Long on words, short on photos. C'est la vie.
Having someone visit you from far away reminds you that you live in a great place. Undoubtedly some of you are nodding your heads as you are reminded of an uncle or niece or old friend stopping by the Twin Cities for a few days and running them through the Cosetta's/Ted Cook's/Aquatennial/Mall of America gauntlet. There could be someone in New Mexico reading this and reminiscing about the time they took their former boss to a What-A-Burger and had a good time. People that live in Vegas seldom venture The Strip unless they have visitors. Indeed, the grass is very green under your feet when confronted with an outsider, however in Saipan it's more concentrated. I know I've stated this before, but everything worth doing here is within a 15-20 minute drive from where I live, and I'm in the boondocks. I recently had a visitor (What up Slade?) over Xmas break and rediscovered how unique and beautiful Saipan is: Managaha. Tapachao. Pau Pau beach. Lumpia Shanghai at various bars and restaurants. Cheap off-brand snacks. That would be enough for some, however shit gets deeper. It's easy to pine for the days of convenience and relative luxury, but when an outside pair of eyes sees your life and recognizes the beauty of simplicity it serves to both validate the decisions one has made as well as question one's worldview. Don't get me wrong, televised sports/news/blah blah blah are sorely missed (I follow big games online, but the internet here is stuck in "Dial-Up-Sounds-Before-Logging-Into-Prodigy" speeds), but on the other hand it forces me to find another way to be productive. Some days that involves a hike. Some days it's tennis. Other days it involves rain, Soju, podcasts from home, and reading everything I can on the Strib until I hit my article-view limit for the month. Recently my newfound productivity has led me down 2 different (although not mutually exclusive) paths:
A) I'm learning more about coaching basketball every day. You see, as the head coach of the MHS (the largest school in Saipan) Boys Varsity Basketball (the most prestigious sport in Saipan) team, I need to make sure I'm on the ball. At least an hour of every day is spent poring over zone defense schemes and offensive principles which are designed to beat the aforementioned schemes. When there is no MTV/ESPN/FSN, it's easy to spend 90 minutes drawing X's and O's on paper and dreaming up the perfect inbounds play.
B) The Great 2012-2013 School Year Job Hunt. While I love it here, there are opportunities for me to experience a different lifestyle in yet another locale far away from my comfort zone. The Great Recession (aka the Great Drain of Funds from Public Education...sorry for the bias) has all but eliminated my interest in returning The States for the next school year. My apologies, but filet mignon (a full-time teaching high school Social Studies job + the option of teaching at the college level) in any other part of the world is better than table scraps (a .75 middle school Geography gig) in some random Twin Cities suburb. The sad reality of being a teacher is that the farther I am from home, the more likely I am to find the job I want. The straw man counter-argument: Most people don't like their jobs, so why not just find something close to home? My response: I cut my income by much more than half to become a teacher, and to me that's sacrificing enough. Why should I take a job I don't want in a place I don't want to work? For those of you that aren't in the loop: Public Schools in MN are hemorrhaging money and most are dealing with hiring freezes, thus the only jobs available will likely be undesirable. Hypothetically, I could likely find a part time teaching job with no benefits somewhere within the 7 county Metro Area. I'd probably be teaching a subject and grade level I don't prefer, and the majority of my time will be spent teaching my students how to score well on a standardized test. I could just as easily find a full time job teaching something I enjoy in a location that I would have previously never considered (Europe? South America?). After the Saipan experience it's clear to me that the latter option is the way to go.
Okay, off of the soapbox. Whew.
-Saipan-Car-Related-Moment of the Month: I was at a standstill on my moped when a grey 4-Runner (a common vehicle here) passed me slowly and then backed up so that the drivers-side window was even with my vantage point. The window slowly rolled down and I was greeted by none other than Manny, the mechanic who services 90% of the vehicles on Saipan which are owned by Americans.
Manny: "Already* Emily's truck needs service. I tried calling her. Emily's truck, service already*"
Me: "Right on, I'll have her call you."
*Already serves as a catch-all word in Saipan. Not sure what to do in a social situation? Say "Already" and laugh. Can't understand what someone else has said to you? "Already!" Do you have a full glass at a bar and would not like another one (or conversely, an empty glass and you'd like it to be filled)? Point at your drinking vessel and say "already". God bless Saipan*
He drove off to who knows where, but within hours he had visited Emily's classroom to pick up the keys to her 4-Runner, fixed a steering issue, and returned the keys to her (again, at her classroom...it was a school day, after all) before contacting Lauren about fixing the brakes on her 4-Runner (I TOLD you it was a common vehicle out here). He also spoke with Andy during lunch break about fixing the suspension issues which plague his Mazda. Honestly, the fact that a mechanic comes to your work, grabs your car, brings it to the shop, repairs it, and brings it back to you for roughly $10 an hour is not lost on me. Kline Nissan: The Bar has been raised.
