Checking in from Tokyo Narita Airport

Real quick:

We made it to Tokyo @ 5:00pm yesterday afternoon. As anticipated, the hotel for our layover got all messed up and we had to find our own,

We'll be in Saipan @ 3PM Saipan time if anyone wants to meet two unimpressive and slightly obtuse Mainlanders.

Look for the married couple who look sick of each other.

Gotta run and board the plane.

Love

Andrew & Suz

Busy Busy

I'll check in later on this evening.

It's crunch time and Suz and I are scurrying about, trying to get everything out of the house.

If you live near Quakertown, PA, there's a great place to donate your furniture, cookware, and (small) appliances. They are a Mennonite organization, but they do not attach testimony to their charitable services, so you that shouldn't be a concern if you were worried about it. From our experience with them, they have an uncanny dedacation to helping the poor and incapacitated, so anything you were thinking of trashing would be better served over there.

It's called Caring and Sharing and it's in Souderton, Pa. on 113 just off County Line Road.

We're making another dropoff today, so I'll update this with more info later on.

Lastly, I'm it, it seems. I'll do that later tonight. After which, I shall tag Suz.

:)

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Some Juicy Meta

So you guys over there know, I'm updating my blogroll as fast as I can. Please keep in mind that I intend to do some real designing when we get over there, thus, the site's kinda messy look will change.

Also, if I didn't get to your link yet, please forgive the delay. We're swamped.

Suz will be contributing soon, too. She's a lot busier outside of the house than I am, so she hasn't had a lot of time to place herself before the Nerd Machine™.

Also, we have pics, I just can't seem to find the camera right now to upload them.

Some emails I got indicate that there's not a single palm tree or 'tropical' image on here yet. This is because we have yet to arrive and enjoy some palm trees ourselves. Also, it helps (IMHO) indicate that we aren't actually residents of Rota until the 25th, when we begrudgingly lurch out of the airplane and look for the nearest bed.

We hope you are enjoying this poor excuse for content anyway!

Love,

Andrew & Suz

Speaking of poor excuses for content:



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What Kind Of Music Is Hip in the CNMI?

I like a wide range of music, from issimo to Jazz and back around to industrial. Moreso, I like to play and hopefully, my guitar won't get squashed on a steamer to Rota.

One thing to note is that to my wife's (et. al.) chagrin, I have an uncommon affection for the Cocteau Twins. In all I've heard thus far, and believe me, I've heard a lot, they reach right in and put their fingers on my soul.

Howzabout you?

While you're thinking, enjoy (or loathe) this clip:




PS:

Lush!



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Bank Horror Stories

Where have I been lately?

Welp, Lemme' put it this way:

If you are a person moving out of country and want to keep your bank, let me save you some time:

Forget about it.

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I just went through the most annoying 2 days of my technical life trying to set up a check scanner. From the moment I opened the box and read the (incomplete and lousy) directions, horror ensued. Couple that horror with waiting forever for some tech people to call me back and Tobe Hooper would be horrified.

First off, no one asked if I used Windows. I don't. I am a graphic designer, therefore I use a Mac. Further, I hate Windows, but I digress. It seems that with all of the swashes and globe graphics I've been looking at over the past 2 days, my check scanner absolutely will not work in Mac OS.

I thought to myself, "no worries, I'll just partition my Mac and install Windows (yuck.) Long story short, my XP wouldn't install because I don't have service pack such and such and Windows Update wouldn't install it properly. And so, I reluctantly reassured myself that I could spend the 200 bucks I didn't have to upgrade to Vista, so off I went to pick it up.

Get home, re-partition my drive, install Vista.

At last, the phone rang with a tech support person. After all that, he said in a crushingly mild tone that "your scanner won't work even if you have XP partitioned on your Mac." and worse (and to the contradiction of the system requirements on the scanner packaging,) "It wont work with Vista on either system."

Awesome, then!

So now I sit holding a $200 copy of that piece of you know what, Vista that I can't return and a rock shaped like a scanner, its "DEPOSIT NOW!" logo strewn across its face in Comic Sans Itallic (eew) mocks me in Pantone 181C.

