We made it! After a thirteen hour flight to Tokyo, three hour flight to Guam, a night at the Guam Days Inn, and a thirty minute puddle jumper ride over Rota and Tinian, we finally arrived on Saipan! And yet, even as far away as we are, there's always a connection to Omaha - our cab driver in Guam lived in Omaha for two years! It never ceases to amaze me how global our little Midwestern town is. We told the cab driver we just flew in from Chicago, and asked him whether he'd ever seen snow. He said he'd been to Chicago once and saw snow there, then followed it up saying "The only other time I saw snow was when I lived in Omaha, Nebraska for two years. I graduated high school at Bellevue High School." Unreal.
Saipan is truly beautiful, very tropic, and small. We were greeted at the airport by Colleen's vice principal Leila Staffler (who gave us shell necklaces) and my boss Heather Kennedy (who had Marmars (sp?) made for us - the traditional flower crown). Without wasting a moment, we were off on a full island tour with Heather and another attorney to see Colleen's school (Kagman High School) on the southeast side of the island, the courthouse on the southwest side of the island, and various points of interest. We were immediately put at ease in our new home by the kindness of our new bosses, as well as the handful of locals we met. I think we can get used to this place.
Two Saipan FYI's we learned right off the plane: (1) Hafa Adai (pronounced Half (or Hoff) a Day) is the greeting in Chamorro, one of the traditional languages of Saipan; (2) Latte Stone: Google a photo...its a very large stone with a flat top placed on top of a column-like stone that were used by the ancient Chamorro and Carolinian people to build their homes on top of. Latte Stones now are like what the Bald Eagle is to the U.S., and can be found on street signs, Saipan's official seal, etc.
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