-The Mango trees in my back yard are still not producing, and the fact I can purchase said fruit at any respectable market on the cheap is beginning to make me feel as though a chainsaw is the proper diagnosis. Sure, I'd be cutting a tree down, but think of the view I'd have!
-Tiger (the orange cat) has some stiff competition from a grey cat who has started to stake a territorial claim around my yard. It's fun to see them deal with the situation. I would have never assumed cats would be subservient to one another when it comes to marking territory, however Tiger's recent actions have led me to believe that neither one of these felines could hack it here without the support (see: free food) of humans. Tiger is mostly content with laying on the rug in my entry way and making casual passes at whatever's in my trash can, but when the grey cat is around he seems very needy. If cats were as dumb as birds I could toss them both in a cage and watch them fight it out, although the likely outcome would be two half-domesticated tabbies laying down for hours at a time interspersed with screaming at whomever may be around for more processed food. I am officially beyond the capacity of being able to bitch about welfare for human beings, and I've extended many a meal to critters who share nothing with me other than a liking for hot dogs.
-Teaching is getting better/easier by the day. I am finally starting to see the benefits of being hard on my students early in the semester and easing up on them as time elapses. No, I don't run a "Basic Training"-style classroom, however it's easier to keep kids from throwing trash on your floor if you set expectations on the first day. With all of that said, I fully expect to sweep up 3 candy wrappers and an empty, deflated Hi-C box off of the floor of D-202 tomorrow. I remember calling into my parents' bedroom a long time ago and declaring to them that I wanted to be a teacher. Granted, my life took a few twists and turns before that goal was actualized, but I can't be happier about following through on that epiphany. If any of you out there are thinking about academia as a profession: Do it. If you suck at it you can always go back to the cubicle/office/work site/jail cell.
-Another haircut at Gene's Barbershop, another miscalculation. They should rename it "The Scorpion and the Frog Barbershop" (What up Parable fans?!?)
-It's odd, but I can't imagine meals without rice at this point. Steamed, fluffy white rice. Fried Rice with Spam. Fried Rice with veggies. Fried Rice on top of Fried Rice. Ham Fried Rice. I feel like an Asian Bubba Gump. Honestly, though, when rice is prepared for you and readily available it is a much more attractive starch than bread or potatoes. Don't get me wrong, the shamrock tattoo on my right shoulder isn't just for show; I love spuds. Rice, on the other hand, comes without guilt. Eat as much rice as you can right now. You won't get full, and if you do, you'll be fine in 30 minutes. You won't gain weight. You won't feel weighed down. It goes with everything, and it's no big deal to ask for a fork when everyone else is somehow piling it into their mouths with chopsticks. I know, I know: Making rice without a proper small appliance isn't anyone's idea of a good time, however if everyone incorporated it as their starch for 1/2 of their meals, we'd likely save on future health care budgets and trips to GNC for weight-loss supplements.
-Emily kicked ass and took names in Thailand. Find her on Facebook to see pics.
BONUS ROUND!!!!!
-When I get paid for coaching baseball (which, I know, ended a couple of months ago) I'll likely be getting another tattoo. I welcome your suggestions in the comment box for this post.
-If you brought your own pineapple slices to McDonald's and tossed one on a Big Mac, you'd be experiencing a mass-produced North Side Burger. While it may be tough to recognize the value of adding a fruit to a burger, trust me: Guaranteed results. When you make them for yourself two weeks later (remember: thin patties, toasted buns, thousand island dressing, and pineapple), you'll wonder how you made it this long without them.
-I'm halfway done with this school year, and barring any ridiculous schedule adjustments I should be in The States from mid-late June to mid-late August once again. I only mention this because there were a few friends and family members I didn't get a chance to see last summer, and I'd like to rectify that. I'm not Mr. Big Shot or anything, but it would be wise for us to schedule something before I get back to MN.
-Quick Recommendations:
i) The Ipad 2 might be perfect. Get one, unless you're waiting for the Ipad 3.
ii) When looking at camping chairs/sandals/flatware, spend the extra $10 and buy the best combo of aesthetics/durability you can find. It's worth it.
iii) Buy a floating raft and get to the closest non-frozen body of water ASAP.
iv) Planters Creme Brulee Almonds are the much older and more mature version of their Sweet & Crunchy brethren. Fantastic stuff. Give yourself a maximum of 5 minutes after opening the can before you close it, unless you have a great dental plan.
v) Monitors>Anoles>Geckos in terms of coordination and relative ability to stay alive. I've found dead geckos sitting on top of my fridge in their attack pose. I'm guessing they died waiting for food to come to them. That's just laziness.
-The sunsets don't get old in Saipan. I'm off to see another one. Hopefully I'll have more pictures and less preaching to do when I write again.
Until the next one...
