Good Girls Three: Moving to Guam: First Impressions...

1. Hot! Muggy, stifling, insufferably hot. Weird, because the mornings are often very much worse than the afternoons, because the afternoons are often breezy. Unexpected, because I had been watching the Guam weather reports since January. Every day- every single day- the high has always been 89 or 90, low 77 or 76. Doesn't sound so bad, right? It is.

2. Tropical! Zone 13? ????? House plants aren't houseplants! Mangos, bananas, papayas, avocados, breadfruit all grow on trees, and fall to the ground. The ground is littered with tropical food. Crazy. It will never frost! Not only will it never frost, it will never get lower than 70 degrees! Crazy. There is no end to the growing season. Totally weird. What happens to annuals? Tomatoes? Squash plants? Why is this island not overrun with vegetables? If you can't tell, I'm from zone 4a (see the USDA hardiness zone map) and I'm having a hard time adjusting... While driving or walking around, you see the plants that grow in the Climatron, just out and about, in the, like, air. Crazy. It's beautiful. Crazy. But beautiful.

3. (How shall I put this...) Sketchy? One of the things that first strikes you about Guam is the pervasive feel that there is a high probability of massive impending typhoons. The concrete power poles are approximately the size of sequoias. Most structures, including our house, are basically concrete bunkers. This, combined with the boonie dogs,

boonie chickens, giant African land snails,

(which I have seen, by the way...) multitude of little beer-ad-plastered convenience stores, and high level or litter add up to a certain level of... sketchiness. B, who grew up on an Indian reservation, calls the look of Guam "Tropical Rez." It sums it up nicely.

4. Shopping. This one has taken me completely by surprise. It is intensely frustrating to find things to buy on this island. I didn't think I was a picky person, who has to have certain things to be satisfied, but, I guess I kind of am... Just little things like favorite brands of dishwasher detergent, hand soap, raisins, macaroni... On and on. Just not available. Twin mattresses- not available. And most online places won't ship here! Walmart, to it's credit, will. Target, no way. Amazon, only if it's a certain type of item not including any electronics, metal, batteries, plastic, or paper. Basically. It is very frustrating. So, my advice to anyone moving here? Bring everything with you! Everything. Anything you may want to have sometime or maybe consider buying during the duration of your stay on Guam- just bring it with you!

5. Laidback. Way back. There seem to be very few dress standards for Guam. My normal attire of cutoff jeans, baggy tshirt, and chacos is just fine! In fact, my chaco lines are becoming permanently tatooed into my skin. I like it. And I have worn makeup a total of twice in the almost four months I've been here. Nylons, NO! (Not that I would wear them anyway...)

6. Safe. I looooovvee living on a military base. The house is great, bigger than I thought, and nicely arranged. Everything is walking distance- the gym, school, stores, trails, library. Playgrounds everywhere. Friends next door, and down the street, and around the corner. And, best of all, I turn the girls out to run with the pack, and don't have to worry too very much about them. It's how I grew up, in small-town Utah. Turned out by my Mom after breakfast, and allowed in when it got dark, right before supper. I can't think of another place, nowadays, that I would dare turn a five-year-old and a three-year-old loose like that- except here. I love it!

7. Breathtaking. When I look around, I think in exclamation points... Look! Can you believe the clouds!

(The sky here is truly unbelievable. I have never seen such amazing clouds. In fact, Miss A (5) often says "Mom, you need to stop being in love with the clouds.") Oh, is that? I think it is, the Southern Cross! (It has always been a goal of mine to see the Southern Cross, and here it is, out my front door.) The water! The crystal clear, tropical turquoise perfectly warm water!

And oh, the ocean! The big, blue Pacific, that this island is just such a tiny speck in. It astounds me that I live here in the middle of the ocean. The Ocean, that all other oceans together couldn't add up to!