Buenas - December 2018

THERE’S NO “I” IN TEAM

Activities that will relieve stress and solidify relationships

Art of the Slingstone Ancient Chamorro art sees wide renaissance

OPTICAL ILLUSION

Mark Dell’Isola views things differently

contents

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December 2018

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SPORTS

Slinging

WHAT’S NEXT

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Events in December

ARTIST

Mark Dell’Isola

ESSENCE OF GUAM

Helping the needy

COMMUNITY

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Team-building activities

TRAVEL

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South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe

Buenas is Guam’s leading lifestyle magazine and reflects the popularity of the magazine among all who live on-island or who visit Guam! The magazine will continue to bring its readers lively features on the lifestyle of Guam — what is happening throughout the island, who is doing something fun or special and what’s coming up on the Guam calendar.

Connect with us!

www.buenasguam.com

About the cover: One of Guam’s youth is seen practicing the ancient Chamorro art of Slinging. Image courtesy of Roman Dela Cruz/Sling Guam

Buenas December

PUBLISHER Maureen N. Maratita BUSINESS EDITOR Meghan Hickey LIFESTYLE EDITOR Jesse C. Babauta REPORTERS John I. Borja Wayne Chargualaf CREATIVE DEPT. SUPERVISOR Vikki Fong

2018

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Buenas December 2018 • Entire contents copyrighted 2018 by Glimpses of Guam, Inc. Buenas is published bi-monthly by Glimpses of Guam Inc., 161 US Army Juan C. Fejeran St. Barrigada Heights, GU 96913.

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Sports///Slinging

The slinging movement Reviving an indigenous martial art

Story by Wayne Chargualaf • Photos courtesy of Sling Guam and Roman Dela Cruz

The sling, a weapon of war associated with the Latte period of the Mariana Islands, is seeing a renaissance on Guam. Long considered an artifact of the past, Matthew Reyes of Sling Guam is part of a movement to bring new life into this ancient skill.

“T

ere are a lot of cultural dance groups, people doing weaving and canoes and I wondered ‘Why aren’t more people out there really promoting this?’” Reyes says.

Reyes’ own initiation into the art began when he saw a coworker named Guelu Rosario slinging on the beach.

“He’s a guy from Rota who’s really rooted in the culture, and he explained that slinging is part of our culture and he wants to revive it,” Reyes says. After Rosario taught Reyes and his friends to sling, he taught them how to make their own slings.

“Once I made my own sling and slung a stone with it, I thought, ‘This is part of our roots,’” he says. “You really feel how powerful it is.”

Reyes and his company Sling Guam are now a regular presence at the Chamorro Village night market, offering lessons and selling slings as well as a clothing line with culturally inspired designs.

“We want to promote the island and educate people about the culture,” Reyes says. “When someone says ‘Oh that’s a nice shirt,’ you can talk about it and actually spark a conversation.”

Eventually, Reyes would like to open a Sling Guam shop with a slinging cage.

“I just want a shop that’s going to be dedicated to the culture 4

with products that both tourists and locals love and that has a strong Chamorro identity,” he says.

Reyes is quick to point out that he’s not the only person promoting slinging on island. Although he actively promotes his own brand, he says he and other slinging groups are working together rather than competing to spread awareness and revive the art.

“Roman Dela Cruz is out there promoting slinging and is trying to get sling golf into the schools as an activity, so all credit to them,” Reyes says.

Dela Cruz — most famous for being the founder of Fokai Industries — had been fascinated with the art of slinging for decades before he began actively slinging about 10 years ago.

“First of all, I’m thankful to our ancestors who got it going in the first place and the people who’ve kept it alive through hundreds of years,” Dela Cruz says. “One of my buddies — Keith Susuico — told me there were active slingers on island. I was amazed because at the time I thought you had to be from prehistoric times to do that kind of thing.”

Susuico directed Dela Cruz to other active slingers such as Pat Rosario and his brother Guelu — the same Guelu Rosario who would

Sports///Slinging

set Matt Reyes on to the path of slinging many years later.

