Diving

I went diving today.  It was super murky and the camera went dead after a few shots.  I saw a thousand nemos (or seemed like it), but the camera was already dead. I dive tomorrow, so maybe I'll get more pics.  I'm working on a way to bring Perry diving. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

VBS!

I know that it looks like all Perry and I do is go to the beach, travel to various islands, find ourselves in trouble, but in reality I come to work with my church.  I have spent 4 years living in Guam/Saipan as a volunteer missionary and five summers helping with island ministry.  My official job is to conduct youth retreats.  On some of the islands, minimum wage is as low as $1.25. Plane tickets are regular super-ridiculous price.  Therefore, it is impossible to have a District wide church camp. My job is to take the church camp to the other islands.  In my spare time I do other things like preach on Sundays, run VBS, host Bible studies, etc.  Then in my spare-spare time I do all my crazy adventures.  All this is to say...check out Perry with some of the kiddos tonight at VBS.

Guam Adventure Day--Talafofo Falls

Another segment of Guam adventure day was a trip to Talafofo Falls.  This is home to the only cable car on island. It is also near the cave of Sgt. Yokoi who was a Japanese soldier that hid in the jungles of Guam until his capture in 1972--28 years after WWII ended. This place would be great if they let you swim.

 

Guam Adventure Day--Lookouts

Today on Guam Adventure Day, we had to make a few stops to grab some great photos of the views.  Most of the pictures taken below were within a few miles of the school I worked.

Guam Adventure Day--Tarzan Falls

Today Perry got to go on a hike to Tarzan Falls.  Pastor Rex & Pearl along with Ashley and I got up early to try to beat the heat.  Though I'm sure my master plan worked, it was still really hot and really, really, really humid.  We actually never got lost (miracle!).  Perry enjoyed his time at the falls, as did the rest of us. :)

Ritidian National Wildlife Reserve

Today in honor of my friend Ben's birthday, we headed to Ritidian beach to celebrate before he leaves island on Friday.  Ritidian is a National Wildlife Reserve, so unlike the other beaches, it is gated to enter and closes at 4pm.  It is a gorgeous beach and had great snorkeling today.  From the beach, you can see Rota, the southernmost CNMI island, in the distance. 

 Above:  As we drive down the cliff to the beach. 

 Above: Me at the beach!

 Above: Ashley at the beach!

 Above: Ben with his birthday cherry pie (that I made last night) at the beach.

Perry didn't go to the beach today. :(  I guess he isn't into birthday celebrations. 

I JUST WANT TO PEE!

I understand that it is a crude title, but I'm dealing with crude issues.  It's not that I'm incapable of urinating, it is that there are cockroaches in the toilet.  Let me elaborate, shall I?

Roaches are slightly larger on the islands. Okay, they are WAY bigger.  I've dealt with them during my years.  However, the roaches in the spare room of the parsonage are...hmmmm....intense.

My friend Ashley who is staying with me is terribly scared of the roach.  I kill them. I dispose of them.  I make sure all is safe.  She read they don't like light, so we keep the bathroom light on all night now.  She is super freaked out by them.  (I'm not too exited when they land on me...not going to lie.)  So, last summer when she comes out to the porch where I sat after her shower and says, "Laura, we have roaches in the bathroom," I wasn't too concerned since it was Ashley making the statement. I just figured I needed to do a little murdering and all would be good.  When I walked in the room, roaches were coming out of everything...toilet...under the toilet...shower drain..sink...the walls...it was like a horror film. Thousands of roaches were invading my bedroom.  (This is NOT an exaggeration.)  I run in the house to scream major roach problem to the pastor and his wife so they could help me murder. I was not going to be able to do this on my own. By the time I got out of the house onto the carport, they were exiting every crevice out there.  We had been invaded. (For a moment, I thought back to the scene in Men in Black and wondered if perhaps this could be an alien invasion.)  After LOTS of stomping, spraying, blasting with a water hose, calling the septic tank drainers, and more stomping and spraying (and screaming) we had killed most of the roaches.  Half the room had been dragged into the yard...our luggage was scattered everywhere...our bed sheets stripped...this was very intense. 

Tonight, I walk into the restroom and there was a roach.  I flushed him because he deserved to die.  A minute later...another roach.  I look in the shower--a roach. The sink--a roach. I have been killing roaches for almost an hour. I flush, another returns.  I sprayed the exterior of the bathroom and just now I walked in and there are about 20 dead in the floor. I can see one crawling on the ceiling.  (I have just reported it to Pastor Rex...he will call the septic people in the morning.) I'm currently staring in my own horror film.  And I don't like scarey movies!

(I can't really give you a great visual. I just counted 23 dead ones on the floor of the restroom. Some are very small. This doesn't count the 5 million I have flushed or swept up.) 


Maybe I'll walk over to the church to pee.

Arial View of Guahan

 Above: The beach I'm going to on Tuesday for my friend's birthday party.

