Off to Guam

It just dawned on me this morning when I woke up that I would be leaving for Guam tomorrow. I actually thought I had one more day. The excitement hasn't begun yet. Maybe it's because I don't know much about Guam so I don't know what to expect. All I know is that it is a US territory and it's near Saipan (another place I don't know about) where one of my friends came from.

Some pictures I took from Google:

So that's where Guam is!Looks just like one of ours don't you think?

And a little info I got from Wikipedia:

Guam is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agana). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands.

The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous people, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago.The island has a long history of European colonialism beginning on March 6, 1521 with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan and again in 1668, when the first Spanish colony was established following the arrival of settlers including Padre San Vitores, a Catholic missionary. The island was controlled by Spain until 1898, when it was surrendered to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris following Spanish American War.

As the largest island in Micronesia and the only American-held island in the region before World War II, Guam was captured by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was occupied for two and a half years.

During the occupation, the people of Guam suffered terrible atrocities[citation needed], including torture, beheadings, and rape, and were forced to adopt the Japanese culture, including the change of the island’s name to Ō-miya Jima or Great Shrine Island. Guam was subject to fierce fighting when American troops recaptured the island on July 21, 1944, a date commemorated every year as Liberation Day, in a celebration that lasts all month[citation needed]. Today Guam's economy is supported by its number one industry, tourism, which is primarily comprised of visitors from Japan. Guam’s second largest source of income is the United States military.

Some additional info:
- they speak English and Chamorro
- Ethnic groups: 37.1% Chamorro, 26.3% Filipino, 11.3% Pacific, 6.9% white, 6.3% other Asian, 2.3% other, 9.8% Mixed


I'm happy and lucky that I'll be going on vacation coz God know's I've been wanting/needing/asking for one. But I was hoping it would be somewhere cold. Oh well, we can't have it all now can we? Beggars can't be choosers ;)

Now time to finish that midterm project and pack ASAP~!!!
I will resume blogging when I get back. Won't be back 'til Monday evening. That's November 2, 2009. So don't expect any updates till then. Have a nice long weekend guys!
:)