“Guelu is an incredible mentor to many in slinging and other matters of culture and he and the Rosario family are teaching slinging in Guam and Tinian,” Dela Cruz says. “As far as I know they are the largest slinging Chamorro family and have direct lineage from the great Chief Taga.”

Although the slinging scene percolated somewhat underground for years, Dela Cruz credits the 2016 Festival of the Pacific Arts as being a turning point for the art, as Guam — the host for the event — was eager to showcase its culture to its Pacific brethren.

“FestPac was a big game changer for sure,” he says. “We’d already been a few years into having active sling camps, but 2016 was a great opportunity to see how valuable it is culturally. Just seeing the impact from sharing this with people from other islands, it really touched a deeper side of the soul.”

That experience motivated Dela Cruz and his slinging group to go deeper into their research and practice. They learned that slinging cultures span the globe and that it’s also an international sport, with a championship held annually in Mallorca, Spain that regularly draws representatives from about 20 countries. Dela Cruz and Guelo Rosario have both attended to compete. Although they didn’t place as high as they would have liked, they and a group of three other slingers — Tony San Agustin, Brandi Jae Aguon and Josiah Perez — returned this year determined to make the Mariana Islands’ presence known. Throughout three days of competition, the group from the Marianas had Perez winning the Kid’s International category, Aguon winning the Women’s International and Dela Cruz placing 3rd in the Men’s International and winning Most Bullseyes

on day three of the tournament.

“Mallorcans are known as the slingers of the world, they have a very deep slinging history,” Dela Cruz says. “We want Guam to reclaim its identity as the slingers of the Pacific.”

Dela Cruz says he and his cohorts are now in the process of creating a non-profit organization devoted to slinging, have launched a website, are offering a free slinging curriculum to all village mayors and have a plan to develop the art locally to the point that the Mariana Islands can hold an international slinging competition by 2021.

Just as other cultures have retained their ancient martial arts as a means of developing character and retaining a connection to their history, Dela Cruz — himself a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Enson Inoue’s Purebred Academy — says slinging is no different.

“If you take a look at a samurai and his relationship with his sword, it’s beyond his weapon — it’s a symbol of life, a symbol of character, a symbol of refinement,” he says. “Slinging is absolutely our martial art, in the fullest sense of the word, where it’s more than just a skill for fighting but a way of developing proper living. It’s also a call out to our diaspora. Slinging a stone is something we use as self-identification, something we have a deep connection with. It’s our calling to breathe life back into this art. I think it’s something that can really serve our people well.”

Sling Guam can be found Wednesday nights at the Chamorro Village night market from from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Instagram at @slinguamofficial.

Dela Cruz can be contacted online at 13north144east.com and on Instagram at @13north144east. His website also features a blog and slinging tutorials.

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What’s Next

WHAT’S NEXT VILLAGE FIESTAS:

DEC. 9

Dededo: Santa Barbara Hagåtña: Immaculate Conception, islandwide procession 4 p.m. honoring Santa Marian Kamalen Santa Rita: Our Lady of Guadalupe Asan: Nino Perdido

This free community event will include an arts and crafts fair, children’s activities such as face painting, and a holiday cookie sale, plus featured performances by the new Guam Symphony Society Children’s Choir, the Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, and the University of Guam Jazz Band.

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: Gov. Joseph Flores Memorial Park Amphitheater Admission is free For more information contact the Guam Symphony Society at 477-1959 or via email at info@guamsymphony.com

DECEMBER

JANUARY Tumon: Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Chalan Pago: Nuestra Señora de la Paz Buen Viaje Mongmong: Nuestra Señora de las Aguas Maina: Our Lady of Purification

DEC. 1

Electric Island Festival Location: Pacific Star Resort & Spa Electronic Music has captured the orld by storm over the past 10 years emerging from the underground to the forefront of today’s pop culture revolution. The time has come again for Guam to emerge in to the Global electronic music movement. What was merely a concept four years ago is now the most anticipated event Guam has witnessed in recent years.

