Just when it seemed things were at their worst around here this week – my youngest son was down with the flu, my computer crashed and to top it off, my favorite houseplant died – something really delightful happened.
I got the chance to visit Guam.
I never thought I wanted to visit Guam. In fact, I’ve never even remotely considered the possibility of visiting Guam, once, in all the years I spent as an official card-carrying Navy spouse.
To a diehard CONUS fan like me, Guam is just a tiny speck in the North Pacific Ocean. That distant place a handful of adventurous Navy folks transfer to where life is an endless procession of tropical sunrises and sunsets interspersed now and then by a few noteworthy storms on the Weather Channel.
I felt this way until I found a letter Sasha, a 17-year Navy wife I’ve never met whose husband is stationed on Guam, sent me. It gave me the chance to glimpse her life there personally through the technologically friendly eyes of e-mail:
“Dear Debi:
Time for some military wife perspective from overseas – actually from the future, since I’m a day ahead of you.
I’ve learned after 17 years that the issues are pretty much the same wherever one is. On the plus side, I only had to buy my children one wardrobe this year. It’s always 80 degrees here!
The schools – well, some folks think they are horrible and a number have opted for home schooling. My two children (in grade and middle school) have been very fortunate. They go to the public schools and both are doing well. They have excellent teachers.
If any folks ever ask you about Guam, there are some wonderful career opportunities for military personnel. For their families, it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll end up working outside their field. Many of us choose to volunteer, just to keep our credentials and resumes up to date.
Obviously, the Internet is thriving here. Both Internet access and cable TV are relatively inexpensive. Most of us find there is a lot to do without TV.
Moving back into housing was a very interesting experience. As an “old” woman now, I find myself surrounded by young women who are just beginning to have families. I feel like a real sage dishing out lots of “don’t worry, what you feel is just natural” advice.
My part in this is to remind folks that even though it’s rough being so far away from familiar things and the people we love, the experiences we have here are unique and should be savored.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been here less than a year. Already I find a trip to the commissary or exchange has people waving or calling to me. In many ways, living here is like small-town living; everywhere you go, you see people you know.
I have been taking pictures of everything this time around. I don’t want to leave the island this time with just a photo or two of my kids on the beach or the house we are living in.
I want to remember the papaya tree we grew (it’s as tall as me now!), the thud of the coconuts as they fall from the trees, the smell and sound of my husband’s beat-up “boonie car”, all the people I’ve been meeting.
My house looks like a DMZ right now, I can’t even see my kitchen counters. I think I am now going to clean my kitchen.
Hafa Adai, from Sasha who cleans by appointment.
All I can say is, if everybody cleans by appointment on Guam, it definitely sounds like “paradise duty” to me!
