I started a YouTube channel so I had somewhere to put all the videos that I take.
Above, you can see the view from my patio. I know I am going to miss this view so much when we leave in September! It’s so beautiful.
Most of my videos are from my underwater adventures. However, I try to just put everything I see up.
This is the sunrise as seen from my balcony one morning. They are not usually this good, but it’s never a bad day when you watch the sun rise over the ocean.
Like I said, most of the videos are from being underwater.
For example, this is a video of swimming with a sea turtle. It’s the most relaxing five minutes on the internet.
None of the videos are very long because most interactions with sea creatures happen in the span of a minute or two.
For example, this silly animal is called a Parrot Fish, and it’s hilarious to watch them swim, but they are fast so they usually swim away pretty quickly.
Anyway, you should check out my YouTube Channel and maybe subscribe. It would mean a lot to me to have some subscribers, and besides, you could see some of the amazing things I see!
Thanks for reading, and watching, and just being one of the people that follows my life.
This is me at the top of Mt. Lam Lam. There are not a lot of mountains to climb, so I just climb the same one over and over. Island life, huh?
This is the “desert” side of the island down South. There are a lot of trails to valleys with waterfalls and pools to swim in. I like the tall grass and the red dirt. They contrast well with the blue sky and the fluffy clouds.
This is me with the first waterfalls that you come to on the Tarzan Falls hike. They are smaller than the main waterfall, but still pretty.
This is Tumon Bay, where we live. It is the most beautiful view I have ever had, and I know we’ll never have such a beautiful view out of our windows again.
These are wildflowers out on the trail. Usually you just see types of ground orchids, but these pretty lacy flowers are new to me.
Rich and I at Hamamoto Fruit World. It is basically just a really big orchard for tropical fruit trees, but I really liked it because I love plants.
This is the view from Two Lover’s Point. You are looking down at Tumon Bay, and one of the short little buildings in the middle is our condo building.
This is my favorite flower. It is called a Passion Flower. They come in different colors. When I was a little girl, my aunt had some that were orange and purple. I loved them. The ones here are mostly white, but they are still pretty.
As I get ready to leave Guam this year in August, I am feeling nostalgic about places I have lived and visited.
I have been so lucky so have had such cool adventures. I thought I would tell you about some of my favorites.
I grew up in Arizona. People think that it’s all desert, and some of it is. However, a lot of Arizona is also forest. It’s a very diverse state.
Me with Oak Creek Canyon Behind MeOn My Way to GraduationIn Flagstaff with a fernAt Havasu Falls inside The Grand Canyon
Then, there was South Korea. I loved it there so much! I got to experience seasons for the first time. I also got to teach cute kids and make lots of friends that I still keep in touch with.
I also learned to read and write Hangul, which is the Korean written language. My spoken Korean is not as good as my Spanish, but I did my best.
South Korea is an amazing country. If anyone is thinking of visiting: I recommend it!
In Busan in front of the AquariumAt EverLand, and Amusement Park in South KoreaAt the Folk Village in Suwon, South KoreaAt the Cherry Blossom Festival in Seoul
I also went to Japan and spent some time there. I really liked the Shinto cemeteries, which have clapping sticks to keep the dead company.
I went to a Cherry Blossom Festival, enjoyed the night life, had tea at a traditional tea house, and in general just enjoyed Tokyo. It was a beautiful place to visit, and I hope to go back some day.
Uneo Park in TokyoIn front of a Pagoda in JapanIn front of a stone lanternA Shinto Cemetery I visted
France was amazing as well. The food was so good! I know it’s a cliche to say that the food was the best part, but it really was impressive.
I went for Christmas, so I got to see Paris all decked out for the holiday. It was cold, but thankfully there was no snow. I get cold so easily since I am from the desert…
Standing in front of the Eiffel TowerIn front of Notre DameAmazing Cheesecake in ParisIn front of the Louvre
I also went to England to visit my cousin Stacy. It was really lovely.
Being an American, I guess I think of the U.K. as where most of our culture came from. It certainly has a certain amount of familiarity to it.
The British Museum was a lot of fun, and I tried my first fish and chips after! I also saw all the London Landmarks.
Big Ben and the London EyeAt the British Museum with my cousin StacyMe with Big BenIn front of Westminster Abbey
As for Thailand, I always wanted to go there, because I worked at a Thai restaurant in High School and they made it sound so amazing. I have to say, after 20 years of wanting to see it, I was not disappointed! I got to meet elephants, swim in the ocean, and check out several temples.
