If you had asked me back in early 2003 where Saipan was, I couldn't even tell you. Growing up in Texas, the only "beach" I saw was the murky waters of Galveston Island. After graduating from grad school I started working in the mental health field, but quickly became disheartened by the mountains of paperwork instead of the emphasis on client/patient care. The more I saw it, the more I yearned for Adventure, Excitement, and Something Different.

It was these yearnings that brought me to Saipan. Today, 3 years after arriving here in January 2004, I can honestly say that Saipan is one of the BEST things that has EVER happened to me. Saipan gave me my career and ignited its passion, reminded me of my love for volleyball, brought me new and amazing co-workers and friends, and most importantly it introduced me to my beautiful wife. You see it was on this very island of Saipan that I met my wife two years ago.

In my job as a Behavior Specialist, I work with some of the best and most passionate professionals in the world. This group of dedicated professionals has inspired me to establish a website, www.beyondbehaviors.com, aimed specifically at the behavior/classroom management as well as the mental health and counseling/crisis needs of our school staff and students here in the Northern Mariana Islands.

BeyondBehaviors.Com is a collection of behavior/classroom management strategies and counseling & crisis intervention skills. The site offers uniquely-designed forms, such as daily/weekly behavior tracking, behavior plans/contracts, functional behavior assessment, setting limits, avoiding power struggles, and effective teacher commands. In addition, the site also addresses counseling topics and skills, e.g. bullying prevention and child sexual abuse.

What's different about BeyondBehaviors.Com is that it combines researched-based, best-practices articles with daily/weekly blog updates of things related to behaviors and/or counseling and crisis intervention in the local or international community - from educational and classroom management issues to coverage of counseling accountability and ethics, and much more. Come check it out!

Beyond websites and sports, Saipan will always hold a special place in my heart because of the warmth of its people.

There's a song made famous by Tony Bennett called, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

But not me. No siree.

If you ask me, "I Left My Heart in Saipan" is the song that will always play near and dear to my heart. Where else in the world can you wear sandals to work, meet and work with great people, and play beach volleyball with professional players like Phil Dalhausser?

UPDATE: Steve met and married his lovely wife, Miwa, here on Saipan and has sailed off into the sunset to Texas, USA! Steve Nguyen, MA, CASA
www.BeyondBehaviors.com
Behavior Specialist, PSS Special Education
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Certified Instructor
Member, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress

I love Saipan because I recognize the value of all learning experiences, in whatever form. I appreciate Saipan because the island is working on my character. In Philadelphia, I participated in activities that were usually singular: bookstore, lecture series, coffee shops... I attended most events alone; I even ran long distance in the park - alone. That was my comfort zone. But here I am forced to be much more social, and more involved with the community. This has been a struggle for me - trust me on that one! I have made friends outside of my usual social circle.

My students, like my students in Philadelphia, are always interesting and unpredictable. They are sweet, refreshing, innocent and so silly. They try hard and I am very proud of them! So there you have it. Back home in church, the old folks (and not so old folks) used to say "God may not come when you need him, but he's always right on time." The same goes for Saipan. I am meant to be on Saipan at this time. The beauty, joy and mystery of life is to accept the challenge and learn the lesson!

www.lauralynnsweet.blogspot.com

I've had the privilege of serving the CNMI as a physician since 1993. I came initially as a consultant, and stayed. I worked for five years at the Commonwealth Health Center, and then in 1998 I opened Marianas Eye Institute. As the island's only ophthalmologist/eye surgeon, I've had the bounty of getting to know people and families from every facet of our community very closely. I love the warm-heartedness of the people, the cohesion of the community, the emphasis on relationships, and the tremendous diversity. There is so much humor to be found when cultures and languages touch.

The turquoise blue waters, the adventure and travel, the warm tropical breeze, the ability to be anything you want to be on this island, and the love from the community, all combine to make Saipan home for our family. We consider it a gift to be here.

Your experience of Saipan will have more to do with who you are, than with what Saipan is.

