticks. They grow to very accurately hit objects.  Many are also master divers.

     While the Japanese children strictly depend upon the money earned by their guardians to live, the children of Palau develop an ability to partially live off the abundant nature.  Miyoko amuses herself all the time that she is the one who learns from her students once she is outside of the classroom.