Dry Grotto, Game Night, and Rachel's B-day!

Hi Everyone,
This past week has been a great week full of hiking, games, and birthday celebrations. Last saturday we hiked the Dry Grotto, what that means is it is a huge opening where you can view out and see the ocean. We had a fun drive through the jungle and then started the hike. We climbed right by the ocean cliff and got to see some amazing views. It was gorgeous. To get in to the Grotto you have to pull yourself down using a rope. It was a lot of fun and a good time with friends. Then we went to Obeyan Beach and swam. I only like hiking if there is a beach involved in the end:) I am so blessed that God has given me so many friends here on saipan, they make being far away from home easier.
Last Saturday we had dinner and game night at the Franklin's House. Elizabeth made the enchiladas and we all brought something to share. It was a good time and we all liked playing catch phrase.
This week has been a good week and we have enjoyed teaching, going to the beach, and going to bible study. My 1st graders performed in chapel on Friday by singing the Hippo Song, Radical God, and Big House. We have been practicing all year for this and they did a good job! I chose to celebrate Halloween with my kids and we made Mr. Bones art project, halloween cards, and halloween worksheets. I also spoiled them with halloween candy:)
Yesterday was Rachel's (a good friend of mine) birthday. Her husband planned it all out and we met at Oleai's (a beach bar and grill) for dinner and then everyone came over here. It was a lot of fun being able to celebrate! It was our first party we have hosted and the next one will be tomorrow night for Halloween!
-Kara-

New Events

I made it through conferences with parents and let me tell you, they were good, bad, and in between. I spent most of my week last week in the classroom working on grading and grade reports. Now, i truly know how hard it is to be a teacher and the extra hours you put in without pay.
I am glad that it is over and have had a more normal week this week.
I have started playing tennis on Tuesdays with a lady from the church and it is helping me get back in shape. I took a tennis class in college and that is about it for me, but i am loving it.
I have joined a dance class at the local gold's gym and am loving it. It is a hip-hop class and I have 3 friends in the class. I feel as though I am getting the steps down more each time. Dancing has always been a love of mine and am so glad to be doing it again.

This week our car window got stuck so we had it in the shop for a few days. We ended up not having to pay anything since he put it back up for us and now we just use our air con otherwise it would have been about 300 dollars for the window regulator to be fixed.

I really enjoyed managaha 2 weeks ago, it felt as though i was in an aquarium. One of the tourists gave me bread to feed the fish and they surrounded me. They were so colorful and so close. It is a beautiful place to go and the best part it is free since i am a local! Can't wait to go again.
I have also been enjoying the bible studies grant and i have been in. They are refreshing and I have loved getting to know new people from the church.

I had a student say this to me," Mrs. Fifield you are so pretty." Why, I ask? Because your hair is yellow. It made me just stop and think about how they see me as beautiful because they are not used to seeing "yellow" hair. My kids are pretty cute. Last week we made pumpkin crafts and have been talking about pumpkins and fall in class. It is a hard concept to learn about leaves changing colors when that does not happen here.
Each week I am feeling more at home here and have made some great friends. I love the church community and I feel as though I am becoming a better teacher each week. I miss you all!
Kara

Being Artsy!

I went to a Stampin Up Party with some of my girlfriends on the island last Saturday and we made 10 cards. 2 of each for the holidays coming up: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I love holidays and had a ton of fun making the cards. I learned how to emboss which was new. I really enjoy stamping and punching the most. It was a good day for girl time and I definitely want to do it again.
A new hobby!
Kara

Managaha and other ramblings about Saipan

I have had a few more thoughts since the last time I blogged, so here I am back to give you some more, but not in a mean, threatening, I’m gonna smash your face, sort of way. I like to share with you some more about the topics Kara and I have been learning in Bible study, things about Managaha (which we recently visited), and of course random things about Saipan.
Bible study has been a wonderful time for Kara and I as we get to know other young couples and have pot luck dinner with them. Lately, we have been going through a video series with a speaker named Andy Stanley and his series called, “The Best Question Ever.” Normally, I do not like reading from a little booklet and watching video as programs like this can be very entertaining but not go very deep into the word, but this series is different. The humor from the video helps me to relax at the end of a long day of teaching and to think about the greater perspective of God in relation to my life. On Sunday, I attend a Bible study that probes the word more deeply than this study, but during the week I enjoy listening to Andy Stanley and what he is going to teach me about God that night. This past Tuesday he talked about how we spend our time and how to use it wisely. This opened up a new way of looking at many of the Bible verses that play a key role in my life. The thing that hit me most was when he talked about how the “important arenas” of life can only be enjoyed if we invest our time into them and by being involved in those important arenas thus making mini-deposits into things that last such as kids, family, marriage, etc. If we choose the “petty arenas” in life to spend the majority of time like going to the bar after work, setting something up we never use, or looking a websites etc (the list is infinite) we simply would not be able to give an account of what we did and the value we would ascribe to those petty arenas could not be tallied. The important arenas that we should spend our time in can easily be tallied because you see the result i.e.) working out produces a fit body over time, money matures over time, and our marriage improves the more we invest in our spouse w/ quality time etc. Just thought I would share those thoughts, it really made me think of my friends and family and how if we make poor time investments we often try and make it up like missing a work out day and working out the next twice as hard only to end up sick and sore… Something to think about... this can be explained in the verse Ephesians 5:15 if you let the message of the verse permeate your mind for a while.
Earlier in the week we also went to Managaha, which is a small island located off the main island by a 15minute ferry boat ride (which is free if you’re a local). On the island is great snorkeling as there is a “no fish” zone around the island which has contributed to a beautiful abundance of life some have said is even more beautiful than the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia. The picture on our blog is of a statue dedicated to a Carolinian Chief named Aghurubw who sailed from the Caroline Islands in 1815 to ask Governor Medinilla’s (Governor of the Marianas Islands) permission to resettle his people on the island of Saipan after their island was destroyed by a major typhoon. His grave is located on this small island of Managaha. We visited Managaha with our friends Brian, Rachel, and Jen. It was a wonderful and relaxing day.
Other random information about Saipan I have learned recently is as follows: At Bible study the other night I tried a piece of fruit called “Sour Sop.” I didn’t take a picture of it, but it is a tasty fruit that when it is soft and ripe enough to eat tastes like a stick of rhubarb with the sweetness of a Granny Smith apple…hard to describe. It was very soft and yummy, I would like to dip it in sugar next time to make it even more sweet! Also, Bird Island, which appears in one of our previous blog entries is also called, “Isleta Maigo Fahang” in the Chamorro language indigenous to the island and it means “Island of the Sleeping Seabirds.”
Well that is all for now. Kara has said she would like to blog soon, but has yet to find time, until she writes next, have a great day. Sincerely, Grant

