The World's Best Roommate

Dear Judith,

My first roommate was during my sophomore year in high school. I don't want to name any names, but it did not work out well. My next roommate was awesome and we got along great. However, my college roommates were both disasters. I did not have high hopes for this year, what with coming to Saipan and working with a whole bunch of girls.

Being goofy at Yellow Mango

I still remember that first night in Saipan. I didn't sleep much, despite my extreme jet lag. I was in the big room at the house on the compound, just Megan (office assistant) and me, while Girlie slept upstairs.

Unexpected shot at the beach

A few days later, I came home after work to an empty house. Subee was gone and I felt so incredibly alone. That was the only time all year when I think I would've gone home if I'd been given the chance.

However, that was the night that God gave me the best gift. Rhonda flew in and nothing has been that same since. Throughout every blessing and trial this year, she has been there. We've been angry together, happy together, scared together, and frustrated together. We were even attacked together, which is truly a bonding experience, though not one that I would recommend.

After hiking down to Forbidden,
This picture was taken by Sean Maycock. He wanted credit.

We share all things, and I honestly can only remember one time when I could tell that she was frustrated with me. She cooks for me, she cleans up after me (sometimes), she kicks me out of bed in the mornings when I don't want to go running.

I don't think that I could've survived this year without her, and I'm so thankful that God led her here, to be a part of my life, hopefully forever. She's one of the best friends that I can imagine, and I can't believe how I lived without her and I don't know how I'll function at camp without her.

In the car, on the way home from church

Rhonda went to SAU for her first semester of college, then transferred to WWU for no apparent reason at the time. She worked at camp through Kelli, and planned on going to Majuro for six weeks before returning to WWU. Instead, in Hawaii, she found out that Saipan still needed a teacher, and after a whirlwind day of me begging her, she agreed to come.

It's amazing to see how God works all things for the good of those who love Him, even when we completely don't understand why. It didn't make sense for her to transfer when she was happy at SAU, but if she hadn't, then we wouldn't have met, and my Saipan experience would have been completely different.

Sabbath morning photo op

I hope you still keep in touch with your Saipan roommates, because I believe that they are some of the best friends you could ever have.

I love you Jude!

My First Love

Dear Judith,

I've never been in love before, not truly. Sure, I've dated, and then, I believed that I was experiencing that emotion, but when it was all said and done, I was never heartbroken, never too upset to see things ending.

I came to Saipan, expecting no big changes, nothing groundbreaking, nothing profound. But then, I fell in love, not only with this place, but with myself. Slowly, I became more able to love others and to give more of myself. The love that I now felt could easily be transferred to those around me.

I'm afraid to leave this island, to fall out of love with me, to stop being this person that I've become, to tear down all that I've built over the last 7 months. I can be introspective now and not leave feeling depressed. I see the world through different eyes, and I don't want to fall back into the mold, the shell of who I was before I came here.

Visitors

Dear Judith,

While reading a book, you encounter the eerie feeling of being watched. You try to regain your focus in the story, but there's little hope of that. You glance around and nervously smile, trying to shake the suddenly uncomfortable atmosphere.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see him. Dark and hairy, he stares up at you for a few seconds before hurriedly scurrying away.

If you live in Saipan, then you should be quite familiar with this sensation. Cockroaches seem to love my house, especially the kitchen. I remember one particular time at the beginning of the year when we found a few cockroaches (or rather, they found us) and I went to bed in a tizzy, determined to leave this tiny dot of land.

Or there was the time a few weeks ago, when five or six of them got in the house on Rhonda's package that was left in Subee for a few hours. One of them crawled down her shirt, and the screams echoed in my ears for about 5 minutes. During the next half an hour, we killed the rest of them.

We used to be snobs and only use cockroach spray, but shoes are so much more effective. However, I wish that I didn't know the color of cockroach guts (black).

Sure, I live in a completely infested house, but I wouldn't trade it for the nicest mansion in America. I truly love my life here.

I'm very proud of my kills!

Week of Prayer/Managaha

Dear Judith,


Last week was the week of prayer on both campuses here at Saipan SDA. Our school was blessed to have a great speaker, one Jerry Duane Nickell.




