2010

Ah, well…everything happens for a reason

August 30, 2010 jamaicaninchina

Subject: Jamaican in China! –Oh, well…everything happens for a reason

From: walt@jamaicaninchina.com

Date: August 30, 2010 10:48:21 AM GMT+10:00

If you read the previous installment, then I’m sure you’re wondering if my passport with my China visa came in sufficient time for me to leave for my trip….Well, first I’ll say that I’m a “go with the flow” type person, and when things happen that would disappoint your average nomad, I look for the hidden benefit or guidance in the situation, and take it all in stride… With that said, to answer your question…

(scroll down)

(scroll down some more)

(scroll some more)

….

YES!!!!…. GOT IT!!!

On Wednesday it was still in Pago Pago, American Samoa, then, it had to go back to Honolulu, then to Guam, then to its destination, Saipan!

And the reason it happened, I surmise, was simply to give me a little suspenseful story to tell! For those of you who followed my escape, return and subsequent re-escape from America in the book, Jamaican on Saipan, you’ll know that there’s ALWAYS some mlittle last-minute drama that “threatens” to derail the my adventures!

On the contrary, this trip to China had been amazingly seamless and smooth!

Once I realized I had a friend in Beijing, I found a Saipan-direct-to-Beijing ticket timed perfectly to fit my calendar, sold my car in less than 24 hours from the moment I decided to, etc. Yes, everything was easy as pie! Eerie. Then, my ticket ends up in Pago Pago, American Samoa! (Tell you the truth, I was actually quite relieved when the drama hit!)

As my friend, Stacey, commented on my American Samoa post:

“Another amazing piece of your journey!! It would be unusual if something didn’t happen. LOL! You know it will work out, Walt! It always does!”

And so it has!

Yes, fear not, erstwhile reader. As my good friend, Erroll Paden, used to say: “I ain’t goin’ out like that!”

So, even before my passport arrived in hand, I spent the last few days on the island of Saipan saying goodbye to key people, returning, donating, and giving away more items like my bicycle, trampoline*, my juicer (that was an emotional one), and finding a new home for my favorite plant (Thanks, Ashley!)

*Rule No 478 of the Nomadpreneur’s Handbook: No trampolines in the duffel bag.

Thursday Street Market, one last time….

Saipan Tribune editor, Jayvee Vallejera, my good email buddy for 225 consecutive weekly articles! (an unbroken streak since April 2006!) Thanks for everything, Jayvee!

Angel and Lino at the Sabalu Market, my Saturday morning people-watching buddies. Hey, Mel!

Saturday night into Sunday morning I had a great time dancing at GIG with someone who shall remain nameless and faceless…

I’m scheduled for departure late, late, late on Sunday, so….by the time you read this……I’ll already be in China….unless, of course, um…something unforeseen happens!

(but, I think I’ve met the quota for this departure)

~~~~~~~~~^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a whoosh and flutter of the cloak of night

This nomad departs, then is out of sight…

~~~~~~~~~^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[cue the music: “See the World” by Gomez…..fade to silence]

#####

2010

You sent my passport where????

August 26, 2010 jamaicaninchina

Subject: Jamaican in China–You sent my passport where???? American Samoa????!

From: walt@saipanliving.com

Date: August 26, 2010 3:00:55 PM GMT+10:00

It’s Thursday, August 26. I’m scheduled to leave for China on Sunday night…August the 29th. For some mysterious reason, my passport hasn’t arrived yet, so I decided to check the USPS site to see if there is any information. Shouldn’t be an issue, I think to myself, I’ve received Express Mail packages from the states many times without delay.

So, anyway, I enter the tracking number, and lo, and behold…my passport is in American Samoa!

According to the usps.com site:

Your package has been missent, and every effort is being made to get it to you as quickly as possible.

