Hi everyone:
Here is the latest...
I have had a very exciting few days here in Guam. First what a great weekend it was. The weather was 80 degrees. I spent the weekend snorkeling in Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve and Adelup Park. It was incredible! I saw everything from butterfly fish to tangs, sea stars, even moorish idols (that look like "Gill" from Finding Nemo). My favorite was the baby box f
ish (they really do look like a little box and can get to be the size of a football). I was also invited to a 1st birthday party. Everyone says that is a Guam tradition to have a fiesta every weekend. From pinatas full of candy to a full pig roast they certainly know how to celebrate!
Monday was the 1st day of classes! I visited 3 schools: Upi, D.L. Perez and Machananao. The schools were in the northern part of Guam. The first class had about 100 students and we sat outside in the courtyard. The presentation was 45 minutes to an hour long. I taught everything from what makes a bird a bird, why a bat is a mammal, how birds and bats come in all shapes and sizes and my favorite the birds and bats that are found in Guam and nowhere else in the world.
There were a number of opportunities for the stud
ents to volunteer during the presentation. They were not at all shy about wanting to be up front and center stage. There favorite was the bat costume and the wingspan bird demonstration where they got to "take flight" as a bee hummingbird, an Aga (Mariana crow) or wandering albatross. The teachers got into it as well especially the Chamarro teachers from Upi Elementary School - they even played their very own dress up.
At the end of the presentation the Upi Chamorro teachers presented me with a piece of Chamorro culture - the beautiful latte stones. The latte stones are pillars on which ancient Chamorro houses were constructed as early as 500 A.D. Found nowhere else in the world, latte stones have become a signature of Guam.
The teachers of D.L. Perez also gave me a basket full of homemade Guam goodies and a certificate of appreciation. We even had a local news
station, the Pacific News Center stop in for the presentation at D.L. Perez.
Tuesday was another great day at the schools: Finegayan and As Tumbo Elementary Schools. After my last presentation one of the girls came up to me and said, "can I give you a big hug," - she was so sweet. What a welcome I have received here in Guam. Mary Jane (former environmental educator from Rodrigues) has arrived today. The two of us are teaming up for the rest of the month to cover every elementary school and a full day teacher workshop on Saturday. After Mary Jane got settled and we met up this evening for dinner with a radio station reporter and then all headed over to K57 Radio Studio for the "Where We Live" show!
Adios!
Kristen