For more information contact Andrew Hong at andrew@6amgroup.com

DEC. 2

MBJ Life First Annual Charity Golf Tournament MBJ Life’s charity golf tournament to support Alee Women’s Shelter and Erica’s House.

Location: STARTS Guam Golf Resort Showtime: 11 a.m.

Go time: 12 p.m.

DEC. 5

PHR Genesis Cup charity golf tournament Location: Country Club of the Pacific Show time: 11 a.m.

Go time: 12 p.m.

Entry fee: $125 per player/Team with PHR member: $100 per player Proceeds from the event will go to benefit Habitat for Humanity

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Guam Symphony Society Seaside Holiday Concert

DEC. 9

Tour of Guam Location: Central and Southern Guam The Tour of Guam is Guam’s most prestigious competitive cycling event.

The event serves as the annual National Championship for Guam’s cycling athletes. Two courses are featured for both races including the 105km course and the 42km course.

For more information contact Ben Ferguson at 646-9171 or via email at BFerguson@picguam.com

JAN. 12

Guam Business Magazine Executive of the Year Location: Hyatt Regency Guam Guam Business Magazine’s annual Executive of the Year recognizes a member of the community who has displayed consistent excellence in his or her professional life.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross For more information contact the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross at 472-6217/19

Artist///Mark Dell’Isola

Pacific 3D The art of illusion Story and photos by Jesse C. Babauta

Mark Dell’Isola has been an artist since the late 1980s. Dell’Isola acquired his signature style after moving to Palau and living in a man-made hut, fishing for his food and getting back in touch with nature.

D

uring that time, Dell’Isola became inspired by the beauty of the Pacific, “Eskimos have 1,000 words for ice — we have 1,000 colors of water,” Dell’Isola says with great enthusiasm.

It was also there that the artist acquired, perfected and cataloged the multitude of different color palates that he uses to create his work.

Having traveled the world and displaying his work in places like Texas, Japan, Germany and Bali, he is always drawn back to the place he calls home. “There’s no place like the Pacific,” Dell’Isola says. “It’s just so vibrant, so pure.”

Dell’Isola explains that his art is usually a mix of the different elements found in nature, “Water, fire, earth, wind — I draw inspiration from everything around me,” he says. “At the moment I draw inspiration from the cone shell. A shell grows in an algorithmic spiral … lately I’ve been obsessed with that pattern; I don’t know why.”

Dell’Isola has a work space at Sagan Kottura in Tumon where the old Guam Memorial Hospital once stood and has been painting 10 to 12 hours a day for the last two years in preparation for this show.

Dell’Isola will be presenting his latest series of original works — a total of 11 pieces, all created using a 3D optical illusion style with a spiral patterned theme throughout the lobby area of the Hyatt Regency Guam from Oct. 26 and through Jan. 11.

Though this isn’t his first show at the Hyatt, it will be the first time his work will be displayed in the lobby area of the hotel.

“No two people will ever see things the same. There may be common traits that you can identify as being from the same region, but the styles will never be exact,” Dell’Isola says. “That’s the beautiful thing about art.”

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Artist///Mark Dell’Isola

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Essence of Guam///Helping the needy

Essence of Guam Helping the needy

A Buenas series featuring nonprofit charitable organizations on Guam and how you can contribute

Catholic Social Service

Mission: To encourage the development of the spiritual, intellectual, economic, and social well-being of families, persons with disabilities, abused adults and children, the elderly, the homeless, and others in need of services.

What they do: Provide shelter for abused women and children, provides emergency food services, emergency temporary housing, and operate a thrift store and other services. Available resources include the Alee Children’s Shelter and Alee Women’s Shelter, which provides a safe haven for abused children and women; the Community Habilitation Program which provides a day program for adults with disabilities; the Father David I.A. Quitugua Foundation, which provides financial assistance for off-island treatment of catastrophic medical conditions; and the Food Pantry, which provides food assistance to needy individuals and families.

