Tiffany, I usually talk to my mom in the mornings. Which makes it about 5 or 6 pm her time. Or I call people later in the evenings say 10 pm and it is morning there. I think we are like 16 hrs ahead of my hometown. It is a big adjustment. I find my self calling my mom after lunch and no one answers. Then I remember it is like 2 am there....lol
You can buy Girl Scout cookies on Island. My daughter will start selling them after Halloween. You can send regular cookies they hold up fine. You can also send chocolate as long as you send it priority mail it will be fine. It is not *that* hot in Guam about 85 degrees. If you don't send stuff priority mail that is where you run into the problem. Parcel post comes in on a bot and takes weeks to get here. Priority mail takes 3-5 days.
It is super humid right now because it is the rainy season. Coming from FL/GA area we are used to heat and it is actually cooler here in Guam, which I thought was strange. I don't even have to use my air conditioner half the time. I know the Girls scouts will be selling at the commissary and a couple other places around the island. I had to check the weather channel it is 86 degrees with a nice 13mph breeze blowing through.
Has he looked at the commissary. I have saw smoked salmon before. I don't know anything about salmon but I googled and it said depending on how it is packaged it may not need to be refrigerated.
From the states you can go with 5 day guaranteed shipping (which will arrive in 6 days and you can get your money back) with a foam cooler packed with dry ice and if you get it good and cold before you pack it then there will be no problem with it keeping or getting here. However, don't send it to the Ship, send it to a real address at someone's house or it will add another week to the arrival date.
You can preorder them from any Girl Scout. If anyone wants more info message me and I will get back to you asap.
As far as when to ship presents. This will be our first Christmas here everyone keeps telling us to let the grandparents know to send them ASAP. I guess last year there was some fiasco where people were not getting things till February. I am asking people to please ship things out before thanksgiving if they want the kids to have them on Christmas.
David and Kathi there are car dealerships here as well as lots of used vehicles around. My husband was able to find an old sentra for $1400 to use as his car while we are here.. It runs but needs a little work here and there. As far as shipping a pov after he has been here as long as his orders say he can ship one, it does not matter when it is shipped. The only issues I would see is that Guam charges a 4% tax in addition to some other random fees if you bring a car within 90 days of purchase.
Hi David & Kathi- I wish I had the answer for you. That is a good question for the PCSing/ Moving Group on here. If they don't know, then look for Anti M- she knows everything!
Becky- I have met your son's family here- at our doggie park and they are good buddies to my next door neighbor (her hubby is MSRON 7 too) and they are always very nice and happy when I see them.
Hi, luvinmatt where did you find your car? We are in the market for a second used car or scooter. Are you and your husband good with fixer uppers? My DH is reluctant to get another one because the one we have has issues he can't diagnose. lol!
We got it from a guy off craigslist. He owns a bar over by the GPO. I can get his number from Matt if you want. Him and his son fix up cars and sell them. We have not had any major issues yet. Matt had to fix a drum brake and is working on fixing some of the rust issues. It is a boonie car in every way...lol But it runs and that is all that matters. We did not want to spend a bunch of money on something we were going to get rid of in a few years anyway. Ohh and he is not a very mechanical person but between him and myself we can diagnose pretty much anything... We got a hold of one of the factory service manuals as well and that helps a lot.
Public service announcement for those who are moving here. If you have a 2nd car in the states bite the bullet and pay to ship it. We sold Matt's 2 year old car before we left and totally regret it. After the cost of a rental car for a month + buying a used car here and the $$ we lost on the car when we sold it. We would have gotten out cheaper by shipping the other car instead of selling it.
Hi Gerry- Yes, I agree the sailors are not chatty and informative enough with family back home. I beg my husband to call his mom and brothers. And then he doesn't talk much! So frustrating! He doesn't even respond on facebook! Just keep sending your love and reaching out and he will come around.
Becky- So far Guam has been great. The hardest part was really getting work. And now that I am working, which I am grateful for, it is trying to fit in with the cultural difference. I don't care about that stuff so the tension took me by surprise. I just continue to smile at everyone and work hard. The women don't even like that I try to eat healthy because food is so important to them. We have a huge potluck fiesta every Friday. A food cart recently started to show up and I cannot get out of my cubicle because the employees stop work to wait in line! And cake and ice cream for every birthday.
