Thanks SO Much :)

Underwater Fun

The Last Command Post

I was able to climb the stairs and look inside the last World War II command post of the Japanese on Saipan!

The Japanese commanders hid in this cave and directed troops during the American Invasion.

A large hold enters one side of the bunker, and exits another.

There is a large hole on the side of the bunker that was caused by a direct hit from a round fired by a U.S. battle ship off shore!

There were also some large guns and tanks still left from the Japanese around the Last Command Post.

The park grounds also had many beautiful Japanese and Korean peace memorials.

The Grotto

On an Island tour my roommates took me to the Grotto, the number one diving spot in Saipan. The Grotto used to be an underwater cave but then part of the roof caved in years ago and made is accessible from shore. The Grotto is along the shoreline of Saipan, along rugged cliffs.

To get to the Grotto you have to take over 100 steps down to the water. Let me tell you, that was the hardest part about getting to the Grotto. I can't imagine the people who have to carry all their scuba gear down those stairs! Once at the bottom of the stairs, you cross from the shore to a large boulder to enter the water.

The crossing is at water level so you have to wait for a

break in the waves to cross over. We couldn't cross it because the water was very rough, but a lot of people braved it.

The Grotto itself goes down about 7o feet, and there are 3 blue holes you can swim inside the walls of the cave to explore while scuba diving.

The Grotto was the coolest thing I've seen since on the Island. I was told that it is the number 2 scuba diving spot in the world! If I were to ever learn to scuba dive, I would love to come back to Saipan and dive down in the Grotto!

Bird Island

A spectacular view of Bird Island. It is probably one of the most breathtaking views I've seen since I've been here. The little island is home to thousands of birds, hence the name. You can still see holes in the soft cliffs of Bird Island from the mortar shells of World War II.

The water was so blue that day, and I even spotted a sea turtle! That little brown spot in the middle of the water is the sea turtle!

Ryan

Ryan is the most well behaved 5 year old I have met. He finishes his work quietly, and when he is done he will sit at his desk with his hands folded and wait until I give the next direction. He has the greatest smile, and he loves giving the spiderman sign for pictures. Ryan is always the first one to help pick up the toys with a smile on his face, and he is always the first one to line up after playtime. He is kind to his classmates, and he never argues. Ryan's birthday was on Valentine's day and his dad brought in 2 pizzas, a GIGANTIC chocolate cake, party favors, party hats, and juice. The kids had a blast, and we ate so much food :) Ryan is a blessing and a joy to have in class :)

Louis

When I first met Louis, he was very quiet and shy. He would do his work quickly and quietly, and he was very polite. He then warmed up to me after my 3rd week of being here. I would catch him standing on his chair when I would turn my back to grab something. He would turn his finished paper in by doing a cartwheel towards my desk. His favorite thing to do though is run out into the street and dance as we are on our way back from lunch. I have learned to keep my eye on Louis who is filled with energy ALL DAY LONG. Every time I tell him to calm down, or keep quiet, he simply smiles and says, "Ok Miss Caitlin." But then 2 minutes later he's back to doing a cartwheel or dancing on his chair :) Louis has been a handful while teaching, but I will say he has made the day more interesting after each stunt he performs during the day.

Cindylou

Cindylou is my wild child in the class. She cannot sit still for more then 5 minutes. She is constantly playing with her hair, and she is always tripping over her own feet. She has the biggest heart in the class. During snack time she ALWAYS shares with the entire class. She loves to help the other students fold their blankets after rest time. Cindylou has the longest hair I have seen on a 5 year old. Her mom told me the other day that when she gets in the car she always tries to put her hair high up on her head. Her mom asked her one day what she was doing, and she replied, "Trying to look like Miss Caitlin with high hair mom!" She loves having her picture taken, and she makes the funniest poses every-time!

The Passing of the Kidney Stones

I'm not sure who has all heard, but I want everyone to know that I am alright. I had been having these bad stomach pains on my right side, for about a week now. I thought they were over with, until I woke up yesterday morning from such a sharp pain in my right side. I couldn't take the pain any longer so I called Brock and talked to him for a little bit. Nothing was helping the pain, but I waited about 45 minutes when it finally calmed down. About a half hour later the pain was back and I was sobbing in my room. My roommate Kelly took me to the hospital right away. I was in such pain that I was screaming in pain and hysterical. The doctor saw me right away and put me on morphine. I wound up getting an ultrasound, and some blood work done. After being at the hospital for an hour or so the doctor told me I probably had kidney stones, and the pain I experienced earlier was me passing the kidney stones. He told me I would be fine until I got home, and that the worst was over.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who prayed. I am feeling much better now, and am taking today off from school to rest some more. I will keep you all updated on the rest of my trip! Only a few more days left! I miss and love you all!

Favorite Views

Korean BBQ

Today the girls and I went out to have a little Korean BBQ for Valentine's Day. It was really a neat experience! You got to choose your own raw meat, from these coolers.

Then in the middle of your table was a mini grill, where you get to cook the meat YOURSELF!

It was so much fun, and soooo good!

Burnt

One word....

OUCH!!!

but sooooo worth it :)

Hye Jin

Hye Jin came to school later in the year, about a week after I arrived. She very quiet, and keeps to herself a lot. She is part Korean, and loves eating that dried seaweed during snack. Hye Jin lately loves telling me every step she is doing to complete an assignment during class. She also loves to sit really close to me when I tell the Bible story every morning, and rub my shoes. Weird? Yes, but I don't mind, it keeps her quiet during the lesson :)

Skye

Skye is my youngest student. He technically should be in K4 but he was more advanced than the rest of the K4 so he skipped into K5. He is a very hard worker when he puts his mind to it. Skye loves giving me hugs, he wraps both his arms around my waist every morning and gives me a big bear hug. After Skye gives me his giant bear hugs, I get a giant stain on the bottom of my shirt. Without fail, this has happened everyday.

Skye also can have the biggest and saddest pout face in the WORLD. When he does something that he knows he shouldn't be doing, and I tell him to stop, he begins to get his pout face on, and it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to be mad at him. He has the biggest crocodile tears and just looks down at the floor.

His smile though is the best thing in the world and lights up my day :) Even with a mouthful of pizza!

Blue Water & Blue Starfish?

I went snorkeling today at Managaha Island which is a tourist spot here in Saipan. The water is so perfectly clear, and blue that you can see straight down to the bottom.

I was able to try snorkeling for the first time, and it was the most exhilarating thing I've done here so far. I hate fish, I hate being near fish, but swimming through a school of fish with hundreds of fish was thrilling, and made me love the ocean that much more.

I felt like the Little Mermaid, and I loved it. I went snorkeling for a little over an hour, and survived with ZERO fish touching me. I saw clown trigger fish to angel fish. They were all so bright and colorful!

The most interesting thing I saw was the blue starfish. They were so blue and bigger than my face. They were absolutely gorgeous. I didn't even know the blue starfish existed until today!