Hoi…..
One thing I always hear from visitors who have experienced the beauty of the island people and culture is……. The Island Magic….. It's that sense of belonging and appreciation of family, traditions and the island way of life….
The Chamorro's living on Guahan may not be fully aware of this "Island Magic." After all we live here and see no "big deal" in our life style…… But then again there are those of us who had the opportunity to travel off island for whatever reason be it for higher education, medical, Military aspirations, vacation or even for a different lifestyle all together.
It's when we leave our beautiful island of Guahan that we come to realize that this "rock" wasn't such a bad place after all. I often hear of islanders (who have been away from home for some time) talk about the "dream" of coming back home someday. When they do come back, they can't stop talking about how good it is to be back home and of course that "Island Magic"
The truth of the Real Island Magic would break your hearts. One would imagine that magic shows would bring happiness and smiles to all that participate. But in this case, the participants are all losers. How so? Please read on.
Have you ever thought about what goes on in and outside of our churches during services? The truth may be shocking but our once tranquil village churches are now preying grounds for drug addicts & thieves. Imagine going to church on an early Sunday morning and coming out to a find your car broken into and your purse or car stereo missing. I'm talking about the 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. services. So much for "Hocus Pocus" eh?
The heart can only take so much breaking. If you thought the car theft was bad, how about going up to Holy Communion and coming back to a pew that once had your purse or clutch bag. Now if that does not qualify for an "Abra-Kadabra" then I don't know what does! Somehow it does not make sense. These poor women who take their purses with them into the church still stand a chance of having their purse lifted while on the way to the altar. The Chamorro word that best describes this evil is "Tai Malau" or "no shame."
Next time you attend services, try counting just how many ladies have their purses in clutch while receiving communion. The numbers will blow your mind. What a difference this is as compared to my generation of not more than 20 years.
Hey, how about a little "Ala-Kazam" while we're at it. Back in the late 60's and early seventies, the women wore long veils over their head while the younger ladies and girls wore a round veil similar to a doily. These days I can count no more than 3 veils at any given church at any given service. What ever happened to this tradition? I suppose it does not have any bearing on ones spiritual relationship with the Lord but I thought it would be interesting to pose the question! Hmm….. Makes you wonder, no?!
The stage has been set for magic shows. In our case, there are neither trap doors nor long sleeved shirts to hide the sad truth. Who would have thought the drug "ice" would bring a community like ours to this current state in only a matter of 8 years of it's introduction to Guahan. Whose fault is it? No one can say for sure. One thing we can all agree upon is that we are all victims of society.
The islanders of Guahan still have a few "tricks" left in their hat. That's why we are able to maintain our culture & family traditions despite the influences of evils such as "ice". I sure hope the eradication of this drug comes sooner than later.
And oh….. Mr. Magician…..uhh…. could you tap your magic wand over my next mortgage payment?! =)
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