Wednesday 8-11-2010
Nothing incredible happened today to blog about, but I thought I would share some things with you about Saipan I’ve learned in the past week that I haven’t mentioned yet. On the island of Saipan there are not counties or states, but rather villages. The “village” that Kara and I reside in is known as “Susupe.” The only other village I believe we have visited so far is known as “Dandan.” If you type the word “Dandan” into Google maps you can see how small the village of Dandan truly is. On to other things I have learned.
Saipan has only a couple of major cell phone carriers. We chose to go with the carrier known as IT&E. Using our old carrier of Verizon here would cost us roaming charges of 65 cents a minute! The plan we signed up for is helpful because it gives us 300 minutes a month to use for local calls and calling to the mainland does not cost anything extra! When we went to the store we almost left because everything was taking so long. By the time we got service (bad pun…laugh) the store had just about closed! I suppose we cannot blame the staff as it went pretty quickly after we were helped. It is tough when there are only a few carriers on the island. The cost of this plan was only $25 a month.
Tourism is also big in Saipan. The funny thing a couple of the teachers have mentioned is how there is one guy who always says to them on the beach, “Good day sir. Jet Ski? Banana Boat?” The whole phrase does nothing but make us all laugh.
I also feel I should talk about animals and insects on the island. Saipan is a fascinating place in that it is filled with different kinds of bugs and sea creatures. I am sure I will expound upon the list of animals and insects later as I plan to buy a spear gun at some point in order to fish on the reef that surrounds the island. We have seen many bugs. While we were exploring the beaches of Saipan I had a small preying mantas on me that was amusing to watch as it could jump really far. There are also a variety of biting flies that come out around sun set to nip at your exposed flesh. The horseflies here are gigantic and will give a person huge welts on their skin. The ants are also different as they vary in size. The ants on the beach run really fast and I have seen them attack small hermit crabs with a vengeance. We have also seen many types of animals. The land around the school is filled with Geckos of all sizes and colors. It is also common to see shrews running across the parking lot to a plod of grass or hole that is their home. There are big toads that hop up our steps occasionally as well (amazing a toad can hop so many steps) as t hey search for the moths and flies that are biting us so often. We have seen sea turtles from many of the cliffs we look over and I have read on signs that people often poach these turtles as they come to lay their eggs. It is very sad as the turtles are easy to spot because they come in droves of 4 or 5 at a time. While in the ocean I have seen a sea snake, goat fish, mussels (that hurt when you step on their spiny shells), and crabs that will startle you when the walk over your foot. The crabs are amazing because you can barely distinguish them from the sea floor. Another phenomenon is the existence of what are known on the island as “Boonie” dogs. I’m not sure where the word boonie comes from, but if you look it up you will find a few hits. Basically a “boonie” dog is a stray that has adapted to the tropical climates of the Pacif. However, I sometimes wonder if the word stray is really a good word for them because they are more or less “feral” dogs to me. Most Boonie dogs can survive on their own if they are strong enough. Some of them, however, are adopted by locals who feel sorry for them when they find a new litter or a puppy on the street. After feeding the puppies they eventually become loyal to their new found owners. It is interesting, I will let you know more about the animals and insects I run into the more I experience them.
Grant Out
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