Island Boy Sailor

Heart's Desire

2010-12-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure how to start this but here it goes. Though it seems like everything in my life has gone my way; the one thing that I long for has yet to bear fruit. I have this void that is seemingly becoming bigger as the years go by. Maybe I've given too much of myself and nothing fulfilling has come to satisfy my Heart’s desire. I have tried my best to ask and even beg but it's the one thing that my wife is not at liberty to fulfill for me.

For years now I have longed to become a father. My attempts to become one naturally; could not be possible due to my wife’s medical condition. I have had heated discussions with her to adopt but she would rather not go through raising a child. My attempts have been fruitless no matter the avenue I've proposed. The 24 years of being in the Navy is all I have. Once this is done I can't think of anything else that would have much meaning to my life.
I've tried my best to forget about my selfish desires and convinced myself that I would be happy with my life even without children. This emptiness is honestly eating me up inside and it is making me miserable and unsatisfied with life.

Opportunities has come and gone and I've had regrets about turning those chances down because I believed it was the right thing to do while married. Believe me I would have been an illegitimate father many times over during my younger years. It is just not my nature to do such thing. I was raised up a better person and though she’s gone now I still would not do it. I even have an offer from a friend who will join me to adopt kids and raise them with me. Yes, it was the right thing to do and not accept those offers but now I've come to the conclusion that it has always been about someone else and not about me. It has always been about what others will think and how others will view me. In the end, if I keep this then I will be left with nothing but misery, slow death to my heart’s desire and a lost dream of having a family of my own, with children.

This desire has been eating me up inside as the years go by and it has gotten stronger. I’m not talking yesterday, YEARS...like 10 plus years. And if by chance with my strike at luck; a woman crosses my path and is up to offer me a life with children. I’m even open to accepting children that she has now. I did it with my first marriage and I don’t see why not again. I can love children no matter where they come from. Then I am more than willing.

I have to make this decision on my own and I believe that unless I take the step then my heart’s desire to have a family of my own will never be. I thank the friends and family who have listened to me and given me the support on whatever decision I made. I continue to ask for your prayers to help me find the right partner in life to have a family of my own.

Since becoming a US Navy Chief

2010-09-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago, after returning from ten years of shore duty; I stepped onto the Mess Decks of the USS Carl Vinson. It was my first time to wear my Khaki Uniform and lead my Sailors as a US Navy Chief. I remember the Sailor's looking at the flat screens throughout the messdecks as they watched CNN replaying the scenes of each plane crashing into the twin towers and then the collapse of both towers. The looks on the faces of these young Sailors were of disbelief, worry and most of all Fear. However surreal it was, I had to gather my composure and get these Sailors to focus on our tasking of responding to this tragic and cowardly act. We were two months into our deployment and were about to head into the Persian Gulf, when on Sept 11, 2001 our ship was diverted to the North Arabian Sea and on October 7, 2001 our Carrier Strike Group launched the first airstrikes in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Since then I have lead my Sailors to faithfully do their jobs just as if we were in the frontlines. Maybe it was my destiny to face the challenges and be the one taking these young American men and women into the War on Terrorism campaign. Nine years later after three ships, an overseas duty providing support to forwardly deployed units, and finally on shore duty. I am faced with the fact that my career as a US Navy Senior Chief may be coming close to retirement. For twenty two years I've been proudly serving in our nation's greatest Navy. This is all that I've been doing since leaving Saipan back in 1986. A sombering fact that I will soon transition into the civilian workforce.

It truly has been rewarding getting out of my skin and taking on the task to train, groom and lead Sailors during the past 9 years as a Navy Chief. A very humbling experience as well to have the honor of serving this great country of ours called the United States of America. Who would have thought that this island boy would be destined leading Sailors into almost a decade of war. Every year since then when the commemoration of September 11 comes around, it falls during the Chief Select training season. Every year I commit to the Chief's Mess to be a part of initiating, inducting, transitioning and accepting Chief Selects become US Navy Chiefs and to honorably enter the Chief's Mess. For nine years I have been training Chiefs to eventually take my place and continue what I have been doing since September 11, 2001.

