Mongo Beans and Ham Hocks

If there is one thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that the people of Guam LOVE their food.  They had planned my whole week of lunches for me the afternoon of the first day.  I have had Jamaican, Chinese, Mexican and finally yesterday Guam's own Chamorro. I am pretty sure that these people have Southern roots - why? - because one of their favorite foods is ham and beans - well it's mongo beans instead of pinto....I know that it looks kinda gross but I can assure you that it was delicious and the ham just melted in your mouth.    And get this -I have only bought one dinner since I have been here - I have eaten my lunch leftovers every night! AND they LOVE their BREWED ice tea.  Here is something interesting - they don't put packets of sugar on the tables - they put a little pitcher of sugar syrup - at the hotel, they have little cups of it like little coffee creamers.

I love the people I am working with - the Chamorro people are very proud of their heritage and proud to be Americans.  The hospitality here is incredible - one of the ladies even gave me a rosary today.  I am going to be sad to leave them - here are a few of them.

Most of them are Catholic and I am looking forward to getting out over the weekend and take some pictures of the churches - there is one right down the street from here that is gorgeous.

Last night I went driving just to see what I could see and I found a church to go to Sunday.

So this weekend I will get out and take many more pictures - I am planning my itinerary.  See you soon!

Kristi

Guam - Where America Begins It's Day

(Make sure you scroll down and read the trip post before this one :))

Getting in at midnight means you can't see where you are - but I did see that I had a nice lanai and I could sort of see the ocean.  I didn't even unpack - I put on my jammies and CRASHED.

I woke up the next morning to this.....

The point that you see in the picture is called "Two Lovers Point"  I don't know the full story yet, but I will tell you that later - here are more from my balcony....

I went in for my first day at work, and immediately fell in love with these people.  I have already made good friends.   I suppose they like me too because they keep bringing me food.  The past two nights, I have just had dinner on what they have brought me!

That's about all for this post - there isn't much to tell yet - I have been working and jet lagged so I haven't explored much.  More to come though!

Hafa Adai!

Those who say "You can't take it with you", didn't see my luggage.

Well I am here - I have been anticipating this trip for so long that it's hard to believe that I am actually sitting in Guam....Wow.

I have to start at the beginning and tell you about the trip.   First I had to get to Atlanta from Halifax on Friday.  I got in to the Atlanta airport (totally hate that place)  around 9:00.  Robbie, Tyler and Daniel came to meet me - I was glad that I got to see them all before I left for Guam.  The next day I headed back to the Atlanta airport (did I mention how much I hate that place?) to head for Guam.  My first flight was to Detroit.  From Detroit I went to Tokyo.  That was the flight from (well you know where).  It was almost 14 hours long.  Make sure you really want to go wherever you are going if you have to be on a plane for that long.  That was a very lonely flight for me - no one to talk to....and on top of that they couldn't get the movies to work.  I was sitting on the aisle with one Japanese man beside me and one across the aisle from me.  Neither spoke English, but every time I looked at them they smiled and bobbed their head to me.  If I got up to let my neighbor out, he would say "Sank you" and smile and bob his head again.  I dozed some but had a fear of making a loud snort or even worse laying my head on Sanku's shoulder.  So I spent a good bit of time plotting how to lock a first class passenger in the bathroom so I could have their recliner......We made it to Tokyo - it was amazing to me that I was looking out the plane's window at Japan - I never dreamed I would be doing that.

I was able to find my gate for the plane to Guam - at this point, I am totally running on adrenaline.  We board the plane and I am on my last leg of my journey - 3 hours and 15 minutes to Guam.  I promptly sat down in my seat and fell SOUND asleep.  There was no fighting it at this point.  If I snored, no one told me so and I didn't wake up with my head on someone's shoulder.   I woke up about 2 hours into the flight to the smell of food.  They served a full meal at 10:00 at night.  For this flight I sat with a Japanese man and his little girl.  I got up to go to the bathroom and they jumped up too.  I figured they didn't want to ask to let me out.  I told the girl that I liked her slippers but she didn't understand - but her father did and told her.  And yes, he said "Sank you".  At the end of the flight, people were in a hurry to get out, and his family got away from him - so I let him go in front of me so he could catch up - he said "Sank you", but then he turned back around and said as best he could - "have a nice trip".  Well I almost cried - I was so tired, but that was about the best welcome to Guam I could have gotten.