Worst of all, I have absolutely no Idea how I'm going to handle my deposits when we get there. Right now, I have my father as a signer so that my temporary billing address can be at his house and he can make deposits; but that's a micky mouse way to run a business in the long term.

So much for me!

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If anyone over there can lead me to the best bank that has a branch on Rota, I'd be grateful. In the mean time, don't ever buy a PC, of course; but, more importantly, don't upgrade your Windows if you use a check scanner. You'll be stuck with me in banking hell.

:)

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Back

We're back... Discuss.

Here's a topic to get you started:

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Right now, it's 96° in SE Pennsylvania. Yesterday in Bennington VT, it was 94° (which is very hot for even Southern VT.)

Saipan and the CNMI have one of the most equable climates in the world. (Average mean temp= 83° F)

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We're pretty busy, so we'll get back to you later.

In the mean time, how are we doing with this blog thus far?

PS: Somewhere across the Pacific, there's a guy named Angelo whose phone will be ringing soon. On the other end will be two folks who haven't forgotten to call, but just haven't had a lot of time lately.



:)

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Trekking up to Vermont

We're taking our final trip to see my uncle in VT.

Thank god, they've accepted one of our cats (2 down, one to go.) That should be an interesting ride.

We'll be back Monday barring any internet cafe' along the way. In the mean time, ponder this:

Suz and her mom found an old globe she gave her mom way back when the USSR was still the USSR.





Closer inspection revealed that yes, Rota indeed, is a place on the globe!




:)

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More Beautify CNMI!

This is really one of the things I am most excited to participate in when we get to Rota. I think it's an inspiration for everyone, no matter where we're residing around the world.

Imagine if everyone on earth planted a tree, or just bent down and picked up that piece of trash.

Here's a vid of their one year anniversary.



Be sure to visit their blog and contribute if you can via their store or their donation link on the homepage.

http://beautifycnmi.blogspot.com

You'll feel just that much better. I guarantee it.


:)

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Just 11 More Days

I plan on keeping my speedbag up for as long as possible before I take it down and pack it in my carry on.

I hope you guys in Rota like Boxing, because I intend to start training whoever is interested, especially with the Speedbag and double end bag.

It's a great workout and chicks dig it! And from my pespective as a married man whose wife digs me hitting it, a lady with speedbag skills is all that.

:)

Three rules:

You have to wear the stupidist looking hat you can find (no brims) to hit the speedbag.

If you spend more than $3 dollars on a cheap pair of work gloves and cut the fingers out, laughter and snark shall ensue!

(Optional) you have to blast some hard music. Techno from the late 80's and the 90's works best.

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Beautify CNMI!

(Bumped up from yesterday)

We thought that we'd mention a site and program that is happening in the CNMI that we are highly impressed with and think the world (or the 80 people who on average visit us daily thus far) would be inspired by.

It's called Beautify CNMI!

Please visit their site. You can also support them by buying a product in their store!

http://beautifycnmi.blogspot.com/

Here's a cool vid:



We are going to ask that we be permitted include their link on our blogroll.. Just haven't gotten to it yet.

Enjoy!

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A question about Rota Island and Boating

We are wondering if there is a specific reason that there is currently no ferry service linking Guam and Rota, or Rota and Saipan.

I am told (and somewhere have a photo) that one can see Guam on a clear day from the summit of Wedding Cake Mountain, which makes the lack of a ferry route curious to us.

Also, should luck intervene on our current financial situation, we thought we might buy a boat while living on the Island. Would it be possible to run the boat to Guam and pay to dock it at a public slip?

These thoughts about getting a boat are kinda' pipe-dreamy, but we ask ourselves about why a seemingly easy link between the islands isn't available at this time.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thx!

Andrew & Suz

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Happy 4th..

We'll be out shopping for supplies to ship today... and later, some visiting.

I hear there is an Apple Store in Saipan. Is this right? If so, shall we wait to buy our (first ever) laptop til we get there?