For the rest of my life I will forever remember the day after I became a US Navy Chief because it was on Sept 11, 2001. Even though I will no longer wear the Khaki Uniform with my Anchors, I will still live on to remember the significance of when I started my commitment in being a US Navy Chief. Hundreds of my former shipmates will have never reached as far as I have and although I leave them behind; I have them to thank for being a US Navy Senior Chief. To the Sailors who have become Chiefs under my charge and careful training, thank you and keep it up. Train the new Chief Selects and proudly bring them into our Chief's Mess. Together we will make this Navy stronger and smarter. Together as a united Chief's Mess we can take our young men and women to take this fight for another decade(God willing) so we can continue living in this wonderful country of ours with the freedoms we all enjoy.

The Brew Crew

2009-11-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hafa adai yan Memorias,
Hope all is well with you and your family. As we get closer to home and
close the final curtain to my last at sea period while in this Great
Navy of ours; I am reminded again of why I have been doing this for the
past 23 plus years. I have all of you to be thankful for your years of
support and encouragement. This is not an easy job though most would
think I've been in this outfit long enough to just point fingers and
make things happen. Believe me when I say, I make every penny of your tax dollars count. I still aim to ensure that my replacement before I
retire are well trained with ample military discipline and resounding
integrity.
Its almost time for me to retire my seabag and return ashore for my last
2 years of shore duty. I tried to stay out here at the "Tip of the
Spear" longer however my time has come to return to shore. Its funny
how sometimes things happen for a reason. I have been selected to
receive orders to Key West Florida. Maybe it's a sign, that Im really
going to retire. And of all places-an island of the Keys in Florida. I
better go find my rubba slippas, oil up my fishing reel, sharpen up my
fishing spears, and get signed up for SCUBA classes. Someone suggested I get a boat so I just get off the island when a hurricane comes around rather than drive that long bridge. Of all places I get to go to a resort island at the tip of Florida. Im sorry but someone got to do
this hard and dirty job. I need to get my golf clubs cleaned from the
last round of game. I guess it's the Navy's way of rewarding me for the
productive years of service.
Ok so I digress. I wish I could stay longer and do more to keep our war
fighting front strong. Once again Thank You for all the support and
encouragement you've provided (no matter how small). You've kept me
company out here and help me deal with all this madness that I deal on a daily basis. I can't thank you all enough for what you've done for me.
Whether you've put a smile on my face, made me think of great times
we've had or even convinced me to go a bit easy on a Sailor who needs
some military attitude alignment. Its been real and its been fun.
Finally I get more time photographing while in Key West. I look forward
to keep in contact with you all. If anyone of you should get a chance
to wander as far as Florida, then please come visit me so we can enjoy
some seafood on the grill, some brew and if I still got some Sake or
Umeshu left from Japan. You're all welcome to enjoy with me the nice
tropical weather of Key West on my waterfront porch.