Missent, August 23, 2010, 1:39 pm

Missent, August 23, 2010, 5:51 am

Notice Left, August 23, 2010, 5:10 am, PAGO PAGO, AS 96799

Arrival at Post Office, August 23, 2010, 5:06 am, PAGO PAGO, AS 96799

Processed through Sort Facility, August 20, 2010, 10:22 am, HONOLULU, HI 96820

Processed through Sort Facility, August 19, 2010, 8:04 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07032

Electronic Shipping Info Received, August 17, 2010

So, just to put things into perspective, here: The flight I’m booked on is the last outgoing flight of a limited series of special charter flights direct from Saipan to Beijing. The ticket is non-refundable. There are no other flights to Beijing from Saipan. My car is sold. My apartment lease is up. My friend in Beijing is ready to pick me up as planned…. AND….someone in Pago, Pago has my passport and I need it in 2 days or else the whole trip is kaput! If it doesn’t arrive by 12 noon Saturday (the last day of mail delivery for the week), then I won’t be able to get it until the post office opens up for business at 9am Monday morning.

Ahhh, what would life be without a little suspense and drama?

2010

Jamaican in China!–In the beginning!

August 22, 2010 jamaicaninchina

NOTE: Each page of my China adventure that you will read is an actual email that I sent to my mailing list. This was the first email I sent just before beginning my adventure, that I sent to a small list of friends, family and clients. Enjoy, and thanks for taking this journey with me!--Walt

Subject: from Walt…drum roll, please

From: walt@saipanliving.com

Date: August 22, 2010 8:27:10 PM GMT+10:00

Hope all is well with you.

A little over four years ago, I wrote the first “Freedom Song” just prior to my escape from America and my move to Saipan. (If you weren’t on my friend’s list then, you can read it at Walt’s Escape from America!

walt fj goodridge on saipan escape from america jamaican on saipan

My move to Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, in 2006 ranks in the top 3 best decisions I’ve made in my life! I’ve never been happier with the climate, the culture, and the cuties! I’ve met many great people, wrote several books, started a tourism business, and felt that I was contributing through my weekly column in the Saipan Tribune, which is now in its 220th consecutive week.

One of my proudest moments was receiving an official CNMI Senate Resolution No. 15-54 in recognition of my contributions to Saipan, its residents and economy.

Ah, but it seems it’s that time again.

As I said during the original Freedom Song, “Ever since leaving corporate America in the fall of 1995, I’ve been executing a plan to create the lifestyle of a modern, minimalist, nomadic, passionpreneur based on a passive-residual income stream!” In other words, I want to be able to see the world and not have to worry about getting a job in the places I decide to reside.

Well, the nomad part is acting up again. So, with that said, I offer you, on August 22, 2010: (drum roll, please….)

FREEDOM SONG, PART II

My Freedom Song continues

with a new exciting verse

A life afar has beckoned

and I want to tell you first!

This nomad’s bell again has tolled

I answer and take wing

I’ve set my sights on China!

and the city of Beijing

The ticket’s bought, the visa’s done

I’ve got a place to rest

I’ve minimized and digitized

reduced all I possessed

They ask, “What will you do there?”

and, “What put you on this course?”

“A man named Lucas,” I reply*

“Just going to the source!”

I’ve learned the basic language

and I’ve made a friend or two

Just waiting for the date now

and the day I bid adieu

So, wish me well and please stay tuned

Me? Nervous? Nope. Well, kinda…

but you know me, I’ll prosper

in my brand new life in China!

(thought I wouldn’t find a rhyme for China, didn’t you?)

Walt

p.s. I visited China once before in 2009, and vowed to return (see jamaicaninChina.com download below). I leave in a week for Beijing, with plans this time to visit Shanghai, Hainan (a tropical island off the south coast of China), and other countries in the region including Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. If you have any friends or contacts in the region, please do put me in touch. It makes the experience much nicer for me.

p.p.s. My skype account is “waltonsaipan”

p.p.p.s *let me know if you need the “Lucas” reference explained. I’d be more than happy to!

2010

Who is Walt?

July 1, 2010 jamaicaninchina 4 Comments

The Short Version:

“Once upon a time, there was a Jamaican civil engineer living in New York City who hated his job. He followed his passion, started a sideline business publishing his own books, quit his job, escaped the rat race, ran off to a tropical island in the Pacific, and started a tourism business so he could give tours of the island to pretty girls every day! He now lives a nomadpreneur’s dream life, while helping others do the same!”

