PLAYING CATCH UP

Hey everyone, first off I want you to know I miss you all. Its hard to believe I have been here over 3 weeks already. It feels like I just arrived last week. Last week was the first week of school. Everything went off without a hitch. I think I will really like teaching and the kids seem great as long as I stay on top of them. Health class was the only thing I was really nervous about teaching because I had never had any classroom experience, but even that has went really well so far. I haven't taken any pictures of my students yet but as soon as my camera comes(next week hopefully) I will take some pictures of my students for yall to see. Life on island is very upbeat and exciting. There is always something to do whether it is going out to eat with other teachers, spear fishing with Jake and Brian, or playing Ultimate on Wednesdays and Fridays. There is never a dull moment here. I really like that aspect of Saipan.
       Last Week pastor Greg invited all of us teachers to go on a sunset dinner cruise. It was a beautiful but kinda pricey. We got a wonderful meal and got to see a sunset that was worth every penny spent.

        On Sunday after church I went out spear fishing with Jake and Brian. We fished for about 5 hours. Jake shot one really nice Grouper, me and Brian didn't have the same luck. I shot at one of the biggest Blue Finned Trevallis I may ever see in my life but I missed low. It has been eating me up for the last few day....GAAAHHH! Oh well there is always next time out :) On the way home from fishing we stopped and looked at a scooter that Jake had seen earlier that he thought I might be interested in. It looked pretty nice for the price and yesterday I made it mine. I am excited to have my own wheels(even if they only go 35mph) and I can give Jake back his scooter so I don't feel like such a mooch. But I am very grateful for him letting me borrow it and for everything that all the people have done to make me feel welcome and at home. So thanks guys. 

       That is about everything that has been going on here in Saipan for the past week or so. Hope you all are doing well and I miss you all. But not quite enough to want to go back anytime soon :)   

Some of us teachers on the dinner cruise

Not quite sure what this face is for

Our friends on the boat....Local Chamorro people

Just relaxin on the boat before we eat

A random sunset in Saipan

The sunset from the cruise

Myself and two lovely Japanese tourists on the cruise

I tip my hat, I sag my pants, I enjoy myself

Me and Grant keeping things snug with bottomless drinks

One of the delicious meal choices. I personally went with the steak. Beef is outrageously expensive here so I thought I would seize the opportunity for a taste of the Midwest

Our entertainment for the evening. He was a very talented man

Peace and Love from Saipan!

Spearfishing!

This morning my new friend Jake picked me up to go spear fishing with him. We went at about 9 and were in the water by 10:30. He let me borrow one of his extra guns so I could do more than just watch him have all the fun. We swam out past the reef and started our hunt. My main targets were Parrot fish. Free diving is a totally different experience from scuba or even just snorkeling. I think I dove as deep as 35 feet but mostly I stayed at about 20 feet so I could stay down longer. I shot my gun about 15 times with no luck hitting anything. They say that the fish here are very smart. It was hard to get close enough to them for a shot before they would take off. We stayed out till about 1:20. It was a very exciting and relaxing day in the water. I am happy to report that I came home with two small Parrot fish, which I just ate literally 2 minutes ago. They were very tasty. I gutted them and scaled them. I then stuffed them with olive oil, garlic cloves, and silantro and baked them for 25 minutes at 350. They have a beautiful white meat, reminds me of walleye kinda. I cant wait to go again soon. Maybe next time I will get to shoot one that is bigger. So long for now. Peace and love from Saipan.

Forbidden Island

 The view looking down into the bay

 Forbidden Island from above

 Hanging out with Chris and Jake

 Us guys right before we hiked back to the truck

 After I got out of the "cold" pool in a cave

 Some of us snorkeling

 Just hanging out

 The view from the top of Bird Island looking back at mainland Saipan

 One of the smaller rocks we jumped off of

 At the street market with Grant eating some delicious BBQ


So yesterday a group of us piled into the back of Jakes truck and headed to Forbidden Island. It is a spot not many locals go because of their culture. It is very beautiful though. The hike down was steep but not super long. Very doable. we spent the day combing the beach, snorkeling, rock climbing, cliff jumping, and just having a great time. This is probably my favorite spot on the island so far. After we got back from the island we showered and then me, Grant, Kara, and Anna headed to the street market. Lots of great food and crafts for sale. What a good day. Peace and love from Saipan!

