A SNAPSHOT OF GUAM, U.S.A. Part 1

The island of Guam is the farthest Western land mass of the United States. It is “where America’s day begins” because it’s past the international date line, making it 14 hours ahead of the continental United States. Guam is located in the North Western Pacific Ocean, approximately 3,945 miles West of Hawaii, 1,541 miles East of the Philippines (3-hour flight), 1,624 miles South of Japan (4-hour flight), and 2,765 miles North of Australia; Guam is an important commercial gateway to Asia and the Pacific. Guam's total area is approximately 210-212 square miles (544-549 square kilometers), making it the largest island in Micronesia, about the size of Chicago or three times larger than Washington D.C.. It's roughly 30 miles long and 9 miles wide, with varied terrain from northern flatlands to southern hills. Guam is the largest and most southern island belonging to the Mariana Islands chain. (The deepest part of the ocean, Mariana’s Trench, is located nearby) These islands are part of a widely spanning region of mostly very small islands, collectively referred to as "Micronesia." Located towards the western end of Micronesia, Guam is fairly close to Asia. Guam is most known for its huge part in the War In The Pacific battle during WWII. Today its significance is its strategic U.S.military location and tourism. I was born there in 1982 for neither reason. In the 70’s my father worked in Orange County as a district manager for Denny’s restaurants and was promoted to open two Denny’s restaurants on Guam in 1981. After a few years, his business ventures took us 14 years around south-east Asia until eventually moving back to Guam. In 2000 I graduated high school and moved to San Diego for college, but my parents remained on-island. I just recently returned from a month-long visit to my island paradise–and what an enchanting and restful visit it was! The island is small and intimate and life moves at a much slower pace, known as “island time”.