That’s the short version of my life story. If you have a few minutes, I’ll give you the long version.

I share what I know, so that others may grow!–Walt F.J. Goodridge

Subscribe to my DiscoverSaipan Youtube channel

The Long Version:

Walt Goodridge graduation photo

Hi! My name is Walt F.J. Goodridge. For the last several years I’ve been living what I call a “passionpreneur” and “nomadpreneur” lifestyle of money AND mobility! In other words, I make money doing what I love while having the mobility to travel and see the world at the same time!

It wasn’t always like this, however. For several years, I worked as frustrated employee suffering the slings and arrows of unfortunate fortune.

This is my story of how I went from being a frustrated civil engineer who hated my job to successfully turning my passion into profit and escaping the rat race! I now live on the tropical Pacific island of Saipan, from where I visit China, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries around the world!

Like I said, it wasn’t always like this. Many years ago, after I graduated from Columbia University with my Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, I was, like many people, destined for a career in my “chosen” profession. I say “chosen” because I wasn’t really the one who chose it! Like many people, I only ended up in engineering because my counselor in high school said I should do it, and being a good student, I listened. (I love you, Ms. Charlotte Huey!)

” W i t h i n t h e f i r s t f i f t e e n m i n u t e s . . . . “

photo of world trade center

Immediately after graduation, I accepted a job in the Design Division of the Port Authority Engineering Department on the 73rd floor of World Trade Center One. Within the first fifteen minutes of that first day of my first job in corporate America, I realized, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I absolutely hated it!!!!

I saw the future in the eyes of several of my co-workers, and, let me tell you, the prospect of working a monotonous and restrictive nine-to-five job for the rest of my life, scared me to the core! I wanted freedom. I wanted the freedom to wake up when I’m finished sleeping (and not a minute before)! I wanted the freedom to go see movies in the middle of the afternoon! I wanted the freedom to see the world!

C h a n g i n g t h e G a m e

So, from that moment (the sixteenth minute on), I did everything I could to escape and create the freedom I desperately desired.

Unfortunately, no one in my family could offer me any real solutions to that desire. And my friends? Most of my friends were in the same situation, themselves. I knew I wanted to do something that was my passion. But no one had ever asked me “what is your passion?” or “What do you love to do?” I had to ask those questions of myself. To find the answers, I thought back to my college days. I had been a radio deejay on WKCR-FM, and I loved music. So, I went in the direction of that passion and first did some graphic design for an album cover, then became an artist manager, then a record label owner, until, by a stroke of chance, I found my true calling for sharing information and wrote Change the Game. Through the success of that single book, I was able to match my civil engineering income and walk away from my career to become a full-time “passionpreneur”–a phrase I coined.

cover image of Ducks in a Row by Walt Goodridge

Want to know how I was able to walk away from a “good” civil enginering job into the uncertainty of being a passionpreneur? Want to know the fears and thoughts that went through my mind and how was I able to justify the decision to leave? Well, check out Ducks in a Row??? How to find the courage to finally QUIT your soul-draining, life-sapping, energy-depleting, freedom-robbing job now…before it’s too late..and live passionately ever after!

I then went on to write several more books on the music industry which you can check out at HipHopEntrepreneur.com

C o m e s t h e P r o p h e t

Based on the effectiveness of the information in those first few books, people started asking me to consult them to start businesses and launch their own passionpreneurial ventures. In time, I realized my life’s mission (“I share what I know, so that others may grow!”) , and when the internet came along, I took that mission online, providing “information, inspiration, ideas and instruction to help people succeed!” I do that through my books, coaching, workshops as well as my own brand of motivation I called “Life Rhymes. (Every week, for nine years I sent my Walt’s Friday Inspiration emails to tens of thousands of subscribers. I’ve now resurrected them in 2018!)