Bird Island

 Me and Grant walking on Bird Island beach

 The "group" from left to right-Kara, Anna, Alison, Becky, Rachel, Brian, Sammy(dog), Me, Grant.

 Me on Bird Island

 Walking on the beach

 Nemo hanging out

 Us again on Bird Island

 Bird Island....so beautiful

 Very pretty blue fish next to a not so beautiful sea cucumber




So last week me and some teachers hiked to Bird Island. Bird Island is a wildlife sanctuary. We spent the afternoon hiking and snorkeling and just enjoying the beauty of this place. It was great to get out with some teachers and have a relaxing afternoon. These pictures were taken by Grant. He has been generous enough to share pictures with me so that I can keep you all updated on my time here. Hopefully my new camera arrives soon. It must not have shipped priority so it could take up to 3 months for it to arrive. I cant wait to be the one taking pictures. Hope you all can get a glimpse of where I am living and the things I am doing though. Peace and Love from Saipan.

The Grotto and FEBC

                                                          Just arriving at The Grotto!

                                                                             From right to left: Allison(new teacher), Kara(2nd year teacher married to Grant), Becky(Allisons mother in law who came to hang out with her while she waits for her husband to arrive), and Becky(another 1st year teacher)

                                               Me and Grant after swimming for a while

                                             Me and Grant at Wild Bills for dinner tonight.

                                          Me, Brian, and Kara getting ready to play President


So yesterday a group of us teachers went to The Grotto and then to FEBC(Far East Broadcasting) for a potluck and to play games. It was a great day overall. The grotto is one of the most beautiful places on the island I have seen so far. It is a cave system that has filled with water from the ocean. It makes a wonderful swimming hole and there are some great rocks and cliffs to jump off. I cant wait to dive it and see all the marvels that are hidden underneath the surface. The exact depth is unknown because not all the caverns have been mapped out but the entrance to the ocean is at roughly 100-120 ft. It is rated by almost every dive magazine as one of the top 5 cave dives in the world. It was also great to just relax after swimming and hang out with other people that live here. These pictures were taken by Grant and Kara. Still waiting on my camera so it will be a little while before I can take pictures on my own to show y'all.

Setting up my office

So today I met my principal Mr. Winkfield. He seems like a super cool guy. I am excited to work for him this up coming school year. My office is located in the school library. I am in here looking through materials and trying to sort out what will be useful and what i can ignore. On the iMac I am given for this school year i came across a folder that has some pictures in it. So I thought I would let you guys see what the area by the school looks like. Trust me when I say that these pictures are nothing compared to what it really looks like. I think the island must have gotten much more beautiful since these were taken.

Becoming a local

Yesterday me and another new teacher went around with pastor Greg to see the island and get some things accomplished. We started out by getting our CNMI drivers license. Having a local license makes you one of them so I am told. I know when it comes to eating out, travel, and lodging that i get those cheaper. There is a ferry out to the island of Managaha that I get to use for free now. It is normally 15 dollars for tourists. Managaha is a tiny little island that is a fish sanctuary about 3/4 of a mile off of Saipan. One of the other new teachers went yesterday and I plan on making the trip tomorrow to do some snorkeling.
     Pastor took us on a quick tour of the island which involved checking out Bonzai cliff, Suicide cliff, The Grotto, The Last Command Post, and a few other attractions. It takes about 30 minutes to go from one side of the island to the other. It was breath taking to see all of these places and then think to myself "I really live here" Pastor Greg has lived here for 5 years now. He is a very active man and says that he still hasnt seen the whole island. So that is encouraging. I cant wait for my camera to arrive so I can show you all this beautiful place that I will soon call home. But for now it is almost 7:30 so I am going to go make myself a cup of coffee and walk the 35 yards to the beach and put my toes in the water, ass in the sand, and do some morning devotions. Peace and Love to you all.