Ahoy there Land lubbers

2009-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Get 'er done as Larry the cable guy would say. We are on our merry way
again to being deployed. A week of getting our bearings, making sure
she floats, and everything else running good is going along fine. Its
been a long struggle being at the beach for this long. It seemed like
the drama wasn't ever going to stop. Now the flyboys are getting their
shot at trapping and shooting up the cats. After this, everyone will
finally be back for our Summer Cruise. Lots of foreign port calls
mentioned but like always, I am not making any reservations until its
confirmed. One of those ports take me back 22 years when I was a young
airman walking the streets of Olongapo. I can not imagine how great
liberty will be if we do go there. I will be going on leave to meet my
long lost family in the province....my illegitimate family if you know
what I mean (just need to find them).
So far my Sailors have behaved more than I expected. It really worries
me a lot when we are extended pierside at home. I know its sounds crazy but the longer Sailors stay ashore while on sea duty the worse off they become. First casualty was knocked the "ef" out at some club and only got 24 hours of mentoring. The last one got too frisky and couldn't
take no for answer with one of the base taxi drivers. Fortunately he is
the only one that ended up in front of the man but only got restriction
and a suspend bust.
I believe it to be true that Sailors need to be at sea just as ships
belong at sea. I guess with Brada Bama being in "Da House", much has
been tailored down due to the economy. Hard to believe but its been
over 20 years since I last heard that we are out of money. I better
stop off at the 100 Yen store and get me a bunch of toilet paper (TP)
for myself because I have a funny feeling well be buying more fuel for
the birds rather than TP. Too bad there no tangantangan trees out here.
I better bring some lantan spam too for when they run out of frozen
burritos. Theres a bunch of us onboard who will be along a bit longer
than expected. Seems like the only people really getting off this ship
will be heading to Iraq or Afganistan for IA duty..thats a bummer. I
think I would rather extend here for another year than be at those
places.
So now I will be more of a Sailor than the past six months. The smell
of jet fuel and the feel of salt spray off the hangar bay doors would be
the best feeling in the morning when I walk up to my shop. Wish my luck
and please pray for our safety in carrying out our daily "danger"
taskings while we help keep our seas safe from evil forces. If you have
some free time to email (tudelas@cvn73.navy.mil) me personal
encouragements or just to amuse me with your daily lives, please don't
hesitate. I am sure after a while you'll be hearing all the drama I get
to deal with. In advance, I need to extend my appreciation for your
support while Im deployed.

De-Lurking

2009-01-18T04:02:00.000-08:00

Hafa adai yan Memorias. Its late Sunday night and I am unsure if I am supposed to post something to let others know who I am when I de-lurk and they get to visit my blog. So here it goes. I am a native to Saipan, born and raise the island way. Joined the Navy to see the world with all the promised adventures my recruiter conned me into. 22 yrs later I am still a Sailor and a damn good one. I got my b-hind kicked and was molded by crusty old Chiefs back in the day when it was all "Rough and Tough Love". Quite thankful for those days because I wouldn't be where I am at now.
I am at the point in my career with the Navy that I consider all Sailors as my kids and I correct everyone of them that needs straightening out even if they are not from my ship. I am stationed on the USS George Washington, Forward Deployed Naval Forces and home ported in Yokosuka, Japan. I am married (my other career) to a lovely Thai lady who can outcook any Thai cook in Saipan (IMHO). Starting to look at retiring soon. Where? don't rightly know yet. Maybe one of you could help me decide if I should return home and be a chicken rancher in the AM then go on photo shoots all day until midnight. I hope one day to publish photobooks of our culture, its people and our island Saipan.
I love photography and enjoy traveling the world to capture photos of our wonderful world, Beautiful people and amazing things. You would probably know me better by viewing my photos on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelu/ Enjoy.
Forgive me if I hardly blog or comment. Due to my frequent at sea periods and slow internet on the ship. Plus I can't really disclose my whereabouts while deployed. Thank you for sharing your blogs.

