Hafa adai (Hello) from Guam! I have arrived!
I started traveling on January 1 and landed in Guam on Thursday evening January 3. I have to say it was really strange experience to cross the international date line! When I arrived in Guam I was greeted with by a great big welcome party at the airport! Suzanne Medina who works for the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) in Guam, Anne Marie Gawel who works for the natural resources division in the Navy, her friend "Sparky" and the neighbor named Stephanie!
I am staying in a beautiful house with a backyard that looks like you are right in the middle of the jungle. I am staying until the end of January with Anne Brooke who is a natural resources specialist for the Navy. She has a great cat named "Come here" that has made me feel right at home.
My first full day in Guam I spent at the DAWR offices. I had the opportunity to meet the team of staff that are working on Guam wildlife field projects. This is an incredible group of wildlife biologists and fisheries biologist working on projects such as the Guam Rail recovery program and the Brown tree snake control project. I was given my very own office at DAWR and a tour of their labs and facilities. During the tour of the lab I met an adorable and friendly Mariana fruit bat (Fanihi in the Chamarro language). Everyone in the lab has their very own fish tank as an accessory on their desk!
After teaching classes on Monday, I will be touring the rest of their facilities that house their Guam rails (Ko'Ko in Chamorro). I will have the chance to meet "Pancake" their infamous 1 year old Guam rail. He has quite a reputation in the DAWR offices. This afternoon I also went to visit my first school (H.B. Price) which is conveniently located across the street from the DAWR offices. It was an adorable little school. Suzanne and Caplin (also works in DAWR) stopped in their library and there was a little boy playing the ukulele during his lunch. We spoke to the teachers about the upcoming Zoo's environmental education program and discussed the logistics of where we can fit all 125 4th students for the program! I look forward to going back to the school on January 17th.
Since I will be driving to all 25 schools in Guam I spent some time today making sure I knew how to find my way around the island. Guam is obviously a U.S. territory and has a number of amneties that remind me of home (the world's largest K-Mart) and a brand new Home Depot! It is interesting the way people give directions it isn't road signs it is landmarks such as turn left at the McDonalds or right near the Baza Gardens.
I am now heading into the weekend and will be exploring the pristine waters and tropical fish of Guam as I head snorkeling in the Tumon Bay. And I will also be putting the finishing touches on the education toolkits in preparation for the first set of classes on Monday!