A New Dimension - jettisoned to Saipan (Howard)

Hi Everyone! We miss all of you. It is like we entered a new dimension- a new reality. A beautiful dimension, somewhat a dream but one that is completely different than our lives were just less than a month ago. Hey Mike and Crystal can we play cards? Tom let’s cook some ribs. Karin & Marc, Steve & Linda, Doug & Jeanne, and Gary & Laurie lets go cross country skiing, snowshoeing or downhill. Doug and Jeanne what is the next concert we’re going to? Or let’s go over to Kristin and Terry’s for BBQ. Peggy and Jim, Gary and Laurie when are we going to stuff ourselves with sushi by buying a “boat” at Sushiyamas? Reminiscing, something that Cheri and I do more now than we used to. We have been soooo busy, but enjoyably busy, maybe that is it – keeping our minds occupied, looking for a house, looking for a car to buy, looking at what cell phone service we can get, getting set up at my new work, getting used to our new hours, etc… just “getting on with life” as Cheri as said. But then there are times like this morning that Nathan “visits” us more than other times. Images come up in the head, those last minutes of his life are vivid, wishing we could have done more. Reminiscing, wishing we had spent more time with him, talking to him, getting to know him better than we did. Wondering if we somehow contributed to his death, dying that day before we were to leave! What if, we were talking this morning at 4am, what if we hadn’t even considered this job? Would it had extended his life? Would we still be in that alternate dimension with us being with all of you, in our big old beautiful house, and Nathan still hanging around?? But if we had, and Nathan had still died, could we have stayed anyway? What would we have done then? Big Questions, so big, I can’t answer them. There are no answers. No real solutions. Just it is!

Well if anyone made it through this, thanks. It is rough at times. A real ride on a series of highs and lows; but less or less drastic these days. Living here is very comforting. It's like we have been wrapped in a very warm blanket. Not too hot but just comfortable. We are able to jog along the beach. Eat and drink from coconuts, papayas, guava, star fruit, and mangoes. The food is great. Last night we went to the Tuesday night farmers market and had some most likely disgustingly unhealthy, but great tasting fried bananas wrapped in a thin flour shell! Delicious. We bought the rest of our dinner for both of us for 7 dollars. The night before we had fresh (I mean just caught 2 hours before) yellow tail tuna for dinner. The fish costs between $2.50 to $3.00 /lb at these little roadside stands. However, food at the store is quite a bit more expensive, so we just pick and choose our favorites. Most of the bread is the fluffy Wonderbread style, you know the kind you can roll into a little nickel size ball! But we did find a store that has some pretty decent whole wheat bread, but nothing like “Killer Dave’s Bread”.

The search for housing has been enjoyable. Such varied housing. A large modern beautiful home right next to what looks like extreme poverty, and all between. But the people seem very happy and healthy. Burglary is at one of its high points we hear. The economy is very poor here, lots of people out of work. In fact, I have to tell one of my new employees that CNMI is going to have austere Friday’s – every Friday they will have to take off without pay! Sad. So at my first staff meeting, I will have to let one of my new employees know.

Back to housing. The choices available are quite variable, but fall into a couple of categories: close into town and the beach, but older, less maintained and more expensive; midway up the mountain (remember this is a volcanic island, so from coastline up the hill), still fairly close to the beach, but a little farther up the hill making it harder to ride a bike or walk, with moderate prices, but now getting nice ocean views and nice breezes; and finally, towards the top of the hill, with magnificent views, good breezes, but hard to get to beach but foot or bike and most expensive. So, as usual for us, we have found one we think in between! But as Cheri says it is a house with a view out of a dream! It is fantastic. You guys won’t believe it. And it won’t be too hard to get back from the beach – maybe pushing the bike up some of the hill!! Good exercise, right. It has two bedrooms, and a large living room, so enough room for visitors (hint). And it has nice large patios for BBQing, drinking wine and gazing out at the ocean when you visit.

I'm enjoying my new job with CNMI fish & wildlife. It's just as I had thought – quaint and a little microcosm compared to WA state's wildlife department. I've spoken and met with probably 99% of the people, including the secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources! In fact, he is giving Cheri and I a bbq out on the beach in front of my new office. The people I work with are great. Very easy to get along with and dedicated to the resources. Biologists are so awesome – non-pretentious, casual, kind, and just overall easy going. I have a nice new car assigned to me (thanks to federal government grants!). I have at least 10 or 12 new life birds I have seen, including the nightingale reed-warbler I got to see and hear this afternoon. I have so far only seen the northern half of the island. On Friday, I’ll be shown the southern portion, so I’ll take pictures so you can see that too. Tonight we went out to eat with the Saipan Wildlife crew at Wild Bills! Cheri said “Who picked this”!? But it turned out to have great food again. I had a fantastic green curry dish with shrimp and Cheri had tofu pad Thai. And for breakfast we’ll have starfruit, papaya, tangerines and local bananas! Well, now that I made you hungry I’ll sign off. Goodnight.