Pasgua yan Anu Nuebo

2008-12-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

The holidays have always been my reconnection to the island and our culture. Our celebration of the Christ's coming has been centered around being together for the holidays and going to church. Being raised up by my "Nang" who was a devote Catholic made it a season to be more emotional than material. I grew up with her meager monthly stipend of SSI checks. Christmas really was never about getting gifts for me. In fact, I can't ever recall getting gifts for christmas nor having a Christmas tree in my house. The usual gift exchanging while in school I experienced but the commercialism of Christmas was never really engrained into my head. I was happy enough to see another Pasgua with "Nang" still alive and well.
I recall the family gatherings for annual Nino Novena feast, After Christmas Mass party, and the weekly sunday Nino visit to friends or family house during the holidays. Those gatherings were usually about being happy to be alive to see another Christmas and that the start of another year was within days reach. The giving gifts in our culture isn't really a part of Christmas. It is the sharing of love amongst our friends and family. The joy of being alive and well was more the dominant ideal shared amongst Chamolinians.
We also take time to reflect on our friends and family who were not fortunate enough to see Christmas or another New year. This is the part that really gets me every time. While being away from home and celebrate Christmas Mass; I have experienced tearful moments during mass. My wife has been puzzled on occasions with my emotional outbreak. It really is heart breaking to celebrate the holidays without your family. This year while we celebrate Christmas with our families and friends please remember the Service members who are deployed downrange or at sea protecting our freedom to celebrate the holidays. Pray for them so they stay safe and return home in a timely manner. Felis Pasgua yan anu Nuebu para todo.

Natives Gone Wild

2008-12-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

Roxy had emailed me earlier in the year but couldn't view until recently. Click to watch:

Let the good times roll.

Challenges of Forward Deployed Sea Duty

2008-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

Over a year and a half ago I was thinking about taking sea duty again. Being ashore for three years was a good break but at a price. My 20 plus years of experience and two previous Aircraft Carrier duty wasn’t much help to get me primed in my game. I took sea duty willingly knowing the history and bad reputation of the USS KITTY HAWK from previous years. Its not any easier with all the uncertainties of the eventual decommissioning and cross decking for the USS GEORGE ”GW” WASHINGTON. Next to my longest deployment which was eight months on the USS CARL VINSON after OEF Sep 11, 2001; this year’s deployment is the most challenging in my career. It has been a very rough challenge on the mind, the body and most especially the spirit. I am at the point where I am even thinking about retirement.

It was hard leading Sailors on a ship that is getting decommissioned. The chain of thought is “we’re going away so why work to keep our equipment going”. Thing was we were still active duty and could be recalled to fight. That is exactly what happened when we took the Multinational exercise of RIMPAC 2008. All along we left Yokosuka thinking we were going to put the Kitty Hawk to bed for good and never bring her back to fight. Additionally, bringing a ship which has been in the yards for over four years from the east coast straight to the tip of the spear is no fun. We’re talking about Sailors that were forced into pulling roots and moving half way around the world. It was a wake up call for the Sailors on the GW that fought the fire onboard after taking her around the straits. It was just a prelude of what the real world had in store for her. Yes all that and a bag of chip. Yes Sir three bags full. Like pulling tooth and nail.

So we made history taking the Kitty Hawk back home being the last conventional Aircraft Carrier in Forward Deployed Naval Force and brought the first Nuclear Aircraft Carrier outside the US Mainland to Forwardly Deployed. Was it worth? Most definitely I can undeniably say YES. The sacrifice of being away from home, friends and family then facing a gamut of challenges made it hard. The diverse leadership and very intrusive atmosphere made it even more challenging but all the better to get the job done right. The price of freedom truly doesn’t come for free. We all pay a price. I am sure one day I will be sitting down sipping warm tea somewhere laughing about this but “boy it has been a very Challenging deployment/decommissioning/crossdecking Sea Duty”. And I hope I never get a chance to do this again. If anyone finds me saying something to doing this again please shoot me. I want to extend my sincerest Thanks to all my friends and family for all the encouragement, the emails, the great times while in port (this ones for you Milma), and the prayers to help me stay sane while out here. As the old saying goes, “its not over until the fat lady sings”. I still got two more years to go on this tour but at least I know there won’t be too many uncertainties. I still ask for the prayers and words of encouragement. It just might keep me going enough to return to shore duty and finally retire.

Until then fellow citizens of the world; rest assure your tax money is well spent this year from this Sailor. Don’t lose any sleep worrying about your freedom tonight. I still have the watch and continue to keep the watch.

