So, I actually lived on Guam as a small child. My mom was transferred from her base in SoCal when I was just about 6 months old to Guam. I lived there for a couple years. I'm super excited to introduce E to this new culture and see how it molds and shapes our family dynamic.
We've been praying for Guam to be a place where our family grows closer together. We are already pretty close, but we hope to learn more about each other, how to better communicate, and ways to express our love more deeply. B and I love to travel and even hope to oneday live outside the US (and its territories) in a location of our choosing. This new adventure in Guam will really show us how well we do living VERY far from family and our support network we built in PR.
Things I'm curious to experience:
1. The food. We've heard that Asian cuisine is VERY prevelant...(OH YEAH!!!) We love Thai, Vietnamese, and Filipino food. I will surely take plenty of pictures of our tastings.
2. The beaches. ooh...warm sand.... I've heard that the beaches are very rocky and that wearing swimming shoes are recommended. Personally, I really can't stand a rocky beach. I wish all beaches were just soft and sandy all the way in. It makes it not so fun to have to traverse the Grand Canyon just to wade in the shallow part of the beach, and then continually have to watch your step as the waves knock you off your footing. I also don't like to snorkel in places where I can be thrashed against rock. I know some people (ie. B) doesn't mind so much; but for me after snorkeling in Aruba, Cuba, Bonaire, and places with smooth, soft sandy beaches, a beach littered with rocks and coral at its entrance and along the shallow sea floor just isn't as fun...We will see though. Either way, I love to lay a blanket down and just absorb the sun's rays up on the beach.
3. The local people. We have heard many good things about the Chamorran people. Kind, friendly, hospitable, just to name a few. We love to get to know the local community wherever we move. We rarely hand around with the military community. Knowing locals always makes a place much more enjoyable. They are able to tell you the best parts about your new home. Even expats are a great to make friendships with. You have to remember, expats are people who have CHOSEN to live in the particular place; so they are usually really great at letting you know what makes your new home so awesome and worth moving away from the comforts and familiarity of wherever they are from.
4. Chamorran Culture.
5. Large-Base Military life. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I have mixed feelings. On one hand I'm very excited to be able to use a Commissary and well equiped gym, but on the other, as with any overseas assignment there will be those who just constantly complain and will not accept happiness or contintment with Guam by any means. We have experienced a lot of this here in PR, so I feel prepared. I know in the beginning we will be bombarded with opinions on Guam; both positive and negative. I do feel we have one advantage. We are moving from island to island, so our expectations are pretty well adjusted for island life.
I think that for many people it can be a huge shock coming from a suburban or large urban city stateside to a small island. Your restaurant options, amenitites, recreational options all usually dwindle to just a few. But once you begin to look past that and focus on what you have gained by moving to an island, simplicity, you are able to enjoy yourself more. The one thing I hear from all of my friends that have moved from PR back to the states, is that they miss the simple life they had in PR. After a year and a half of living in PR, I realized that I didn't want to go back to the hustle and bustle of typical American life just yet. So when B got his options as to where he could be moved, we were sure to keep our new found principle in mind. Where could we (most easily) live simply? Where family would be priority. Friendships had the time to be meaningful. Money was not the constant goal.
I pray Guam is a place where we enjoy being together, grow closer in our walk with Christ, and intimately bond as a family.
-Anjelica