As time went on, I developed my experience and expertise in website development, internet marketing, and living true to my self, and put it all into a belief system and “Passion Profit Philosophy and Formula” that anyone can use to change their reality just like I did. I launched dozens of websites, created more unique products and developed a coaching and seminar practice as the “Passion Prophet.”

In 1999, I published the formula in my “how to” Turn Your Passion into Profit which, with yearly updates, has consistently sold in the top 50 in home-business books on Amazon.com. (They say that imitation is the best form of flattery. So, I consider myself flattered that several authors followed my lead with similarly-titled books of their own!)

(Also available as a six-CD audio.)

Over the course of the years since escaping from corporate confinement, I’ve written more than 25 books, over 400 articles and almost 500 motivational poems, and have dozens of websites that I manage!

However, there was still another escape I had to achieve!

W a l t ‘ s E s c a p e F r o m A m e r i c a

However, as much as I felt fulfilled by helping others realize their dreams, we “passion prophets” have our own dreams, too! In 2006, through a friend who had visited and raved about his experience, I “discovered” the little-known US commonwealth island of Saipan, booked a one-way ticket, and escaped from New York to begin living out my own nomadpreneur dream life on the Pacific island paradise of Saipan!.

If you’d like to learn some other strategies for executing your own escape to live a nomadpreneur’s lifestyle of money and mobility, check out
How to Become a Nomadpreneur: A pocket guide of income strategies, travel jobs & survival tips for expats, vagabonds, techies and rat race escapees who want to see the world AND make money too!

J a m a i c a n I n C h i n a . . . . a n d B e y o n d

Jamaican in China banner

Moving to Saipan ranks as one of the top three decisions I’ve made in my life, but the urge to see more of the world keeps calling me! So, I set my sights on China, and went to live there for 6 months. You can follow my adventures in China, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand and other destinations on my “Jamaican In China…and Beyond!” blog!

cover of Jamaican in China

Want to know what it was like spending six months in China, Singapore and Laos? Well, check out the book, Jamaican in China! Guess Who’s Coming to Dim Sum! the entire
blog adventure in book format (Download PDF Free)

Want to know how I did it? Well, check out How to Become a Nomadpreneur: A pocket guide of income strategies, travel jobs & survival tips for expats, vagabonds, techies and rat race escapees who want to see the world AND make money too! Click here

T h e J a m a i c a n o n S a i p a n

My Saipan-Specific “Resume”

As a transplanted resident of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) since 2006, I have embarked on several projects to make a difference and to help improve the quality of life here on the island.

Since relocating here, I have:
► conducted several “Turn Your Passion into Profit” workshops and writer workshops on Saipan as well as the neighboring islands of Tinian and Guam for the Chamber of Commerce and US Navy.

► launched the “We Love Saipan” website/blogger movement then 20 additional sites devoted to showing the world the often overlooked images and impressions of Saipan and the CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).

► started a Food Co-op/Buyer’s Group as well as a GoogleGroup for vegetarians, vegans and other health-conscious residents.
(Screenings of health documentaries are being planned in order to raise the health consciousness on island!)

► written over 300 empowerment articles for the Saipan Tribune newspaper in my weekly Saipanpreneur Column which ran for five years.
Saipan Tribune logo

► written for The Marianas Variety, Guam Business Journal and Marianas Business Journal,
Marianas Variety logo

► I’ve also written several books about Saipan, including:

(1)
Jamaican on Saipan! My first year and impressions of life on a different island paradise!

(2) Doing Business on Saipan
to further encourage entrepreneurial activity on the island, and….

(3) Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin:
Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan, co-authored
with former garment factory worker Chun Yu Wang. It remains the only first-hand account of factory life on Saipan during the “Garment Era” and was used as a textbook in several “Textile Industry” and “Women’s Studies” courses in at least three universities in the mainland US. Portions of t were excerpted in a French textbook on the American Dream

(4) Saipan Living! A comprehensive guide for moving to, finding a job,
working, living or vacationing in the Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

(5) Saipan Now! A photo adventure featuring a hundred pages of full color photos of contemporary Saipan!

