Moving to Guam

I was a little bit surprised when I first read the email notifying me that I would be moving to Guam for work. I think my first reaction was, “Where is Guam?” I had definitely heard of Guam, but I don’t think I fully understood that Guam is a very small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. After the initial shock of the news, I set to work making arrangements for the move. After shipping my vehicle, packing all of my belongings, and saying my goodbyes, I was set to travel halfway around the world to see what was in store.

The plane ride was alright, but I lost track of time between the flight hours and flying across the International Date Line. After departing the plane, I was set to explore all that this new world had to offer. All the passengers were escorted off the plane to the passenger terminal where the announcement was made that a passenger on the flight tested positive for Covid-19. This development meant that everyone was required to quarantine for two weeks. Being confined to a small area for fourteen days is mentally challenging, but cable television and internet access helped to keep me occupied. During this time I was able to look for a place to live and read about all the activities available on the island. I chose a condominium with an ocean view, and the living conditions have been pretty nice so far.

After reading rave reviews about the scuba diving in the area, I decided to try my hand at snorkeling as an entry level activity. After purchasing a beginner’s snorkeling set, I headed to the beach to see what I could find. Having been sufficiently frightened by the stories of dangerous waters and currents in the area, I pretty much stayed by the shore during this snorkeling. I saw some tropical fish swimming in the area, so that was cool. Just as I was starting to feel comfortable in the water, I saw a shark swimming near me. Despite what I had read about most of the sharks in the area being fairly harmless, I was utterly terrified and quickly raced ashore. Flashbacks to the Jaws movies were some of my first thoughts. But after realizing I was fine, I enjoyed the Pacific paradise from the shore before calling it a day.

So far, Guam had definitely thrown me a couple of curveballs; hopefully, the future will prove to be equally entertaining.