My Memories...

I was "tagged" by my good friend Sean Maycock to write about 20 of my memories of Saipan.

Some of my memories go all the way back to January of 1995, when my family spent 7 weeks on this island visiting my uncle who worked at the SDA Dental Clinic at the time. Some of my other memories, of course, are more recent.....

1. I remember the first trip to Saipan seemed to take forever! But the moment when we finally stepped off the plane in Saipan was worth the wait. The airport was smaller back then and we had to descend the plane and walk across the tarmac to get inside. We were greeted with the warm, moist Saipan air and I loved it!
2. I remember staying with my uncle and his family in what now is the Pierson's house. Their office used to be my bedroom. We spent countless hours there, running around the yard, and cracking open coconuts and scooping out the jelly in the driveway.
   
3. Like the Piersons, my uncle had a truck (but his was black) and we'd all pile in and go on various excursions.......hiking down to Old Man By The Sea, Forbidden Island, or Bird Island; visiting the historical sites - Bonzai, Suicide cliff, the Last Command Post, or the Peace Bell; or just to the beach.....Ladder Beach, PauPau Beach, Wing Beach, Mirco Beach - I loved them all!
4. Back then, the garment factories were doing a lot better than they are now. There was a place - I'm not sure where, but I have a hunch that it was down in Puerto Rico or Cow Town - that the garment factories would dump their fabric and thread remnants and clothes that had some sort of flaws. People would always go there and rummage through the stuff and salvage usable fabric, thread, and clothes. For years after we returned, my mom used thread and material that we found there.
   
5. I remember when the huge and beautiful Nikko hotel was alive and teeming with activity. Sometimes on Sabbath afternoon we'd go up there and walk through their mini-zoo. They had lots of birds, fish, and even a sting ray. It's sad to go there now because, even though the hotel is still operating, most of the rooms are never used and the zoo is gone. It just isn't what it used to be.
6. Just up the road from the Nikko was La Fiesta Mall. It was such a beautiful place - it felt so magical. It wasn't just an ordinary mall, it was designed with a fun layout that incorporated stairs, different levels, and kinda like an inner "court yard". It was there that they held the annual "Snow Fest". A huge jumbo-jet shipment of snow was flown over from Japan and trucked up to the mall. First, several schools participated in a snow sculpting contest - it was a race against time, as they had to finish before it melted! Then the remaining snow was just dumped around the courtyard and there was a massive snowball fight. Some of the kids cried because they had never gotten hit by snow balls before!
7. I remember spending hours in the library studying about Saipan because I had to turn in a report to my teacher when I got home since I was missing so much school. It was cool to learn about the history as well as the flora and fauna of Saipan.
8. I remember when our time here was finally up, I didn't want to leave. When we finally got back home, I remember sitting on my mom's lap and crying (heart-wrenching sobs) because I wanted to go back to Saipan.
   
9. I remember considering my options during my senior year of college. I knew I wanted to teach 3rd or 4th grade and I knew I wanted to escape the cold and go somewhere warm. When Keith Rodman came recruiting for Micronesia, I figured I'd go talk to him since I'd been to Saipan before. I told him what I was looking for and he told me he had just the thing. He flipped through his little binder of positions until the found: "3rd & 4th Grade Teacher - Saipan". I felt like God was fulfilling the desires of my heart - He opened the doors and I walked through each one until I ended up here in Saipan.
10. I remember spending hours riding around in the back of Rusty (the truck) and exploring this island. Almost every weekend we would be out doing something.......hiking, exploring, playing volleyball, sailing, swimming out to the tanks, or watching the sunset. Those were some good times!
11. I remember spending my 22nd birthday at the Mandi Asian Spa with my roommates. Beautiful and so relaxing! I also remember sneaking away to the Spa with Britni during one of our last weekends on-island together. It was like we left the whole world behind when we entered the Spa, like we didn't have a care in the world!
12. I remember the night when the phone rang at 2 A.M. warning us of the approaching tsunami. My heart was racing and panic coursed through my veins, but thankfully the tsunami never came. So a few months later, when the second warning came our way, I remember driving down to the beach with Grant so we could see if anything was actually happening. It took a long time to get down there because there was a mass exodus in the opposite direction, but when we finally reached the beach the water was calmer than ever, so we just enjoyed the sunset.
13. I remember my students........my first class. They'll always have an extra special place in my heart since they were my firsts! I love every one of them, even the ones who were a little difficult or challenging to handle.
    
14. I remember all the pizza we consumed. One night, Sean, Grant, Bev, and I all were alone and had nothing to do on a Saturday night, so we got together and made our own pizza and talked for hours. Then there was the time that Bev, Grant, and I got Shelly's Pizza and then sat in the back of Rusty to eat it. Pizza and good friends is the perfect recipe for great memories!
15. I remember Milo! He was so cute, but sooooo bad! He was our kitten for a very short time. I was glad that my roommates kept him in their bathroom because he stunk! After a week or so of having him around we were able to pawn him off to Bev! She had no idea what she was getting into!
16. I remember how proud I was of all the students after the Christmas program. It was The Best Christmas Pagent Ever, and I think it was! This year's program was pretty cute, too, but like I said before......there's just something about that first year, everything about it was just extra special.
17. I remember the last month, the last week, the last day before everyone left. I remember wishing I didn't have to sleep because I didn't want to waste time that I could be spending with everyone. I remember that horrible traumatic night when we were all saying goodbye to each other, I cried so much that it hurt. I remember my last day on island before I left for the summer. Britni was already gone, so I spent the day with Grant. We worked, we cleaned and packed, and then we played. We spent one last time down at PIC playing volleyball, slipping down the slides, and then we raced down to the beach and sat in the water as we talked and watched the sun slip away one last time. I remember leaving the next day and resenting the fact that I was going home because it meant that the year was truly over. I remember praying all summer about the new teachers and that it would be a good year.
18. I remember the start of this new year. We started off strong. I was really busy with everything, but I also was able to help a little with the Volleyball team at school. I was so proud to watch them go all the way to the championships and win!
19. I remember hooking up with the crew of on-island rock climbers and getting to climb out on Suicide Cliff. Some of those pictures were printed in the November issue of Beach Road Magazine and that led to the invitation for me to be on the cover of December's issue. It was a lot of fun!
20. I remember all the baptisms this fall. Two of our students were baptized as a result of last year's Week of Prayer. Then, after our church's evangelistic meeting, another 30-some people were baptized! It was such a beautiful thing to be a part of!

Those are only a few of the many beautiful memories here on this little island. But, my favorite part is that my time here is not yet up. There are more memories to be made!