Only in Saipan: Four of the Best Restaurants in the Whole World

That's right folks, four of the best restaurants IN THE WHOLE WORLD just happen to be right here on this one little spot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. What are the odds?

Here on Saipan, we may lack a healthy economy, a competent government, and a fresh coat of paint for many of our buildings. We may lack consistent access to ricotta cheese, i-tunes music store service, and concerts by acts bigger than K.C. and Sunshine Band. But one thing we do not lack is good food. At least in my opinion, there is an extraordinary amount of great food to be found on Saipan. You can eat well here. There's crepes at that little French place in Garapan. There's great coffee, internet service and laundry in one stop at Java Joes, dollar tacos at Oleais's Bar and Grill, burgers at Hamilton's, premium ice cream at the Big Dipper, deli style sandwhiches at Bobby Cadillacs, several excellent sushi joints such as Shen Shen and Sushi Land, heaping bowls of pasta at Capriciossa's, the delightful lunch buffet at the Taste of India, the best hotel buffet on Saipan at Pacific Island Club--perfect for lunch after a morning of swimming in their gorgeously landscaped water park, garlic-infused everything at the Garlic restaurant, fine dining at Giovanni's at the Hyatt, and dramatic dining at Micronesia's only revolving restaurant, the recently opened 360. There's probably a hundred other places I've yet to discover or forgotten to mention as well. For the mass-market taste we even have Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC, Taco Bell, the Hard Rock and good old Mickey D's.

But among all this fantastic food, there are four places that stand out because I have yet to find any place in the world--my world anyway--on par with them. These are places I miss when I'm back in the States during the summer, places that will leave a little hole in my life when the day comes that we move away or that, God forbid, they should close. In fact, the fear that these places might someday close is part of what prompted me to write this blog in the first place. It's a legitimate worry, as we've lost more than a few restaurants to the aforementioned diseased Saipan economy (including the magically delicious Magic Lamp, a Mediterranean themed restaurant that featured one of the island's largest vegetarian menus. The owner, Linda Stephinian, a dear friend of ours, closed up shop several months ago). In fact, I first started thinking about this post when I embarked on the Herculean task of trying to keep Shelly's pizza open--singlehandedly. I decided I was going to buy pizza from them every single week. I'm not saying they are on the brink of collapse, but they are a new business and that puts them at risk. And the pizza really is that good. We can't lose this place!

I wanted to encourage readers here on Saipan to frequent Shelly's and the other restuarants here to keep their business booming, and I wanted to encourage off island readers to look these places up when they visit (And yes, they might actually be worth flying here just to eat).

But enough talk. Let's eat!

Shelly's Original Boston Pizza: Located in Susupe right across the street from the massive World Resort. You can't miss it and, best of all, it's located three doors down from one of the other Best Restaurants in the World, Ebisyua. The odds are astronomical, I know!

Shelly's was opened a little more than a year ago by two boys from Boston who came to Saipan on vacation and couldn't find a good pizza (apologies to the other two major pizza joints on island). They decided to make their own, and we the residents of Saipan have been the lucky beneficiaries of their dissastisfaction.

What makes Shelly's the Best Pizza in the World? The crust--it's all about the crust. Soft and pillowy, it could be served by itself and be mouthwatering. The rich sauce, melty cheese, and grade-A toppings are just. . .well, the toppings. . .to their exquisite handmade pizza crust.

I make a habit of going into Shelly's and taking a few slices of whatever pizza is hot out of the oven. How many places can you go where you don't need to bother with placing an order for one particular item--because everything is so good?

They've got a great bargain on a medium pizza that sure feels like a large for only $9.99!

I'll never order from Pizza Hut again while Shelly's lives, and I don't feel bad for Pizza Hut either. They've got a multi-billion dollar global brand--they don't need me. Shelly's just has us, here in Saipan.

Ebisuya Bakery and Sushi, a few doors down from Shelly's. The Best Bakery in the World and some of the better sushi.