Base life is great surprisingly. The neighbors are very nice and mostly dog lovers. There is a new dog park and I am really happy/ impressed with the brand new supersized gym. It has every piece of equipment I can think of plus the pool will be open by Thanksgiving. I know. Sounds weird to think of swimming around the holidays.
Oh and everything on island is already decorated for CHRISTMAS! All the malls are decked out with over the top trees, wreaths, etc. since the day after Halloween! I am used to setting up after Thanks Giving. Where I work there is a huge tree in every department!
Hi Becky! My husband and I live next door to your son and DIL's friends Melissa & Jeff. She has a Chow/German Shep pup (with a purple tongue) and her hubby is also MSRON7. So we see your kids around a bunch, between her place (she babysits at times) and the doggy park. I actually met them one night when our neighbors had a BBQ and I had come outside to walk my pup and they came out to the front yard to say hi and play with him. And their dog (-is it Dexter or Pepper??? I get the two pits in the area confused) sees "something" in my dog Kilo and follows him closely whenever they are near each other! Actually- they would be more likely to remember Kilo - lol! Because our dog is an unusually curly black and brown fur ball that people find kind of funny for a Guam boonie dog.
Giselle- Sounds like Steven is doing a wonderful job here! How much longer will he be on island?
Andrea like David and Kathi said unless he wants to be declared unfit for duty he is going to have to deal with it. Has he started getting off base yet? There are SO many activities for the single sailors that are free or cheap. About the job thing that is pretty normal. My husband went to school for almost 2 years to do his job and got stuck on kitchen duty for the 1st 6 months after he arrived at his duty station. The point of giving you a crap job is to build character. Now 7 years later he is at a new command and they are doing the same thing, he is not stuck in the kitchen this time, but he is also not doing his job. The stuff they have him doing right now is boring and not the best use of his skills, but that is the nature of the navy. Guam is really not that bad of a place to live, If he has not got off base much and found some stuff to do I HIGHLY suggest it.
They have groups of Sailors get together at someones house and have Pot Luck Thanksgiving dinner. My daughter and son-n-law have been invited to a few of the Thanksgiving dinners. I hope everyone here has a great and safe Thanksgiving.
My daughter called me last night - 10 pm Chicago time - just to be the first to wish me "Happy Thanksgiving". Since it was mid-afternoon in Guam, they had already been to one friend's house and had 2 more to go to - three potluck Thanksgiving dinners in one day!
I hope ya'll have a great Christmas and a safe New Year. Is anybody's Sailor comming home this year? Oh I have some great news: My daughter got married in June. Then a month later she found out they are having a baby. Yes-Mike and I are going to be grandparents first time. She(yes-it's a girl) is due on March 27th.
Hi everyone Merry Christmas. I heard from Jacob the other day and I think he is home sick. He sounds really depressed. He don't know many people over in Guam and I feel so bad that I can't be there. He got a car off someone who just left and because of bad tires he messed up his car a little bit now among other things I am feeling so bad I can't be there. He is 21 and This is his 1st Christmas away from home and I just hope he will get through this holiday season.
Kumi, you should tell him to check in to space a flights they are free. If your son has been here at least six months he can get EML paperwork from his command, so that he will get bumped up to category one. They wont guarantee you flights out but most people I know dont have any issues if they are flying with the EML paperwork.
That is very funny (chew!) but I will relay it to my son. It must be a guy thing - I can hardly get information from Mike either! Do you know what cell phone provider does your son uses. I was told by our provider (Verizon) to canx his service when he left because they do not have coverage in Guam.
IConnect has cell phone service where you can add unlimited calling to the US for 10 bucks a month. It is by far the cheapest I have found on island for calling unlimited to the US. The phones suck but it gets the job done. Usually calling to Guam is not included in your nationwide long distance minutes. but it is pretty cheap tmobile was charging .10 cent a minute or so. My mom cell company wont let her call my numbers at all.
