Best of Guam

We hit the two month mark, hard to believe.  On the way to church we were discussing our favorite things about Guam.  Answers were plentiful for some, harder to come by for others.  I, for one, am so glad we came.  Getting settled took a bit, but as we were reflecting on what we have enjoyed about Guam, it made me realize all we have packed into two months.  The most common and obvious responses for those living on a tropical island, the beaches and snorkeling.  We have been fortunate to make it to the beach about once a week since we arrived and most often we go snorkeling.  David said he loves "all the fishes in the huge lake." 

Curly loving her beach time

The fabulous weather ranks high on my list.  I have yet to tire of shorts and flip-flop weather every day.  I was discussing this with a friend as he was saying he was missing fall.  "Really, when you have this?"  He said well this weather is like having prime rib every day, even if it is your favorite, you could go for fried chicken once in a while.  I see his point, but I am still loving the prime rib for now. 

Being a lover of flowers, there is much to appreciate here.  The plumeria and hibiscus are plentiful.  There are also lots of other colorful varieties I have yet to learn the names of.  On a run this week, I ran under some pretty flowering trees (not sure what they were) but the smell was absolutely heavenly. 

The people we have met also top the list.  We have gotten to know a few military families, mostly in our ward and have really enjoyed our associations with them.  We live in the southern part of the island.  This area seems to have a lot of islanders living here.  Most of them are not from Guam.  They come from other near-by islands.  We have met several families from Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap.  It has been fun to learn more about their culture and way of life.  They are so warm and friendly.  It is humbling to see they are happy, yet have so little of what the world often thinks contributes to happiness. 

Sunsets also rank pretty high

 Abe pointed out he loves the stars and ocean views.  The colors of the ocean are amazing.  It ranges from bright turquoise to a deep navy.  Sadly, pictures do little to capture the vibrant hues of the water.  The best part is it changes from day to day.  I never know quite what the water will look like from one day to the next.  

Best attempt to capture the color of the water

We have also loved what it has done for our family.  We have had to work together to figure things out.  Being able to see and experience new things together has been so great.  One of the fortunate consequences of not knowing a lot of people is that we have spent more time together and done a lot of activities as a family. Without the kids all going in opposite directions, we spend more time with each other.  We are looking forward to the next few months to see what Guam has in store for us.

Veteran's Day

What a way to spend Veteran's Day!  We did a short hike to a beach with some friends.  It was spectacular!!  The views, the ocean, sun, snorkeling... 

Hike through the jungle

Quite a beach!

View from the water

Fresh coconuts!

Addie and the white crab

Most of the kids

Mermaids

All this in November, I think this is something I can get used to!

Good Times

Has another week gone by?  We had a couple fun and interesting experiences this week.  Halloween was fun, the kids got their fill of candy.  No trick-or-treaters came a-knockin' this year, we live a bit off the beaten path.  I missed seeing lots of little ones dressed up and making them happy with treats. 

Island themed trick-or-treaters

 On Friday the kids and I finished school and headed to the beach.  I wish we got there more, you would think living on a island it would be a daily ritual, we seem to make it there a couple times a week.  Each beach is a little different, what you see in the water and what you discover out of the water.  Snorkeling here is really spectacular, really wishing we had an underwater camera.  (The list of toys we want is getting longer and longer, paddle-boards, scuba gear, kayaks, underwater camera....)  Confidence is growing and now we can all head out snorkeling together.  It is so fun to watch someone else see the wonders of the ocean for the first time.  Bugs digs it.  We hold hands when we go and a tap is the signal you need to come up.  Bugs gave a tap (the third one is few minutes) I came up and asked "what this time?"  He said, "Oh, that was just an I love you underwater tap."  Gotta love that boy!

The kids love collecting shells, this one still had an occupant so we left it there.

Now that he is accustom to breathing through a snorkel, he forgets to take it off.

We stayed till the sun went down.

Saturday's snorkel spot

Addie got a nasty gash on her leg.  Brave girl, didn't even cry.

 Saturday we got to witness our first ocean baptism, it made Addie really excited for her baptism in the spring.  The setting was amazing and we really enjoy our associations with the islanders, the missionaries and our ward members.   Across the street from First Beach is a home that has been reduced to a few concrete walls and some members live next to it.  It has become the gathering place for ocean baptisms and a few other meetings as well. 

