Everyday Living

My daily life in Saipan is about as different from my daily life in Spokane as night is to day and as hot is to cold. I arise at 4am Tuesday thru Saturday in order to work somewhat similar hours with my co-workers in Los Angeles. That in itself is completely different for me. Back home, I never set an alarm clock and always started work somewhere between 7 and 9. The early mornings have been a difficult adjustment, leaving me feeling tired and less energetic than I would like. But I think I may be getting more used to it now. I'm beginning to appreciate watching the sun come up and listening to the birds sing their welcome morning songs. Howard and I start our morning jogs (Howard more often than me) in the pre-dawn darkness when it's cooler.

We start out tripping over obstacles and running through water puddles, but soon the sky begins to turn pink and lighten, and by the time we're finished, the sun is up and it's already almost too hot for us to run. Each night we have to think a little more about what to eat, since our kitchen is still not well provisioned and finding ingredients can be a time-consuming activity.

We go to one store for fresh eggs and another for quality cereal and to the fresh markets for local produce and nowhere really for milk products. We're making our own yogurt these days, just like we did when we lived in the Sierras long, long ago. I'm so glad it is turning out so well, because yogurt is really expensive here. The weekends arrive with long days stretching out ahead of us and even though we love the beach and snorkeling, we often miss our kayaks and the great bike trails and our dear friends back home.

We had a fantastic experience at the Thursday night open market we were headed to last time I posted. As we were weaving our way through the tourists to the food booths, we came upon a group of local girls and boys performing Micronesian dance in the paseo, accompanied by traditional music. The dances were somewhat like a Hawaiian hula, but unique to this area, I think. They were dressed in traditional style costumes and so beautiful to watch, and very young, ages 9 to 16.

The music was interesting, ranging from Hawaiian like ukelele tunes to country and western sounding songs. The Chomorro language has a very Spanish sound to it. I often hear it in their speech and I also heard Spanish sounding words in their songs.

After watching for quite a while, we continued to follow our noses to the food, mmmm. Many of the booths we usually see on Tuesday night at the park were set up here too, along with dozens more. There was Korean, Chinese, Phillipine, Japanese and Vietnamese food to choose from. We walked up and down trying to locate the best and finally settled on a plate of Chinese and one of Vietnamese. Fish and dumplings and tofu stir fry and local vegies and more.

We sat behind a booth we recognized from our Tuesday night ventures and the woman manning the booth gave us one of my favorite, very rich desserts - cooked banana in a sweet tortilla like pastry. So good and so filling!! When we finally decided we should head for home, the children were still dancing! They had been dancing for over an hour in the sultry hot tropical night air! A rocking, swaying gentle dance for the most part, but that's still a long time!!

We moved into our new apartment the next day and it was so nice to finally feel a little settled. We can relax, cook, wash our clothes, read and do nothing at last. No more searching for houses and cars and stuff! Ahhh. Friday night we went out to eat with Paul and Rita, some new friends. Paul works with Howard. They brought along some other folks, Randy and Marilyn, two archeologists who have lived on island for a very long time. We went to a wonderful Japanese restaurant and Randy ordered for us all, and ordered and ordered and ordered. We ate some very delicious Japanese style food, unlike any I've ever tasted before. Lots of sushi, of course, and some baked or grilled grouper that was out of this world. The grouper was so warm and moist, it melted in your mouth! The server brought three bottles of Sake to our table, so we could taste and decide which one we wanted. Everyone seemed to have a different favorite, so we each got what we liked. I'm not usually very fond of sake, but was impressed by the lightness and tastiness of these.

One was milky in texture, a little like coconut milk, and mildly sweet. A warm evening with new friends helped to soothe our somewhat lonesome souls a bit, I think.

On Saturday, we were so exhausted by the past weeks of travelling and living out of hotel rooms that we didn't actually do much of anything else the rest of the weekend except hang out. Getting into the island frame of mind.

When we went to dinner with Paul and Rita, they were finalizing their wedding plans and invited Howard to Paul's bachelor party and me to Rita's bachelorette party. So on the following Thursday night, I ventured off to Wing's beach to see how islanders celebrate matrimony. After driving down the long, winding dirt road to Wing's Beach, I parked the car and made my way through the tropical flora to where the path opens up to the sea. When I arrived the party had already begun and there were about twenty-five women of various ages and ethnicities gathered around a blanket covered with a variety of goodies to eat.