Executive Director: Diana B. Calvo Phone: (671) 635-1442 Email: css@catholicsocialserviceguam.org Website: www.catholicsocialserviceguam.org Facebook: facebook.com/Catholic-Social-Service-Guam-622314777796899/ How to volunteer: Contact via telephone, email or Facebook page How to donate: To make a donation or for additional information visit www.catholicsocialserviceguam.org or call 635-1441.

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Essence of Guam///Helping the needy

Sanctuary Inc. of Guam

Mission: To help youth and families help themselves.

What they do: Provide direct services to at-risk youths and families who experiencing family conflict, homelessness and/ or trauma. Available resources include three shelters, a treatment facility for youth struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, a 24hour crisis hotline, anger management classes for youths and adults and parenting skills classes.

CEO: Theresa C. Arriola Phone: 475-7101 or call the 24-hour crisis hotline at 475-7100 Email: inquiries@sanctuaryguam.com Website: sanctuaryguam.com Facebook: facebook.com/SanctuaryIncorporated Instagram: @sanctuaryincofguam How to volunteer: Volunteers may complete a volunteer form and turn it in to the human resources manager, Katherine Dominguez.

Volunteers are required to submit a police and court clearance with their application.

How to donate: Call, email or visit website for more information.

Salvation Army Guam Corps

Mission: To live by and demonstrate faith-based values by helping the underserved and needy in the community.

What they do: Provide food, housing and services to those in need. Other available resources include the Family Services Center, which provides rental and utilities assistance and the Lighthouse Recovery Center, a substance abuse rehabilitation facility that offers inpatient residential treatment, social detox and outpatient counseling as well as counseling for individuals, couples and families. The Salvation Army is also famous for its Kettle Bell Ringing fundraiser during the holidays. For every dollar raised, 83¢ goes to serving the needy and 100% goes to emergency disaster services when needed.

Executive Director: Maj. Thomas Stambaugh Phone: (671) 477-9872 Email: cj.urquico@usw.salvationarmy.org Website: http://guam.salvationarmy.org Facebook: facebook.com/salvationarmygu/ Instagram: @salvationarmygu Twitter: @salvationarmygu How to volunteer: Call, message on social media or email cj.urquico@usw.salvationarmy.org How to donate: Call, email or visit website for more information.

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Community///Team-building activities

Work it out Team-building activities to keep your ship afloat Story by John I. Borja

People find strength in the relationships they form and maintain with friends, family, colleagues and other influencers in life. As we welcome a new year, why not engage in activities that will keep those relationships grounded? Here are five recreational, challenging and altogether fun activities that are sure to boost morale.

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Community///Team-building activities

Achieve new heights with Sky Zone

Photos courtesy of Sky Zone Guam

If you’re looking to take relationships to a higher level (literally), Sky Zone at the Agana Shopping Center has a variety of activities that friends, family and colleagues can bond through.

A big room full of trampolines and gimmicks provides a lot of ways people can have fun together or engage in friendly competition.

While participants can simply jump their way around the facility, they can also engage in fun games such as Sky Slam, a bouncier take on slam dunking, or Ultimate Dodgeball, where challengers can now dodge incoming balls vertically. This is where the team aspect comes into play — parties can split up into groups and make a challenge out of it.

The facility also has conference rooms and serves food and drinks, suitable for businesses looking to plan a fun day.

Sky Zone is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For group reservations or for more information, call 969-9663, visit the website at skyzone. com/guam or follow the Instagram and Facebook pages under the username, “@skyzoneguam.” The company recommends that participants fill out the waiver form online beforehand.

Race against time with PanIQ 45

Photos by John I. Borja

For those who prefer bonding through mental challenges rather than physical activities, an escape room may prove to be the ultimate test.

PanIQ 45 at the JRV Plaza in Harmon offers a series of escape rooms where teams can work together to solve complex puzzles and riddles — but there’s a twist. PanIQ 45 adds interactive horror elements to the rooms, which applies pressure on the communication between group members. The suspense coupled with a countdown timer can really make or break a team.