I was so lucky to have my daddy come to visit me, and my mom "surprised" me too. It was such a fun week, and it was great to hang out with them. Here's some of the highlights:

Sunday morning, we went to Java Joe's for breakfast. Then we went on the island tour with Amy, Michi, Kei, Kei's girlfriend, and Kono. My mom asked me if she should wear sunscreen. I told her that I'd never really burned here, so there probably wasn't much need. I guess I should've knocked on wood, because I got so red! Of course, neither of my parents burned.

Wednesday night, we picked up Michi and Kei, and took a big group down to Bobby Cadillac's. It was so much fun to just relax with everyone. Then, we went to PIC and it was freezing! It took not a small amount of coercion to get my mom into the water, but I think she had fun when it was all said and done.

Throughout the week, my dad did some great talks and made many positive connections with the kids. By the end of the week, he had adopted both Michi and Kei, and I think he would've taken them all if he could've.

Friday morning, we headed out to Managaha for outdoor school. I barely had any of my kids come, but it was so much fun to hang out with the older kids. I was on the teambuilding and games committee (same as you!) and we had some great times. We did a junk scramble and I was in charge of a spiderweb activity.

Saturday night--ahh, Capture the Flag. I almost didn't play because I cut my foot on Friday and it got infected but Angie wrapped it up and I'm so glad that I played. I was on Sean's team which was great. We lost the first game, and the second game went for so long that the other team surrendered, but it was good. I was a flag guard and Kono, Antonee, and Kimin definitely kept me on my toes. Still, everyone had a fun time and we have started making plans to play against other private school teachers.

Last night, we all went to Coffee Care for Nicole's birthday and reminisced on how we all ended up in Saipan. I really have you to thank for my coming. I love Saipan and I can't imagine leaving.

We took my parents to the airport this morning at 3 o'clock. It's sad, but I'll be home again in 3 months. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by, but I feel so blessed to be here and a part of this awesome team.

I miss you and love you Jude!!!

Only One More

Dear Judith,

I've written this blog a thousand times in my head, but I suppose I'll finally share it, as it was written on the day that it occurred.

Today is Belle's last day. I've known about it for about two weeks, but nothing can truly prepare you for having your heart ripped out and flown to Korea.
I remember my first day with her. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out how I had gotten myself into this situation on this miniscule island. It was naptime, and my attempts to soothe the children to sleep were proving futile. Belle was wide awake, but everytime I told her to close her eyes, she obeyed.
It wasn't long before I began to wonder if that obedience was a fluke. She is a rambunctious three-year old, beautiful and incredibly intelligent, oftentimes too smart for her own good, but she was a blessing to my class, always providing the correct answers and making me laugh with her funny faces. Belle gives the tightest hugs that you can imagine, holding on with all her might, sometimes making me wonder if she was trying to suffocate me.
It was only a couple weeks into school when her mother, Oma, marched into my classroom, took one look at me, and offered me a job tutoring her son, Ricky. I accepted, excited at the prospect of extra income. I began going to their apartment 4 nights a week and we became quite close. Tutoring was usually frustrating, and Oma served me octopus pancakes, but I loved that family fiercely.
On the ride home, I would puff out my cheeks like a monkey and Belle would smush them back. My face would ache, but I couldn't say no to Belle when she would say, "No, only one more!"
"Only one more" became her catchphrase anytime I wanted to quit something, and I usually gave in. There were days when the only thing I wanted was to get off this island and fly back to America, but her voice would resound in my head, and I would find the strength to make it through "only one more" day.
And now, Belle stands in the doorway with Oma, and I am powerless to stop them from leaving. I say goodbye to this child and her mother, my Saipan family. The only thing echoing in my head is Belle, voicing my desire for more days, weeks, months with them.

Oh Belle, only one more.

Untitled

Dear Judith,

Untitled. Unsure. Unknown. That's how I feel now.

January has been long. It feels like forever since we've talked. I really miss you. I miss having someone to talk about Saipan with, someone who can relate to my experiences and tell me that I'll make it out alive.

My dad is coming next month to be the week of prayer speaker and then he'll come to Managaha with us. I'm very excited about that.

I got a counseling job at camp. I hope that I do well. I'm very excited about it.

With every day that passes, I love my kids more and more and more.

