Things I will Miss about Living in Saipan

In Taiwan, we did a post about things we were going to miss there-  read it here.  I always like to back to it and remember a little about Taipei, so I decided to make a similar list for Saipan.

Things I Will Miss about Saipan:

- running along the beach pathway
- cheap massages
- spending just about every weekend at the beach
- pearl shakes
- the jungle and the wide variety and trees and flowers
- geckos crawling up my walls and chirping outside my window
- fresh seafood- caught that morning!  cheap fish!
- you can get anywhere on the island in less than 30 minutes- fresh fruit smoothies from street market
- getting to practice speaking Chinese all the time.  No matter how incorrect I sound, I always try!
- our house on Navy Hill and the view of the ocean from our porch
- Saipan Community Church
- our friends who have become like a second family in Saipan
- the many ethnicities and cultures living so closely together on the island
- my students and coworkers at ALAI
- all of the many activities that are available on such a small island:  snorkeling, Flametree arts festival, hiking, Taste of the Marianas, races, ultimate frisbee, etc.
- the feeling of adventure and the laidback feeling of island life

These are the magazines that my mom and Aunt Carolyn have sent to Saipan.  There were more in Taiwan!  Thank you so much everybody for the care packages- they have meant so much to us the past three years!

Things I  will Not Miss about Saipan:
- stores not having things (all of our grocery items are shipped in by boat or plane)
- humidity and frizzy hair
- not being able to drive over 45 mph
- driving a stick shift!  Brian taught me how to drive a standard car after I fell of my scooter for the second time, and we bought our little blue standard Toyata. The first couple of times I drove it by myself I was so scared, especially on Saipan's hilly roads and with other drivers right on my bumper at stop lights. Now, it's no big deal, but when I drive my friends' automatic cars, they feel so easy to drive.


In other news, I'm all signed up for the 4th of July race in Kansas City with my Gram, Mom, and Aunt Carolyn!!!  It's a 4 mile race; they are going to walk it and I'm going to run it. So proud of my Gram- she's so cool.  And so excited to spend the (early) 4th of July morning with my family!

Thoughts on Leaving- Saipan Version

I seriously can't believe that in one week from today we will be boarding a plane for America.  Actually, at exact moment in one week we will be in the air!  I'm actually looking forward to the long plane ride. I always sleep a lot on Brian's shoulder, watch movies, and read read read.  My bff Kindle will be getting lots of use in the airport and on the plane!

I was packing and preparing things for our second garage sale yesterday and had a lot of thoughts on leaving running through my head.  It's always a bittersweet experience, and even though we've moved many times in the past three years, it feels fresh each time.

Thoughts on Leaving Saipan

On the plane ride to Taiwan.  Anticipating living overseas for the first time.
 Summer, 2009

Things I am looking forward to the most:

-Seeing our family and friends from home.  Hanging out with my awesome bro, drinking coffee and chatting with Brian's mom, movie/cheese dip night at my friend Tom's house, playing with my dog, meeting our new adorable niece Cambria... and a million more moments to look forward to!

Roadtrip to Florida.  August, 2009

-Roadtrips with my man, listening to music, putting my feet up on the dashboard, stopping to get out and take pictures.

-American restaurants.  Want to know the ones I'm most excited about?  Starbucks, Olive Garden, Chili's, Red Lobster, Sonic!!!

- Shopping.  I always enjoy packing for home because of the sheer amount of stuff we get rid of.  It feels good to purge and to only take home the things you really need or that mean a lot to you.

  Saipan is pretty limited in the shopping department, so I've been wearing a lot of the same clothes for two years.  Also, Saipan only has one season: hot. summer.  I'm trashing or selling a lot of my faded, old summer clothes to make room for some shopping in the states.  Could not be more excited about that!

-When I asked Brian what he was looking forward to the most, he first said, "yogurt and cottage cheese."  Ha!  Milk products are pricey here (they were in Taiwan too)- guess we know what he will be eating a lot of when he gets home!

-Brian also said he's looking forward to a new adventure, and that moving to a new place makes you think of where you've been and what you have loved about it.  We took a walk near our house last night and Brian kept saying, "Smell that tropical smell!  I'm really going to miss that.  And those jungle sounds- it's so peaceful here."  :)

Last couple of weekends

Here's a big bunch of pictures from the last two weekends in Saipan.  

Above, us girls after church.  Amy, Anna, Becky, me, Lynnette, Kara, and Alison.  

Saying goodbye to these girls at the nail salon and crying just bit. :)

Girls night at Mandi Spa at Marianas Resort

In the infinity pool overlooking the ocean- the best place to watch the Saipan sunset!

 We went to Obyan Beach on Memorial Day.  We made a fire and cooked fish and smores, and some of us swam over the reef to snorkel in the open ocean.

I swam over the reef with Brian, Matt, Amy, and Alison, but my mask had a leak and kept filling up with water every two minutes.  I had to keep coming back up and emptying it out... so I didn't really see much this time.  Brian has been out past the reef many times and he has seen sea turtles, squid, rays, and a lot of other sea creatures.

Chillin at Obyan

Matt, Nate, and Brian

Brian and I went to Aqua Resort on Friday night to celebrate our four year anniversary!

Beach reading- I love my kindle.  Saipan mail can be very slow (one time, it took two months to receive a book ordered from Amazon), and we only have one little bookstore in Saipan.  I would definitely recommend a kindle for travelers who love to read.  It makes it so easy to buy and download books.

Hey babe, happy 4 years!

Relaxing in the hammock at Aqua Resort.

Hiking one last time at Forbidden Island.

Making the steep descent

Matt, Amy,  me, and Kara- Brian on the other side of the camera for most of these.

Hiking through the brush

Matt taking a break to look at the view

This part is really slippery and it's easier to slide down on your butt for some of it.

The end- whew that was a lot of pictures!

U can do it

 I've been running a lot in Saipan lately, and I have to say I'm really enjoying it!  Yes, it is hot running in the tropical heat at times, but I've found that running anywhere between 5:00 to 6:30 in the evening works best for me.  Brian likes to get up really early to beat the heat when he runs... I've tried that a couple of times and I end up going home early and getting back into bed.

I've signed up for a race in Saipan right before we leave for the states, and plan to do another 10k there.  My goal:  to run a half marathon in 2012!

Here are the things that motivate/help me most with running:  (above) My ipod shuffle.  I always run to hip hop, especially Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, and David Guetta.

 Garmin Forerunner 305.  At first, I hated this thing.  It felt bulky and awkward on my wrist (it's pretty big) and was kind of confusing to use.  Now, I love it.  It uses GPS to track distance and pace, so it's really accurate.  You can also load your runs on Garmin Connect, and compare your past runs to see how you are improving.  I use it every time I run.

  These have been through one 10k, and a lot of training.  I think I need some new shoes soon!
And here is me and Jenny's first 10k race in Saipan.

Pup

 Oh my gosh I really miss my puppy.  Sam's in the states right now staying with my parents until we pick her up this summer.  The airlines won't fly pets from Saipan after May 15 because of the heat, so we had to send her early.  We've been able to see her a lot on skype, but can't wait to have her back home with us!  Thanks Mom and Dad so much for taking care of her!!!

Puppy at the beach

 Our friend Liz gave her the name "Sammie Sad Eyes"

Miss you pup pup!

Happy #4

Happy four year anniversary to us!!!!

Marrying you was the best decision I ever made, Brian.  I love you with all my heart and can't wait for our date tonight!

 Us on our anniversary date last year- Micro Beach, Saipan