Update on the Saipan Rumptz house

We are in Saipan and it is nice but I do not know how long I want to live in any one place anymore. I like my life of travel and the kids seem to enjoy it if we do not move to much too often. Granted we have just moved to the new apartment complex and living on Saipan is nice once again! We had lived at a very small place for most of the last 4 years. The resent was $375 and we had an AMAZING view from our place. Also we were right next to the ocean so we had a constant ocean breeze through the house. But as the rent was low our neighbors were far from the most concerned about their children and it became a VERY bad influence on Andrew. He came home hurt a few too many times doing too many stupid things to be "cool" and it was time to move. Oddly he had no problems moving and the new apartment complex has two families with kids around his age. The kids of one family are (sometimes not so sensible) home schooled Christians (white parents to mixed like my kids) and they all get along great. In fact I think my kids are the more well adjusted of the lot. We also have another set of white kids (I am not hating on my race I'm just telling it like it is) who are a bit spastic but they are good around our kids. All in all it is a nice place. It has a huge yard, I am talking a 5 acre yard, and the kids are having a blast. Andrew, and Ashley next year, goes to the local public school and is doing well in his grades and on his national test. Ashley went to a private kindergarten that was good but way to religious for my taste, they subjugated science for religion. But she did learn a lot about phonics and writing. So the kids have it good. The problem is that there is no way in heck I am sending Andrew to the local Jr. High (that would be in Fall of 2008) it is nicknamed Hopeless (by the kids and teachers)~ and teachers who work there tell me not to send my child there! So it is tempting to move off island after next year.And here is that bit....

As you know I just applied for a PhD in Special Ed. The only problem is that the program is at the University of Hawaii. But it is for a scholarship that pays for the entire program and pays for housing too. But I have not lookied into any other PhD program and am not sure that I would do a PhD in even if it were free. I mean I am not sure I want a PhD but if I did go for one do I really wnat to do it in Special Education? So itr is truly up in the air. Too bad I will have to put it off until the next year (Fall of 2008) as Tita's grad school (her MA) and her citizenship- we have to wait until she gets sworn in.I am hoping two things first that I get into the program and second that they let me put it off for a year...I did mention that I forced Tita into a MA in Education ? Yeah it is a program where the professors come out for a week or two and do the entire class in that time it is crazy for her but she gets done and does not have to move. It is not that hard and I am doing a lot of research to help her out. I do a lot of research for the classes i teach so I just help her out the best I can.

Well like I said I have the travel bug so it would be nice to move in about a year but I really do not like Hawaii, well Oahu anymore. Oahu is not as nice as people say. It is way to touristy and boring for me. I hate Waikiki and the rest of that Pearl Harbor area. The rest of the island is pretty lame as well. After living in some real island nations I have to say I would not want to live there. But I hear that the PhD program sends you to live on the smaller islands to help train the teachers in Special Education teaching methods. If that is the case it might be cool. Who knows. I might just say toss it all and go to Africa or China.

But sadly I doubt we can afford to leave Saipan. We have it good hear you can live middle on a teachers salary- I know unheard of in the mainland. Heck with Tita and I teaching we can live at the upper middle class. So I do not know if we will be leaving island anytime soon. But things are changing here - federal takeover seems imminent - the federal government just raised the minimum wage - everyone is scared that the economy which has been in the doldrums for years is going to collapse when the minimum wage increases - it is currently $3.05/hour. And then we worry that the federal government is going to get rid of all these overseas contract workers- basically dirt cheap labor. SO it is a big toss up as to what will happen in the next few ears for us if we can ride out the storm we might stay here - the pay is good. But part of me would like to see more of the world. I mean live in other parts of the world. It might have to wait until the kids are done with college. Then I Can afford to have a job that does not pay well. Right now I think of Andrew and Ashley's college education.



I am SO bad I have classes to prepare for - lots of them- and here I babel on and on

Rumptz