(6) There’s Something About Saipan: A visitor’s guide to fantastic facts, tantalizing trivia, startling statistics, dramatic diaries and hair-raising history from America’s most colorful island territory! featuring, well, the title says it all!

(7) Amelia Earhart on Saipan: a tour booklet with details about her supposed “disappearance” you probably didn’t know!

(8) From Bugle Boy to Battleship with Battle of Saipan & Battle of Guam veteran, Lloyd Glick.

(9) Drinking Seawater, a Typhoon Soudelor memoir with Commonwealth Health Corporation (CHC) nurse, Riza Ramos.

(10) This Baby Can Speak English, a childhood development guide in English, Spanish and Chinese, with Dr. John Joyner and Angie Hui.

► conducted numerous “Little Flights of Fancy” writer workshops for other published as well as aspiring authors. View www.saipanwriters.com.
Walts Flights of Fancy logo

► Launched DiscoverSaipan.com to provide all-day, personalized tours of the islands to visitors interested in the history and culture.
True to my dream, I actually do give tours to pretty girls (and everyone else)!
SNH48 on Saipan

“Once upon a time….” Video of my tours

► Launched SaipanBookings.com
to help visitors experience the best of Saipan’s accommodations and activities,

But, wait, there’s more!

► I’ve been asked to provide location management for visiting film crews, coordinate logistics for research teams, arrange interviews with local resident for authors, and even participate in documentaries about the Northern Mariana Islands:

► I’ve been interviewed by authors writing books on this US territory (See The Not Quite States of America by Doug Mack)

► I’ve been featured as an expert in the documentary, “American’s Forgotten Colonies” (77,000 views as of this writing)

“America’s Forgotten Colonies: Saipan” featuring a tour guide you might recognize!

► I launched a Change.org campaign to encourage Crayola Crayons to name their new blue color “Saipan Blue” in tribute to the amazingly blue waters that surround the island! SaipanBlue.com

► I launched a successful GoFundMe campaign to help certain victims and survivors of the category 5 super typhoon YUTU,

R e c o g n i t i o n o n S a i p a n

► A significant milestone achievement took place in 2007 when I was recognized by official CNMI Senate Resolution No. 15-54
for my contributions to Saipan, its residents and economy. View it here

► been recognized by American Memorial Park (National Park Service) for my efforts to increase visitorship through my tours
https://www.saipantribune.com January 11, 2018 See: Photo in Marianas Variety newspaper

I s h a r e w h a t I k n o w , s o t h a t
o t h e r s
m a y g r o w !

Walt goodridge image

As much fun as it is to share the details of my life, I know you’re not reading this just for fun. You want to know “what’s in it for YOU!!!” Well, everything, including my fun adventures in China, are offered to the world in order to prove a point: to show that we can all make different choices; to show that when it comes to changing the direction of your life that it can be done; and to encourage you to do the same. In other words, I share what I know so that others may grow! That’s my life’s purpose.

When it comes to making changes in your life, following your passion
and living true to yourself, here are the points I’m here to prove:

A. Others are doing it.

B. You can do this.

C. Everything you believe…is wrong.

D. Therefore, once you free yourself from the deceptions under which
you are operating, your life can change dramatically!

Everything I do serves that life purpose. The PassionProfit™ mix of products includes creations and guidance from my own journey discovering, developing and turning my own passion into profit. They contain “Information, inspiration, ideas and instruction” to help you turn YOUR passion into profit, escape the rat race and even become a nomadpreneur if that’s your choice! All the products I’ve created or collaborated on serve as examples. I helped a Filipina nurse create a children’s book based on her son’s school assignment. I helped a Chinese garment factory worker write and share her experience with the world. These represent ideas that can inspire you to do something similar. Others are doing it. You can do it, too!