I don't know if this is really a restaurant, though they do have a small sit-down area. Primarily it's a bakery and a place for sushi and bento. There are three things, Ebisuya does par excellance, illustrated below in photos (I took these pictures near the end of the day and Ebisuya does everything fresh, so by the end of the day the shelves are getting sparse):

Baked Goods

I buy all our bread here--whole wheat, french bread, rolls, you name it. Their's is the best on island.

Desserts

They've always got a variety of tempting desserts on display in the case next to the cash register: cheesecake, crepes, creme puffs, fruit cups, and so on. The folks at Ebisuya understand the importance of real, rich, cream and they use it wisely and generously in their desserts and pastries.

Sushi

When it comes to take-out sushi, Ebisuya is unparallelled. The only downside is that they don't have any vegetarian sushi so you're going to have endure real spicy tuna and salmon in your sushi roll.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, I love about both Shelly's and Ebisuya that you never know what's going to be available when you go there. In both places you sometimes sense that the chefs follow their mood and fancy and you're always in for a pleasant surprise everytime you go in. The food has to be pretty darn good that you can go in and be happy with whatever you find in stock.

A few of my favorite things (from Ebisuya):

These are some of my favorite Ebisuya items that I bought yesterday: sushi, french bread, and on the top from left to write the PASTRIES!!!!! from left to right, a cappuccino pastry, a blueberry "pan" (actually that was a new item that I just had to try. "Pan" means bread in Chamorro, I believe), and my all time favorite Ebisuya item--the Best Blueberry Danish In the World!


A little closer to home, we have this lovely little place, located about a 3o second walk from our school:


Spicy Thai Noodle Place located in San Antonio, on the right hand side of Beach Road if you're driving south, just before you reach the Mayor's Office on the left and the SDA School on the right. If you pass the basketball court you've gone too far.

Spicy Thai has the best Thai food I've ever had anywhere (and that includes in Thailand). My favorites are the green curry with eggplant and chicken (though tofu can be substituted), the phad thai, the spicy kangkung greens and well, really everything here. I heart the iced Thai tea with milk as well. And they have a great lunch buffet that features tasty wings and spring rolls every day in additon to their delicious selection of main entrees.


As if amazing food weren't enough, Spicy Thai delivers a warm, comfortable, and quaint atmosphere, perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons or a working session after school. They have lots of "regular" tables too, but these traditional Thai tables are my favorite place to eat, hang out, and hold court. Kick off your shoes, settle on the comfy pillows, and it's like you're at home.

Spicy Thai Noodle Place owners Bob and Waree Bracken.

And finally, my favorite Restaurant in the Whole World:

Coffee Care, located off Isa Drive on the way up to Capitol Hill.

Don't be fooled by the mundane name--this place has it all--a funky-cool, laid-back ambience, great music, a great view, friendly wait staff, great art on the walls (though lately there's less of that as a lot of my favorite pieces have been sold off and replaced by the less original though still cool old 1950's movie posters) and of course the food. Coffee Care sweeps every category--appetizers (try the the mozzeralla emapanada or the melenzane provolone for starters), the salads (Bab's favorite is the rustica salad), the sandwhiches (I've had them all--every one is amazing, the Coffee Care wrap, the philly steak and cheese--all with your choice of bread and cheese), the soups (get the soup of the day--whatever it is, it will be delicious), the pasta (they have a list of sauces--I like the sun dried tomato--and you pick the type of pasta to pair it with), the steaks, the fish (oh, the fish. . .you don't even have to like fish and you'll love their grilled wahoo). All three meals of the day--breakfast, lunch, and dinner--they're all winners.

And did I mention dessert? Humongous slabs of cheesecake are just the beginning. . .

Oh, and they have a large coffee menu too.

And a couple can eat there for about 20 bucks! (Though we always tend to spend more because the food is just so good!)

Even under the new management that's cut some of the nicer details (they've switched from kalamata olives to plain old black for example), in terms of the full package dining experience, no other restaurant I've been to comes close.

I was saddened to hear recently of the passing of the original owner of Coffee Care, a genial man named Dan. I didn't know him personally, and I'm sure he's done many wonderful things and made a difference to those near and dear to him. But if leaving a place like Coffee Care, that's been the source of so many special meals and memories for so many people, is part of what he's accomplished, that's a legacy to be proud of.


