August 2, 1998

Saipan, Norhtern Mariana Islands

Dear family and friends,
 I’ve been in Saipan for over 24 hours now, and have been able to
settle in a little bit. I arrived on Saturday Afternoon at about 2
pm. I had a really nice view of the island as we came from the north
end towards the southern point, where the airport is.
Saipan has been interesting from the very moment I stepped out the
door of that 747 that brought me in from Tokyo. The jetway was like
any other you would see in an airport, but that’s where the
similarities ended. The terminal is open air, with no windows at all.
after the jetway we walked onto a cement porch type thing and then
down the stairs to ground level. Here I could see the airplane and
all the crews unloading it. It was really neat, because we were
really close to the plane, right after we got off of it.
sfter going through claiming my luggage along with about 350 Japanese
tourists, all from a 250 foot long baggage belt, I went through
customs. Once clear of there, I walked outside to be greeted by a
large welcoming committee from the school: Mr. Smith, the principal;
Hazel, the secretary; Jill, the 5th grade teacher; the pastor from the
church, and a bunch of other people who’s name I don’t remember.
 They put a mar mar on my head and took a bunch of pictures of me. A
mar mar is sorta the equivalent of a lei in Hawaii, except for that
it’s a wreath of flowers that you put on your head. I felt a little
silly wearing at first, but they insisted that it was an honor to wear
the mar mar, so I kept it on for quite some time.
 The next stop after the airport was the apartment that the school
has set up for me for the month of August. Ron Smith, the principal,
drove me there and helped me move in. It is a little more expensive
than I will be able to afford during the school year, but this way,
Jeff (my roommate and fellow teacher) and I will be able to shop
around for a while to find a place that we can afford. The apartment
has 2 bedrooms and a bathroom, along with a combined kitchen, dining
room area. We even have a little balcony that looks out over the yard.
 Jill came by a little later and along with another teacher from the
PSS (Public School System) we went grocery shopping. That was a
definite eye opening experience. The grocery store was quite well
stocked, with all the name brands from home. Unfortunately, since
everything is shipped in from Japan or California, the prices are
incredibly high. Also, there are no “cheap” brands like Fastco,
generic or anything like that. For example, a gallon of milk was $9.
A box of Quaker instant oatmeal, 10 packets, was $5.29. A box of
StoveTop Stuffing, enough for three cups of stuffing, was $4.79. A
box of Raisin Bran is $6.
sfter shopping and some time to rest I was taken up to Suicide cliff,
the place where thousands of Japanese jumped to their deaths during
World War II. It started to rain quite heavily, so we ended up not
doing anymore sightseeing. That evening I went out to a local
restaurant on the beach with some of the other young adults that are
living on the Island.
 Tourism is a big source of income here, and there are lots of
tourists around to prove it. The Island is very green and lush.
There are palm trees, banana trees, and big green leafy plants
everywhere. One particular plant, the fire tree, is very beautiful,
it has leaves that turn a bright red color about once a year. Luckily
I’m here while they are red, usually this occurs in June or July. The
Islands are volcanic, so there is volcanic rock everywhere, there are
some very high points on the island as a result of this as well. I
think I will be able to stay quite busy between teaching and exploring
and enjoying the island.
 This morning I went to church at Saipan Community Church, the church
that is affiliated with the school. The congregation is varied in
denomination, race, and ethnic background. I felt very welcome there.
It was great to feel the family of God surrounding me, especially in
a place where I knew no one. I was also invited to a bible study
before church, where I had the opportunity to meet some other American
Christians working on the Island along with a Chinese woman who works
in one of the “sweatshops” on the island.
 The church is on the beach and has no walls. It is a big roof with
a front stage and benches in it. The wind blows right through keeping
the temperature down to a mostly comfortable level.
sfter church I had dinner with a group of people, many of them
teachers and also a couple of guys that work here as missionaries for
a radio ministry. This afternoon I went boonie stomping with this
same group of people. We hiked out to a place called Tele fu fu
Falls. After hiking through the jungle we came to a small pair of
waterfalls and lots of natural freshwater pools. The pools were quite
deep in some places (8-10 feet), so we could climb into the trees and
swing out on the branches and fall into the water. There is also a
neat little natural water slide. The running water has formed a
smooth little trench about 10 feet long that slopes down a large rock.
You sit at the top and slide down into the pool at the bottom.
 So, as you can see, my first two days in Saipan have been very busy,
interesting and enjoyable. I am looking forward to Tuesday when the
other new teachers arrive and also to starting to organize and plan
for the coming school year. The first day of school for the students
is August 19. The teachers will officially start work on the 8th of
August.
 If you have any questions or things to say I would love to hear from
you via email or regular mail. I think it will take me a while to get
used to the way of life, the prices, and the climate, and I would
greatly appreciate your support through prayers and letters or email.
One particular prayer request is that the box I shipped from the US
in June will arrive soon. It has my pots and pans along with other
important items. If you would like to send a letter, my mailing
address is:

André Kok
Saipan Community School%9
P.O. Box 69
Saipan, MP 96950

 Postage is the same as it would be within the US, 32 cents for a
normal letter. First Class mail takes about 4-8 days for delivery.
My email address is [email protected] . I hope to keep you all informed
on what is happening here on Saipan throughout the year. Thanks again
for your prayers and communications!

-Andre’