For a less intense experience, a group can opt to forgo the jump scares and focus on the puzzles, but it can still prove to be a challenge.

PanIQ45 has three main escape rooms of varying levels of difficulty. To keep things fresh, the management team switches up the puzzles and objectives in the room periodically so each visit won’t quite be the same as before.

The escape rooms are available starting at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on the weekends, and they are available only by reservation.

Interested groups can call 797-5344 or 858-0384/5 for more information.

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Community///Team-building activities

Form friendships while hiking throughout the island

Photos by John I. Borja

Guam has tons of beautiful sights that can be accessed through hikes, and hikes are always safer and more fun with company. Coworkers, friends and even complete strangers can bond by maneuvering through jungles to find hidden waterfalls or walking along the shoreline of northern beaches to reach secluded coves.

First and foremost, it’s important to find a guide who is knowledgeable about the desired location. A team-building activity should never involve the fear of getting lost or injured and a guide can take away those concerns. It’s also good to know the level of difficulty the group can handle. While the more challenging hikes like Lower Sigua Falls or Cetti Falls are sure to require a lot of teamwork, it’s best to set the pace at a level that everyone can enjoy. Beginner hikes like the Lost Pond and Waterfall Valley are great starting points.

It’s not too difficult to find a hike guide as there are many hiking groups on the island. The most established group, Guam Boonie Stompers Inc., plans hikes every Saturday morning and posts on social media where the group is headed to. Participants can join the hikes at $2 per person. More information the group’s hiking schedule can be found at facebook.com/GuamBoonieStompersInc. Additional safety tips on hiking can be found on the “Guam Hiking Safety” public group on Facebook.

Play sports and engage in friendly competition

Photos by Jeffrey Nantin

If you really want to test the mettle of your colleagues, enroll in corporate sports tournaments.

Basketball tournaments for businesses and organizations are held at least once a year by the Guam Basketball Association. In these tournaments, a business can enroll their team members to participate and challenge against other businesses. More information about the association’s tournaments can be found at guambasketball.com or on its Facebook page by searching “Guam Basketball Association.”

Paddling is another sport that requires teamwork, and there are numerous clubs on Guam that can help set up a team bonding experience. Charity events like the annual 76 Paddles Against Cancer attract businesses to compete against each other for a good cause.

For those wanting to try something new, ultimate frisbee is another option that requires working together. Guam Ultimate for All hosts games every Monday and Wednesday after 5 p.m. in Barrigada and Friday at Jimmy Dee’s Beach Bar in Tamuning. Check out the Facebook public group “Guam Ultimate for All” for more information.

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Community///Team-building activities

Photos courtesy of The Pink Elephant Facebook page

Wind down after work with painting

A more sophisticated form of team bonding can be found in paint-and-sip activities where a large group of people can learn how to paint a subject in easy steps while mingling with others over drinks.

It’s a great opportunity for a company to plan for its employees as a way to congratulate them or allow them to de-stress from a busy work week.

The Pink Elephant is one of several businesses that provide this social event, which can host as many as 100 people. Co-owner Joy Ada says the business provides all the painting supplies for each participant. It has its own studio in Sinajana but is open to conducting social activities for companies and private parties at their preferred locations. Groups can bring their own food and beverages, although alcoholic drinks are not allowed in the studio. The standard rate is $40, but Ada says she can work with a company’s budget to provide a tweaked experience at an adjusted price.

On top of painting, The Pink Elephant also throws in games for a more interactive experience.

One game includes a spin on musical chairs where participants have to move along other people’s canvases and continue painting whichever canvas they land on. It makes for a greater bonding experience and has been a popular activity with groups.

For more information on planning this event, call 487-1441 or visit thepinkelephantguam.com.