The view from Coffee Care.

Well, I'm going to finish this blog and go out to eat with my wife at. . .yup, Coffee Care.

Inspiration

Rafe Esquith, the teacher of Hobart Shakespearean Fame.
This rather ordinary-looking man is actually one of the world's most extraordinary people. He is a fifth grade teacher at Hobart Elementary School in California, the author of the book Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire and the subject of a fascinating PBS documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans. The film tells of his work with his fifth grade class in mounting and performing an entire Shakespearean play every year. What's remarkable is that these fifth graders--almost all of whom do not speak English as their primary language--learn the entire text of Hamlet, perform with it authentic feeling, and understand what it means. It is a testament to the talent and commitment of the kids, but also a testament to Mr. Esquith's teaching ability, his commitment and passion, and his belief in what his students can accomplish.

I first heard about the The Hobart Shakespeareans from my friend Rex Kosack (who incidentally also let me in on the secret that Netflix ships to Saipan, which was it's own little mini-revolution in my life. . .but I digress). When the movie came, Babs and I watched it and right away Babs knew she had to share it with the whole staff. So last Monday for our joint pre-school/elementary campus staff meeting we watched The Hobart Shakespeareans featuring the teaching genius of the Rafe Esquith. I also showed it to my sophomore English class, which has just finished readng Hamlet.

Having seen it three times now, there some key elements I've picked up from Rafe that I think make him so effective, and that I want to incorporate more into my own teaching. He's set the bar high and I'm determined to rise to the challenge!

1. He is serious but positive. Lately I've let myself get rather cranky and angry-sounding when talking to the kids. I loved how positive Rafe was, yet without ever letting there be any doubt that he was absolutely serious and all about business. You don't have to be mean to be taken seriously. You just have to be serious.

2. He's committed. Rafe is always in the moment when he teaches. He's not thinking about what he's going to do when he gets off work or wishing the class would be over soon. He's not planning his next class. He's 100% present and invested in what he's doing. I started making a conscious effort to be that way about a year ago and the difference in the response and interest of the students was dramatic. When you're excited and invested in what you're doing, they are more likely to be too.

3. He takes questions. One student in the documentary talks about how his previous teacher would get mad when he asked questions, telling him "We already went over this. Weren't you listening?" He was listening. . .he just didn't get it. I cringed when I heard that, because I know I've said things like that to my students and I don't want to. Often that frustrated response comes from feeling like I don't have enough time in the class period to help everyone and still stay on schedule but that's no excuse. Rafe welcomes questions and will go over material over and over and over and over again until they get it--that is his job after all, and it's mine too. It's hard enough for most kids to get up the courage to raise their hand and admitt they don't get it. As a teacher, I need to make sure they feel glad they asked, not wish they hadn't.

4. He lets each kid know they matter. This was something subtle, but it seemed to me that Rafe took notice of his students individually. I want to try to do that more as well.

5. He expects his kids to be more than ordinary. One of the things I love about teaching is the belief--and I'm sorry but this is a MUST if you're going to be a teacher--that every kid in your class has the potential to be extraordinary. It's true that not all of them will live up to that potential--and Rafe is very frank about recognizing that--but you have to believe that all of them CAN!

6. His emphasis is on how great the kids are, not how great he is. He says at one point in the documentary "If all they get from this school year is that this is a 'cool teacher' or a this was a 'fun year' then I have failed as a teacher." He wants kids to know it's not about him, it's about them. We teachers like to feel needed, like to feel important, like to feel cool and loved, we like to feel like we are making the "big difference" but I love that Rafe recognizes it can't be about us--it has to be about the student realizing their own potential, recognizing that they are valuable, important, cool, and loved--that they can make the biggest difference in their own lives.

Finally, I love Rafe's final words at the end of the documentary--his summation of what a good teacher is:

"The good ones don't give up."