A word about contract on cell phones here, they SUCK!!!! Iconnect does not have a regular 200 early termination fee. To terminate your service you have to pay whatever your bill is times the amount of months left. So be VERY sure who you want to go with before picking your service provider.
Luv & Gerry..Thanks for the cell phone info. Marlese, my daughter uses Skype to talk to a friend in Germany and the connection is very good. We plan to use skype to keep in touch with our son when he gets to Guam
We use video skype to talk to family as well. My mom is not computer savvy though so she only skypes if she is at my brothers house. The connection is fine. We are looking into google voice but for some reason it wont work on my new phone, I have not tried it on the computer yet. There are lots of ways out there to call for free or super cheap but some times it can be a pain trying to coordinate everything. Having the cell is just easier. I am always talking to my mom while she is on the go.
Hey Guam Moms!!! I hope ya'll had a great Christmas. We skyped and saw my daughter and son-n-law have Christmas. They are due to have their first baby March the 27th. My mom is flying me over there. I am so excited.
hi, Im not a mom, Im just a sister. Our mom passed away before Jason joined the Navy. I'm a very proud Navy Sister. I got a letter from his CO in the mail last fall commending him.
however, my question is, does any one know if the USS Buffalo is docked? My brother and I haven't heard a peep out of Jason since before Thanksgiving. Its just the 3 of us now, since Daddy passed away Dec 2009. And I am a natural worry wart who has gotten worse in the last 13 months.
yeah, i realized that after i posted this!! and FYI, he called my other brother this morning and left a message! little s*it! i know i shouldn't freak out so, but i can't help it. but thank you for your help Marlese!
@ Gerry and the other family members. I would just like to say, call, call, call, text, email, and call some more...lol they will get back to you. My husbands parents very rarely make the effort to contact my husband and then they get upset because he is not calling them. He won't ever call them unless I badger him into it. He feels if they were really interested they would make some kind of effort.. any way just keep showing interest and making that effort and eventually your guys will get it and pick up the phone when they have a minute.
wow, I guess people are different. I would never feel like my mom was stalkerish or annoying for calling and checking in frequently. She does call me or message me everyday. When were in the states she called me multiple times a day. I am glad she shows interest in where we are and what we are doing. I think that is kinda crappy they would only message or call back when they need something...eek! :( That would make my mom extremely sad.
FRG's are very hit or miss. I generally don't even bother with them. They are really just there to put out info and have an occasional get together. We usually don't participate unless it is a kid related event. I have had better luck going online and participating on messages boards like these and finding people through them to talk to.
I hope I am not coming off like you should be calling 4 or 5 times a day. That would definitely be excessive but trying to call 2-3 times a week is not excessive, stalkerish, or annoying. It really kind makes me sad that someone would think that way about their parents. My mom is also not holding on to us or invading our lives in anyway. We had a really awful relationship before I got married and moved away. Moving away has definitely built our relationship up and since we have kids she wants to make sure they know her and see her face regularly so it is not awkward when she visits. My kids freak out everytime they have too see the inlaws because they don't know who they are :( IDK ladies good luck with your communication endeavors. Hopefully, your boys will keep in regualr contact without much prodding.
Thanks Gerry, My mom and I have been through a lot and I am so glad that we could work through all of it and get to the place where we are now. I am VERY thankful for the relationship we have now. Be safe in the snow. Here in Guam it is warm as always. Time for me to head to bed now. It is getting late.
@ Becky, no worries! I did not take offense to anything that was said in here.
The only thing that did bother me was that any child would consider their parents a stalker or annoying for calling and checking in. It just kinda made me sad that that would even be a worry for some people.
I understand about not knowing when to call. It took a couple months for us to figure is all out. Between my free calling to the US and Skype it has all worked out.
My son just received orders last Fri. for Guam. He is currently in "A" school @ GL for Corpsman & will be finishing up in early March. Not sure yet when he has to report to Guam. Although I am greatly relieved that he won't be going to the "sandbox", I'm a bit anxious about him being so far away. We are from Northern New York, near the Canadian border & it is a least a 22 hr flight to Guam. Any information and or suggestions to help both of us adjust to this next phase of "Navy Life" would be greatly appreciated.
rsv227 tell him to bring lots of summer clothes and tell him not to be afraid to come off base. The majority of people are awesome. Skype and an unlimited calling plan are your best friends. And always ship priority mail lol.