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Travel///South Africa

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Travel///South Africa

South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe Photos courtesy of John and Jerilyn Brown

A

fter touching down in Johannesburg, take a Mack Air light aircraft to the Gomoti Camp Airstrip where your adventure begins. Even before landing you can already see the herds of exotic big game that call Gomoti home. Surrounded by beautiful wildlife, Gomoti Camp has taken a modern spin on the traditional safari expedition.

Gone are the days of roughing it in small tents — glamping or glamorous camping is the norm now and accommodations are world-class. Spend three nights at the camp in a luxury tent with all meals, in addition to daily safari expeditions led by your own personal guide already planned out for you — all you need to do show up. The guides are very knowledgeable about the lay of land and familiar with the wildlife as well as their tendencies. Impalas, lions, giraffes, elephants — it’s like a scene out of a movie, and all of it just feet from where you sleep.

Wake up around 5:30 a.m. and head to the lounge for morning tea and muffins. At 6 a.m. the day’s activities begin. Go for a big game drive in a very comfortable off-road vehicle complete with stadium seating — shooting wildlife with your camera instead of a gun.

At 9:30 a.m., return to the camp for breakfast, then relax for a few hours and take a swim, read a book or simply do nothing except enjoying the peace and tranquility of your surroundings — being absolutely disconnected from civilization. No emails to answer, no deadlines to meet, no meetings to make … its just you and the hyena’s — and maybe a bottle of wine. After lunch and more unwinding, go for another game drive and enjoy the sunset before dinner.

It might be hard to leave but there’s more safari in store. Board another Mack Air light aircraft transfer from Gomoti Camp to Kasane Airport where you’ll be greeted by a representative of Chobe Princess who will transfer you to Kasane Immigration.

From there, take a tender boat and spend the next three nights aboard the Chobe Princess on a River Safari.

Staying on board the Chobe Princesses is like being on a permanent game viewing vehicle, except much more luxurious. It’s the perfect balance between intimacy and experience.

Water-based game drives by tender boat are available for those who wish to experience the enormous diversity of wildlife up close.

Watch huge herds of elephant as they swim across the water, in addition to buffalo, lion, crocodile, giraffe and zebra. And no trip to the Chobe would be complete without taking part in a fishing safari.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a tiger fish.

From the river you’ll go through immigration, cross the border and spend a night at the Victoria Falls Safari Club. The next morning, enjoy a big breakfast and its off for your “Tour of the Falls” excursion.

You will be greeted by another guide who will accompany you through the Rainforest, all the while briefing you on the history of the falls and identifying the various flora, birds and other wildlife.

The path along the edge of the forest provides those brave enough to endure the spray with a view of the Falls that is simply breathtaking.

In the morning you’ll depart Victoria Falls Airport and catch a flight to Cape Town International Airport. From there you will be transferred to your hotel where a good nights rest is highly recommended as a private full day scenic tour of the peninsula is scheduled for the next morning. See famous landmarks like the Cape of Good Hope and Simon’s Town historical naval base.

Depart from Cape Town International Airport and land at Port Elizabeth Airport for one last adventure and spend three nights at the Oceana Beach and Wildlife reserve. There you can climb aboard a safari vehicle and experience free roaming wildlife, take a walk on the beach or relax with a drink mingle with other guests around a Boma Fire.

The Oceana Beach Reserve marks the end of your journey.

From Port Elizabeth Airport catch a flight back to Johannesburg International Airport and then onward.

GETTING THERE How to get to there: United Airlines offers daily flights to Honolulu; Honolulu to Houston; Houston to Johannesburg Travel time: About 48 hours Giltedge Travel: www.giltedgeafrica.com Oceana Beach & Wildlife Reserve: +27 83 616 0605 Pembury Tours Contact: +27 41 581 2581 / +27 82 327 7505 Paradise Touring Contact: +27 21 713 1020 / +27 82 771 5158 Victoria Falls Safari Club Contact: +263 13 43211/20 / +263 13 43201 Chobe Princess Contact: +27 21 715 2412 / +27 83 431 7399 Gomoti Plains Camp: +27 82 579 5249 / +27 83 320 4860

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WE DELIVER