Fish Fry @ Fifield's

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers,

The other night Kara and I decided to hold a fish night potluck at our apartment on campus and had lots of great friends show up. It was a night full of feasting, talking, and of course sweating. It was a great way for people who have been on island for a few weeks to meet those who are now returning for their second or more year of teaching on Saipan. The only regret I have is that I couldn’t have invited anymore people because there was so little room in the first place! Kara and I have always loved playing host whether living in South Dakota where we would frequently have game nights with our friends and safe holiday parties. I think we enjoy doing it so much because I married a woman similar to my mother in how social she is, and I had two parents who often opened their home to friends. Perhaps when we have time we will do this again. So, you are probably wondering what kind of fish we ate that night and what can Grant tell me about fish from Saipan. The answer is not too much.
What I can tell you is that when I went looking for fish at about 1230pm that afternoon I walked to the local fish market on Beach Rd. and waited for the boat to return with their latest catch of tuna. The boat came in about ten minutes after I arrived and I picked up two five pound tuna for $30 bucks. I was able to weasel the price down the even price from $33. The type of Tuna I bought is called a Skipjack. The grilled tuna recipe I found online turned out really well and was very flavorful. The recipe was for Teriyaki Tuna, Grilled. I also bought a rather ugly looking five pound fish called locally by the name Matan Hagon, which is the Chamorro word for Snapper. If you look snapper up scientifically it is under Mortaxis Grandoculis (family lutjanidae). As for what type of snapper I bought I’m not sure, but the price was $18. The Tuna picture shows a fish with jagged triangles going down the tail and the Snapper picture has really large eyes. I chose the Snapper because I wanted a fish with white meat that might remind me of eating Northern Pike or Walleye back home. The fish fried well, but it seemed tougher than other fish meat. The fish I originally wanted to get was a Parrot Fish (white meat), but I didn’t know that you had to go to market at 8:30 A.M. to get one. The reason for this is that when the spear fisherman go out to get these fish they do so at night because the parrot fish sleeps in creepy coral rock crevices (how’s that for alliteration). At night, the Parrot Fish surrounds itself with a bubble of air in order to breathe and the fisherman literally bursts its bubble. Even though I feel like that is too easy, they would never make a living doing it during the day and in the end I like to do the same thing with ducks when they float my way in the water. It is an easy kill, but still a lot of fun for the hunter/fisherman. Next time, I will be sure to go early in the morning for parrot fish and later in the afternoon for tuna.
To all who came to our get together, I’m glad you had fun. I pray that you enjoyed time with friends. Altogether, I believe we had 17 people come! We also thank you all for bringing food and drinks to share that made the night flow smoothly. I think the funniest part of the evening for me was killing the mosquitoes that had come inside with both our front and back doors open. I found tons of them sitting on the ceiling and sitting still so I went around killing them with a broom. In the morning, I found that our miniature ants were going around and cleaning the dead mosquito carcasses off the wall (how’s that for a picture from Saipan). Needless to say the evening was fun and I enjoyed not being bitten by a single mosquito at night. haha Enjoy the pictures. Sincerely, Grant

A New School Year (2011-2012)