Other than that, I feel like I'm just drifting in the waves of what's transpiring around me. I had hoped that this year would provide some direction for my life, but I'm even more confused, if possible.

The people that I expected to keep in touch this year haven't, and the ones that I didn't expect haven't either. I feel very cut off from everyone, and though it's partly my fault, I feel as though I can pull the lonely SM card, an advantage which they lack. I haven't even talked to Krystin in a month. I guess I just expected more, you know? That's most likely causing some of my wanderings.

I have not made a decision regarding next year. I'm considering staying. Can you offer some advice? I've been turning it over and over in my head for almost 2 months, and I have trouble sleeping because of it.

Thank you for letting me vent. You really are a huge support to me. I miss you and love you.

Those Troublesome American Kids!!

Dear Judith,

Most of my time is spent either with my kids or thinking about them, as I'm sure you understand. My love for them is so deep that I can't even fathom it. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I have more to tell you about them.

Bear

Bear is a beautiful, fun, crazy girl in my class. She was adopted, and like most American children here, her mom is a teacher. She has an older brother and an older sister. Her mom and dad are some of the nicest people that I've met on-island.

Bear only has two speeds: Super fast and asleep. She's very smart, though occasionally mean to the other kids. She's very loving, and she can't say her "R's" correctly yet, so I'm often called "Teacho!!" She loves to tell me what the other kids are doing wrong, even selling out her closest friends, but she's a good girl.

Her laughter is infectious, and she's hilarious. The only times she gets time out is for running around the classroom and I envy her energy. Her closest allies are Jonathan and Lee, and she's rarely seen with any of the other children. The three of them fight like crazy, but at the end of the day, wherever one of them is, the others are never far behind.

Jonathan

I call him Jonathan because he reminds me exactly of my brother. He's so cute and charming most of the time, but his mood swings leave me reeling. He's another one of my American kids, and his mom is a teacher at DanDan Elementary. He has an older brother in the pre-kinder class. I've heard his mom say that she'd almost rather stay at school with her twenty 2nd graders than go home to her two sons. They are a handful and a half. Still, I love Jonathan all the more for his quirks.

Jonathan spends quite a bit of his time in the infamous office. Literally, days have been spent sitting on a chair in there. It helps sometimes, but until recently, when his parents started spanking him, his bad behavior would resume as soon as he got back in the classroom. His parents were worried that his behavior would soon resemble that of his older brother's, which it did, and they decided that drastic steps needed to be taken. I'm so thankful that they did.

Jonathan spends most of his out-of-the-office time with Lee and Bear. He loves playing monster in the classroom (which is against the rules), but rarely plays it outside (where it is permissible). The problem with punishing Jonathan is that he is so incredibly cute, it's hard not to let your heart just melt when you look at him. I was once asking him why he was running around the classroom, to which he replied, "My brother was chasing me." I explained that if he stopped running, then his brother would stop chasing him. He looked up at me with huge brown eyes, nearly brimming with tears, and simply said, "But I was being a cat." I almost lost my composure and smiled but I somehow kept it all together.

Jonathan is adorable, and his genes seem promising for a great physical appearance throughout his adult life. He is a great kid, and I can't imagine my life without him.

Lee

Lee didn't want to come to school on his first day, which was also my first day. His mom tried to drop him off, but he refused. Later, he changed his mind and showed up with his grandma. His mom is a teacher and his dad works at PTI. He has a little sister, who he calls "My Baby", but he kindly informs me that I can call her Zoey.

Lee is my boy. He has been since the beginning. Of course, he drives me nuts sometimes. He almost always repeats what I just said to the other kids, with the precursor, "Miss Jaimie just said..." but he is very sweet. He rarely fights with the other children and is almost always willing to share with any of his classmates. Of course, his close cohorts are Sera and Jonathan, the other American children, but he is a friend to nearly everyone in the class.

When I say, "I love you, my boy", he replies, "I love you, my girl." There's nothing in the world that compares to the feeling I get when one of my kids tell me that they love me. It makes every hard and frustrating hour totally worth it.

He's the tallest kid in my class, but he still loves it when I pick him up. He hugs me so tight, and my heart swells with love.

I have the best job in the world. There's none other that offers this kind of satisfaction, and it's all because of those "troublesome" American kids.