We live in a crazy amazing place. I know that. There's good and bad about Saipan but it's mostly good and we love it here. Unfortunately, we will eventually have to say goodbye to it. Next summer we plan to move from this tropical treasure and it's got me going a little crazy. Some days I can't wait to jump start our move and get things rolling, look at houses, plan a new home, a new life and other days I'm feverishly trying to find ways that we could make Saipan our permanent home. I guess that's the downside of traveling all over the world--you come to love too many things and it's impossible to have it all in one place. I tried to make a pro's and con's list once to try to help me sort it out in my head---it didn't help.
Here was my list before I quit:
Cons:
-The internet here is laughable. It's not dial up but boy is it slow, and crazy unreliable.
-The schools here aren't great. Even the private schools have issues you need to deal with from time to time and with Owen's speech delay it just makes it harder.
-There is one hospital and it is adequate but it's really hard to get in, and very political.
-Because it's a small island there are a lot of "small island quirks." Such as: Our government buildings only take cash, our drivers licenses look like fake IDs, most stores don't open until 11am, prices are higher, availability is low, etc, etc.
-Directions are hard here. There aren't many actual street names so finding places becomes a landmark puzzle. It works fine after you've been here awhile but it was complicated in the beginning.
-You have to rent a PO Box since there aren't any physical addresses (or mailmen!) and mail is suuuuuuuper slow.
-We have some amazing restaurants but they're mostly asian. I miss Mexican and Italian food.
-There are no seasons. It's truly an endless summer here. That's usually a good thing but I do miss Fall sometimes.
-There aren't many indoor things to do. Which isn't a big deal since there are beaches galore but during rainy season we can only do crafts inside for so long.
-Bugs. Fire ants, cetipedes, cockroaches, and on and on. And I'm not just talking about outside, oh no, they will get into your house. It's how life is here. There are always ants in the house and my kids are always getting bitten by fire ants at the park.
-Availability here is low so you have to order online a lot and most places won't ship here.
-No dishwashers. You wouldn't think this is a big deal, heck-- my first 3 apartments didn't have one, but having to do dishes at least twice a day gets old, and fast.
-It's expensive. Lots of things here are cheap but things you need like food, gas, electricity, etc are really expensive and it adds up fast.
Pros:
-It's stunningly beautiful here. It's just beach after beach and lush forests.
-The sunsets. We get KILLER sunsets here and almost nightly.
-The hiking. There's so much beauty here that hiking is a dream. Plus with all the history of WWII on island you almost always run into an old tank or old shells or a hidden bunker. It's pretty neat.
-Pedicures and Massages and Seamstresses. Holy cow, I had never been so spoiled in my life. Spa services here are insanely cheap and I can't take you how many dresses I've had tailored or custom made because of the low cost.
-Snorkeling and Diving. It's amazing. The colors and abundance of the wildlife here is just insane.
-Tropical fruits. Super cheap, grown locally and so delicious. Mango season is my happy time.
-Culture. There is so much of it here.
-Community. It's such a small island that you see friends everywhere. You become friends with the cashiers at the grocery store because they see you so often, you know your landlord, your waitresses, even people I see on the running trail everyday know my name. I have strangers come up to me all the time and say, "Hey! You're the lady I saw on beach road running with her kids in the stroller!" Boom. Friends made. It's pretty amazing.
-It's so chill. Seriously. No one cares what you wear, what you look like or even if you wear shoes. I can't tell you how many grocery stores I've walked into with no shoes and no one even bats an eyelash. It's so nice to be away from the States for that reason. Even when we visit I feel the pressure to get dressed, put on make up and look "presentable." Here, I throw my hair in a bun, put on a maxi dress and flip flops and it's totally cool.
-The travel. Oh, the places you can see! We've been to Palau (home of the world wonder Jellyfish Lake), Japan for the famous Cherry Blossom Season, Managaha (a neighboring island I can see from my window that boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in THE WORLD), Tinian (another neighboring island with tons of WWII history and amazing cliff jumping), and Guam. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! We'd love to go to Thailand, Bali, India, Austrailia, Taipei, China and Singapore. Obviously, with our time frame we won't get to all of them but it's been insanely fun so far.
-The people. I don't know what it is about being in such a small place but you all just band together. The friends we've made here have become our family.
So you see, it really wasn't helpful. The things I love about this island and our home here hold such huge weight but the reasons for leaving are so permanent and unchanging that I'm left feeling a little stuck. We love our island home but I do look forward to making a new and more permanent home somewhere else. Until then we will be milking it for as much as we can here.