Marlese~~where are you from? Your weather sounds very much like what we've been having here. Yesterday morning it was -20 & today it's 38 & raining.
My son is very excited about being stationed in Guam. That was one of the things that appealed to him about joining the Navy, was having the experience to travel. We've been to Florida, Texas, & No.Carolina several times on vacation & he loves to travel. I am the one who will be having the "separation anxiety". My son is the oldest of my 2 children. He graduated high school in June, turned 18 in July, & left for boot camp in Aug. So to me, he is still my little boy. Fortunately, he is quite mature for his age, has had a job or 2 since he was14, & is very responsible. I know he will be fine & that he will be outgoing & take advantage of his free time & explore the island. Thank you all for the info & encouragement. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.
Marlese who is your son insured with? He needs to keep the insurance on the motorcycle in case something happens to it during shipping. Also insurance on Guam is not like in the states. They have very few companies that offer it here and it is very expensive. We decided to keep our USAA insurance coming here. the coverage is great and decently priced.
I would check with your insurance company. We were told we needed to keep our insurance. The insurance the shipping comapny has is not as good as your vehicles coverage. Say the ship sank or caught fire. Yes the shippers insurance would pay for the vehicle but your personal insurance would pick up the amount for a rental car. What is the likely hood of something like that happening, no clue. But that is the example they gave me lol
In addition to all that if he plans to get a rental car while he is here keeping your own coverage is cheaper than buying the rental car places insurance. We actually ended up having an accident in the rental. Go figure my husbands first accident ever was in a rental. I thank god we had our insurance or we would have been in big trouble.
Marlese~~Where in Western NY are you from? We have a lot of friends & family in the Rochester area. Cape Vincent is about 1 1/2 hrs. north of Syracuse, 20 mins from Watertown & about a 1/2 hr from Fort Drum. We are actually right on the St Lawrence River on the Canadian border. What is your son's job in the Navy? My son is a Corpsman.
I am having a really hard time w/this whole Guam thing. As relieved as I was when I found out that my son wouldn't be going to the "sand-box", I thought that I'd be ok w/ him being stationed anywhere. Guess, I'm not. The thought of not seeing him for possibly 2yrs is killing me. Realistically, I know that I won't be traveling to Guam @ the cost of over $3,000 per ticket. Thank God we'll be able to Skype!! Then he told me last night that he only gets 5 days of leave after A school graduation & is not sure if he'll even be able to come home before he goes. That hit me hard!!
Does anyone have any info. on cell phones & texting? We have Verizon & I have not checked w/them yet. I can't imagine that we'll still be able to text for free.
Great, now that I've gotten myself really depressed....guess I'll go see if I can find any chocolate!!
Thank you everyone for all of the advice & information! I'm trying to find out everything I can so I can pass it along to my Sailor, hoping that it makes his move to Guam a little easier. I guess we never stop being Mom's. I'm so glad that is still young & single! I couldn"t imagine him having a wife & children & all of them being over there.
How expensive is it to have a vehicle shipped over there? And does the Navy help out w/ any of the expenses in doing so? My son has a car but said he might just buy one when he gets there.
Marlese~~my thoughts & prayers will be w/you on Mon. I wish your son the best of luck & hope that he has a safe trip. We all will certainly be here for you. I know I'm going to need the support when my son goes.
Thanks to everyone for all the info. about shipping vehicals. I'll pass it on to my son. Hope every one is staying warm, we have -4 & it's 2;30 in the aternoon!
luvinmatt
Oct 4, 2010
luvinmatt
Oct 15, 2010
luvinmatt
Oct 15, 2010
luvinmatt
Oct 16, 2010
LivNLrn
Oct 16, 2010
luvinmatt
Oct 17, 2010
EMC (SS)
Oct 25, 2010
luvinmatt
Nov 9, 2010
luvinmatt
As far as when to ship presents. This will be our first Christmas here everyone keeps telling us to let the grandparents know to send them ASAP. I guess last year there was some fiasco where people were not getting things till February. I am asking people to please ship things out before thanksgiving if they want the kids to have them on Christmas.