Hi Everyone,
So much has happened in August that it truly has felt like a whirlwind. We finished our jobs at Marianas Trekking on July 29th and started working at school on the 1st. Some people asked it was hard that we did not have a break between the two and I said that it was okay because after school was out we had 3 weeks to hang out on Saipan and relax.
The first week spent in my classroom went fast. It definately was easier setting up the classroom this year than the last year. I knew what books went where, how to set up the bulletin boards, and how to arrange the desks to maximize space. I felt so much confidence in getting ready than the 1st year. It is nice to be able to have a year under your belt and to know what to expect. Since college I have always been at a job for a year or less and I have always had to adjust to a new job situation so it was a nice transition this year. The only thorn that happened was when half of my curriculum did not come and of the half, one fourth had not been ordered even though I requested them back last year. I just sat there defeated and wondered what I was supposed to do since both areas (phonics and english) are my main focus. It took some tears and thought until I realized I could make it work by making copies and finding information online. The curriculum has been ordered but it might be Dec. before I see it.
I have 20 students this year. The majority of which are girls. This is different from last year when I had the majority of boys. It has meant so far that there are more tears and little girl fights to deal with such as she is not my friend and she gave me a bad look. The majority of my class are Korean, with the rest being Local, Chinese, Japanese, and one Caucasian student. They are definitely all cute which I have not been thinking about since I have been a tough teacher so far this year.
The first 2 weeks flew by and I have enjoyed the time I have spent with my students. It is a different class and I am taking things a lot slower due to where they at right now. Tests, homework, and studying are new topics for some of them. It is interesting to be able to compare classes after having taught one year and this year I have to explain everything a lot more. So I hope as time goes on the connections are there and they learn the study habits. I do think I am a tough teacher and I my goal is for them to be independent, responsible, well-behaved students by the time they reach 2nd grade.
It was different seeing my students from last year and thinking of all the memories I had shard with them the year before. They still wave and give me hugs which makes me smile!!! The 2nd grade teacher also commented on how much material they already know and told me I did a good job last year. This made me feel great since I had to learn as I went last year on how to teach.
On Thursday we had parent night and I was able to meet 18 of my 20 students parents. It was nice to be able to put a name to a face and to be there to answer questions. Being around parents is not as nerve-wrecking as it was last year.
So what I am trying to say is this school year has been going well, the second year of teaching is a whole lot easier, and I am excited to teach and make new memories with these students.
Hope you enjoy the pics!

Jade Lady Dinner Cruise

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:
On Thursday 8-11-2011 the teachers who live on campus at S.C.S. were invited by the pastor to join him and his wife on a sunset cruise aboard the Jade Lady, a Catamaran, sail boat. It was also a dinner cruise that had a double meaning for the Pastor as it was in celebration of their wedding anniversary. Kara and I had not been on the cruise and found it to be a lot of fun. When “locals” go they receive a discount of $30 per person for the dinner cruise. Everything on Saipan is about getting deals, so what constitutes a local? That varies upon your definition. For those who are being truly honest it is a person who lives here, works here, and has a local I.D.. Foreigners who visit pay a lot more for the cruise.
The food is catered in or grilled on the back of the boat depending on what you order. The choices for the dinner cruise were steak, fish, or a vegetarian platter. I asked for steak and was not disappointed. The steak was the cheaper kind (cube steak) but it was decent. For the price I paid for the cruise and two hours in the lagoon with friends it was worth it. Kara had the unfortunate experience of ordering the vegetarian platter, which was a huge slice of tofu. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure the tofu tasted great, but she expected a salad.
While on the cruise there is a guy named Jerry who has also performed at the S.C.S. Uke Jam for Mrs. Winkfield. Jerry is a local who plays guitar for several groups on the island including sunset dinner cruise and the Hard Rock Café in Garapan. The neat thing about the cruise is that he has set up speakers and is connected to them wirelessly so the music is great. Jerry also speaks fairly well in Korean, Japanese, and English (perhaps more). It is fun to hear him sing Korean songs and smile.
Should you wish to learn more about the sunset cruise. You can go to their website at: http://www.saipansunset.com/about.asp. For information about going on the cruise call their number at: (670)-234-8230. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