Foolishness

Saturday night, March 8, was the dress rehearsal for our dinner show the following evening. We worked hard of course, but we also took some time out to be silly and have some fun. The following videos are. . well, foolishness. . .created with some funny actors and our church piano's unique sound effects capabilities. Most of these feature, "Little Sister", the younger sister of the famous "Bono Girl" who was an actor on the team for seven years before going away to college. "Little Sister" leaves no doubt that the acting talent definitely runs in the family. She's hilarious on her own and even funnier with in "guy" make up she's wearing here.


She laughs. . .


She shrieks. . .


She pilot's planes. . .


Oh and she dances! (And I most definitely do NOT)


Here, I try my hand at shrieking.

Acting the Fool: The Annual REAL Christian Theater Dinner Show

Gumshoe extraordinaire, private eye Tommy Jo Larmer as played by yours truly.

The Cast of The Case of the Kiss Kiss Diamond, this year's REAL Christian Theater dinner show. Believe it or not there is only one male in this picture-and that's me.

For the second year in a row, I've had the good luck to be able to act the fool in our annual REAL Christian Theater dinner show fundraiser. Last year, some may recall Grant was laid low with the flu on the weekend of our performance and I ended up stepping in for him to play the role of egomaniacal ex-football hero Dickie Morgan. This year I had the buffoon's role from the get-go, the part of Tommy Jo Larmer, a self-styled "hotshot" private eye on the trail of the stolen Kiss Kiss diamond in our comedy production, The Case of the Kiss Kiss Diamond.

This was another audience-interactive mystery play with a thin script and lots of silly laughs--quite a change from our usual purposeful fare. This production was all about having fun and raising funds to help us continue our primary reason for existence--taking the message of God's love all around the islands of Micronesia.

Veronyka Perez, our kindergarten teacher from Miami and a co-director with the team did a great job of directing the play and bringing out the best in all of us.

We faced a number of challenges with this play, but thanks to Vero's creativity and the adventuresome spirit of the kids on our team we were able to overcome them all. First, we have a small team this year and we didn't have enough actors for all the roles. Fortunately, we directors acted as well and we even got one of our REAL alumni to join us for this production, acting as one of the lawyers. Another challenge was that the script called for three couples, and our team consists of all girls (except for me and our sound tech). This problem was solved by having three of our gutsiest actors portray men. It's tough for anyone, much less a middle-school-aged girl, to play across gender lines but these girls who I will refer to by their stage names, "Carman", "Joey", & "Tony", did an excellent job. They embraced their masculine roles with zest wearing the clothes, affecting the mannerisms, and even lowering their voices. Their male imitations were spot-on and hilarious to watch.

This mannish looking young lady is president of her 8th grade class, a straight A student, and a talented actress. Doesn't she look great?


As for my role, I had so much fun. I like playing these kinds of over-the-top silly roles because I like making people laugh, and frankly it's fun to be able to just let go and act like a fool without actually having to feel like a fool. For this role, the person I modeled my performance after was one of the comedy greats, Don Knotts. I tried to add that self-important whine, the high-strung hyperactivity, the difficulty getting the gun out of it's holster, and the general cluelessness about my own clulessness that Don Knotts made famous with his character "Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show. I even stole some of his lines, like: "It's no fun when that iron door clangs shut" and "You gotta get up pritty eaaaaarly in the morning to pull one over on me" and the "loooong arm of the law." I hope the audience enjoyed my performance as much as I enjoyed putting it on.

Some of the "guys" and girls on the cast of The Case of the Kiss Kiss Diamond

Mai and I as, respectively, the trusty attorney for Tommy Jo Larmer and Larmer himself.

Director Vero Perez talks to the team backstage just before our performance begins.

Here I am in full "Barney Fife" mode, pontificating to the audience after "Lorna" and I have rounded up the six possible suspects.