Friends at home

2008-04-13T04:51:00.001-07:00

Hafa adai yan memorias. I haven't taken the time to blog in a while. I must apologize for not really taking the time. Today will be my last weekend at home before I head out to sea again. This tour on the USS KITTY HAWK is no joke. Its been very challenging coming from shore duty and adjusting back to the "overdrive" mode. Waking up to winter's last cold weather before Spring really does come. I am reminded of how warm it is back in Saipan. I remember how I had blankets to warm up when rain storms came to the island. Now that I've lived in Washington, US and Japan, I can't imagine myself having even sheets to cover while visiting Saipan.

Magahet na sen mahalang yu mampos. I started talking to Nena about how warm it would be at home in Saipan. I also put on the movie Leiweila and started to reflect of the ways back home. Then after the movie I started calling my friends in Saipan. Brada Gus of Olomwaay was first to get the lucky call. Since its a rare occassion getting a call from me, I heard in his voice why I would be calling home. I told him that I missed home and all the great friends that I have in Saipan. We talked about the movement to reignite our love of our island and culture. Everyone seems to be leaving home for greener pastures and forgetting about the rich culture that we have back home. I may be guilty myself for not retiring any sooner and returning home too. Its times like today when I reach out to friends back home that I remember, Saipan is where I belong. Though I won't see much of the luxuries of modern living, Saipan has something more valuable than greenback. Its the family and friends. The life we live of togetherness. Sharing and caring for each other. Extended families and friends make it all worth. Gus mentioned that Olomwaay will be coming out with a second CD and a Christmas CD. You can find out by checking my bloggers list at Brada Gus' Olomwaay link.

Bertha Torres was second to reply to my random phone calls today; She is at the hospital because Antie Margaret's under observation. Hope its nothing very serious. Bertha is my second cousin. Her Grand pa from her dad is my grand ma's brother from my mothers side. She reminded me of how small our island is that almost everyone we interacted with was relative. We've been close since Jr. High because Bertha was in my graduating class back in 1986. She asked me when I was retiring so I can return home. Its sort of hard to say but not any time soon. I still can stick around for shore duty and maybe get Guam for my last duty station but I can't really bank on it. Nena seems to like the idea of retiring in Guam and opening up a restaurant. Its great to hear Bertha again and I let her know that I will be visiting home in August when the USS George Washington will be making a visit.

Nora Sablan "Palaksi" was thinking I was on the island when I called her. She was at the beach with her family. She's been a very great friend ever since Jr High. Her husband Alex Sablan "Pitu" were in love since before we all matured. These two lovebirds have a very lovely family. Nora and Alex were in Washington for almost a year then returned back to Saipan. I guess Alex wasn't too keen to life in the states. One thing is for sure though, they were enjoying their Sunday at the beach. Its one of the things that I remembered we did back in my younger days. The beach was the second place we went to beside church on Sundays. There we BBQ and had picnics with friends and family. We spent time talking about what was going on in Saipan. It was a chance for us to catch up on things what we may not have heard throughout the week. It revived our togetherness every week. Nora was going to let everyone know I was coming home to visit and that we would get together again.

After Nora, was Elsa Duenas. My big sista Elsa who always seems to be the Kaduka in the group but I mean that in a good way. I remember Elsa when we were in Jr High also. She didn't graduate with us in MHS but because we were good friends back in Jr High and several years in MHS, shes always been like my big sister. I am always amazed at how "Mangua" she can be. Theres always got to be a comedian in any gathering and Elsa always seems to take the cake.

Maggie Masga is another close friend that I got a chance to get a hold of. Through thick and thin she been a very close friend to me. I always imagined Maggie being married and with Kids. Unfortunately no wedding bells has rang for her but she has several beautiful girls and a son that she's raised on her own. She been a very strong mother to her kids and I have high regards for her strength in surviving and raising her kids on her own. Maggie was always there to listen to me and what I had to say. I wish that one day Maggie will become as free as the birds in the sky. Her time will come and I wish her and her kids all the best in the world.

