-"I've learned so much about (choose: another culture, myself, life in general)"
-"You really should think about adopting a less connected, less material-based lifestyle"
-"I lived without a TV for a long time; it's not that bad"
-"EVERYONE NEEDS AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS"
Simply put: None of those things are true, at least for me. Sure, I've picked up a little bit of knowledge regarding Micronesia et al, however Saipan is much like anywhere else in the world in most cases. There are nice people and there are d-bags. There are great deals to be had in some places, however the guy across the street is trying to rip you off. Fresh fruit (like, "fresh from the tree in my backyard") is awesome, but almost everything else (veggies, meat) comes frozen from The States. Some neighbors get under your skin, others always seem to lend a helping hand at the right time. Some days you eat the bear, and some days blah blah blah.
Some things I've learned in year one:
-People eat weird things. Not like "EWWW, I can't believe you eat raw fish, but like "Wow. They sell beef bile here" as in the photo above. Think about that for an extra second or two. Not only do people eat beef bile, they pay for it.
-Going without Air Conditioning for a day can be kind of fun in the tropics. You sweat out the entirety of your water weight in an hour, you save money, and you feel like you're "roughing it", if only for a short time. It's like being on a Survivor show, only you get to wake up with an ocean view and know that Diet Cokes and granola bars are a short drive away.
-Everything rusts and breaks in a tropical climate. Camping chairs wither away. Silverware becomes orangish-brownware. White Irish skin becomes red. Bread gets moldy, powdered spices get clumpy, and crackers/chips/cookies are worthless after 12 hours unless you keep them in the refrigerator. Touch-screen phones are extremely, well, touchy due to the humidity.
-Korean food and drink kicks ass. Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef), Soju (Korean Rice Liquor), and spicy chicken kabobs have been no small part of my sustenance in Saipan, and I owe the Seoul Patrol much thanks for that.
-It's hot here. Cars don't like heat. Sometimes cars, even yours, will decide to blow up one day while you are on your way home from an auto parts store where you bought a battery because you thought that was the only problem you had and that everything was going to be okay and you have got to be kidding me you are losing power just a quarter mile from home and there's smoke and your temperature gauge is past "H" and you've been through this before and I wonder if the parts place will give a refund on the battery and:
Say hello to my new ride for the next month. For $5/day it seems like a decent deal, and I might just buy one of these bad boys next year when I come back. 2 wheels are better than 4, but during the rainy season my rain gear will make me look like a nun on wheels. It gets me from Point A to Point B, so whatever.
My teaching gig at the college has been done for a few weeks, however I will be back there next year. Indeed, you can toss "International Professor of Criminal Justice" on my resume. The high school gig teaching U.S. History has been great and I am at this time winding down the year by giving my students a project. Last week was the final pep rally of the year, and thankfully there aren't too many photos in existence of that event. I, along with another American dude that teaches at MHS, participated in a choreographed dance number as part of the Sophomore girls' "Bring It On"-style skit that was done in a gym full of 1400 students. I also participated in the Senior class's skit, where I was a priest officiating a wedding. How apropos.
I randomly met the CFO of Lau Lau Bay, a resort-syle golf course in Saipan, and was invited to play a round with him last weekend. While I can play for free at some courses out here given the fact that I coached golf this year (don't ask; I have nightmares about the golf swings out here), I jumped at the opportunity. Free golf is great, but free golf at this place is sublime:
That's the view from the tee box on 13 (a 130 yard Par-3). While you can't see the green in this photo, picture a teebox-->cliff-->ocean------------>cliff-->green. I (honestly) birdied the mofo and tossed my ball into the Pacific, as that's where it would have ended up 7 out of 10 times. The majority of the course is much like this in that a sliced/hooked drive ends up in the ocean. Not bad scenery, indeed, however breaking 80 is a challenge. Shit, breaking 90 is a challenge. In case you're wondering: The greens fees go from $40 for locals all the way up to $200+ for tourists. While you may balk at the price, please understand that the LOBBY is one of the nicest places I've ever seen in my life. Hopefully I will have more pics soon.
BONUS ROUND!
-Saipan Car-Related Moment of the Week/Month: Another "I wish I had a picture for this" deal, but you best believe it happened. A truck bed full of laborers was in front of me on my way to school. It began to rain, and a guy sitting in the truck bed simply grabbed the back of the shirt of the man sitting in front of him and pulled it over his head to protect him from the precipitation. You have to ask yourself: Better to be rained on, or be rained on through the shirt of someone else?
-I've made two new salsas over the past week from things either found in my yard or purchased extremely cheap at markets. Pineapple is in season, and one of those bad boys + red onion + honey + salt & pepper + Thai hot pepper: Gold. Also, mango + red onion + avocado + salt & pepper is outstanding with chicken. Homeboy learned how to cook in Saipan! With that said, I will be dominating fast food in The States when I get back. Arby's, BK, you name it...I'll be there.
-For those of you who have sent a card/letter/package out to me (Moms & Pops, Maplewood Jents Fam, Baldwin Jensen Fam, Woodbury Burns Clan, Cuz's Mark & Cathy, The Kerns, KC and Bekah, etc), I will be bringing home plenty of Tinian Hot Pepper Sauce and other things for you. Your thoughtfulness has certainly not gone unnoticed. I'll be in MN in 22 days...see you then.
-I will be back in Saipan next school year (August-June). Start planning to come out here. Again, I live in a 2BR for a reason, so get the cheapest flight possible and I'll see you at the beach. Caveat: Don't come during the first week of April because it apparently rains every day all day for no reason at all. My apologies to Slade and Luke!
Until the next one (this school year or 2011-2012)...