Tommy Jo's rival detective, Lorna Sanderson, the woman he blames for foiling his last opportunity to catch the Kiss Kiss Diamond thieves (but who is actually a far more talented P.I.), was played by "CK Girl", a veteran of our team who first joined REAL Christian Theater when she was in 6th grade. She's now a high school junior and one of the directors for the team. Here, she grills an audience member during dinner. While the audience ate their meal, the actors mingled with them enabling the audience members to question them and try to suss out who the thief or thieves were. At the end of the show, the audience votes on who they think the thief is and the character that receives the most votes is announced to the audience as the guilty party. Thus, all of us were theoretically supposed to be prepared to be "guilty." Nonetheless, "CK Girl" was shocked when her character, Lorna was found to be guilty. She acted least guilty of all of us, and I guess in the end the audience found that the most supiscious thing of all.


Tommy Jo Larmer turns up the heat on some of the audience members during the dinner portion of the show possible, considering them possible "suspects."

Judith, Jessica, Riki, and Babs (clockwise from top right) were a tremendous help. Babs and Riki took money and tickets and Judith and Jessica helped with the food.

Our team manager, Carol Paez, did a stellar job of managing the dinner portion of the dinner show, ensuring that the audience had lots of hot pasta, garlic bread, fresh salad, and brownies, ice cream, and peach cobbler for dessert.

Big News about a very little person!

There are a very few times in life where one little event can change your life forever. We tend to think of these little earthquakes, these seismic shifts in our lives, as bad things--but there's at least one such shift that I think you'll agree is well. . .wonderful.



This video of Babs and I sharing our big news with our students at our Friday joint worship was filmed by Mai and lovingly edited by Vero. Thanks, friends, for helping us share our news with the kids. . .and the world. The first and second grade students were hilarious--we never expected that telling the kids about our baby on the way would be so funny! If you listen carefully you'll hear one of the little kids say to Barbara: "Do you have a husband?" She apparently never put the two Maycocks together! Later on another kid asked, "Will the baby be the principal of the school?"

So yes, we are--finally, I can imagine some of you sighing with relief--having a baby! It still doesn't seem quite real yet. There are many milestones still to come before the big day (which the doctor tells us will be around September 21, my mom's birthday!)--seeing the ultrasound and finding out if it's Elijah or Summer, feeling the baby kick, hearing it's heartbeat. Right now, having just finished the first trimester the only signs at this point are Bab's bouts with nausea (which are decreasing now) and her highly selective tastebuds! We are excited and grateful and we hope you'll keep all of us--our growing baby, Barbara, and myself in your prayers.

From my pen and paper journal written on the day we found Barbara was pregnant, Sunday, January 20, 2008:

Today my life changed forever. I'm going to be a father! I still can't believe it, but the two red lines don't lie. Babs is pregnant! I'm excited, scared, happy, sad, hopeful, worried, and still in disbelief. I know the experience we're going through has has happened for billions of people but it feels like it's the first time it's ever happened in the history of the world. Part of me and part of Babs is growing inside her and is going to become a person--a person who belongs to us. Amazing. Thank you, God!

Only In Saipan: Ukelele as Fashion Accessory

In the States, the style-conscious teen accessorizes with a cell phone in her hand or ipod buds sprouting from his ears. Here in Saipan, you can spot these must-have accessories as well, but you'll also find another unique acoutrement for the cool kids club--the ukelele. They are ubiquitous among the youth here. Any where a group of teens are gathered, you're sure to find at least one ukelele in the grasp of adolescent fingers. Sometimes the kids aren't even playing the "uke"--just holding it. But most do play as well--at least a few simple tunes--and some are quite talented. These days the plaintive tinkle of the ukelele can be heard wafting across our campus throughout the school day. I even saw a little girl plunking softly away in the middle of church last week!


Books. . .check. Backpack. . .check. Ukelele. . .check




One of my students, "T" shows off a uke he borrowed from a friend. The phrase in the upper right corner refers to the Refaluwasch, the name the Carolinian people use for themselves.

Uke Duet. "Micronesian Queen", on the right, and a fifth grader play their ukes in the lunchroom before school begins.




"K" plays one of our students' favorite uke tunes. (Note to self. . don't video tape with the camera on its side.)

