Do You Know Where America's Day Began? (Continued...)

When I lived in Guam, one of the things I found frustrating about flying to Hawaii was missing episodes of my favorite soaps, such as All My Children or The Young and the Restless. However, when I flew back to Guam, I could watch what I had already watched (re-run) in Hawaii.  In Guam, all television shows were one or two weeks behind the US, except for CNN and other news channel.

Other than watching TV, my other favorite thing to do in Guam was to hang out at K-Mart (which, by the way, is open 24 hours and was the largest K-Mart in the world when they first opened in 1995).  It seems that the locals go to K-Mart to socialize more then to shop.  Many times my husband and I would get up at 1:00am and would take a drive to K-Mart to see who is there and what they were up to.  We were never disappointed. There was always someone we knew that also could not sleep and was happy to shoot the breeze.  The day K-Mart opened will be forever burned in my memory.  The  traffic was so bad and K-Mart parking was a nightmare. Once I parked my car, I then had to stand outside for an hour just to get in to the store.  I hurriedly grab some toothpaste and cleaning supplies just to find myself standing in line for another hour.  Talk about being “insane.”  Why on earth did I ever put up with so much  just to save a a dollar or two?  This would only happen in Guam.  If you are wondering about Walmart and Target, they never made it to Guam. Which might explain why K-Mart is so popular.  

Did I tell you about their holidays? Like Christmas, New Year, Forth of July, Easter, and Super Bowl Sunday? Super Bowl Sunday is actually on a Monday because Guam is one day behind.  It is not uncommon for half the workforce to call in sick so that they can watch the Super Bowl at their favorite drinking hole.  There were talks about making it an official Guam holiday so that employers would not be left wondering what happened? The other holiday that I find fascinating is  “All Souls Day.” All Soul’s Day (sometimes called the “Day of the Dead”) is always November 2 (November 3rd if the 2nd falls on a Sunday). All Soul’s Day is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away. This comes from the ancient Pagan Festival of the Dead, which celebrated the Pagan belief that the souls of the dead would return for a meal with the family. Candles in the window would guide the souls back home, and another place was set at the table. In Guam it was taken to a whole new level.  I would drive down Marine Drive and get an eyeful of family and friends drinking and eating at their beloved one’s grave. Only in Guam would I ever see this.

What about the governmental side of Guam? Well to start off, Guam has 21 Senators, a Mayor for all 19 villages and 1 Congressman. Election day was really a big event. The population in Guam is about 175,000, and everyone I knew made it a point to cast their vote. And why wouldn't they? It might very well have been their relative, sweetheart or friend that was running for one of these many offices. Which means “special favors” like having your driveway paved courtesy of Guam’s taxpayers, or getting a well paid job for doing nothing. One of the things that Guam residents could not do was vote for the President or Vice President of USA.  Why is this important?  In 1997 talks were that military bases in California would be either closed or reduced, and since the election for a new president was around the corner, Guam’s military bases were the ones closed or reduced. It did not matter that Guam's location was far greater for the US. The only thing that mattered was the voting power for a new president. But since Sept. 11, 2001, the military bases are again growing bigger and better. I think the USA is finally seeing the value of Guam’s strategy location.

Guam is a fabulous place to work, play and live. I have always felt that my kids were always safe walking down the street or going to the movies. I made many friends and I am sure that these friends are for life.  Special friends like the Aldan family from Dededo, Aprilyn Flores, Nilissa Arnold, my Century 21 Commonwealth Family: Moe Cotton, Patsy Q, Manny R,  Norman Cruz, Della Wong, Miho Jackson, Chris Taylor, and so many many others. Rest assured, you will always be in my heart and prayers.

Si yu’os ma’ase.