Even though I’ve been doing this for years, it’s always great to hear just how much impact my books as well as my fun adventures have on others:

“Hey Walt,
When I first heard your personal story of the experiences that led you to the path of the passion pursuit, I knew you were achieving what many people think is out of their reach. You made me see that achievement had never been out of the reach for me. After attending your seminar and purchasing your book, I knew that the passion within me could only be profitable once I decided to take the necessary steps to success. I saw you as someone I was able to connect with and it made me think, “If he can do it, so can I.” I am currently turning the passion I have of creating artwork, photography and dance to that next level. No longer are these just hobbies but a way of life that is invigorating, challenging and fulfilling. I feel a deeper connection to the purpose of this life path I am on. By focusing on this passion of creation, I am liberating myself from the limits of doing something I had no passion for. Getting Turn Your Passion into Profit was one of my first steps to acknowledging my own purpose, power and freedom. Thank you! And this comes straight from the heart because that is where passion truly lives. Peace and blessings!”–Nicole Woo, DC

H o w I D i d I t

Here’s the crux of my philosophy, formula and belief system of freedom: There are specific things that you can choose to believe and decide to do that will move you away from a life of entrapment and towards a life of freedom. Bob Marley said, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.”

More than anything else, this is an exercise of courage and discipline. Here is an overview of the path I myself took in order to claim the freedom I now enjoy. I offer it as sort of a road map you can use too.

1. choose a different belief system

2. practice veganism (stop eating garbage)

3. maintain youth, perfect health & long life

4. reclaim your power

5. discover your purpose,

6. turn your passion into profit

7. create passive, residual income from your passion

8. practice mimimalism

9. achieve prosperity through “individual capitalism”

10. uncover the various limiting deceptions, and break free

11. escape from America (or wherever you feel trapped!)

12. enjoy global living and dating

13. help others do the same

The ideas that I share in my books, Turn Your Passion into Profit and Living True to Your Self cover a wide range of ideas, information, inspiration and step-by-step instructions to help you do what I did in my own life. Here is an overview:

R e c l a i m Y o u r P o w e r

The power to make change is within you as an inherent gift of being human. Once you understand the power that is lying dormant within you, you can reclaim it and harness it. That power comes simply from a choice to believe truths about yourself, truths about others and truths about the world you live in.

B r e a k F r e e

It’s not enough simply to believe you have the power. You must also have the courage to step outside the paradigm and to actually engage in activities towards goals that may seem out of reach, but that are, in fact, entirely achievable once you give yourself permission to achieve them. You must break free in mind as well as body.

L i v e T r u e T o Y o u r S e l f

You must commit to live your life according to a set of truths that are in your best interests as well as the benefit of others.

T u r n Y o u r P a s s i o n I n t o P r o f i t

It’s a reality of life on the planet that you need money to survive. So, along with all of the above,
it is necessary to create streams of income that can free you from a dependency on a paycheck. It’s a very practical consideration. The more dependent you are on a single source of income for your survival, the less free you are.

B e c o m e a N o m a d p r e n e u r

Okay, this part is optional!

I choose to enjoy my freedom by seeing the world while I generate income! I’ve created a strategy that
doesn’t require my physical presence in any one location. That’s MY choice. However, YOU might wish to sit at home all day and watch television. It’s your choice!

The point is that with “effortless” income (as a nomadpreneur), you have the freedom to do as you please.(Someone asked me recently, “Walt, how are you able to travel the world without a job?” I answer the question on this post on my blog.)

The above is just a quick overview of the strategy the details of which are included in Turn Your Passion into Profit, and Living True To Your Self!

S t a r t H e r e

To learn and implement my philosophy, formula and strategies, start with these THREE FREE EBOOKS: (1) In Search of a Better Belief System,
(2) 7 Conversations to Freedom, and (3) The Integrated Life which you can get when you join my mailing list (below). Then order a copy of my book, Ducks in a Row: How to find the courage to finally QUIT your soul-draining, life-sapping, energy-depleting, freedom-robbing job now…before it’s too late..and live passionately ever after!, which you’ll receive when you order Turn Your Passion Into Profit!

Well, that’s just a little about me. I hope you find something in my own story that you can relate to and that inspires you to create your own dream life of freedom, function and fun!

NEXT: Check out the philsophy and formula I used to turn my passion into profit!

