Where America's Day Begins...

I arrived in Guam Sunday night. The airport was surprisingly empty. It was also void of Bill Davis, my new supervisor and person I expected to meet me at the airport.

As per usual, I didn’t sweat it. I find that things always seem to have a way of working themselves out. I didn’t have an apartment yet. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have the number of any person on Guam except Bill. So, I used the courtesy phone to call Bill. His cell phone was off. I left a message saying that if I didn’t hear back from him, I’d take a shuttle to the Hilton, and bill him. I gave him one hour.

When it was reaching one hour I turned around and saw Bill and his wife, walking out of customs. Apparently he had also flown out of Honolulu almost the same time as me on another flight.

We crammed all of our stuff into a car and I almost passed out of exhaustion at the hotel. I was finally out that suit, and planned on being so for a along time. The next day I was to be in the office at 7am.

My predecessor, Steven Loosle, had left the job almost a month before I got there. I had only spent two working days with him to try to learn the ropes. Half of that was paperwork and protocol. I really was left to figure most things out for myself. This wouldn’t have been so bad, but at the same time, I was still homeless and had been since I graduated over 3 weeks ago.

When I had a chance to take a breather, I instead called realtors, apartment managers, car lots and dealerships, Guam Power Authority, Guam Waterworks Authority, cell phone companies, banks and financial institutions, and insurance companies. Not having transportation or a place to hang my hat for almost a month was taking its toll on me and amplified with the addition of a new job on top of that.

Fortunately, I have had a good support base. The Loosle’s did leave behind something for me. No, not a “man chair.” They left me a friend. Allison has been able to give me tips and pointers on Guam life and introduced me to people, saving me from boredom. Everybody in my office is friendly and has been willing to help me out when they could. Bill used to be both a realtor and a car dealer, so that made the process of settling in easier. Within a week, I was in my new apartment:

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen

And on the same day I got the water and power in my apartment, I also got to drive my new car off the lot:

Magnum and Me

From the side

From the back

Sam the Snail Rides Along

It’s official. I’m in. I am now a…Guamanian? Guamese? Guamanite? Guamish? Well anyway, I’m livin’ in Guam. When the sun rises here, it’s probably long gone from you. One the coolest things about living in Guam, is that you are ahead of the class. I’m always one day ahead of you in Guam - where America’s day begins.