Geckos

Well, there is another gecko in the apartment! I have now officially seen two and I hope to see more. Jackie said they're everywhere, and I think they're cute. He was tiny and yellow and was so fast I couldn't catch him. I caught the first one but he jumped off my arm and scampered away. Isaac was telling me that when they are cornered or scared they will often try to create a diversion by dropping their tails. That means they will essentially cut off their own tails to distract whatever is trying to catch or kill them. Apparently they grow back pretty quickly though. I just think that's cool. When I move into my new apartment this weekend I hope there are geckos.

Morning on the Beach

Getting Started

Well I am here at last! I traveled for over 22 hours to get here and 1/3 of the way around the world. All my flights went well and my luggage came though okay. I did have one strange experience while flying, however. On my 8 hour flight from Honolulu to Guam, with nothing but reruns of CSI Miami and the DaVinci Code to entertain me, I suddenly had the odd urge to journal. What? I hate journaling! But I soon remembered that my journal, which had been written in about twice in two years, was in a box on a ship somewhere in the Pacific. So I had to content myself with Tom Hanks, my MP3 player, and cold medicine.

I finally arrived, and when I came out of the terminal in Saipan it was odd, because it was pitch black, but about 85% and so humid. Despite my short time here, I have discovered some good aspects to humidity. Yes, you always feel like you just stepped out of the shower, but it has made my laryngitis go away. My skin is also very soft, and my nose, which had been sore from my cold, is suddenly normal again.

Jake and Jackie (J and J) picked me up at the airport, and my principal came as well. Her name is Mrs. Borja and she is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met! She will be great to work with. I was determined to get on island time as quickly as possible, so I decided not to go to bed until J and J did. As a result, they took me to a birthday party for a friend of theirs. It was great to meet people right away, and I will be going out to Korean food with some of them this evening. J and J took me back to their apartment and I slept all night, waking up refreshed at 8 am. It is strange--I don't feel jet lagged at all.

So I showered, ate breakfast, and took a nice walk on the beach, which happens to be about 50 feet from J and J's apartment. Wow, was it ever beautiful! I will try to describe it, but I know I can't do it justice. The sand is soft and white, but there are large jagged boulders all over and enough glass that I don't really want to go down there without sandals. There are palm trees as well as a variety of other trees. The water is bright blue and green and warm! I will be living in Susupe, a village on the populated west shore. On the west coast there is a large, natural reef that keeps the huge waves from coming in. But about half-mile away I can see those waves crashing at the edge of the reef. Apparently the reef is perfect for wind sailing, and I certainly want to give that a try.

It is the rainy season right now so there are quite a few clouds and a strong breeze. The breeze definately helps with the humidity.

One of J and J's friends is Limson. He works at my school, MHS and he is also a real estate agent. He is helping me to find a place to live. Today we drove around to see four fully-furnished apartments near the school. We didn't actually go in to see them--he has to make an appointment with the landlord for tomorrow, so his associate, Cheri will take me to look inside tomorrow morning. There is one in particular that I really like. It is not beach front property, but it is not far. It is in a safe area close to the school, the grocery store, and the police station. I will post pictures of where ever I choose to live.

So this is getting long. Sorry. I am going to try to post pictures of the beach that I took this morning. Some of you know how bad I am with technology so it may be difficult for me, but I will try to learn.

The time has come!

Well, I leave in the morning! Classes are done, luggage is packed, but unfortunately my head cold has not gone away. My cold suddenly hit me on Wednesday morning, but hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling a little better. Better or not, though, I will be on that plane. At least I'm not contagious anymore.
I am so ready to go and I can hardly wait to get there. I am feeling a bit nostalgic though. After class this morning I drove around campus a little and I realized how much I will really miss Whitworth. It is a gorgeous place with all the towering pine trees dotted in between with lampposts, frisbee players, and students lunging for falling pinecones! It has been a wonderful four years in this place--it had become home. But I welcome change---Bring it on, Saipan!

Crazy weather

Apparently there is a tropical storm/typhoon going on in Saipan this week! Hopefully it will be gone by the time I fly there next weekend. eek! About a week and a half to go, and I have a lot to do before then. Right now I am working on my 2 week unit plan that needs to be done soon and I also have a lot to do for packing, paperwork, and planning. I feel like my life is on speed at the moment, but I know it will come together in time. It has to right?

Three Weeks and Counting

In three weeks I'll be moving to Saipan!!! Right now I'm in Spokane taking three classes for a three week period to prepare for my student teaching. Then off I go. I'll keep you updated as things get closer.