I head towards customs.  I start out by getting in the wrong line (remember I have only had two hours of sleep in the last 25 hours at this point - I was standing in the Non US Resident line with all the Japanese......so I try to cut under the line - catch my back pack on it and pull it down (and no I am not making this up- I am surprised they let me in Guam for the commotion I made).  I get in the line for US residents - if I had gotten in that line to begin with, I would have already been headed to the hotel because the only US residents were myself and the flight crew.   I go to get my baggage and grab one of those smart cart thingys - yes I had that much baggage - I have actually never used one of those before and didn't know that you had to pull up on the handle to unlock the brakes - so I struggle to the car rental place huffing and puffing and grunting with my "had to pay extra for the weight" luggage, until I accidentally pull up on the handle bar - a miracle!  Someone totally missed out on $10,000 by not filming me - or I may turn up on Japanese television - who knows......

Going Postal in Halifax

I am writing my last post from Halifax as I eat my last lunch from The Dill Pickle.  My next post will be from Guam.
http://www.thedillpickle.ca/

It is raining here today and it says the temp is 17 degrees - sounds cold to me - but I can't remember the calculation from elementary school to tell what temp it REALLY is.

AND I had my first Canadian confrontation today while in the mall getting my lunch.  Last night I wrote some post cards, so I went to the post office to get stamps to mail them.  I stepped up and asked for seven post card stamps - maybe it was my accent, but the clerk looked at me like I had lost my mind - she then asked me "American or Canadian?"  So maybe someone with a little Post Office know how could chime in here and help with this...but since I am in Canada, wouldn't I need Canadian stamps?  I mean when you go to the PO in America, they don't ask if you need American or Canadian or Mexican or Japanese.....So since she was so snippy, I just said back to her - in my best Southern drawl, "These need to get to Tennessee and Georgia in the South - I just need whatever it takes to get them there." So almost ten American dollars and a cash drawer slam later, I have mailed my cards.  Don't know if anyone will get them - but I want you to know that I took the time to write them and went  head to head with a smart alec clerk that obviously was on the verge of going postal.

I will probably just stay in tonight and pack - I have three long days of traveling starting tomorrow - or it may not be three days - I haven't wrapped my head around that international date line thing.  Which I suppose has something to do with the earth being round - but when you go West time goes backward but Guam is 14 hours ahead.  So it may only be two days or two and a half - and coming home, I will get back about the same time as I left - too bad it isn't my birthday - or Christmas!

Enough for now - headed for much warmer shores - see you in Guam!

Kristi

Dinner

Bombs Bursting in Air - A Day in Halifax

I was hoping that once I got to Halifax it would be cool and dry - the temps are ok - but the humidity is here - or maybe it's just sweat.  I walk a little over a mile to work each day.....I leave my hotel room, go to the ground floor to have breakfast - which is always good - its a huge buffet that is usually $18 per person but since our company has three people that practically live at this hotel, we all get it free.  I love Canada because they all remember me here - and I have only been here once before.  Tomorrow they have promised me that Eggs Benedict (my favorite breakfast) will be on the bar just for me :).  They send me on my way with a to go cup of coffee.  On to work...

I go to work in a very round about way - if I took the straight shot, I would have to climb a VERY steep hill.  So from breakfast I go to through a pedway into the hotel mall - Barrington Shoppes - then through another pedway to another mall (as if I planned it that way) Scotia Mall.  I usually have lunch at the Scotia Mall - my favorite restaurant is The Dill Pickle.  Once through that mall, I go up to the 7th floor of the parking garage (elevator) - that's two up escalators and 7 floors in an elevator - I told you it was a steep hill.  I go through another pedway out to the street - cross the street and I am at my building.

I have my own desk that looks out to citadel hill - (above) and every day at exactly noon, they shoot a cannon that shakes the building and makes me jump out of my seat EVERY SINGLE TIME.  My building is the one to the left of the white building at top middle of the picture.

I think I just added a video of the cannon - at least it tells me I did...scroll down to see it.

Yesterday I was here until 6:00 PM ...Halifax is on Atlantic time.  I walked back through the malls (sometimes I take the hill DOWN) put my computer in the hotel and walked to the harbor and had dinner at the Salty Dog - Scallops Au Gratin - was too chicken to ask what the market price was for lobster.

Love you all and miss you all!  Will report back later!

Kristi

Cannon Fire