Guam is great...

We're enjoying ourselves and starting to figure things out (as the jet-lag wears off).

This island is a massive contradiction -- beauty and squalor side-by-side. Wonderfully kept houses next to total dumps. The roadsides are littered with abandoned cars, washing machines, and enough toxins that perhaps the whole island could be declared an EPA super clean-up site. The thing is that, people dump along the edge of the road or their property and then the jungle swallows it all up. Who knows what's out there!

Most of the houses are concrete bunkers -- all the walls -- internal and external are concrete -- as well as the roofs. This is typhoon territory.

People kept warning us that it would be uncomfortably hot and humid here. But really it isn't all that bad (We did live in Texas for six years). The highs are about 86 degrees, with lows of about 77 or 78 -- always. The lowest recorded low in Guam is 73 degrees. Homes do not have heaters.

Everything is adequately air conditioned. But I'm sure that things set a little uncomfortable during the post-storm power-outages.

The people are all quite friendly. The packs of dogs which seem to roam every street are less so.

The school where I'm helping out has a sweet spirit to it. The students seem to study hard and treat each other with respect. Many have had to overcome major educational deficiencies because the schooling on some of the Micronesian Islands is so hit and miss. I heard about one island where they are trying to upgrade so that every teacher has at least an AA degree.

And there are issues that go along with life in isolated villages -- alcohol and sexual abuse, suicide... There seems to be some parallel with village life in isolated Alaska.

So, all things considered, these are some remarkable students.

I'll eventually post more pictures.