On our way to the baptism

The group gathered for the meeting

The "Ruins" is what we call it.

Addie and friends

Heading out to baptize

Addie is looking forward to her turn. 

Hafa Adai!

Hafa Adai! That is the greeting commonly heard here in Guam.  Much like Aloha in Hawaiian, it means hello and is used when acknowledging someone.  Now that we have been here a while, it is staring to roll off the tongue.  The people here are very friendly, I have several say hello (hafa adai) when I am running errands or around town.   The natives here are called Chamorro, which is also what their language is called.  For a while the language was not used as much, but there is a renewed  interest in it and it is now taught in the schools on the island.  Although Chamorro is the heritage of the locals, there are many people from several of the near-by islands that live here.  We have met people from Chuuk, Pohnpei and Yap. 

This week we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat.  Living without my usual resources (Joann's, sewing machine, etc.) the Halloween costumes were a little less polished, but the kids had fun just the same.  David was even able to squeeze into last years, one of the benefits of not growing much.  Addie and Sierra went as hula girls to round out the island theme.  I was also able to squeeze in a Halloween 5K.  I'm finding more running routes and others who run, but still on the hunt for a running group.

Addie with her friend, Samantha

Suzy with Dora, one of David's friends.

Island cuties.  Whenever Summerine sees Addie she wants to be in her arms.

I found this stow-away hidden in the car pounding his candy.

Some of our 5K crew.

 We love our weekends here, we usually manage to find time for something fun on Saturday and Sunday is filled with service and hopefully some more family time.  Saturday we had our best round of snorkeling yet.  Sadly, Sierra and Suzy weren't feeling well and stayed home and on top of that, I forgot my camera.  The highlights were seeing sea turtles and Bugs getting the hang of using his snorkel.  The fish  were amazing at this spot, so many and lots of varieties.  We will definitely be heading back there and everyone will be able to go, so looking forward to that!! I am hoping for an underwater camera, we'll see if it is in the budget.

Home sweet home

We are feeling a little more settled.  I continue to scour a few local sites for furniture people are selling when they leave the island.  Still some things to get, but we are starting to think of this place as home.  The biggest difference is our home here is all the walls are made of cement.  This is earthquake and typhoon country.  It makes hanging anything up interesting, but I am sure we will be glad when the storms hit. Other than that and the view we have of the ocean, it isn't much different from other houses we have lived in. We would love and welcome all visitors, unfortunately tickets here are not cheap, but we promise to show you a good time if anyone is interested. 

Life in Guam

Hard to believe we have been here a month already.  So much has happened and so many new experiences.  We are getting settled and starting to establish a routine.  Obliviously, Guam is an island and that brings with it some unique circumstances.  Life moves at a slower pace and things don't always work the way we think we should.  We had a few Guam moments, as we have decided to call them, this week.  For example, my kids and I went to the grocery store. When we got there, the lights were all out.  This is something I have never encountered in the the states and I am kind of  looking at others thinking....um lights?  No one else seemed to think it was a big deal.  I stood there for a few moments and then got out my cell phone and tried to shop with the pitiful light the screen provides.  Another very Guam thing is carabaos, something I had never heard of before.  It is a large animal, similar to a water buffalo.  They are generally used as a pack animal or to pull a plow.  Not only are they popular because of their practical use, they are kind of a mascot here.   There are several stone ones around the island.

My favorite carabao so far.

They advertise too!

We saw this on the side of the road.

Quite the trio, so Guam!

The dogs on the carabaos back are called boonie dogs meaning they are wild.  There are lots of stray dogs here.  MOST of them are nice, although a few have made my heart rate soar coming at me while I am  running.   Poor Sierra wants to bring home every one she sees.  The other animal that is all over the island is chickens.  Funny, the dogs don't seem to go for the chickens.  I see them running around together all the time here.

One part of Guam we don't love, but are dealing with are the prices.  We knew things would be more expensive, but holy moley.  The sticker shock is something I have to prepare myself for before I head into the store and try not hear the total the clerk tells me, I just hand over the card. 

I think they reason it won't seem so bad in smaller quantities, but do the math $10/gal for milk.

Missing our freezer full of yummy northwest berries.

Ice cream is no longer an evening ritual, maybe for Christmas?

Quirks, pricey groceries and all Guam is starting to feel like home.  I am finding there are new things to enjoy every day.   We still have lots of things to learn about and explore...one day at a time.

