Saipan Saturday

Day 3! I can't believe that I have posted for three days in a row. That must be a personal record.

Saturdays will have something to do with Saipan since I am sticking with a daily theme.

Our day was pretty normal, we did errands and phone calls. We took a truck load of stuff to the dump to recycle, then headed up to Susupe to the Sabalu Farmer's Market. We really like shopping at the farmer's market. I like the idea that the money is going straight to the producer instead of them just getting pennies and the big store getting the profit.

What did we buy? We bought two bunches of eggplant, two bunches of bananas and a pound and a half of Saipan shrimp from the local shrimp farm. Dinner tonight was: marinated & grilled shrimp, grilled eggplant and mashed local breadfruit (like mashed potatoes).

The big news on island today is the local elections. BIG deal. I usually vote in elections, but I decided that I would not vote here because we are leaving island in just over 6 months. Now, if we were to stay for a few more years, I would have paid more attention to the candidates and issues. The only issue that I half listened to was the Saipan Casino initiative. I believe that the problems associated with gambling are already here since there are so many poker rooms. I saw signs that said "Vote No to the Casino, keep Saipan safe for our families and not a gambling den." I seriously almost spit my tea out laughing while driving when I saw that. Everywhere you turn, there is a Poker room (the video poker kind). It really is ridiculous and honestly I think that it detracts from the appeal of the island and the image that they want to promote.

To all of the naysayers, I wonder what they think would be the answer to the economic slump that we are currently in? And don't say tourism...if that were the case, people would be doing more to make the island better. Like volunteering and getting involved and picking up trash on the beaches.

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I wanted to mention an awesome site that I subscribe to: Parent Hacks check it out and sign up for the feeds, there are so many great ideas.

Peace.