Nov 9, 2010
luvinmatt
Nov 10, 2010
LivNLrn
Becky- I have met your son's family here- at our doggie park and they are good buddies to my next door neighbor (her hubby is MSRON 7 too) and they are always very nice and happy when I see them.
Nov 10, 2010
LivNLrn
Nov 10, 2010
luvinmatt
Public service announcement for those who are moving here. If you have a 2nd car in the states bite the bullet and pay to ship it. We sold Matt's 2 year old car before we left and totally regret it. After the cost of a rental car for a month + buying a used car here and the $$ we lost on the car when we sold it. We would have gotten out cheaper by shipping the other car instead of selling it.
Nov 10, 2010
LivNLrn
Becky- So far Guam has been great. The hardest part was really getting work. And now that I am working, which I am grateful for, it is trying to fit in with the cultural difference. I don't care about that stuff so the tension took me by surprise. I just continue to smile at everyone and work hard. The women don't even like that I try to eat healthy because food is so important to them. We have a huge potluck fiesta every Friday. A food cart recently started to show up and I cannot get out of my cubicle because the employees stop work to wait in line! And cake and ice cream for every birthday.
Base life is great surprisingly. The neighbors are very nice and mostly dog lovers. There is a new dog park and I am really happy/ impressed with the brand new supersized gym. It has every piece of equipment I can think of plus the pool will be open by Thanksgiving. I know. Sounds weird to think of swimming around the holidays.
Oh and everything on island is already decorated for CHRISTMAS! All the malls are decked out with over the top trees, wreaths, etc. since the day after Halloween! I am used to setting up after Thanks Giving. Where I work there is a huge tree in every department!
Nov 11, 2010
LivNLrn
Nov 11, 2010
LivNLrn
Nov 12, 2010
LivNLrn
Giselle- Sounds like Steven is doing a wonderful job here! How much longer will he be on island?
Gerry- That is a funny story!
Nov 13, 2010
Pat
Nov 17, 2010
luvinmatt
Nov 18, 2010
luvinmatt
Nov 24, 2010
Irene McClure
Nov 24, 2010
Tramama
Nov 25, 2010
Irene McClure
I hope ya'll have a great Christmas and a safe New Year. Is anybody's Sailor comming home this year? Oh I have some great news: My daughter got married in June. Then a month later she found out they are having a baby. Yes-Mike and I are going to be grandparents first time. She(yes-it's a girl) is due on March 27th.
Dec 15, 2010
Lois in OK
Hi everyone Merry Christmas. I heard from Jacob the other day and I think he is home sick. He sounds really depressed. He don't know many people over in Guam and I feel so bad that I can't be there. He got a car off someone who just left and because of bad tires he messed up his car a little bit now among other things I am feeling so bad I can't be there. He is 21 and This is his 1st Christmas away from home and I just hope he will get through this holiday season.
Dec 25, 2010
luvinmatt
Dec 25, 2010
IndianaMom
Dec 27, 2010
IndianaMom
Dec 29, 2010
IndianaMom
Dec 29, 2010
luvinmatt
Dec 29, 2010
luvinmatt
Dec 29, 2010
IndianaMom
Dec 29, 2010
luvinmatt
Dec 30, 2010
Irene McClure
Dec 31, 2010
vernie1128
hi, Im not a mom, Im just a sister. Our mom passed away before Jason joined the Navy. I'm a very proud Navy Sister. I got a letter from his CO in the mail last fall commending him.
however, my question is, does any one know if the USS Buffalo is docked? My brother and I haven't heard a peep out of Jason since before Thanksgiving. Its just the 3 of us now, since Daddy passed away Dec 2009. And I am a natural worry wart who has gotten worse in the last 13 months.