We'll check back later.

:)

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Making Friends Already

We have talked to several CNMI Bloggers and are in the process of adding their links to our Blogroll.

Please take a look to your right and check out these new links. Also, The Saipan Blogger sent me an excellent artilce about the impact bloggers are having in Saipan. Please give it a read when you get a moment.

"The network, started in December 2006 with the purpose of uniting the community around the goal of improving Saipan’s national identity, has scored some wins while acting as the de facto island town criers.

But what’s most impressive, is that the We Love Saipan Network’s influence extends beyond Saipan’s shores. The bloggers, through their unique stories, perspectives, ideas, opinions and photos, are helping Saipan’s international image and satisfying a curious world’s interest in life on this island paradise."

From The Saipan Tribune
"Saipan bloggers creating change in NMI"
Local News 7/3/07

Today, I have several projects that need finishing because this week is probably going to be the last billing cycle before we depart. (Money Money!!) I'll try to come back around in a little while.

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The Grand Opening: What’s This Blog All About, Anyway?

Right now, this blog is about our personal experiences as we dive into the unknown. You may notice that much of the content you’ll see in the posts will be written within a context of an intimacy one would share with a friend or family member. This is deliberate as my wife and I, as of July 2, 2007, will be sending a link to this blog out to our friends and family so that we can raise a little money for moving and offer a central point of communication while we are in Rota, CNMI.

But, just hold on a second!

Upon our arrival (on July 25, 2007,) this blog will undergo a dramatic, although gradual, shift toward the inclusion of content based on enlightening the world and specifically the Continental United States about the CNMI, its people, and hopefully a lengthy list of reasons why you should come and visit Saipan, Rota Island, Tinian, or all of the islands in the Northern Mariana Islands (Guam, even) and go through the process of helping local artists, crafstmen, and retailers share online growth with what we hope will be the growth of this blog. Further, we hope to offer a diverse and long list of profiles and links pertaining to artists, hotel owners, fishing and dive services, and the full gamut of entrepreneurial ventures that individual citizens and families of the CNMI are working on. Sans megacorporations, that is.

Because Saipan and especially Rota Island have small populations, we feel that if we can get merely 100 more people to endure the long travel time from the Mainland (US) and visit the Northern Mariana Islands, the people of the CNMI will benefit. And by the way, from all accounts thus far, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and specifically Rota Island, is a tourist’s paradise.

From our current perspective and based on the perpetual Where is that? I never heard of the CNMI? we get when we tell people where we are moving, it is clear that exposure is in high demand in the CNMI. After all, it is a United States Commonwealth and therefore is richly deserving of the same awareness that the typical American holds with Puerto Rico or the United States Virgin Islands. Otherwise, we feel strongly that this important island chain will remain under the thumb of what historically results from the dangers of mainstream ignorance: the tipping tree in the woods, so-to-speak.

It should be noted that our perspectives might are very, very likely to change after we have arrived. We feel it is crucial in both our lifestyles and in this blog that we approach this adventure with deliberate objectivity.

We are firmly opposed to the imperial or missionary ideology and feel no duty to pursue any quest based on some sort of ‘cultural superiority.’ After all, if you’ve paid attention to the last century or so, especially the past six years, you’ll know where that road leads.

What we intend with our new lives and with this blog is to be a blessing to our new surroundings, which is best served by assimilating as guests rather than pursuing the blatant idiocy of dissimilating via some baseless notion of cultural, religious, or moral superiority. In fact, I’ll guarantee you that within hours of arriving in Rota, I’ll have met someone who is thrice the person that I am; thus, it will be I that will require the moral repair.

A last critical point of note is that while my wife is working, I personally intend to generate some income from this blog. Because of the huge move from Pennsylvania, I will be losing a good portion of my income as a freelancer from local business. However, I intend to generate income based on my own store here and through Google ads, etc...; and not through links and ads from small businesses and retailers of the CNMI. Large corporations who wish to advertise here are another story; but whomever I find in the CNMI, Guam, and (possibly) Micronesia who wishes to be profiled and possibly linked here, upon review, of course, will be linked for free and hopefully profiled in a blog post. More on that later.