You can read about Saipan through my eyes at my blog, Marianas Eye, or find out how I ended up here by visiting Marianas Eye Institute. There is also a great overview of Saipan, what to expect, and how to make the move here (click on "Life on Saipan")

www.marianaseye.blogspot.com | www.marianaseye.com

Cinta and Gus Kaipat are a brother/sister team who make giving back to the community a part of their daily lives. Cinta and Gus were the driving force behind the inspiration and creation of Beautify CNMI! .... which provided the support and fertile ground for the growth of the We Love Saipan Network. They are also very involved in Library Friends, Marianas Islands Nature Alliance, Karidat, a local Catholic charitable organization, and the Flame Tree Festival, which is the largest art festival of its kind in Micronesia.

They are also documentary filmmakers. Their film, Lieweila: Children of the Navigators, is an award winning film about the struggle of the Carolinian people living in the CNMI during these times of drastic change. It chronicles the emigration of the Carolinian people from the Caroline Islands during the 1800's until the creation of the Commonwealth.

But ask Cinta, the first female Carolinian lawyer elected to public office, or Gus, a long time government employee, what they really do or what they really love about Saipan, and they'll answer in unison: Music!

Visit Gus' Voice of the Olomwaay and Cinta's The CNMI Blog to read about their stories of music, family, friends, food, and island life.

This is why I love Saipan. Not ten minutes from the worries of the day you can find peace. I think about all the people who have screen-savers of tropical island scenes and I'm suddenly grateful I have the real thing just outside my window.

The sun shines on life here, the wind can't carry away all cares, but it does a pretty good job at providing solace when you need it. When people say there are no opportunities here, I can only smile. I was born and raised on Saipan. I have had the great privilege of learning first hand how to care for others around you even when you have little yourself, give without seeking recognition in return and how to look for silver linings in the midst of typhoons of all sorts.

Boni Gomez sent us this photo of her daughter, Sommer, to accompany her 'Why I Love Saipan' testimonial. It's a spectacular shot. The ever-present ship in background, the sand on Sommer's hands, the cloud color, the coastline and that carefree look of her joy being in the moment. Boni shared the story behind it with me:
"[Sommer] was so happy just playing with the sand and exploring the beach she started twirling. I snapped away, and when I saw the shot, it took my breath away. I'm happy she's on the banner, it really is a testament of how her home makes her feel. Shouldn't we all feel that way about home?"

Visit Because I Said So!

As I was flying over the ocean to come to an unknown island in 1992, the clouds looked immensely stunning. Those puffy, edible tropical clouds that I was seeing for the first time in my life at the age of 10 have come to symbolize the beauty of Saipan for me. From my family's first home on Saipan I used to watch white birds flying in pairs as the sun rose over the Philippine Sea. The landscape over looking the ocean view on the west side of our apartment was the greenest I had ever seen. I have been in love with this island ever since. Over the years, I have met many people through sports and after school activities. They helped me keep my life on a straight path. I was young but was welcome among older athletes, many who would become my role models. While the island is beautiful, it is the community that makes this island so different from all the other places I have been in the world. I love Saipan because of her people.

Visit EJ's World at KoreanPartyGirl.blogspot.com for more on CNMI beach and indoor volleyball.

I love Saipan because,

I love to SCUBA dive and Saipan makes it easy! With distinctly different shore dives on all sides and not more than a twenty-minute drive North to South, this tiny island offers a variety of dive sites that are easily accessible year round. In fact on any given day I can pack up my gear, drive to the beach and submerge myself in the crystal clear water of the pacific in less time than it takes most people to go four blocks in bumper to bumper traffic. Oh - did I mention that after 4 1/2 years I've worn my wetsuit twice and have NEVER encountered a traffic jam!

It is true, I also love Saipan for the warm weather and because I don't have to wear socks! Shorts and T's will do fine all year round! Ok - I do wear socks but only when playing golf at one of the four world class courses available to residents for less than 40 bucks a round. Complete with cart and spectacular views you'll be hard pressed to find a better bargain anywhere else. Fortunately for this photographer and filmmaker the spectacular views are not limited to golf courses and the underwater world. In fact, they are at nearly every turn you make on this unique pacific isle making Saipan easy to Love.