2nd Anniversary Spent in Tinian

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:
Even though it was a couple weeks ago, I thought I would blog about our second wedding anniversary spent on the island of Tinian. We flew to Tinian on a small plane from Saipan a trip which only took 10minutes. We took the early flight so that we could have all day on the island and be able to spend time at the hotel and surrounding beaches the second day, since we would have to fly back around 6pm (the last flight of the day).
The first day we rented a car with our local discount for $45 and spent about $15 in gas after using it. We rented a car so that we could see as much of the island as possible and yet be in modest comfort of air conditioning. We took our little Toyota Corolla all over the island. Many of the people we talked to gave us advice before heading to Tinian and told us to rent scooters because they were cheap and fun. We, however, found that many of those people did not see the same things we did on Tinian! I believe this is because of rain, dangerous pot holes, wasps, and terrain that sometimes required a car or ATV. For example, one place we visited not too far from the Dynasty Hotel was missed by some of our friends was the Barcinas Cannon (16cm cannon). On the Tinian map it is found on the west side of the island and is labeled “Japanese Defensive Gun.” The road leading to the cannon was more like a jungle trail and although the grass had been pushed down by previous visitors and their vehicles, you really would think it was just a random trail. Seeing nothing but random trail we knew that the cannon had to be somewhere nearby. We noticed there was a trail to the right that led to the cannon and an open grassy field area. You could get to it on scooter but it would have been really uncomfortable and dangerous because the grass was tall, slippery, and it began to rain for a short time while we were there. I’m glad we rented the car instead. While at the cannon I found what looks like a butter knife, but it is so sharp, I am wondering if it may have been used for some other purpose. Another example of a car being of good use is while trying to visit the Tinian Grotto and Fleming Point just down from the Barcinas Cannon. Due to the government not paying workers to cut trail for tourists we went down to try and find these two places and indeed we found the trails but even having gone so far in with our car we still could not get to the end in order to visit the Tinian Grotto. I have no doubt that in the current state of the trail it would be maddening to take a scooter as far in as we took our rental car, with a truck or ATV this would be no problem at all. If I took our rental car any further I would have damaged the paint and been fined, not to mention I could have gotten stuck and not been able to get out. This destination is also funny because the paved road ends shortly after the poor, dilapidated Sea Bees monument (if you can call it such). The Sea Bees, for those who do not know, is a branch of the Marines that build bases and roads etc…like those on Tinian. As we continued on the west side we visited sight 16 on the map which is “Unai Chulu” a beach that was an invasion beach for the Marines in July 1944 WWII. This beach is fairly shallow, but the sand is smooth and it was fun to just wade and relax in. After Chulu beach we visited the bomb pits where the atomic bombs were loaded. It was fun to drive on an old, abandoned WWII runway to see such a sight. If our car had wings I would have felt like a pilot during the war. At that point we returned to the hotel to get lunch as we were both famished from riding around in the car and from swimming. Oh and I forgot to mention that we did visit the remains of the “House of Taga.” The remains are of ancient latte stones that were used to hold up an ancient Chamorro house, primarily Chief Taga. There is ironically one stone still standing and I think there is a running joke about what will happen if that one stone falls over eventually perhaps the end of the world or at least Tinian.
After lunch my wife and I decided to see the east side of the island. We went and saw the Tinian blow hole that is seen on the map and is a popular tourist destination. Right next to the blowhole is a large fenced off area with signs that warn people to keep out due to unexploded ordinance. We also visited beaches on the east side, but can only remember the name of one of them. The one I remember was the Unai Dankulo Beach and Trail. While at this beach we did follow the trail that leads to ancient Chamorro latte stone ruins, but we did not find the ruins. Once we figured out where the trail head was we went in and walked along the trail, which is straight and then loops at the end. While on the trail we found 6 or so trail markers with historical information on them that was interesting and saw some Chamorro village remnants, but we never did see the latte stones. I believe we simply missed them because the trail was hard to follow. We knew there were more markers but could not see where the trail went and while following the one we had been following we hit the loop and it turned us around, so we just headed back. We were tired from the day and didn’t want to try and find the trail again after that, but at least we got out and did some exploring. It could be that the trail was just too over run, but if we had more energy we may have been able to find the trail again. In a way I have to look on the bright side I saw real latte stones at the House of Taga, I didn’t get lost, and I was with my wife of two years. I also enjoyed going to the top of Mt. Laso, which is not all that exciting really, but there is a foundation to an old army hospital near the top, which we visited. After all the fun we had we went to the Tinian version of Suicide Cliff and took pictures of the jump sight and the many memorials to fallen soldiers of both sides.
On our second day we spent most of it in the hotel pool, but also spent time at Taga Beach (which has a fun jump off) & Tachogna Beach (which is more rocky, but popular with locals). The only thing I forgot to mention are a few other Beaches we visited, small memorials, and WWII places that were near the bomb pits that we also visited. If I had the chance to do Tinian again, I would want to go on a couple more trails (we didn’t have time to hike all the trails) and perhaps rent an ATV if possible to better see the Tinian Grotto. All of the island trails looked like fun. I think that a person could spend more than two days in Tinian, if they like to be active and have the money to stay at the hotel or camp out somewhere. I think the more willing to explore one is the longer they could see themselves staying. Sorry for the blog being so long, if you are thinking of visiting Tinian 2 days may be more than enough, but for me…I could have stayed longer, if I had more money and more time. Kara will soon blog about her side of the story. Enjoy the pictures!