2007

MLK Day on Saipan: What a month!

January 18, 2007 jamaicaninchina

Wow! It’s been a hectic few weeks!

First a little background:
In April 2006, CNMI Governor Benigno Fitial signed the bill enacting Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an official CNMI holiday to commence on January 15th, 2007 (You can see my coverage of this in Walt’s Escape from America (Opens in new window). In the past, there had been commemorations of MLK Day on island supported and hosted by private individuals and groups. Now, as an official holiday, this year’s commemoration took on particular significance. it was appropriate to do something more than in previous years. This excerpt from a letter sent out to local leaders and media explains: Initial program plans include an open-to-the public “Rally, Reflection & Recognition” event with guest speakers, a keynote address, and a “Freedom March” centered in and around the American Memorial Park. Also featured will be the presentation of a “Young Freedom Fighters Award” to local student-winners of our school-wide MLK Essay/Speech Contest. Cynthia E. Nance’s selection as Keynote Speaker comports with the stated 2007 program theme, as the first woman and first black dean of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Law School and as a Professor of law.
To place Dean/Professor Nance’s accomplishments in perspective, it should be known that Arkansas is where Governor Orval Fabus, in 1957, in defiance of the orders of President Eisenhower to admit black students to Little Rock Central High School and in the face of the National Guard, and in the eyes of the world, vowed publicly that black and white children would never be allowed to attend school together in the State of Arkansas. Dean/Professor Nance, in the true spirit of Dr. King’s dream, has “over come” such entrenched barriers of racial discrimination in education and employment opportunities, and her professional and academic achievements serve as an inspiration to freedom loving people everywhere. So things started back in December when the planning for the CNMI’s first official Martin Luther King Jr., Day kicked into high gear. The planning committee of the African American Cultural Preservation Committee (attorney Joe Hill, president) here on Saipan met every week and as the event closed in, we met every other day in the lobby of the World Resort Hotel.

After weeks of planning, the day finally came, and we met and welcomed Dean Nance at the airport at 1:00am Friday morning. With singer singing, ukulele playing, cameras snapping, the Dean was welcomed in style to the CNMI!

…and then we wait for luggage

With a full itinerary, the Dean was on her way to Rota that Friday morning, Tinian the next day and returned to Saipan on Sunday. The Tsunami (see Angelo’s account;opens in new window) delayed things a bit.

On Sunday, there was a reception in her honor at Judge Lizama’s residence.

Monday (MLK Day), found us all busy setting up the stage, moving tables and chairs, setting up sound systems and everything else one needs for an inaugural commemoration.

As organizer of the MLK Essay and Elocution contest, I was up at 5am reading essays, creating handouts for the judges, and then was off to Joe Hill’s office at 7:30 to make photocopies of all the entries. Along with Dorothea Bryant and Angie Wheat, we hosted and judged the elocution portion of the contest that morning.

Now I have to say something about the contest; something about the support and attitude of the students and teachers and committee members here in the CNMI. Of the many people who received the contest announcement, some as late as the day before the deadline, 12 schools’ principals and teachers chose to participate.

From those schools, 30 students chose to submit essays, 5 students chose to memorize speeches

Of those who received the announcement ON ROTA, 6 students chose to participate, and their principal found a way to get their essays hand delivered to us IN TIME!!

There are students, educators, even strangers who graciously chose to sit through the chaos of this our first event to support the children and the intention behind our efforts.

So, along with yours truly, there were 3 judges (Dorothea, Angie and Laura) who–all drafted at the last minute–chose to listen to and judge the speeches that morning, then chose to work tirelessly (without ANY complaint whatsoever) the entire day (missing the march, and portions of the ceremony, feeding themselves at their own expense) in order to diligently grade EVERY student’s written essay. (Thanks, ladies, for putting up with my spontaneous, last-minute chaos!)

Shots from the Official Commemoration!