For more on Saipan SCUBA diving check out Mike's DVD The Underwater World of Saipan at www.theunderwaterworldof.com and his Saipan SCUBA Blog at www.saipanscuba.blogspot.com

I came to Saipan four years ago on a scuba diving trip from Korea. I decided then to make Saipan my home. Since arriving as a single man, I have found my wife Cynthia, become a father to two boys, Alexander Clarence and Carl Robert, completed a Master's Degree, and have touched and been touched by the almost 1,000 high school seniors who passed through my doors. The things I love best about Saipan are the friendly people, the beautiful scenic locations, including the ocean view from my apartment, the clean air, the lack of traffic, the ability to scuba dive whenever the urge strikes and the unbelievable view of the stars at night. No place I've been has a sky like Saipan. Visit my blog at http://turbittj.blogspot.com

I came to Saipan 11 years ago from Michigan. I was tired of the cold Michigan winters, and a tropical island sounded very appealing to me. I fell in love with all the natural beauty the island had to offer immediately, from the year round flowering hibiscus flowers to the fragrant plumeria trees and flowers, to the thousands and thousands of coconut palms and the miles of magnificent coastline.

When we moved here, my children, Josh and Sarah were 11 and 9 years old, and it was a perfect age for them to embark on a new adventure. I believe that having them grow up here was one of the best things that could have ever happened to them. It taught them to look at the world from a global perspective, not just their small town in northern Michigan. It has given them opportunities they may not have had any other way, and exposed them to different people and cultures from all over the world. We were warned about the education system before we moved out here, but like so many other things, it seemed the information was tainted and not entirely true. If you oversee your kids education, they can get a great education on Saipan, and will do very well in college.

My real passion though lies under the water that surrounds this tropical oasis in the middle of nowhere. I was an avid scuba diver growing up, and had been longing for the opportunity to live somewhere that I could dive every day if I wanted to. Saipan is definitely it! I dive every weekend of the year and occasionally on weekdays when somebody twists my arm. I have recently gotten into digital underwater photography, and it has opened up a whole new world to me. Now all the sudden I'm seeing things I never saw before because I wasn't really looking for great photo opportunities. I have started posting the pictures on a website, and just recently had a highly acclaimed underwater photographer and writer ask if he could use some of my pictures in his new book, Nudibranchs of the World, by Rudie Kuiter. There are opportunities around almost every corner here if you're willing to look. You can see some of my underwater pictures at www.saipandiver.smugmug.com and my personal blog at www.saipandiver.blogspot.com

I manage radio stations on island, and have been doing a commentary, Food For Thought, for the past 6 years. Some people get the feeling that I don't like Saipan because of some of the things in my commentary, but nothing could be further from the truth. I truly love Saipan and care about it, which is why I'm fighting to try and help bring change and improvement to a tropical paradise. Saipan is going through some huge changes right now, and we need leaders who can help us move Saipan to the next step, and help it to be all it can be. You can read my commentary online at www.chamorro.com/fft

Let me know when you get here, and let's go for a dive!

Harry

I have lived in Saipan for 12 years. I love Saipan's simple life. There is no traffic, the beaches are clean, there are fewer distractions, and we live in a small close knit community where everyone knows each other.

Living in the Phillipines it is difficult to get to know people who aren't Filipino. In Saipan I have friends who are American, Chamorro, Carolinian, Japanese, Korean, Bangladeshi, and the list goes on. I also gain great satisfaction from my weekly volunteer activities helping to clean up Saipan's environment.

[Tagalog] Naniniraan ako dito sa Saipan mga labing dalawang taon na ang nakakalipas. Ang gusto ko ditto sa Saipan ay maganda ang lugar, maayos ang trapiko, malapit ang mga pamilihan, at malinis ang mga beaches. Masaya ang manirahan ditto sa Saipan hinde katulad sa Pilipinas na subrang napakahirap nang buhay, at mahirap magkaruon nang mga dayuhang banyaga. Dito sa Saipan marami akung kaibigan na iba't ibang lahi, masaya at mabuti silang kaibigan kung kaya mas feel kong @ home ako ditto.