Saipan Update of Randomness

Ok, I suppose it is my turn to blog again. My thoughts are somewhat scattered at the moment but will do my best to share new information about Saipan and/or things I have been thinking about in our experience thus far.
First, teaching has been going well. My classes are just about finished with unit two and have either started or will soon be starting unit three on verbs. My students are very interesting in that they are all so unique (I’m sure every teacher makes that statement) in back ground and ability. My students know a lot about grammar if you consider the fact that they have had new teachers just about every other year. The strange thing, however, is that they do not know certain phrases or figures of speech that kids on the mainland would have a better understanding of, for example, take the phrase “I’m not going to ‘sugar coat’ anything.” I used this phrase when I was lecturing them about proper classroom behavior. So I had to explain what it meant. On another note, our first of four quarters is nearly over as our grades are due in the office by October 12. Some kids will do well and others not so well in my English class. Some of the teachers at SCS, including my wife, tutor. I had not been asked until just the other day. A parent would like me to help teach his son English one on one for three days out of the week for extra help. I told him I could do one day, but would like to pass on the other two as I have a lot of reading as an English teacher. I did tell them that I knew someone who would be interested and I will give them that person’s information tomorrow. I relish the idea of tutoring and making extra money, but I have a lot to grade and my free time is important to me. If for some reason I need to make more money perhaps I will open myself for more tutoring later in the year. Lastly, forensics league had its first meet on Saturday. I had a lot of students say they wanted to join, but only two have really showed “true commitment” and a desire to compete. Perhaps more will join before the year’s end. I listened to two hours of poetry as each school must provide one judge per ten students. It was a lot of fun and tuna sandwiches were provided before competition, which was a good thing because I hadn’t eaten breakfast at that point.
The car we bought is running fine for the most part, but it may need a new battery as the one in the car is an 08 and since it is 2010, it is in need or replacing. I must also take the time some day to check fuses to see if any of them are blown as the clock inside and the lights do not work (this could be due to corrosion or intense heat as well. Cars are so funny here because all of them are in such poor condition. The white spots on our car is most likely wax residue from having been polished and left to rot in the sun in the same place for an extended amount of time while at the same time mixing with salty mist/rain that falls during the rainy season. One funny joke I heard the other day from the Chinese mechanic Dong Boo, a friend of the principals, while he was getting ready to tow our principal’s van was as follows : Dong Boo said, “I will take it back to shop and see if I can work my magic, a couple of years ago on Saipan the magic was to get rid of the vehicle.”
Another term I haven’t mentioned concerning Saipan is the term “hashing.” We were given contact information in order to go hashing, but I do not think it is for me. Hashing is an event that people do for fun on the island. It involves machetes, chalk/flags, follow the leader, and sometimes beer/spirits. Usually someone is designated to blaze a trail through the jungle with chalk/flags that people will follow and he/she sometimes tries to throw them off by back tracking ( so you have to be careful to not get lost ) and then while people are chasing after the Hasher, they are creating a new trail with their feet and machetes. Once everyone makes it to the end of the trail, they have a sort of social gathering/party to get to know one another or enjoy the fact that it is the weekend. Usually this involves activities with alcohol. Having left the majority of my partying days behind me in college, I just don’t think Hashing is for me even though it appeals to many people and sounds like it would be fun to do at least once.
Another picture I have included for this blog is a picture of our five gallon jug and the dispenser attached to the top that we bought through Amazon.com. The water we shower with and clean our dishes with is basically rainwater with trace elements of salt within it from the Pacific Ocean surrounding the island. We, like the majority of islanders, use 5 gallon jugs filled with fresh fluoridated drinking water provided by one of a couple companies on the island that provide the service. The dispensers are approx. $20 online depending on the brand you get. If you are going to be on island more than two years or believe a pump to be too rustic a person can buy a stand up dispenser for $50+ that has two spigots one for cold water and one for scalding hot water.
Finally before I go, the last picture at the top is of the boats and fishermen off of the point at Wing Beach where there is a drop off and there is an opening in the reef that allows for deeper water and safe passage for boats. I hope to fish off of the point when I have enough money for a nice pole.
Anyway, that is all for now. Grant Out