I moved to south Texas on September 2007.

That fall, I applied for admission at the local college. The application asked where I previously resided, since I didn't apply as a resident. So I put down Guam, USA. I applied electronically, so questions about my application had to be done over the phone. Five days later, a lady from the Admissions Office called my cell phone and asked me, in regards to my application, if I needed to take ESL (English as a Second Language). "Ah, they've read where I came from", I thought to myself.

I knew someone was bound to be unaware of Guam's existence. But I never thought that someone would miss the neatly printed "USA" that I typed after "Guam" - I was hoping those three letters would tell the college that I, in fact, spoke English.They probably just saw that I was born in the Philippines and that I lived in some foreign land.

After telling the nice lady that although Tagalog is my first language, I am very fluent in English, it hit me - how many people in the states actually know about Guam? When you think of places such as Hawaii, Peru, the Bahamas, even Palau, you have a general idea - even the smallest percentage - of how the place is. You name a place anywhere in Asia, and someone can automically connect that place with the Asian culture and can imagine the probable lifestyle of its citizens. But what about Guam?

Guamanians are listed as Pacific Islanders. What does that tell you? That people who live in Guam wear coconut bras and grass skirts and chew betel nut all day? Oh, Ya. We definately wear coconut bras, we even have them in different colors - of course NOT! This reminds me of a time when one of my college classmates asked me where I moved from. I told him where I came from and he replied, "What's Guam?" well...

Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands - located in the Pacific. It's only a 3 hour flight from Guam to the Philippines and approximately a less than 15 hour flight to California (if it was nonstop).

It is an island, yes, because the country is surrouded by water. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. It is a U.S. territory. So I told the lady at the admissions office, "Btw, ma'am, we serve the same President of the United States."

Let me tell ya a pinch of Guam's history.

The island's history of European colonialism began with the arrival of Spanish settlers including Padre San Vitores, a Catholic missionary, in 1668. But in 1898, during the Spanish-American war, the island was taken over by the Americans. Before WWII, Guam was the only American-held island in the region. Because it was the largest island in the Micronesia, it was very attractive to Japan. Eventually, in December 1941, the Americans surrendered Guam to the Japanese - two days after the Japanese bombing. [Note: Guam was bombed only hours after the bombing of Pearl harbor.] But don't worry, beause in July 1944, the Americans recaptured the defenseless island. Then years later, the Guam Organic Act of 1950 established Guam as an unincorporated organized territory of the United States. The Act provided for the structure of the island's civilian government and granted the people U.S. citizenship. So yes, people born in Guam are U.S. citizens.

Now that you know WHAT and WHERE Guam is, let's talk about...

I moved to Guam in 2002 from Saipan - a smaller Northern Mariana Island. So I may not be able to mention ALL of the island's tourist attractions. Besides, there are official websites you could visit if you wanted a list of those. My hub will just tell you what I personally experienced in Guam. First let's list some quick facts...

• the people of Guam are called Guamanians, but they are locally called Chamorros
• the official languages of Guam are Chamorro and English
• the Chamorro Time Zone is 18 hours ahead of Pacific Time

When i first move to Guam, i realized....

• that Chamorros in Guam have better American accents than the Chamorros in Saipan (All NM Islands speak Chamorro.)

• that most kids in Guam can't even speak their native language, just English (in Saipan, 90% of the population spoke the language)

• that people addressed adult males as "Sir" (in Saipan, we addressed our male teachers as "Mister)

NOTE: As you can see, Guam is the most American influenced of the islands

• that there was probably only one white kid in every public school (all the other white kids were soldiers' kids so they attended school at the military base private school) and most Ethnic Asian kids were at private schools

• that they called you a "Chaud" [Ch-aw-ed] if you had a Chamorro accent (Guam's equivalent to being called a RedNeck) and called you a "Fob" if you acted soo Filipino, since 30% of the population are Filipino immigrants ( FOB technically stands for Fresh-Off-the-Boat, which has a derogatory conotation refering to recently arrived iimigrants

NOTE: These terms are normally used between high school students but usually in a harmless joking way.

• that it'll only take less than a day to do a round-trip of the whole island

• that there are no highways, so your way to one place is the exact same way home - and the speed limit of the whole island is 35 miles / hour (but most don't follow it)

• that Guam has the best sunsets I have ever seen

• that there are only TWO malls, two stories each (but they are pretty wide decent-sized malls)

• that there quite a few pot-holes on the roads (similar to any small town)

• that people gave directions with landmarks, I never heard anyone refer to street names when giving directions

• that there is no winter

NOTE: The climate is generally hot but very humid. December to June are the dry months, and the rest are the raining months. We don't have hurricanes and tornadoes, we have tropical storms and typhoons, which can happen all year round

• that ALL houses are built with concrete

I was so surprised when I moved to TX and realized that I can easily punch a hole through my wall - growing up, I've always lived in a concrete house or apartment

• that MOST houses and buildings are built with typhoon shutters (it's a construction must)

• that the population is less than 200 thousand people

• that Catholicism is the predominant religion

• that Guam was heavily influenced by the Spanish settlement
  (most Chamorro food are spicy and there are days celebrated with some kind of fiesta)
  (and of course the Chamorro language has many similar Spanish sounds)

• that in traditional Chamorro culture, the young ones kiss the hand of the elder when they address them as a sign of respect (Filipino culture does it too)

• that Guam does have its own Chamorro cultural dance (ONLY during performances do Guamanians actually use grass skirts)

• that traditional culture deals with a lot of weaving, usually with coconut leaves (in high school, my friend taught me how to make a hat, a grasshopper, a basket, and other things with coconut leaves. It's so scool.)

• that usual souvenirs consist of shell necklaces, earrings, bracelets

NOTE: Personally, though, I think Guam is struggling to preserve their native Chamorro identity and culture, because as the years go by, the youth are getting more and more "American-ized" following American culture such as sweet sixteens, american slangs, fashion, how kids speak to their parents, and many more. And with most Chamorro high school graduates leaving the island to attend college somewhere else, it is getting even harder to pass down the Chamorro culture.

• that Guamananians can't cast any electoral votes

• that Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism

• that Guam is a popular destination for Japanese tourists

NOTE: The island has over 20 large hotels, a Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, Pleasure Island district, indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas–styled shows and other shopping and entertainment features.

SideNote: Most of my Guamanian friends and many locals have never even tried these locations because they are rather expensive - obviously aimed towards tourists.

• that since Guam is surrounded by water, tourists are usually brought to snorkeling sites (and introduced to other water sports)

• that mail to Guam from the U.S. mainland is considered domestic and no additional charges are required

• that no one actually uses public transportation (just tourists) because mostly everyone has a car, you're lucky if you actually see a cab passing by

• that many tourists expect to see a brown tree snake just outside their hotels

NOTE: Guam is known for an abundance of brown tree snakes. It is true, but the snakes do stay in the forest-like parts of the island - they're not really an everyday attraction. However I have seen tiny baby snakes during the power outage after a supertyphoon. Oh, and also sometimes they are found at some construction sites.

• that Guam is commonly reffered to as "AMERICA IN ASIA" in the tourism industry

SOO, people, don't think Guam is a remote island somewhere in the Pacific with uncivilized native inhabitants....Think of it like a smaller version of Hawaii. Lol

So.... HOW ABOUT YOU ?!

Please leave me a comment answering the following:

• Have YOU ever heard of Guam?

• What did you think Guam was like?

• If I told you it was an island in the Pacific, what would have been your first thoughts?

• What do you think of Guam NOW?

• If you could, and after reading this whole hub, would you actually want to visit Guam?