I only spent a month backpacking around in Thailand, and it left barely long enough. Definitely plan a long trip if you go!
On a waterfall hike outside Chang MaiAn orchid stall at the flower market in Bangkok.On the island of Koh Samui.Meeting elephants!
Australia is fabulous! I really fell in love with the land and the people.
I went to visit my friends Melissa and Shari, but I had always wanted to see the country as well. I felt drawn to it because most of Australia is as dry as Arizona. They could also easily rival each other in terms of dangerous animals.
I highly recommend visiting Australia.
The Blue MountainsHiking in the Blue MountainsA blue grouper in the ocean in Sydney.Watson’s Bay in SydneyThe opera houseIn the rain forest in KurandaOn the Great Barrier Reef
I lived in Oregon after South Korea and before Guam.
It is where my family still lives. My mom is in Gresham, which is right outside Portland. And, my aunt is in Hood River. We have our family reunions in Seaside.
I love the Pacific Northwest. Even though I didn’t grow up there, having my family live there makes it feel like home.
At the Shakespeare Garden in PortlandAt the Japanese Gardens in PortlandAt the lava flats in OregonAt the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Guam has been fabulous.
At first it was a little hard to move to an island. Islands are so small, and it’s a challenge to find anything on island (food and clothes, for example.) Sometimes all the stores are just out of everything. And no one delivers to Guam!
However, I really came to love the reefs here and the whole underwater world. It’s been so much fun, and Rich has liked his job here on the USS Emory S. Land.
Rich and I at Umatac BayJust me scuba divingHiking to waterfalls in the jungleA bite of dragon fruit, which grows here on GuamTumon Bay where I live
And now we are off to Oahu. I have visited several times, since we need to go through Oahu to get anywhere from Guam. So far, I have really enjoyed it. I am terrified about buying a house there and finding a job. But, I know I’ll be able to do it.
I always heard that it is important for a writer to read a lot. I think that’s true, although there is only so much time in a day, and I do love outdoor activities.
Currently, I am reading a book called Gulp, by one of my very favorite authors, Mary Roach. She has written some amazing books, my favorite of which is Bonk (because I actually giggled out loud a bunch while reading it.) But I have loved everything she has ever written, and been following her since she had a column in Reader’s Digest called Pardon My Planet.
I also recently re-read the Harry Potter Series for the 20th Anniversary. They were good books to bring on our recent vacation because they are engaging enough to read on a plane with screaming kids.
Some books are good, but maybe not the kind of books that you can read in a train station in Calcutta or a subway in Seoul.
My battered paperbacks of Harry Potter have served me well through all the chaos of travel, and have managed to grab my attention no matter how loud my surroundings. If you need to ignore someone else’s screaming kids, Harry Potter will never fail you.
Plus, the TSA in the US is always scary and often they are not very nice. But, I got one of them to laugh out loud when he asked: “Do you have an e-reader, tablet, laptop, or other device in your backpack?” And I replied, “No, Sir. I have a book.”
The line got quite and everyone stared at me like I had horns and a tail. It was awesome. I pulled out my copy of The Half Blood Prince and flashed it around, and I got a lot of laughs.
Another series I was recently reading was the Sookie Stackhouse books. If you have seen the HBO series called True Blood then I am sorry, because it was pretty awful. But the books are awesome and I had read them ages ago as they came out. I recently found out that the series was finally complete, and so I bought the last two and re-read the whole thing. It was a lot of fun, and each book only takes a day or two at most. Wait in a few lines at the post office or the bank, let a few meals simmer and stir occasionally while reading, and you’re done before you know it.
My students in Korea used to be aghast that I would walk while reading. They thought it was perfectly scandalous. But like any avid reader, I have read while doing pretty much everything, even showering (holding the book out of the spray, of course.)
Something else I took a second look at recently was the Anne of Green Gables books. I hadn’t read them since 8th grade, and I forgot how… let’s say “dated” they are. But, I loved them dearly.
I actually cried reading them because it was so intense to read something that I had been reading back when I was an awkward pre-teen in a loveless home full of abuse. During some parts, I remembered my biological mother screaming at me so clearly that it was almost like she was in the room. It was always in such stark contrast to the books, where Marilla and Matthew love Anne and think of her as the light of their life.
Point is: If you never read Anne of Green Gables, they are charming and worth a look.