 Above: Air Force Base. 

 Above: Alien residence.

 Above: I'm not exactly sure. I took the pictures I can find it later.

 Above: Water. Land.

 Above:  Can you see the large building in the middle of the picture?  I got to house sit in one of the apartments for Navy Steve when he was out to seat.  It had a dishwasher, carpet, a balcony, a bathtub, and it was on the beach. 

Shopping in DFS

Today, I went to DFS along with Perry, Ashley and Ben.  (DFS = Duty Free Shopping = stores like Prada, Tiffany's, LeSport Sac, Gucci...the stuff I can't afford).   We pretended to have accents.  (I had to translate for Perry).  We sampled all the coffees and candies.  Occasionally we'd pick up something and take turns  guessing the prices.  ($1200 jackets, $350 wallets, etc.)

Saipan

I love Saipan. It's the happiest place in Micronesia. Only a few bad memories exist on the island. There was the night that Sara and I were sort of chased by a scary guy when we were trying to reserve a pavilion for our birthday party.  I got up at 6am the next morning to continue to stake it out.  Scary guy was there--he offered me drugs.  (I said "no" because drugs are bad.)  There was also the earthquakes, but those were fun if I wasn't sleeping (6.7 was the largest I felt).  And the typhoons (Chaba & Nabi).  But I got to miss school for those.  The late night tsunami warnings that forced us to seek shelter on high mountains, but they made for great video reenactments later. Oh yeah, the volcanoes.  Volcanoes were actually awesome because we'd get to miss school.  Sometimes there were no dairy products---or beef---or tortillas--Mexican food was terrible---but I had mangoes, papayas, and spring rolls.  I had Shrek Disease once. That was awful.  I also was nearly bedridden for 6 months because of my crazy neck disease.  Hmmmmm....more bad memories than I first thought.  HOWEVER--since there was Thursday night street market every week, ballroom dance lessons, and I lived less than 20 feet from the ocean, I'd say despite my bedridden state I could look at out the ocean and Sara would bring me Thai House from street market and it could again regain Happiest Place in the World Status.

Perry really enjoyed Saipan.  He asked if he could stay there. I tried to tell Perry that his true master Sarah S. would miss him, but he said she could visit and he'd take her snorkeling and booney stomping (that means hiking). You know, Perry really is right.  I should stay in Saipan.  Did you know that with 10 years teaching experience (which I have--I'M SO OLD) and with a masters (which I also have) my starting salary is $47K?  That is about $15K more than I make now. And perhaps it would be more because most states (excluding OK) also gives pay raises to those with post graduate work...I have another almost 60 hours past the masters.  I also would do WAY LESS WORK teaching in Saipan. Even some Saturdays off!  That statement was not to undermine the work of Saipan teachers or any teacher, but having been a classroom teacher (5th grade and JH Social Studies, Elem/JH Computers, JH Science, & HS Science), a counselor, and a band director, I know that teaching band is a lot more time consuming of all the other jobs. I also don't get to sit down teaching band.  And sometimes, people throw things at me like clarinet cases. Plus, one can grade papers in front of NCIS.  I cannot do after school rehearsals, honor band auditions, parades, etc etc etc in front of the television.  (Dear Band Students, I realize that you are disagreeing with me and would enjoy a rehearsal in front of a TV Show--not going to happen.  I realize that I did read from the 3rd Hunger Games book during scales one morning, but I needed to know what happened!!!!)  So, I ask myself, why in the world do I do what I do?  Why in the world do I return to a job where students change the back ground of my computer (Caleb), and shoe polish my car (Sarah & Savannah), and tell fat jokes where I'm the butt of the jokes (entire band), and stress me out before everything important we do (Caleb, Dakota, & Tommus).

 Above: Boat.  Below: Managaha Island in the background.

 Above: Suicide Cliff.  Below: Banzai Cliff

You'll be happy to know that I did indeed leave Saipan and am back on Guam...where teachers make less money. :)  You should also be happy to know that there is no way the airline will cheat me out of my return ticket home--so I will return.

Last Day in Saipan

On my last day in Saipan, I took Perry to the Spa.  This is most likely the happiest place in Saipan...okay, maybe the world.  One can sit in various degrees of pools...watch the waves crash on the reef...get a massage....watch Japanese tourists take really odd pictures...ahhhhhhhh....love it....

Above: Check out Perry at the waterfall.  This is a great place to make Herbal Essence Shampoo Commercials.

 Above:  Perry is by the cold pool.  This is colder than any pool you will find in the arctic.

 Above:  Perry is on the upper deck posing at the lookout. 

 Above: Perry decides to soak up a little sun so his skin will turn a darker shade of blue.

 Above: Perry is posing next to some orange flowers that you can't really see.

 Above: Perry poses next to Smitty's favorite pool--the Flower Bath.  This pool is always filled with plumaria flowers. (These are the flowers the Hawaiian's make leis.)

Above:  Perry stands next to the creepy statue.