Last year I convinced Peter to take Liberation Day off so we could watch the parade and celebrate Guam’s liberation from Japan during WWII. He actually took the day off, which was a miracle, but we didn’t watch the parade. It was one of those days on Guam where you’re like, “I think I died and went to heaven,” because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the ocean was so pretty and sparkled like diamonds. We swam in the warm as bath water ocean and lost track of time, which usually happens when we’re at the beach. As we were walking back to the shore, I noticed this giant fish and I called to Peter so he could look. As I got a closer look, I realized that it wasn’t a fish, it was a baby reef shark! Peter and I were both stunned by this majestic creature. It was beautiful. We stared as it was still for a moment and then darted away deeper into the ocean. “I can’t believe we saw a shark!!!!” I screamed. We ran to our apartment to grab our snorkeling gear and spent the rest of the day looking for the shark, but it was long gone.
This year, Liberation Day fell on a Sunday and my friend invited us to sit with her at her canopy. The Liberation Day parade is a big deal on Guam. People camp out along the road in Agana to save their family a spot. Everyone sets up their canopies, fly their Guam flags or their family names on banners and start BBQ-ing! So from 9:30am until 4:30pm, Peter and I watched the world’s slowest parade while we drank and ate Chamorro BBQ! I liked seeing all the floats and the families with their elaborate set ups blaring Cha Cha music! It was quite the experience.