Yes, even this Island Boy Sailor longs to go back home. The CNMI anthem reminds me that my island is in the middle of the sea. Every time I go out to sea my island home of Saipan calls me. I ask that my friends say a special prayer for me and my shipmates who will be in harms way for the next four months. Its not an easy tasking but someone has to do it. Until then Memorias, pues adios asta ki.

Thankful

2007-11-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of being at sea during Thanksgiving is being with my second family (Shipmates). Being at sea during the holidays doesn’t make Navy life any better. It is just part of the job. I remember as a young Sailor spending Christmas at sea steaming home to make it back in time for New Years Day. The Navy has changed a lot since then. There’s Sailor phone which you can call home while at sea. Email and internet is available now. So the world is getting smaller and smaller. Still a Sailor endures missing the family, birthdays, anniversaries and other festive holiday celebrations. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for a lot of things and thankful to a lot of friends and family.

I am thankful for:

The friends who keep in touch by email.

The hard working Sailors that sweat everyday to get the job done.

My special Friends Brada Gus, Sevio, Rita C, Milma, Silver & Gigi, Kai Accad, Rose, Maggie M, Barry, Mike & Lil, Mitch and Somsak.

For the people constantly praying for our Service members safety and timely return from deployment.

My wife who is still by my side, even after years of sea duty under my belt.

My family who every now and then remind me how lucky I am.

The rest of my friends and shipmates.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

USS Lexington

2007-07-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today we passed through the Coral Sea. Approaching the hallowed waters where the USS Lexington lay in peaceful rest, several shipmates in dress uniform are assembled to pay honor to departed Sailors at the fantail. Sixty five years ago at approximately the same time and location, the USS Lexington (CV-2) fought the battle that would go down in US Naval Aviation History. This battle helped turned the tide of World War II. It was the first US Navy battle fought where both adversaries didn’t see each other. The battle was fought with airplanes, bombs and torpedoes. US Naval Aviation was forged by this battle; The Battle of the Coral Sea. It is one of the reasons why the United States has more than a handful of Aircraft Carriers in its arsenal of warships.

This is besides my point to this blog though. In these waters lay 312 Sailors who sacrificed their lives during the war. We are here to honor them. Rarely does a US Navy ship steam through these waters but because of the coincidental time of our location. The USS Kitty Hawk took the special privilege to render honors. I am deeply moved by the fact that I am onboard and taking part of this honored event. I am intrigued with WWII history and the great patriots that sacrificed their lives. I guess being raised by someone that went through the Japanese era, WWII, then American era; I got taught early on to respect the flag and looked up to the American way of life (freedom, democracy and pursuit of happiness).

I was raised by my grandmother’s sister in Saipan. She was educated under the Japanese system and survived WWII. After the war she worked for the US Navy Govt. I grew up listening to stories during the Japanese administration, Japanese occupation and the US-Japanese War on Saipan. She was in her 20s during the administration and by wartime she was in her 30s. Never did she have anything against the Japanese nor showed indifference about what happened when war hit our islands. I enjoyed the stories she told me and on occasions she would share stories with my friends sleeping overnight in our small house.

The most remembered story I had was of how she had been in a cave with her family for over 2 days and not had a drop of water. On the second night it started raining and didn’t end until about before dawn. My Aunt and her Auntie Acha crawled out the cave to go looking for water. It was dark that night and both felt their way around the jungle trying to find water. Finally, she found a coconut shell with water in it. She shared it with her auntie. On the way back to the cave, she noticed looking out to towards the ocean facing the Philippine Sea, that there were ships all over. Navy Ships as far as the horizon. She said never in her life would she think that the Americans were that powerful. She told me other stories of Marines bringing food and water into the caves where they hid before everyone started getting assembled at Camp Chalan Kanoa. She talked of how tall and boisterous these Americans were.

