
Here is a photo-recap of my first full working week on island; 14 schools down, 12 to go!
Greetings
"Hafa Adai" is "hello" in Chamorro, the language of the natives of Guam. The Hafa Adais I was treated to on Guam have been nothing short of spectacular.
Here are a few:

is the ocean. (It's that patch of dark blue beyond the palm trees—also a first.)

Vanished: True Stories of the Missing.

using a superhero motif. Some chose religious figures.
Island views

it's a WWII memorial to a squadron of Japanese who fought valiantly till the end.


ABC affiliate that came to my first presentation.
Next few photos: filming a literacy Public Service Announcement
at the PBS affiliate. I even got to write it myself.

Jonathan and Nel (far right), and PBS producer Leigh.
to somehow make me look less dorky.

and, for added safety, this signed stack is being driven to
my next appearance in a car seat.


it was marketed to teens but everyone from tweens to adults attended.
It was a really great group.
Local color

(variously made of shells, flowers, leaves, beads, or other island jewels).

While I was there, the only one we had a drill for was
the first; luckily, we had no real emergencies.

if I'm remembering correctly without googling to doublecheck.
If one pinches you, it will not let go even if you pound on it.
I've heard two ways you can make it release:
tickling its soft undercarriage or
touching a burning match/object to its rear.
Neither sounds fun, but both sound more fun than
a huge crab permanently clamped onto your finger.

At one school, the color scheme of the room I spoke in was
so serene, I almost felt like I was underwater.
I believe this was the first time I'd seen a gym with a blue floor.
so serene, I almost felt like I was underwater.
I believe this was the first time I'd seen a gym with a blue floor.


Jewish service available. It was on the naval base; the two photos above
show the sanctuary. In attendance: an active duty Coast Guard member
(the layperson who ran the service), the state archeologist,
a clown (no, not in costume), her two teenaged sons, and me.
Almost halfway to a cast of Survivor, and the right locale for it, too.
Bathrooms

I'm told this is because Guam's climate is tropical. Some sinks did have
a hot water knob—but most of the ones I tried didn't work.

built-in water fountain; however, I saw no others like this.

an ice-filled trough for—well, read the sign.
Highlights not covered by the pictures above:
Lastly, in the bay behind my hotel rises a small island; you can see it at the end of part 1 and again in part 4. Though it seemed fairly far to me, I learned that during low tide, one can walk there.
So one day at 3:45 p.m., I put on my reef booties and did.
Outgoing took about 15 minutes; the way back felt longer, maybe because I was already wistful at the thought of abandoning "my" island. On the way there, the only living thing I saw in the clear water was a sea snake. When I arrived on the island, several kayakers were there, but they soon left, leaving me alone with the wee hermit crabs. I'd been told that this baby island was one of the best places on Guam to find nice shells, in part because it's one of the least trafficked. However, I searched an hour (including in the water) and did not find even one keeper.
En route back, as I was nearing the shore where my hotel was, a pregnant Korean woman at the water's edge was shouting to someone snorkeling a ways out. Turns out she spoke English and the person in the water was her husband; he could not, of course, hear her.
I volunteered to walk back out to him to let him know she wanted him. Normally, due to my aversion to both sand and midday sun, I am eager to get off a beach as soon as possible; in this case, with the tropical sunset and my little island still in view, I was happy to stay. (Pretending I was on a miniature "rescue" mission was also appealing. And delusional.)
Part 3.
- Chickens were wandering everywhere. They belong to people but are allowed to roam free. Apparently they do come home to be fed.
- Cars last longer on Guam. Small island = low mileage (in proportion to the age of the car).
- Washers and dryers were often outside (though covered by an overhang).
- Not specific to Guam, but a reading teacher at one of the middle schools I spoke at told me she loved jazz artist Henry Grimes's story in Vanished...and she and her husband are now listening to his music.
Lastly, in the bay behind my hotel rises a small island; you can see it at the end of part 1 and again in part 4. Though it seemed fairly far to me, I learned that during low tide, one can walk there.
So one day at 3:45 p.m., I put on my reef booties and did.
Outgoing took about 15 minutes; the way back felt longer, maybe because I was already wistful at the thought of abandoning "my" island. On the way there, the only living thing I saw in the clear water was a sea snake. When I arrived on the island, several kayakers were there, but they soon left, leaving me alone with the wee hermit crabs. I'd been told that this baby island was one of the best places on Guam to find nice shells, in part because it's one of the least trafficked. However, I searched an hour (including in the water) and did not find even one keeper.
En route back, as I was nearing the shore where my hotel was, a pregnant Korean woman at the water's edge was shouting to someone snorkeling a ways out. Turns out she spoke English and the person in the water was her husband; he could not, of course, hear her.
I volunteered to walk back out to him to let him know she wanted him. Normally, due to my aversion to both sand and midday sun, I am eager to get off a beach as soon as possible; in this case, with the tropical sunset and my little island still in view, I was happy to stay. (Pretending I was on a miniature "rescue" mission was also appealing. And delusional.)
Part 3.
2 comments:
Hafa Adai.
Those welcome posters are awesome. Go going, Guam!
I meant to say "Good going, Guam," but my keyboard's a bit sticky...
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