Where women gather there seems to always be an abundance of good food and plenty of wine pouring forth. I found that to be the case here in Saipan also. After introducing myself around, since I'm new to the island and everyone recognizes that immediately, I made my way back to Jill. Jill was holding her fretful three month old baby boy, trying to get him to stop fussing. It was around 6pm, the bewitching hour, I used to call it, when Nathan was a baby. Nathan had trouble in the evenings for the first three months of his life, crying and colicy until bedtime. I saw that Jill was feeling uncomfortable, thinking the baby was a distraction and that maybe she should go home. I knew the feeling as I had been through similar situations many years ago. I asked her if I could hold him and she very happily handed him over. I patted and rocked him and he began to settle down and soon became completely absorbed in the wonder of the beautiful sunset and the soft sound of the sea. It felt so good and so right to be holding such a sweet baby in such a serene setting. Jill was able to join in the festivities with her friends for a little while longer before taking her baby home to bed. It made me happy to be able to help out another mother and I think I made a new friend. Rita's friend's dressed her for the momentous occasion of the last few days of being single with a fluffy wand-like sceptor and a sparkling tiara and told tales about the bride from childhood on.

She's Canadian and two of her close friends dating back to grade school were there with lots of tales to tell! Dark clouds were rolling across the sky and threatening rain, but the bonfire was crackling, the wine was flowing and laughter abounded, so no worries! It rained for a few minutes and then passed. The party continued into the night and I met many fascinating women. They were all very open and generous and welcoming and it felt comfortable to be here on this island.

Howard's bachelor party was at 8pm the next night at a Japanese restaurant on the paseo. Again lots of sushi was ordered and much sake consumed. I wasn't there, so I can't tell you what went on there, but I do know that Howard didn't make it back home until 2am and others stayed out at the beach long enough to see the sun rise!

I did hear some murmurs regarding some girls trying to drag the guys into a massage parlor and the guys all ending up at some other bar someplace. I'm not asking anymore questions! Just kidding, I think the groom had a good time and he still had a day left to recuperate and he made it to his wedding ceremony early Sunday morning.

The wedding was held on a bluff overlooking the ocean and jungle below. It was a gorgeous setting, just a short walk from their home. We didn't attend the wedding ceremony, but joined the festivities at the reception afterwards. They were married at sunrise, so we were at their house by 8:30am. That's the earliest reception I've ever been to. The tables were overflowing with scruptious island brunch food, set up in the shade of the towering coconut palms and other tropical trees. We were there for hours, getting reacquainted with some of the folks we had met at the earlier soirees and meeting new people. There was island grown coffee and home brewed beer to quench the thirst.

The party finally wound down around three o'clock and we headed down to the beach, where some others were also going, to cool off with a refreshing swim in the ocean. We swam in the calm waters and played in the waves. Yes, there were actually small waves that day! This entire event happened on the day of the Tsunami warnings.

We ended the day relaxing on the beach, while a couple of guys serenaded us with their drums. As we were leaving, we watched the moon rise over the hillside, spilling out and shimmering on the water. These experiences are what makes Saipan a healing place to be.

After the rush of moving and wedding celebrations and meeting new people, we have now slowed down into normal life. We have eaten out with friends, gone to the movies (Alice in Wonderland, and we liked it) and had dinner at friends' houses. We joined the Palms Resort, where we're able to continue our yoga practice and that has been amazing.

The room is beautiful, with incense, sensuous music and cool lavender laced cloths for your eyes during Savasana (corpse pose). Ahhhh!

I've been out paddling in an outrigger canoe with some of the women I met at the earlier parties. It was one of the girl's birthday, so the newlywed, Rita, brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate. So we're out paddling at 7:30am on a Sunday morning and guzzling down a bottle of champagne! Life is relaxed here, I'm telling you! We're eating well, trying to use mostly local vegies and lots of fish and tofu. Aside from the parties and champagne bottles, it's a healthy lifestyle, but I think it's going to get hotter soon and that's going to make activity a little more difficult. We're off to the island of Tinian this weekend, so I'm sure Howard will revel you with more of his wonderful plant and wildlife pix!

Nathan is with us everyday. I'm making a conscious effort these days to concentrate on all the good times and fond memories we have of him. Danielle is great at keeping me thinking that way. Howard has his ups and downs, just like I do, but I think we are progressing. This island is working its magic on us, even though we sometimes feel a little lost and lonely here. The sun shines, the winds blow, the birds sing and the ocean sparkles; the feel of life's energy is everywhere and we're trying to soak it all in. Peace is in the air.