Scoping out this week's snorkel spot.

 

Another week in Paradise

As we become better acquainted with the island and its people, we love it more and more.  This last week brought some awesome experiences.  On Friday night, Abe and I headed to the Micronesian Island Fair held here once a year.  Many of the the nearby  islands were represented including Chuuk, Saipan, Kosrae, Yap, Marhall Islands, Pohnpei, and Palau.  Some of these islands are very primitive and still use shells for money.  We had a great time learning about some of the cultures, watching dances, sampling local food and perusing their hand-made wares.

Dancers from the Marshall Islands

I took a picture of this boy holding a coconut crab because I was too chicken to hold it.

Nearly naked island chief let me and a friend have a picture with him.

Opportunities to serve and fellowship abound here on Guam and we are taking advantage of them every chance we get.  This last weekend we attended a baptism on Saturday.  Sunday night we went to a devotional held on the southern tip of the island.  It is about a half hour drive to the church so the missionaries started holding a monthly devotional down there for those who are able to make it to the church building for Sunday services.  The setting was amazing.  Overlooking the ocean, under a tarp we met some wonderful people coming to know and embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The back drop of our devotional setting.

Devotional crowd

Notice the pianist, his mom will be so proud.

 

To finish off our weekend we went bowling on Monday (yay for Columbus Day)  with a few families from the ward and then met to do new member discussions with a young family who recently joined the church.  We are humbled and grateful for these experiences that seem to be uniquely Guam.  Such a great weekend. Looking forward to conference coming up (tape delayed at the church). 

Cute bowlers

This is going to be a good one!

When we finish school early we head to the beach.  We have lots of them to check out.

This beach had loads of hermit crabs, all sizes too.  The kids had fun with them.  I hope we left them all there.  

Getting Better and Better

We enjoyed a great weekend, so glad to not have a huge to-do list and a day with Abe off.  Saturday the weather wasn't cooperating, but we headed to the beach anyway.  Being from WA when it is raining, you usually don't want to be outside, much less in the ocean.  We are still getting used to the fact that when it rains here, it is still 86 and while you get wet, you aren't cold.  Figuring we would be in the water anyway, what does a little more wet matter.  It was great and while it did rain a little, it was pretty clear.  We are learning a little about the weather here.  We are in the rainy season right now which means it rains a lot, not time wise, but amount.  Actually, we are having a monsoon now.  Today, it dumped a few inches in an hour ,then it was clear.  A full day of rain in WA usually results in less accumulation.  As for the weather, I was a little nervous before we came.  So far, it has been great.  I am loving not ever needing to throw jackets in the car.  It is humid, but very comfortable.  We'll see if that holds true in the dry season.  Back to the beach, the kids and Abe had so much fun snorkeling and diving in the waves.  Many of the beaches here are shallow for a ways, maybe a couple hundred yards.  Abe was only about waist deep where the waves were breaking.  David is a little fish.  He doesn't like using the mouthpiece on the snorkel, he just holds his breath, comes up for air and dives right back in.  It is so fun to watch them get the hang of it and be so excited about what they see underwater.  They categorize the fish by the characters of Nemo.  David will say, "I saw a Gill" and then, "there is a Dori down there."

Getting their feet wet

A rare picture with Bugs' head above water

What most of the shots looked like.  No Bugs or Addie in sight.

About three minutes into the car ride home.

 Our ward here is a good mix of islanders, Navy families and a few who came years ago and haven't wanted to leave.  We are really enjoying getting to know them.  There was a baptism on Saturday, the third week in a row with a convert baptism.  The font is outdoors, it is either that or in the ocean.  The church building itself is different from most in the states.  The chapel is on one side then there is a breezeway and two separate buildings with class rooms that all open outdoors. The breezeway serves as the spot to mingle, do potlucks and meet up after church. 

Outdoor font

Talisay Ward Chapel

Check out the street sign, how cool is that?

Home grown bananas

 When we got home from church on Sunday, the landscapers were taking a break on the lawn.  They had just cut open a few coconuts and were sharing the juice.  The crew was there cutting down trees by the owners request.  We asked them to spare as many as possible. Clearing them gives us a better  view, but I was excited to harvest bananas, coconuts and mangoes.  They gave us some of the bananas which will have to ripen up a bit.  Several times over the last couple of weeks admiring the view and all that is so new, Abe and have thought how cool that we live here.