Life on Rota

Greetings and salutations!

First of all, I must apologize for my lack of emails.  Yes, it is true things have been a wee bit hectic......but that ain't no excuse I know.  I guess I can blame it on the beautiful scenery, warm weather and incredibly good-natured and friendly people.

I made it safe and sound to Rota on November 3.  We were anxious to get here as "The Waaaaiting is the Hardest Part"-good ol' Tom Petty does know how to say it best!  The getting here was not as smooth a sailing as I would have liked.  It started at the airport when the airline said that, no we could NOT check our collective 400lbs (between the 3 of us) luggage and were limited to 40lbs a piece-PERIOD.  It seems that the airline is "downsizing" AKA going under.......and so was not flying it's typical luxury craft that seats 12.  Instead we were in a 5 seater and I guess weight was an issue?!? LOL  Welcome to the Islands!  They promised our remaining bags would be in Rota on Monday 11/5 (I'll give a dollar to anyone who can tell where this story is headed!).  To complicate matters this information came about 20 minutes before the flight left; and of course NONE of our bags weighed that to start with and we had stuff scattered about between all the bags.  So there we are in the airport just before flying out trying to open up all our suitcases to see what we either a) needed to survive for the next few days or b) did not want to fall into the wrong hands if swiped (i.e. much of my electronic stuff or some of my field gear-which I swear just the basics weigh 40lbs alone!).  Doing the swap around while trying to hide our 'unmentionables' was humorous to say the least.  Then of course the plane was an hour late so I had plenty of time to think about a) What I had neglected to add to my "must haves" b) What it meant to have busted my computer the day before AND realized my backup was missing the power cord and so was feeling our of touch with my "home" reality and c) What it meant to have been stripped down to the bare necessities (no pun intended!); without my "creature" comforts for who knows how long.  It was an interesting 60 minutes for me-clearly I survived!

The flight over was beautiful because we stayed below the cloud level since the flight was so short.  This means we got breathtaking views of the ocean, Saipan, Tinian, Goat Island and Rota.  The coastlines are amazingly rugged, different and gorgeous.  Upon landing I got my first taste of Rota hospitality, when someone at the airport picking someone else up asked Molly and I if we had a ride-he was happy to take us to town if we needed.  Not sure how he was gonna fit us and our luggage with his two children and wife with THEIR luggage, but he was willing to give it the old college try!  The hotel we stayed at, The Valentino was quite nice, certainly more than one expects on an island of 3k people that does not get a huge tourist population.  Within 20 minutes everyone knew our names and was being as accommodating as possible.

Our next challenge came because we arrived on a Saturday, course everything was closed on Sunday, Monday was the day before the election (a holiday for them) and then Tuesday was the election (another holiday for them).  That meant we had 4 days of nothing to do really.  Course you realize a bored Isha is a dangerous Isha..........I did pretty good though, did not get into ANY trouble whatsoever!  Now remember Monday is when the rest of our luggage was supposed to get here.  Course it did not and when we asked we were told it might (MIGHT) be Friday-far cry from Monday!  Course both Molly and I were concerned as we has some stuff in the luggage we were not able to bring with us that we were not happy being unattended for an extended period of time.  Magically when she said she had medication she needed in there it appeared on Wednesday, split the difference I guess.  Neither of us was complaining though as we know have the basics again.

My first couple of weeks here has gone well.  Due to the weekend and holidays I had several days to just "get to know" the island, which was nice.  I met lots of nice local Chamorro's (the indigenous peoples) and have started off on the right foot I hope-at least no one is throwing rotten fruit at me yet!  The weather has been amazing, staying a balmy 85degrees or so (NOT trying to rub it in!).  There has been sporadic rain showers in the afternoons and early mornings but nothing too major.  I am getting a handle on what the job entails and some of the politics involved and so far am feeling very blessed.  Although I DO have to admit the last two weeks my hair has been "on fire" as I dashed about trying to get up to speed and play catch up since the previous biologist left in May and many of the surveys were lacking in "data"--a definite challenge when reporting on an endangered species to a federal agency, and certainly NOT the way I want to start my tenure off!  The good news is, there seems to be plenty of support from my direct supervisor and his supervisor, which makes it nice; especially since they are several islands away.  I get along well with my co-workers who seem very competent and willing to work as hard as it takes to get the job done.  Course we realize that could be a dangerous combination with me :)  I promise I am holding myself in check and not working them to the bone just yet!

I cannot even begin to explain this island as it is quite unlike any other I have been to.  People who had been here before were not lying when they said it is the friendliest place they had ever been.  Not only does everyone drive when waving, they also stop if they see you walking and offer food if they see you coming by when they are anywhere CLOSE to eating a meal.  They seem very interested in what I am doing here and open with their thoughts and helping me get to know some of the local customs and expectations; which I want to adhere to as closely as possible.  I am starting to learn the language.................SLOWLY but they appreciate the effort and we all have a good-natured laugh at some of my pronunciations.  One thing that amazes me here is the general respect and kindness factor.  I see all the children respecting their elders, even the teenagers!  One way they do this is to go up to an elder when they first see them and touch their head to the person's hand asking for a blessing, the elder responds "Blessing to you".  It is very simple and very sweet to see.  I have seen men in their 40's do it to elderly ladies and vice versa-it does not stop when one gets older.  Course I have to admit it was a bit awkward the first time a child came up to me and I thought she was shaking my hand and instead she put it to her head and waited.........this was BEFORE I knew the tradition. LOL  But seriously they are all very patient with me and I am enjoying integrating and having a circle of people that I can ask what certain things mean.  A wonderful Chamorro family even invited me over for Thanksgiving (picture) which was quite fun, especially when they all started singing karaoke.  Now, I DON'T sing, but after much cajoling I got up and sang "I Will Survive" with one of the lovely young ladies.  I butchered it horribly but fortunately she had a beautiful voice and they all appreciated the effort! 

I found a cute little house on a hill that has a good breeze, which means minimal mosquitoes :)  It is a small 3 bedroom with an open kitchen, dining/livingroom and a nice yard for a garden.  It is exactly what I was hoping to find!  The best part is it is only $150 a month.  YES you read that right, $150 a month!  I only have 2 neighbors on the block and it is surrounded by lots with plenty of trees.  I love it.  It did not come with furniture, which can be hard to find here, but I will make to and piece it together as I go; I think Walmart may have become my new best friend as they seem to be the only ones that will ship here in a reasonable time and for a reasonable price.

The pictures are pretty self explanatory I think, so I will sign off now and promise to write more soon.  I think I have my internet thing worked out which means it won't be another month before my next update :)