I know a lot of people are re-reading American Gods because of the TV show. I thought about it. But American Gods is another one of those really engaging books, and so it used to be my go-to book on long plane rides. I think I can actually quote nearly the whole thing from memory by now, so I decided not to jump on that boat.
I do have the new Mary Roach book, Grunt, on the way. I am looking forward to that. But if you have any other recommendations, please get in touch and let me know. I always need book recommendations. I don’t have enough friends that read!
I recently went on a long trip. One of the things I did was go to my unofficial college reunion in Arizona.
My best friends in college were two lovely women named Sidra and Clarice. Both of them are doing well now, and it was a lot of fun to catch up. I am really glad that I took the time and spent the money to make it possible.
The reunion brought up a lot of thoughts and feelings for me. Most of them are sort of private, but I did want to share a few things that might help others.
1. Keep in touch with snail mail.
I am always surprised at how much it means to people to get post cards and seasonal greeting cards. I guess this is because mail is always exciting. You can hold it in your hand, and put it on your refrigerator. It is a way to display that someone thought of you. Most people just get bills and junk mail, so getting things you didn’t expect that make you happy can be very special.
I have been sending post cards and holiday greeting cards for about 20 years, and I think this is part of what makes people feel like they are still connected to me, even after years apart. I had not seen Sidra and Clarice in 10 years due to all of us being in different countries, but we still felt connected and like we were good friends.
Though it might seem silly, I will also add that I never got a label maker, nor do I run envelopes through my printer. I hand address each envelope, write a personal message referencing things in the person’s life, and include a Holiday Letter talking about my year. People bring up these personal touches when they see me, and thank me for them. That is how I know that they matter.
2. Make connections in college.
We all know that nepotism is how people get the really good jobs. The narrative is that anyone can do anything if they go to college, but the reality is that without connections, your degree is meaningless.
In college, I was so busy working to support myself, studying, and looking after my wayward aerospace engineer boyfriend that I missed a lot of chances to connect. I should have gone to my professor’s office hours and “kissed ass,” as they say. I should have tried to make more friends on campus. (And, probably richer more powerful friends.) I should have seen the scholarship breakfasts I had to go to as an opportunity instead of a burden.
The truth is; I was so busy surviving that I forgot to live. I wish that I had put more effort into climbing ladders instead of just working hard and thinking that would be enough to succeed. I bought the lie. I regret that.
3. Take chances.
I still regret winning a scholarship to study in Costa Rica in college, but then deciding not to take it. I was afraid that my boyfriend would get kick out of school while I was away (since he had so much trouble getting up in the morning.) I was worried that my boss would replace me at work. I was worried about where to store my stuff…
The truth is, I still regret not going.
If you get the chance to have a new or different experience, just take it! Even if you have to find a new job when you get back and put your stuff in storage. Just do it!
It’s true what they say: You only regret the chances you don’t take.
Over the years I have done a lot of wild things, like running away with the Renaissance Festival and then taking off to teach in South Korea. I don’t regret any of those things. But I still regret not doing that semester abroad.
I am hardly an oracle of brilliant advice. I am just a person who has been wandering around the world for awhile now, and I would like to think that those three pieces of advice are pretty solid.
I guess it also goes without saying that you should never lose touch with your friends. I am so glad I kept in touch with Clarice and Sid all these years!
A lot of people do the Baby Hot Springs hike because they want to soak in the hot springs. This is a perfectly reasonable thing to do most of the time, but not while I was there!
I was in Oregon was the worst heat wave that they had seen in a long time, and even up around Mount Hood, it was still extremely hot.
Still, we went up to soak our feet in the cold stream near the hot springs, and to relax in the shade where it was cool.
After three years of hiking through jungle, I have to say, it’s really very pretty in Oregon. I forgot the dark shades of green that you find in the forest, and how beautiful the bark is on pine and cedar trees.
As you know, love plants.
And, the plants in the forest near the hot springs are so lush and pretty even in the midst of the heat and the dry weather.
We even saw various kinds of neat fungus along the trail.
I went with my adopted mom and my husband. The three of us are not the kind of hikers who go for distance. We go for experience. And, this is an easy hike and a nice experience.
That reminds me, if you are interested in other easy hikes in Oregon, I would recommend The Creaky Knees Guide, which my mom got me for my birthday.
It has a lot of trails for those of us who are looking for more -shall we say- relaxing hikes?