Park Ranger Kelchmer (is that your official title?) prepares Dept of Public Safety Commissioner Rebecca Warfield to project the “look of authority” while retaining a woman’s mystique and grace

Note: the next several shots courtesy of Angelo Villagomez

Monday morning’s cleanup of Makaka Beach was a success. Participants from MOVER, MINA, RC&D, Rep. Kaipat, Rep Waki, and Mozell’s Boys picked up trash and bushcut our own tall grass. The Saipan Tribune covered this cleanup, which was part of the “Day on, not a day off” celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Over 30 people attended this cleanup
Official Master and Mistress of Ceremony, Ambrose Bennett and Shequita Bennett.

Gus Kaipat sings CNMI anthem.

The front row VIPs.

Joe Hill makes welcoming remarks

Ryan Ortizo wows the crowd with a stirring rendition of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a Dream” speech

Congresswoman Cinta Kaipat tells of the history and struggle of getting the day formalized in the CNMI

Senator Maria Pangelinan

VIPs on stage

Essay & Elocution contest winners from left to write: Audrey Jo Ada, Alice Tessen, Joan Liwanag, Raymark Denora (not present: Jo Micah Cabrera)
Check out the Winning Essays

Elocution contest winner (High School Division) Joan Liwanag

Elocution contest winner (Elementary School Division) Raymark Denora

And now, ladies and gentlemen, our keynote speaker…

[end of Angelo’s shots]

The evening was inspiring as well as entertaining, and was a great kickoff for what will be an annual tradition which will grow in attendance and participation….

Well done to all who stayed up late, got up early, donated their time, energy, ideas and passion to make this long-awaited day a reality here in the CNMI!

Special thanks again to Ranger Kelchmer for letting us use the office for grading the essays!

And even though this is a personal blog, I’d like to spread recognition of appreciation
by way of the following:

This Project was made possible by support from the Northern Mariana Islands Council for the Humanities, a non-profit, private corporation funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

(NOTE: check back to this post for links to videos, winning essays and even more photos!)

But wait! It’s not over yet!
Having made the 10,000-mile trip from NY to Saipan myself three times (that would be a total of 5 times across the Pacific) in less than 9 months, I know firsthand how it feels. I also felt that having come all this way, the Dean should at least get to see some of Saipan’s native beauty beyond the scheduled talks, official meetings and presentations that filled her schedule. So, I plotted a friendly “kidnapping.”

I arrived at Kagman Elementary school on Tuesday afternoon after the second of the official school meetings, managed to tick off fellow committee member Sam Joyner and a few teachers (sorry ladies, didn’t intend to offend anyone, but kidnapping’s a dirty job that wins few friends) and sort of pushed my agenda forward to add some down-time activities to the Dean’s stay!

It was about 3pm. With only a few hours of daylight left, and since we were in Kagman, I first took the Dean part of the way down the trail to Forbidden Island (um, don’t tell AAPC president Joe Hill, he’d have a fit!)

…then to Tank Beach

….then to Mount Tapochau

….she asked to stop by Judge Weiss’ place, so we did that for a few minutes…By then it was about 4:00pm, the daylight hours were dwindling, so the Judge graciously sent us on our way with his own recommendations on where to take the Dean.

….then I took her to a little-known trail to a secluded fishing spot (introduced to me by Captain Carlopens in new window) near Marpi Point just in time for a great view of a Saipan sunset! Man, that’s a steep trail! Kudos to the dean, who, ill-prepared for my kidnapping itinerary, and dressed in only sandals and with a toe she hurt earlier in the day, completed both the Forbidden island trail and the Marpi trail in fine style (i.e. alive to talk about it!)

….then to Banzaii Cliff

…then to Bird Island

…and on the way back, took a wrong turn and ended up at the Grotto. By then it was dark, so we didn’t get to see much. Within a few minutes one of Saipan’s Finest showed up (wonder if news of the kidnapping got out!). He asked if everything was alright. I told him I was fine, and that the Dean was treating me well. Or maybe he was asking HER…hmmm, …in any event, the Dean and the officer had a nice chat about the undersea world of Saipan’s diving spots while I wondered if he was secretly detaining us waiting for “backup” to take me down!!