bettina without borders

Happy 2024! My first blog post opened with a pic of me at work, and now you get to see me at work ten years later. I’ve gained some wrinkles, some pounds, and some prescription spectacles, but I’m still loving life.

When I first began this blog in 2014, I had no idea that I’d thrive in the UAE (I was so excited and so nervous), and that I’d also move to Belgium and then Guam. LOL I thought I’d be in the Middle East for two, maybe three years and then back home living the Arizona desert life (which I also loved). Now, I have no clue where I’ll end up next. For now I’m loving the island life, so all is well.

My only complaint is the same in every country: I’m so far away from my babies (and now their babies). And oh my goodness, look how adorable they are!

I’m so blessed to be surrounded by so much good (it’s balancing out the darker moments of my youth). 2024, for me, is looking to be filled with lots of visits. The grand babies and their parents arrive for a two-week visit January 24, then I have a friend planning to visit in April, one, possibly both, of my sons in May. In between all that are work trips in January and February, and then a fun trip to the Philippines in March.

It’s like Christmas every month for me! As for what I’ve been doing since the last time I posted: work (which I enjoy), Guam eating, sipping and beaching (thanks Barbie movie for making this a verb), and diving. I’ve mastered my fear of depth and have gone as deep as 125 feet (which is nothing to deep divers, but it’s deep enough for me).

I love the last day of the year because it always causes me to pause and reflect on what I’ve learned. Today, I’m remembering who I was in 2014 and where I am today. I am the same, however, probably a calmer, more stable me (some might disagree). 

I am also quite a bit wiser thanks to my following list of lessons learned.

• Fat floats: The heavier one is the more weight is needed to stay under when diving. My metaphorical soul sees it as the more we gain the harder we are to sink. Experience has made me more resilient — I know setbacks, no matter how drastic, don’t define me and they most certainly won’t ruin me. Plus, I like a positive spin to the extra fat in my life, so why fight it?
• Feed the hunger: In the past I starved myself avoiding what I wanted to do or learn because I thought I was too young, too old, too inexperienced, too whatever. Why do we do this to ourselves? It looks like toward the end of my decades I jump off the bandwagon and feast away: In my late twenties I married and built a family (my daughter came a few years earlier) and was amazed by how deeply I could love (um and later on that some loves are meant to be let go); in my late thirties, I packed up my kids and moved to a place where I had no job, knew no one, and, well, found myself reborn among the flames (thank you Phoenix); in my late 40s I gave up my dream teaching job to teach English in an Arabian school surrounded by so much uncertainty, and I am now in such a better place professionally and financially; in my late 50s I faced death (lol if only in my mind) to discover life under the sea, and now I want to discover more of what lives beneath our realm. God only knows what my late 60s will bring, but it’ll satiate whatever it is I’m hungering for (probably time to whip up some temptations for my grandchildren).
• Listen! Listen to my gut, to others, to everything around me. Most importantly, listen to that inner voice — the one I sometimes think is crazy. This one is tough because there are so many voices in our lives, all that should be heard (lol but not all that I’ll follow). I don’t jump into anything haphazardly. I seek advice, I google the bedazzle out of everything, I check and cross check, and I argue with myself. When I look back on my life, it’s when after all of that, I chose to ignore my inner voice, that I found myself in my worst situations. 
• Be a Pollyanna: I don’t mean toxic positivity. I mean embrace the light wherever I am, even when in the thick of shit. Hell, sometimes I’m a goth Pollyanna, enjoying the wicked while finding the good. Along the way I discovered that sometimes positivity is associated with being naive or too much of a dreamer or too kind. And, I mistook this strength as a weakness, but I was wrong. My cheeriness might annoy the fuck out of some, but it’s genuine and there is so much love and wonder in my life. Rose-colored glasses look fabulous and my view is so much nicer than Negative Nancy’s.
• Embrace the dark: There’s magic and growth here as well; I just try not to hug it too long. Hence my love of soothing lights and candles; they yank me back when needed.
• Accepting my momentum: I was going to write “don’t settle,” but to be fair when I was settling I didn’t at first realize it, and was it really settling when it’s what I felt I needed at the time? Then I thought I should write “give myself grace” because, like everyone, I struggle with the bits that are hard or what Ive done wrong. But, nope, the lesson learned is knowing when it’s time to move forward or when to pull back. This one might be the hardest of them all. There is always so much attached to this, and it’s never without stress, grief and cost. But, for me, there will always need to be some sort of forward momentum (and the occasional “holy shit back it up a bit!”), and when I avoid moving in the direction I need to, I wither. It goes back to feeding the hunger. I think I’m accepting the fact that I will always want to experience more (lol it’s a good thing I get excited over the little things too) — and that’s okay. I guess that my biggest lesson learned during my 58 years of living is that death is the only thing that should end our appetite, so if a job, a home, a relationship becomes stagnate (or feels that way) then there needs to be some gear shifting. That doesn’t mean that those parts of my life aren’t treasured. Oh my goodness I miss all of my pasts as much as I love what is yet to come. 

