Passive aggresive

I was lectured by my older sister today because I had explained the realities (with the visualizing help of drowning polar bears and the carbon footprint of the McDonalds Happy Meal they love to eat) of global warming to my nephew which he then translated as my sister as being lazy. Of course I had not intended for my nephew to see his mother in that light but I guess his thought process led him to that conclusion.

Living in Seattle (somewhat of a poster child for the green campaign) for several years now, I've learned a thing or two about environmental consciousness and doing my part to be sustainable. Passing this information on to the next generation of my family, I actively try to educate them about doing little things in effort to become a little more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, my nephew took this the wrong way by criticizing his mom. I don't think it is her fault because there is a larger entity that needs to be addressed.

In Seattle, I have been acclimated to the law enforced climate of being penalized if I had not recycled or the witnessing the huge social stigma of driving big cars. However, on Guam, that type of regulation or social ostracism does not exist (unless I am just some white washed statesider and should not impose my super liberal ideals on these people). Although it has not reached the status of streamlined itemized trash, compost and recycling bins, Guam is slowly taking part in the movement to conserve its environment. While the environment is a big issue to consider, there are a number of other structural problems that have had a history of being problematic. The public school system is a classic example- the island's major public high school in the north, Simon Sanchez, has been closed for two and a half weeks past the intended opening day due to the inspection of the buildings and the proceeding failure to pass structural safety. The islands central counterpart, JFK, is indefinitely closed for the same reason. The government prematurely opened its new high school, built to alleviate the overcrowding at Sanchez, manifests itself through the unpaved and potentially hazardous driveway (the only one) into the school. George Washington, another central highschool, is now housing the students at JFK which has resulted in a double session method of the facilities' operations. Let us not even get started on teachers not being paid on time!

I am not condemning Guam to be this terrible place as I attribute a lot of my personality to this place. I grew up here and I am proud to represent this island regardless of where I am. There are just certain issues (or institutions) that need to be questioned. Judging by the number of wooden signs that line the street with the accompanying entourage of sign wavers, something tells me that it is campaigning season around here. Should I stop being so passive aggressive? I think politics is my brother's job.

Instead of attempting to formulate an argument, let me share some pictures that will distract you from more pressing issues of the government:

My sister and I in front of our grandparents' house in R.R. Cruz, Agat. This is where I got my first big break, compliments to my grandfather who helped in the construction of the military base, granting his family US citizenship. It was very hot.

Inarajan

Nimitz Beach

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So what else is new? I'm leaving in two weeks.

Peculiarities in list form

My stepfather thinks I dress like a prostitute

My mom thinks I will get raped by everyone

A priest speaks of his days of smoking marijuana

Driving everywhere (no bikes or public transportation) and awkwardly using crosswalks when walking is necessary (only because of high costs of gasoline)

My 5 year old niece being really vulgar (i.e. when speaking to her Dad "we only came here so you could kiss Michael on the lips")

No recycling

How my pants are tighter in humid weather

...

And I've only been back for a week.

Summer: Phase 2

I've been on Guam for a total of six days which equates to me feeling like I've already exhausted my time here. I miss my bike, I miss recycling, I miss my house, I guess I miss my friends and, most importantly, I miss doing whatever I want. However, as the cycle goes, those things will get old (especially the friends) after six days. My brother says that there is a lot of fluff when I write, is this true?

So my computer has unofficially crashed for the third time. I hope my stepfather will be able to recover my files because all my music, pictures and epic, quality papers mean the world to me. Without these things, I am all talk and no pretense. To paint a more pathetic picture, after I heard the news of my destroyed hard drive I have since been mourning. Let us all hope for the best, my heart can only take so much lost files.

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I have been hanging out with my niece, nephew and new niece since I've been back. They have grown so much! I like to detach myself from the situation and listen to their dialogue, which always proves to be so entertaining. For example, because my nephew was making fun of my niece for not eating, my niece retaliated by saying that my nephew "pooped on the floor". I think these kids are turning out to be just like their auntie Frances' friends. It is also interesting to see how they interact with their new born sister. They are always willing to help my sister (with or without her permission) take care of the baby. I hope this will continue throughout their teenage years. I also hope that my nieces and nephew turn out to be cool kids.

On the note of sibling relationships-

Before my arrival, my brother told my mom that I like to drink a lot through the means of "funneling" or "beer bonging", which is ridiculous because I have only done that once in my lifetime. So as soon as I get here, my mom kept making comments about "funneling" (which she pronounces as fyoo-neling) and how I should behave myself. Nice, Paulo.

How are you all?