Some new things: We bought a car! Not exactly a Guam bomb though. We kept searching and just didn't feel comfortable putting in a couple thousand dollars to a car that might fall apart in the next 6 months. So we found one that was a little more expensive BUT is reliable and will actually have a good resale value when we leave. I know, cars that actually don't depreciate with time. Only in Guam.
Now that John is able to drive himself to work, that has given me 2 extra hours of time! With no job, and only school, I have been doing ALOT of cooking. Which I love! So far I have made a few batches of cookies, bread, 6 jars of kimchi and sauerkraut, homemade larabars, watermelon sorbet, and every different concotion of smoothies. I think John is liking it despite the lower income lol. I hope to find a job soon though! Sending in another application this week. If not, I could totally get used to baking everyday...
We have officially begun our planning for our first trip! New Zealand. Hoping to go this fall! Other places on our list to visit are: Thailand-it comes highly reccommended here, Japan, South Korea, Palau, Saipan, and Hong Kong. Obviously we can't do all of these lol. So maybe yall can help us out- Where should we go? Oh and we are also going to Alaska next summer, but this trip will basically be free- thanks Jamie!
Thailand: I have always been interested but John has been skeptical! It's not the safest of countries, but so many people here have said it's been one of their favorites. And they have brought kids! Apparently as long as you stay on the tourist path you are good to go. Who wouldn't want to hold a tiger and ride an elephant??
Japan: I LOVE Japanese food. And their culture is so intriguing to me! Also, they have Disneyland in Tokyo. John could care less, and I'm not a disney fanatic...but its disney Tokyo! Besides you can ride a train all the way across the country. Note: John does have the possibility to do a 3 month temporary assignment there in the next 3 years and I get to go with him. But thats not for sure!
South Korea: Food. Simply amazing. And we have friends from there so we know it's awesome! John has been there though. But that was a long time ago!
Palau: I had never heard of Palau until our flight coming here. The guy I was sitting next to was going there. No we didn't talk about it, I was just a creeper and saw it on his plane ticket lol. But a ton of people here say it is one of the best places in the world. The best scuba and snorkeling. And just absolutely stunning. Note: it's another island, so not sure if that's what we want to do! But if it's that good, how can we not?
Saipan: We will probably just do this for fun! It's an island right above us. It's the largest of the Mariana Islands (Guam is part of this chain). It's not super expensive! Kinda like driving to Savannah for the weekend.
Hong Kong: People have highly suggested this too! Don't know much about what we would do except go to the Great Wall of China!
We are only planning on doing 3 big trips. New Zealand and Alaska, and then one last one! Help us decide :)
Last thing, we went to our first Chamorro barbeque on Easter! Our landlords invited us. They are BIG family people. When we first got there a little early, there were only a few people. An hour later, that turned into 40. 40 of the most welcoming, fun, loving people! I have never felt so loved by people I don't know. The best part is when you've been invited to one, you are almost guaranteed to be invited to every one after that.
We also took a trip around the south end of the island on Saturday! It took much longer than we thought but it was so so worth it. We took videos driving and are going to compile it into a short movie to show everyone! That way you get a better taste for the island. Not sure when that will happen, but sometime in the future. Also, to those I promised post cards...I still promise they are coming! I have them, just have to write and send them ;)
Guam is predominately Roman Catholic. Every year, hundreds hike this mountain and carry a cross in remembrance of Jesus' death and ressurection. It takes about 30-45 minutes to hike up. I zoomed in for this photo!