So, there’s more than you cared to read about what I’ve reflected on before toasting in the new year. How about I end it with a blast of pics of what my current every day (well today it’s blustery) looks like. May we all have a year full of sunshine, happy hours and rainbows!

This time two weeks ago I intended to write a blog entitled “eating my way through Tokyo” because oh my goodness I had such an amazing time doing just that, but the days got away from me and before I had a chance to upload words and photos I was on my next trip: Saipan. And, that was amazing too, but then I had to prepare (mentally, emotionally and physically) for Typhoon Bolaven, and despite having an entire day at home — all snuggled up on my couch with candles lit and TV streaming— I did not write.

I did, however, enjoy watching the different phases of the storm through the sliver of shutters I left open (something I didn’t dare do during our last storm). Bolaven is a super typhoon now, but she was just a newbie when she sprinted by us; gracing Guam with only the outer bands of her wake. The collective sigh from those of us who hid from Mawar had more of an impact than her squalls — and we are incredibly grateful. May we be this lucky should another storm be born this year.

Saipan was a holiday weekend trip with friends. I wasn’t expecting much since it’s a super quick flight from Guam and another Mariana island, so I figured it would look just like Guam. It has the same plants and ocean, but it’s smaller, more rustic and has its own personality. The bird-eating brown snake has not made its way to this island, so there are also plenty of birds singing everywhere. Imagine being able to hike through a jungle knowing there isn’t a single snake on island to freak you out (there are plenty of spiders and other critters that’ll race your heart just the same). Saipan was also spared from the wrath of Mawar, so her old banyan trees are still standing proud, as are all of her trees and monuments. Guam is healing, but it will be a while before her cliffs and beaches are this bountiful again.

Going by my PTSD over Mawar you would think Mother Nature is the only one who has scarred these islands. We have done far worse to them. Guam and Saipan have plenty of stories and ruins to remind us of how much blood was shed here during WW2 (and, well, before). I cannot even imagine what it was like to experience these beautiful bits of paradise become horrific venues for war.

Because we’re an odd species, battlefields eventually become tourist destinations. Add the tropical fauna and balmy beaches, and you’ve got yourself an oasis for vacationers. And then Covid hits: Saipan’s tourism industry has not rebounded. Surrounding a massive closed casino are shuttered shops and sun-warped signs for touristy things that no longer exist.

Imagine what this place was like when it was buzzing with gamblers. It’s surreal to see it occupied only by a man at a desk who is paid to keep looters out, but friendly enough to let curious tourists snap pics. There are still plenty of gorgeous trails to hike, including the Grotto, which brings you to a swimming hole I plan on diving one day, and trips to other nearby islands. The resorts that remain are also still lovely and leave plenty of fun for girls needing two days away from the work world.

Tokyo was a work trip, but a friend and I decided to arrive the weekend prior so we could have some fun time together. We had an absolute blast. I highly recommend Vialtor’s Izakaya Food Tour in Shinjuku. Long story short you don’t go into the tiny izakaya (pubs that seat 4 to 6), but you walk through the area and you do get to eat at three larger local hangouts. The first one we had Japanese BBQ, where I um tasted the raw beef intestine (thanks to the seasoning it was actually not bad, but it’s a one and done thing for me), the second was a sashimi place that was ahhhhmazing (Saki flowed freely here), and the third was a dumpling house that also served a yummy citron sorbet. The group, including people from all over the world, was fun, and our tour guide was awesome. He made sure we learned about the food, the people, the city lol and the drinking — plus we got to see a mini festival.