Jan 5, 2011
vernie1128
Jan 5, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 6, 2011
luvinmatt
wow, I guess people are different. I would never feel like my mom was stalkerish or annoying for calling and checking in frequently. She does call me or message me everyday. When were in the states she called me multiple times a day. I am glad she shows interest in where we are and what we are doing. I think that is kinda crappy they would only message or call back when they need something...eek! :( That would make my mom extremely sad.
FRG's are very hit or miss. I generally don't even bother with them. They are really just there to put out info and have an occasional get together. We usually don't participate unless it is a kid related event. I have had better luck going online and participating on messages boards like these and finding people through them to talk to.
Jan 6, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 6, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 7, 2011
luvinmatt
@ Becky, no worries! I did not take offense to anything that was said in here.
The only thing that did bother me was that any child would consider their parents a stalker or annoying for calling and checking in. It just kinda made me sad that that would even be a worry for some people.
I understand about not knowing when to call. It took a couple months for us to figure is all out. Between my free calling to the US and Skype it has all worked out.
Jan 7, 2011
rsv227-Devin's Mom
Jan 17, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 18, 2011
rsv227-Devin's Mom
Marlese~~where are you from? Your weather sounds very much like what we've been having here. Yesterday morning it was -20 & today it's 38 & raining.
My son is very excited about being stationed in Guam. That was one of the things that appealed to him about joining the Navy, was having the experience to travel. We've been to Florida, Texas, & No.Carolina several times on vacation & he loves to travel. I am the one who will be having the "separation anxiety". My son is the oldest of my 2 children. He graduated high school in June, turned 18 in July, & left for boot camp in Aug. So to me, he is still my little boy. Fortunately, he is quite mature for his age, has had a job or 2 since he was14, & is very responsible. I know he will be fine & that he will be outgoing & take advantage of his free time & explore the island. Thank you all for the info & encouragement. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.
Jan 18, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 18, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 19, 2011
luvinmatt
You cant edit posts in here?? Ah well
In addition to all that if he plans to get a rental car while he is here keeping your own coverage is cheaper than buying the rental car places insurance. We actually ended up having an accident in the rental. Go figure my husbands first accident ever was in a rental. I thank god we had our insurance or we would have been in big trouble.
Jan 19, 2011
rsv227-Devin's Mom
Marlese~~Where in Western NY are you from? We have a lot of friends & family in the Rochester area. Cape Vincent is about 1 1/2 hrs. north of Syracuse, 20 mins from Watertown & about a 1/2 hr from Fort Drum. We are actually right on the St Lawrence River on the Canadian border. What is your son's job in the Navy? My son is a Corpsman.
I am having a really hard time w/this whole Guam thing. As relieved as I was when I found out that my son wouldn't be going to the "sand-box", I thought that I'd be ok w/ him being stationed anywhere. Guess, I'm not. The thought of not seeing him for possibly 2yrs is killing me. Realistically, I know that I won't be traveling to Guam @ the cost of over $3,000 per ticket. Thank God we'll be able to Skype!! Then he told me last night that he only gets 5 days of leave after A school graduation & is not sure if he'll even be able to come home before he goes. That hit me hard!!
Does anyone have any info. on cell phones & texting? We have Verizon & I have not checked w/them yet. I can't imagine that we'll still be able to text for free.
Great, now that I've gotten myself really depressed....guess I'll go see if I can find any chocolate!!
Jan 20, 2011
rsv227-Devin's Mom
Thank you everyone for all of the advice & information! I'm trying to find out everything I can so I can pass it along to my Sailor, hoping that it makes his move to Guam a little easier. I guess we never stop being Mom's. I'm so glad that is still young & single! I couldn"t imagine him having a wife & children & all of them being over there.
How expensive is it to have a vehicle shipped over there? And does the Navy help out w/ any of the expenses in doing so? My son has a car but said he might just buy one when he gets there.
Marlese~~my thoughts & prayers will be w/you on Mon. I wish your son the best of luck & hope that he has a safe trip. We all will certainly be here for you. I know I'm going to need the support when my son goes.
Jan 21, 2011
luvinmatt
Jan 21, 2011
rsv227-Devin's Mom
Jan 23, 2011