Decision to Be Made: Guam or Hawaii...

Hi L.,

My recommendation would also be Hawaii, but that is only my opinion. Guam might be a great assignment for your family, as each family's needs are different. That said, we travel to Hawaii about every 2-3 months, and it is always a wonderful experience for us! We've been stationed on Guam for the past 2 1/2 years, and are scheduled to PSC next summer. I would be more than happy to provide you with information about Guam, as well as share our experiences. Maybe we can exchange email addresses? I really wish you all the best in a fantastic assignment!

Have a great day,
R.

L.,
I have a friend who did two tours in Guam and loved it. Her and her family have spent 10 years overseas so they have a good idea about overseas living. I will email her your questions and get back to you as soon as I can.

Have not been to any of these personally, but leaving Germany I would love to go to warm weather! Go for Hawaii! You homeschool and the worst complaint I hear are the schools, also I had a cousin that was stationed there she is single but hse loved it! Family came to visit her and everything...I also had a friend that moved from Guam to Texas and she absolutely hated it! she said it was too small and that it was not a good environment to be in (messy people and no where to hide from them), not much traveling there and things to explore...I have a friend here in Germany who just got orders to Hawaii, she is German and sad to leave family but I envy her, I'd love to leave here and go there next but we are not we got Alabama! So take Hawaii...kids will probably love it!

L.,
I have had some experience with all three places! I lived in Korea for 2 years, Visited Guam for 30 days and have visited Hawaii on 3 occasions for 1 week at a time. I also have friends who live in Hawaii and on Guam.
Here in a nutshell is what I know about each...
Guam - Small island not very close to anything, but easy to take trips anywhere on that side of the world! Getting involved with the spouses club there will give you the opportunity to go on the buying trips for the spouses gift shop. Once you have been everywhere it is easy to take your family and kids for your own private trips. Scuba Diving is awesome! Although the junior programs only will include your 12 year old, there is no better/cheaper place to learn! Snorkling is good at times, in certain places. Guam is considered an island getaway for the Japanese, so you will always see tourists while you are there, but there is a lot of rich history from Both WWI and WWII, as well as Native sites to see! There are snakes, mosquitoes, giant spiders and cool jungles on the Island. It is very humid all year round, be careful your A/C doesn't go out for too long, or you will have mold problems! Bring a car you don't mind getting rid of after your tour! Do Not purchase a Brand New Car before going here; Expect your cars to have rust, the Salty Sea Air will get everything!. Oh and develope your childrens swimming abilities, and ALWAYS obey the posted swiming limitations. BUY sturdy hiking boots before leaving for here as you will need them when getting around in the jungle/rocky areas while hiking! The BX and Commissary aren't fabulous, but they aren't severely limited either. Although cooking gourmet meals with exotic spices/ingredients may be out, depending on where the spices come from. While there I purchased one of Bobby Flays cook books and was able to make anything and everything in it. THE NEX on one side of the island has more stuff than the BX does.
Hawaii - Wonderful set of islands that have gobs of Natural Wonders... volcanoes, snow, beaches, monstrous waves; Beautiful sites to see ... Memorials, black sand beaches, Whales, Dolphins, Surfing Contests, and rich culture to learn. However if you are Caucasian be aware that you are not welcome in all areas of the islands, If you want to expereince a little racism, come here. IT is by no means prevalent or everywhere, but be aware of it, and be cautious. Should your kids for any reason attend off post schools, they will exerience it. Hawaii also has historical significance, but it is not near as easy to travel, and frankly a lot more expensive than Guam. Snorkling and Scuba Diving is Great, but more expensive. If you like authentic China Town, have no fear you will find places where the locals don't speak English. In the "winter" look for it to rain for part of the day every day, then be sunny in the afternoon. Again, you need hiking boots, but you are more likely to be able to find a good pair while you are here. Your local NEX and Navy Commissary is where you will find anything and everything under the sun! They are both monstrous as well as having their own giant/georgous complex!
Korea - If you love to shop and want to haggle over the price and buy cheap, COME HERE! I remember one such event where the only way we had to communicate was with a calculator! Depending on where you live in Korea, you may be able to catch hops out of your back door to all over the place. Korea of course is part of the "mainland" and so closer to other countries (the only reason I say this is I really don't like long plane rides). DEFINITELY GO to the DMZ while you are here. It is a solemn occasion and place, the North Koreans are always watching for propaganda they can use against the South and the US, but you will be briefed on that. I didn't get introduced into much of the Korean History, but the Culture is awe inspiring, and the old palaces are breathtaking. Please don't get to squeamish about their diets, and try some of the local foods, just ask first! There is a rainy season where it is horribly rainy for about a month/two (with off times of course), but this is the only spot where you will get all 4 seasons. Oh and be aware, I am not really sure what the smell came from but, I still remember the smell. You do get used to it, and will forget it is even there, but it may take a few weeks. This was in 1988, but the sanitation then wasn't top notch. I remember the BX being OK, not big, but not tiny, and the Commissary was really large, but this was also in 88 at Seoul.
Just know there is good and bad about each spot, but as you already know, A tour is what you make of it! Good Luck!
W.
Look up www.geocaching.com and with a handheld GPS you can learn/see so much!

I just wrote someone last week about our love of Guam, so this may be a repeat for some...but, here it goes. We did two tours in Guam (a 3-year, and then a 1-year...I don't recommend a one year...not enough time for such a big move!) We absolutely love Guam and would go back again in a heartbeat. Our kids were not school aged for either tour, but I know a lot of people who did have school aged kids...most went to the DoDDS school, some to private, and quite a few home schooled. That said, I don't know what kind of support for home schoolers there is, but I know people did it. As for base support, there is an Air Force base, and a Navy base on the island...both of which have Exchanges and Commissaries, as well as Furniture Marts, and Toy Land's (both are fairly small, but we never felt like we went without). Coming from Ramstein, you may find it to be a little less than you're used to, but the difference is that there are other places to shop on the economy where you're not paying in Euro! There are a number of things we love about Guam, but a big bonus is the travel opportunities. Like Europe, you have a number of places that you can get to in a relatively short time. Unlike Europe, obviously, you can't drive there! But I often met my husband while he was in port so we saved on at least one ticket. Went to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan (several different parts of it), Australia, Bali, and some of the islands in the chain of the Marianas. For us, the ONLY downfall was how far we were from family...not in the daily life sense, but when a family crisis came up, it was hard (ie, death in family, serious illness). As for the local military community, they truly became family, so any challenges that we faced on island were easily handled with the support of our military family (even helping as much as possible in the case of the death in family back in the States). I don't know what branch of military your husband is, but as I said, there is a Navy base and an Air Force base. It's been 5 years since we lived there, but at the time, there were renovations being done on both bases...but as is generally the case, the Air Force housing was much nicer...even the unrenovated ones! :) We were fortunate that ours was the only Navy squadron living on the Air Force base, so someone who lived in Navy housing may have a completely different view. Our housing was more than adequate for our family of four...we only qualified for a three bedroom, but I think you would qualify for something bigger. Another nice thing that changed from our first tour to our second was that pets no longer needed to be put in 6 month quarantine...don't know if that affects you. OK, I'm tired and rambling, so I'm going to stop now! If you consider Guam any more and you want to ask more questions, etc., feel free to contact me privately and we can exchange e-mails or something. Good luck to you and it sounds like you have a lot of exciting opportunities available to you.