We also did some food touring on our own; eating sushi at the Tsukiji fish market, tonkotsu ramen at Ichiran and more goodies at other places. We even found a hedgehog cafe where we did NOT eat anything, but instead fed mealworms to hedgehogs.

There’s so much more we did, like walk everywhere, including the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and shopped at Don Quijote, an all-out melee of stuff (if ADHD or claustrophobia is your thing then this store is not), and just having fun being two girls in the big city.

Joe has been in Arizona for the past month, and he returns tomorrow. I’m looking forward to discovering more of Guam with him again. In November I head back to Korea for two work trips, so I’m sure I’ll have more fun to share then. Hopefully, I’ll do a better job of writing while it’s happening versus too many days/events later.

Until then Sayonara (さようなら) and Adios estaki manali’e’ hit ta’lo (lol if google is to be trusted with Chamorro).

Ahhhh it’s a cloudy, windy day in Guam, and I am loving some quiet coffee time. I’ve been on the go. Late March I flew home to meet my adorable granddaughter Isla, and to play with my rambunctious grandson Torin (oh how I love our time together), then I came home for a busy week of work, and then I was off to Korea for a week to watch student journalists in action (they never cease to amaze me).

Aren’t they just the cutest little monsters! I loved time with my own monsters too, but I’ll share more when I visit this summer.

Work has brought me to South Korea three times this year, and it’s about time I dedicated a post to it. I’ve been four times — once as a bona fide tourist and the other three as a work tourist — and I can only write about the areas surrounding Seoul.

It cracks me up that the country is called the land of morning calm because Seoul is anything but … the hustle and bustle and wtf of the big city and its nearby neighborhoods has its own vibe and quirk, none of it would be included in a how-to manual of calm the eff down. It does have its beauty. One of these days I need to include a day trip to the countryside of South Korea, so that I could experience more of its mountains and, possibly, clean air.

I love Seoul; I have a great time and see something new every time I go, but I could not live there. That air quality is something else. On two of my trips the air quality index was above 300, which was not pleasant. It made me dizzy and I had a metallic taste in my mouth; the air has a sepia filter. It’s such a shame because Seoul and its surrounding areas have so much to offer.

First off there’s the idiosyncrasy that is Korea’s flavor of Asia. LOL OMG there are so many Only in Seoul moments — and the love of K-pop and weird cartoons is real! Most of my fun pictures include friends I haven’t asked if I could show off, so the pics below don’t show the fun we had visiting a Selfie studio, the touristy but funny Nanta show, or the weird space lift off to the top of Seoul tower. And then there’s the shopping! So much shopping — ladies, you just can’t leave without a stack of facial masks and a purse.

There’s also the food — oh my tastebuds the food! I’m lucky that Guam has so many Korean tourists and expats, which means we have lots of Korean food on island. I love me some Seoul food! Korean BBQ is always a fun experience, and the fried chicken is top notch, but please do try the stuff you can’t pronounce. Its winters are cold, so there are a lot of yummy, comforting soups and stews. lol and if it’s red it’s spicy. It’s all good because a big, cold bottle of Cass or some shots of soju will take care of the sting.

My last night on my most recent trip was spent with friends in an Air B and B in the Yongson area, which is close to where I was for work. We most definitely were the only Americans in a very Korean part of the city, and I loved every minute of it. At first glance our apartment was, um, not up to my I-can-now-afford-luxury standards, but it was clean and in the heart of local. It was tiny — with a bathroom you could pee, shower and do the laundry all at once, and a one-burner stove, but it had access (through a maze of treacherous stairs) to an amazing view. The people we met on the street were curious (because three loud blondes isn’t their norm) but all friendly and welcoming. I don’t know how pedestrians and cars survive the area because there is a lot going on in very narrow spaces.

For the most part it’s an easy city to navigate IF you bought a local SIM card and have the Korean navigation app (I didn’t use it since I just followed my friends) and google translate at the ready. The train system is great. Most cab drivers do not speak English, so you definitely want to have your addresses in Korean, but communicating with body language, broken words and your phone is always part of the fun of exploring a world so different from your own.

Kamsahamnida (you have to sing song it) Korea for always showing me a good time. I don’t know when my next work trip is, but I’ll be sure to leave lots of room in my suitcase and add a few extra days to experience the morning calm part of your world.