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1. There are 2 kinds of weather in Guam, hot
or rainy. Get some good sunblock protection and umbrella.
2. Humidity is really high here, so scrap away all the
long sleeve clothes and make sure you have an ice cold airconditioner working in your car and home.
3. Buy florally
printed clothing to blend in quickly.
4. Get used to wearing slippers even if you've never exposed your feet
in public.
5. Tropical showers normally last from one stoplight to the next.
6. SUV's are the
preferred cars of locals because of the many potholes you'll encounter on the road and streets that might not be paved.
7. There's too much hype about snakes everywhere, there are greater chances of you running over a boonie dog
or cat on the road than ever seeing a snake.
8. A "Guam Bomb" is not a World War II historical relic.
It's a car that is usually under $2000 advertised along Marine Drive and survived by jumper cables. This type of vehicle
is most commonly known as the "Boonie Car".
9. Get used to major road detours with all
the infrastructure being done.
10. Everyone
is at the mall after a typhoon to get free air conditioning.
12. Always have batteries, flashlights, candles, and other power outage necessities in stock to avoid the
long lines at stores during typhoon condition warnings. You won't regret this purchase.
13. Guam time,
means you'll be arriving somewhere 2 hours late for a function, party, date, or anything.
14. Remember to
pronounce the "Y" like "J" when referring to villages like Yigo (pronounced jeego) or Yona (pronounced
joan-ya). This will save you lots of embarassment.
15. Good luck on getting around with the island map. Just drive
up and down Marine Drive all day and you'll be an expert. Remember North goes to Anderson Air Force Base(Yigo) and south
goes to Naval Station(Agat).
16. Never ask a local where how do you get to Route 1, 16, 4, etc, most of us don't
use this method. Most directions are given by landmarks, such as: Take a left turn at the stoplight, pass the bus stop, make
a right, first trash can take a left and it's by the second street pole.
17. The speed limit average is 35
mph, but everybody seems to drive 55 mph.
18. Trolley buses are fun to ride and take you to all the
major shopping stores.
19. Get used to lots of military buildup.
20. Don't forget to go to Chamorro Village Wednesday evening for great local food.
21.
Don't think you're the only "foreign" person here, you'll realize that Guam is a huge melting pot. Local
people are really friendly and you'll get invited to lots of parties.
22. You will love chicken kelaguen
and finadene and learn to make it when you leave.
23. Rice is just a staple, morning, lunch and dinner.
24. If you have a military ID, your local friends will ask you to do their grocery shopping.
If you've
got anything else you'd like to add to this list, email me!
(Areas shaded in purple belong to the United States Government)
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