And so, we invite you to venture with us into the unknown. We sincerely hope that you answer the questions and gain the knowledge about Rota and the CNMI that we will as we go along. Further, we hope that the people of the CNMI benefit greatly from our presence there. We pledge to approach this venture with objectivity and the utmost respect for the people who have graciously invited us into their Commonwealth. We shall make our best effort to make our presence positive and productive, doing so in the absence of historically foolish notions or intentions. Therefore, we pledge to dedicate this blog to the specific benefit of the people of the Island of Rota and the other populated islands of the CNMI, both economically and socially, hopefully contributing the growth of the former and growing ourselves from the latter.

Please visit this blog off and on in your spare time. Granted, you may feel a little bored watching us pack, but better things are ahead. We promise you. Just hang in there until we arrive. That’ll be when the real excitement begins.

Best wishes and thank you for visiting Operation Rota!

Love,

Andrew & Suz

Humble Beginnings

My wife has at last received her contract to teach English on the island of Rota, the southernmost island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, (CNMI, for short.) After literally months of discussion, we have decided that although there will be enormous difficulty for two late-30’s people who happen to be immersed in the many and various trappings of the supposed “American dream” to make such a drastic transition into the unknown, an ‘opportunity’ like this is one that would hold lifelong regret should we pass it by.

Over the past four months, we have quietly planned for the journey should it actually materialize as reality. While keeping it a vigorously guarded secret, we went about the millions of tiny and not-so-tiny tasks to support the potential objective: a 9,000-mile flight across the Pacific, an arrival at a complete unknown.

The main question was for me to answer: “What will I do in in Rota?” “How will I make a living?” The answer, while not complete at this point, hopefully has some roots in what I do right here in Pennsylvania.

For the past six years, I have made my living as a freelance designer and copywriter, and sometimes as a valet to make ends meet. Thankfully, I have almost fully transformed my business to an all-digital, paperless entity, which means that as long as there is electricity and a relatively fast internet connection, I could be on the moon or fathoms beneath the sea for all my clients care.

Secondly, I am a washed up boxer and I always wanted to get into training. That’s the pipe dream part of my story, though.

Lastly, I do my best to benefit my surroundings. I volunteer to do whatever I can to better my little chunk of the world. I donate artwork. I donate my time. I even walk the banks of the Unami Creek, picking up the massive piles of garbage that idiots leave behind after they’re done playing ‘outdoorsmen’ and hop in their Escalades and head home. Note to ‘fishermen,’ fish don’t smoke, nor do they eat plastic and empty beer cans, or read Penthouse, for that matter.

Somewhere in this lies what I can do there and what I have to offer in assistance to the community that will surround me. But right now, it’s all about the move: the planning, packing, and logistics.

I have created this blog for several reasons; but first and foremost, I created it to bring exposure to my future home in the CNMI, and, of course, its people, whom at this point I have yet to know even a single one. However, there is clearly a dangerous problem inherent to this remote United States Commonwealth: to most Americans, it simply does not exist. Therefore, from my current perception, the people of the CNMI would surely benefit from every ounce of global exposure that they can get. In the near future, I’ll try to lay it all out, and hopefully, I’ll do it with the help of new friends, whoever they may be.

Outside of my research on the Commonwealth, its people, and its socioeconomic conditions, I am, at this point, an empty book on the CNMI. I have and at this point proclaim to have absolutely no knowledge of what it is like to live on a tiny rural island (Rota) on the edge of the Pacific. All I have is an eagerness to benefit the lives of those who will surround me in my new community however I can, if at all.

This is a grand voyage and we have barely made our first steps. And so, I invite you to join us as we make our way. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what will happen. It could either be the best or worst experience of our lives, or perhaps, somewhere in-between. We shall see.

This post is very long and I apologize. There was a lot to squeeze in there, but I’ll close for now by saying thanks and more to come, only briefer.

:)

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