Unreal

The moon was shinning brightly, allowing me to catch my first glimpse of Saipan as the plane approached the island from the south. I held my breath for a moment, feeling on the verge of tears..... or laughter..... or throwing up, I wasn't quite sure which one.

It was strange to see my brother & sister-in-law and my best friend & her husband when I exited the airport. They seemed out of place here since they aren't apart of any of my Saipan memories (yet). It was great to see Joeie & Virle, with the "Welcome" sign. Even the new student missionaries were there to greet me at 3:30am - it's the Saipan way. :)

Driving along the familiar roads this morning, it all felt unreal. Despite the 30 hours of travel time, I'm still having a hard time fully believing that I'm actually here. It feels very unreal. Sometimes, it feels like I might wake up and not actually be here. Other times, it feels like I have never left. I think the strangest part is half expecting to see people who used to be here - Sean & Barbara, Grant & Britni, Judith & Jessica, Carol & the kids - it's like they're still here in spirit, accompanying every memory.

No matter how strange and unreal it feels, it's good to be back. The first thing we did this morning was hit the beach. We spent a couple hours at Pau Pau, snorkelling and soaking up the sunshine. The weather was perfect and the water was absolutely incredible!

Brother

Siblings

Happy to be in the water!

The great blue.....

A Moorish Idol

A pretty clam

After a relaxing afternoon back at the house, we met up with Sarah Jane & Bill for a fantastic meal at Spicy Thai. I was delighted to see the owner, Mrs. Bracken (she remembered me!) & her daughter, a former student. The food was delicious and the company was wonderful!