1. Me in front of the last standing latte stone at the House of Taga site.
2. Kara in front of the blow hole.
3. Me next to the Barcinas Cannon.
4. Kara checking out one of the atomic bomb pits.
5. The plane we flew in while on our way to Tinian from Saipan.
6. The Dynasty Hotel from the pool side (not the front of the hotel)
7. Kara and I at the cool jumping spot.
8. The faces I made in the sand of KJ and I as a memorial to our time spent on the island together. (We had a little help from some Chamorro children.)

Saipan Time:

Eco Camp Summer 2011

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to blog about my experience at Eco Camp since it ended last Friday. It was definitely one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. This summer I was with the Sea Turtles(4-6) and Coconut Crabs (7-9). I worked with 2 other girls named Joy and Risa. So we tag teamed all summer with leading games and working with the kids. I think the best part about camp was that the kids got the opportunity to experience new things. For example not every kid had been on a horse before and it was so neat to watch their eyes when they got on for the first time. It was also a lot of fun to teach them new things as well. I enjoyed teaching kickball, baseball, soccer, jump rope, and other fun camp games. I ended up playing games that I had played in the past and it is amazing how camp games spread like wildfire all over the globe. My favorite game to teach was Uncle Dooger, from our good old days at Ingham Okoboji Bible Camp. The kids loved this game and wanted to play more than once a week. I loved to get to know the kids on a personal level and each kids personality was so unique. One kid that was there all summer named, Sooa, was the cutest little Korean girl. She could speak perfect English and was a little spit fire. It was fun bonding with her over the summer. Most of the kids would be there for 1-2 weeks but some would come for just a day. It was one of those jobs that you just had to be ready for any amount or kind of kid. There were local kids, Russians, Koreans, and Japanese kids who attended the camp. It was hard at times to get the message across if the camper did not speak English but it was amazing how easy it is to play or explain games to kids who do not speak English. One of the random things that I will always remember is when one kid jumped in the pool with his clothes and backpack on and I remember yelling at him in English why that was wrong and him totally just smiling at me. Kids never cease to surprise me. It was nice getting to travel with Grant to and from work. At times we would combine with the older kids for a game and it was nice to work with him then.
Normally our group of kids was 10-20 kids and then the last week was 30 kids and the entire camp had 90 kids. The last week kids who had a parent in the army could go to camp for free(it was paid for by the Army Reserve Kids Enrichment Program) and so that meant a lot more kids to watch. I had 30 (4-6 year olds in my group) and so all of us counselors split as leaders of each group. It was a hard week and I missed the other people who I had previously worked with. So needless to say it was very crazy and not my favorite week of camp. I was sentimental with leaving camp on the last day just because I thought back to all the kids I had met and gotten to know and it made me realize how fulfilling my job really was. I also got a big hug from Sooa who understood what I meant when I said I would not be there next week.
Overall it was a great experience, I got a farmers tan, and I got to play with kids all summer which is the best part.
As with Saipan, we are busy now with getting ready for school and school starts next Monday... crazy! More blogs will come about our anniversary in Tinian, getting ready for school, and meeting the new teachers.