I should warn that the stream is snow and glacier melt, so it’s not really a good idea to swim in it. We did see some people jump in (seemingly to prove that they could.) However, they got right back out.
Sometimes people don’t realize that you can get hypothermia in Oregon in the dead heat of summer. However, when you are in 35-degree water for too long, I assure you that you can.
The pools in the stream near the hot springs are absolutely deep enough to swim in. There is no reason you can’t swim in them. If you are hot and sweaty, there is no doubt that it would be refreshing.
Just, don’t stay in too long.
Mom soaked her feet because they swell when she hikes. She’s a nurse, so it was really nice of her to go hiking with us in spite of the fact that she spends 14-hour days on her feet all week at the VA.
However, I think we all enjoyed spending some time in nature. There is something about running water, moss, and deep green trees that soothes the soul, if you know what I mean. It just feels good.
There stream is mostly wide with a lot of deep pools, but it funnels through this one part where it is narrow, and I took a video because I love the way water looks crashing over rocks. Enjoy!
While Oahu, I also visited a place that the locals call “Turtle Beach.”
There is not a lot of sea grass or algae in the water for the sea turtles of Oahu to eat. However, on Turtle Beach, there are several rocks that are covered in algae.
Every day at low tide, the turtles slide themselves out of the water, and come up onto the rocks to eat.
I was always led to believe that turtles are really awkward on land. However, these turtles seem to have no trouble at all scooting around.
You could even see turtles that were not up on the beach playing in the waves.
The lifeguard on the beach sets up a barrier to keep people from getting too close to the turtles, and you can’t go swimming in the water directly in front of where they come ashore.
However, it is magical to watch them from behind the barrier and enjoy seeing sea turtles in a whole new way.
While in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, we went to a place called The Pupukea Maine Conservation District.
Within that area, there are a few places that you can snorkel.
We initially tried to go to Waimea Bay, because we had heard good things. However, there was no parking.
Instead, we followed the road a little farther, and parked in front of the Kalua O Maua, or “The Three Tables.”
I was really glad that we ended up where we did, because we saw so many green sea turtles!
Turtles are one of my favorite animals, and I adore sea turtles. There is one back home in Guam that I love to go visit.
You do have to be careful. The waves are strong, and it would be easy to get pushed into one of the “three tables” (which are just big pillars of volcanic rock.)
They aren’t sharp, but they are full of baby sea urchins, so you wouldn’t want to touch the rocks.
However, as long as you are careful, there are a lot of really beautiful things to see. There are some flat corals, and lots of fish.
The turtles looked a little worse for wear. Quite a few of them had shell of flipper damage.
However, they were reasonably calm around us. We didn’t get too close (obviously) because of the restrictions in the endangered species act.
Seeing them from a distance and being able to zoom in and get video was pretty magical, though.
The waves were high, but the water seemed calmer than on the other side of the island.
There were certainly more people swimming, and we didn’t see any dramatic rescues of screaming people like at Electric Beach.
I recently went through Hawaii on my way home to Guam. We were only on Oahu for a few days, but Electric Beach at Kahe Point was one of the best things I saw.
You park across the street from the Power Plant, and then walk past the bathrooms onto the small strip of beach.
There are a lot of signs on the cliff side as you walk down, warning you of the dangerous water conditions.
There are also signs on the little strip of beach, telling you not to go in the water in front of the power plant.
The signs have a point. What you want to do is go to the ramp, and swim straight out from the ramp for about 200 feet. Then, bear to the right just a little.
There are pipes (that are buried) with some coral on top. Follow those out.
You can see the bubbles from where the pipes let out.
The water from the power plant is warm, and it attracts a lot of different sea life.
It’s important to be careful. If you get down in front of the pipes, the rushing water will push you out to sea and you will have to swim back.
The best place to be is right before the opening of the pipes, so that you can watch the animals that come to hang out.
We saw lots of amazing things, including a black trigger fish and several schools of baby fish.
Of course, the best thing we saw was a sting ray, which hung around and played in the water with us.
However, there were all kinds of things to see. The are pillow star fish, sea urchins, trigger fish, and much more.
If you stick your head out of the water facing shore, you can see the power plant. This is what it looks like.
And the best part?
When you get out, they have showers!
If you snorkel often, you know how awesome that is. I hate having to drive home salty.
Again, I should caution you about the dangerous waters.
We saw some people get caught in a rip tide and pulled into a rocky area. They had to be rescued.
Make sure you are a strong swimmer before you try Electric Beach.
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