I guess all those stories paid off because after high school I enlisted in the US Navy. Twenty plus years later I am onboard a United States Aircraft Carrier at a historic place paying respect to those who gave up their lives for us. I am deeply moved because I have this honor of serving the United States Navy. It is my way of saying “Si Yuus Maase” to those Sailors who were a part of ensuring the lives that we live today. What lives would we have now? I for one might not be here right now because my mother was born on July 4^th 1944. The Americans ensured the safety of our people from start to finish. Up until now we still remain under care of the Americans. We have been educated, transformed and liberated in our lives. Most of us probably don’t even think about all those that died during the invasion of Saipan. Do we honestly take the time during Memorial Day or Liberation Day to even say a prayer for those Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen who sacrificed their lives for our freedom now? It is easy for people to say that it was wrong for America to be in the War it is in now. Lest we forget what happened to all those Chamorros that were put in labor camps, the tortures, the killings before and during the war. Freedom is not free. We are free to talk against our govt but yet there is a price that someone has to pay. It is those Service men and women who sacrifice that get to pay the real price of your freedom. I am here and intend to keep paying the price of your freedom. Rest assured I am doing my best to payback the sacrifice due to those sacrificed souls on our soil. What about you? Are you teaching your kids to be good patriots? Are you encouraging your young, able bodied friends and family to do something for your country? What are you doing now to ensure the freedom of our islands?

Ina'famauleg

2007-07-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Growing up on a small island like Saipan; you’re prone to know people or be related to someone all over the island. I recall being told that “I couldn’t be in a relationship with so and so because she is related to our family by blood”. Sometimes though extended families built by friendship also becomes “hands off”. That may be one of the reasons why I decided to marry someone from outside Saipan.

My early years in San Jose Village were with friends and family that were of different ethnic and language backgrounds. From my father’s side, I was the Carolinian or “Refalawasch” and from my mother’s - Chamorro. San Jose Village was mainly of Carolinian descendents. Many of my friends spoke “Refalawasch” as well as Chamorro. This gave me the advantage of learning the language from early on until the time I left Saipan. My “Nang” (grandmother) was one of the devoted church catechism teacher, Novena readers, choir and everything in between concerning San Jose Church. This gave me more exposure to villages further than San Jose.

One thing for sure is that I was never far from family and friends. We all become friends going to the same elementary school, high school and even the private school friends either end up going to public school. We help each other out when times of need rise even if were not related. Your neighbors become the person you give to when you have an extra catch of fish or whatever came from the farm. Sharing your excesses was always the norm and in your trying times its your neighbor that will also be with you to help you out. You didn’t require an invitation if something big as a wedding or a death to be invited. As a neighbor you were obligated (unwritten) to assist in whatever capacity you could. Having Filipinos as neighbors was not exempted from this practice. We treated each other equally.

Ina’famauleg means taking care of each other. Being kind and generous. This is one of the things I miss about my island Saipan. Fan a’famauleg todus hamyu taotao Saipan. Be kind to each other people of Saipan. Bien probechu.

Island Boy's Sailing the Pacific

2007-06-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hafa adai yan memorias para todus. Hello and greeetings to all. This blog was inspired by my recent Sailing trip from Japan to the Marianas Islands waters to Guam. I am reminded of the wonderful weather that my island home - Saipan has throughout the year. I also ran into a blogging page of how much people back home cherish our Saipan. I have been away from Saipan for over 20 years now and whenever my job takes me out close to the Marianas waters, I am reminded of what I've been missing. I guess growing up on the island you seem to take things for granted. Now that I'm older and wiser I linger on the though of how many rainbows I failed to cherish and how many sunny days I spent not enjoying. I guess its true that you dont really know how much good you got it till you dont have it any more. My blogging is to bring back some of those memories growing up on Saipan. To remind myself and all that leave home that there is a paradise back home waiting for us. Bien probechu para todus.