Marites is the President and Chair of Friends of the Mariana Islands, a local non-profit dedicated to protecting the environment in the CNMI. Her organization is the recipient of a 2007 Beautify CNMI Governor's Award for Environmental Stewardship and a 2006 Earth Team National Group Award.

If Asked
What is Saipan?
In reply
Saipan is color
Why color?
Look around you
Jungle shimmering shades too many to name
Fantasy ablaze in evening and morning sky
Vibrant hues on often seen rainbow
Blushing painted flowers to caress the eye
Crystal tints if life in water surrounding
Pride in sparkling chocolate eyes
In tune with dancing creamed coffee skin and midnight velvet hair
To encourage the senses
Dimensions of color everywhere
What is Saipan?
Saipan is color
guessilovesaipantoo

I moved here with one week's notice, two days before school started in 2005. My husband, Doug, is a guidance counselor at Hopwood, and I teach 8th grade science.

I love Saipan because it took us moving 6,000 miles to find our daughter, Litcelle, who's changed our lives in so many amazing ways.

I love Saipan because, I can go on the radio at 7:00 a.m. and talk about an environmental camp with some of the students and within 1 hour have over $100 in food donated for meals, emails from a dozen people offering certificates, volunteer time or just words of encouragement.

We lived in Spokane, Washington before moving here. Spokane's motto is "We Can". Spokane only has 100,000 people within the city limits and in 1976, again all the odds, won the bid to host the World's Fair. The people still talk about it and the physical and emotional changes it brought the community are still evident. Spokane, like Saipan,is a city suffering from economic decline, limited resources and geographic isolation, but the people there know how to overcome those obstacles to build a vibrant village, a safe place for children, and a spark of hope for a different future.

Saipan is like Spokane. Even as we stress out about whether we'll have "payless pay days" or what the fuel rate for CUC (The Commonwealth Utilities Corp) will be next month, we can set aside our worries to pitch in a few dollars here, a bag of charcoal there, some rice, a song on a uke (ukulele), many, many smiles, and at the end of the day, a huge sense of accomplishment.

The warmth and friendliness of the people grows on you like the mold growing on your un-used suit in the closet and as you contemplate where you'll go next, when you'll move back closer to your family, your heart aches a little. That ache grows every time one of my students shines. Every time one of my students shows what he or she is capable of and what he or she can do to change the future of these islands.

breeanddoug.blogspot.com

We love Saipan because the beach is only a bike ride away, people are friendly, cultural diversity, daylight when we get home from work, Whispering Palms School for our children, white sand, turquoise water, orange sunsets, excellent mountain bike trails through the jungle, and we get to wake up to summer everyday! What a perfect place to raise a family!

A job/gig was offered to us here on Saipan . I didn't even know where Saipan was located then. I first set foot on the island in November 2000.

At first, it seems like that I am not away from home because the island looks like a province in my own country, but to my surprise it does have a difference. I've met a lot people around, mingling with them, having fun with them without any pretensions at all.

The island' got no pollution. Fresh air. Life here is easy and simple. People are friendly. Just because Saipan is an island, almosts all the people around knew each other. I never had any experience about discrimination here.

Unfortunately I had to go back home last September 2005 to the Philippines and during that time I do really miss life here in Saipan, but I came back again last March 2007, I don't have to miss my daily walks and watching the sunset here &.and seeing and spending time with my friends here on the island once again!

I came to Saipan 7 years ago from Wu Xi, China. Saipan is very different from China. The first time I saw the ocean was here on Saipan! I like Saipan because of the ocean, and the different trees and flowers. In the night time, the moon and stars seem so close you can touch them. In China the stars are very far. The clouds here are like paintings..very beautiful. Also, there is more opportunity here for me in Saipan.