The Strange & Quirky World of Asian Market T-Shirts

Message t-shirts are all the rage these days. We've all seen t-shirts, usually worn by kids, teens, and young adults, with humorous slogans, ironic declarations, and jaded commentary. Many of these t-shirt messages make me chuckle, a few make me fear for the next generation, and then there is a unique subgroup that makes me scratch my head in confusion. I call them "Asian Market" t-shirts because they are generally worn by my Asian students--and most of the time I can't figure out what their messages actually mean. Usually the slogans are positive, aspirational, and often vaguely poetic compared to "American" message t's.

It's hard to explain, so I'll just show you. Herewith, some samples from the strange and quirky world of Asian market message T's.

This has to be one of my favorites. Simple and to the point. I'm just not sure what the point is. I've never associated a "rebel yell" with hugs. Do you shout until someone hugs you. I am confused. . .

This t-shirt featured a whole poetic rumination on love, loss and the Manhattan skyline. The front of the t-shirt is above and the back below


Disney is a popular theme with these type of t-shirts. This one reads: "Mickey is always ready for adventure and action!!"

Dream is another popular theme. . .

I really couldn't figure this one out at all. I think it's about beer? I'm really not sure.

Just another small way my students make my life richer and more interesting! I'll have to get one of these t-shirts of my own one day and leave the people I meet scratching their heads in wonder. . .

Managaha 08: Miscellany

Thursday night "skittles" game with Miss Judith . I love the deep blue of the sky that shows up in this picture.

2 dozen boxes of a dozen donuts. The thinking goes: "I'm in a big hurry and I've got to get something for the potluck on Managaha. Maybe I'll just buy a dozen donuts real quick." Apparently a lot of parents were thinking along this line. We had more donuts for potluck than I've ever seen in my life!

Shark Living. . .

. . .Shark Dead.

Babs took the top picture of a small black tip shark from the dock at Managaha. There were quite a few of these creatures swimming about near the dock. "The Vice President" found
the dead shark. presumably on the beach. It smelled pretty bad and looked rather macabre, but it was fascinating to see a shark that up-close.

Riki, one of our preschool teachers, tunes up for Friday night worship.

Mwuhahhahahahahahha! It wouldn't be a campout with at least one scary-flashlight-face photo!

My sensei, Malou Bautista (on right) strikes a pose with fellow food committee member Carol Paez. This was my second year on the food committee, but my first without my sensei, my master Managaha chef, Malou. Malou has been involved in the Managaha meals ever since we've had a Managaha campout. She is an expert at whipping up tasty meals for the masses and I have sat at her feet and learned much. Still, I didn't feel quite ready to be on my own this year--but I had no choice--Malou didn't arrive on Managaha until Sabbath morning after breakfast. So I jumped in gamely, basically running the meals from Thursday through Friday night mostly on my own. The whole time, as I organized the kitchen storage tent, as I prepared the corned beef hash and scrambled eggs, as I washed up the dishes--I kept wondering, what would Malou do? Would she approve of my culinary decisions? Would she look kindly on the way I ran my kitchen or would she disappointed? Was the apprentice worthy of his teacher? I deeply hoped so.


Sunday morning on Managaha. There is an exquisite exhaustion that comes with Sunday morning on Managaha. You've been camping for four days. You got about four hours of sleep last night. You've been with the students twenty four hours a day for the better part of a week. Mai, Jessica, and Judith capture that fatigue perfectly in this photo. The best part about that exhaustion is the deliriously delicious nap you take Sunday afternoon when you get home--after a nice long shower, snuggled under clean, dry sheets, with the air conditioner humming contendely away.

Managaha 08: Captured by Joy

My recap of our annual Capture the Flag game on our last night on Managaha. Interspersed throughout the account are portraits of this year's "hall of famers"--key players in this year's game.

Last year’s Saturday night Capture the Flag contest on Managaha was an exercise in character-building and growth. I learned a lot about humility and grace.

That’s another way of saying it wasn’t very much fun. Some good things came from that night—I detailed them in my blog last year—but it really wasn’t what the game was supposed to be about. Games are supposed to be fun. They can be fun for lots of reasons from the thrill of trying to reach a simple goal—put a ball through a hoop or over net, snag a flag and bring it back—to just the basic joy of running after and from your friends. Some people, like me get a kick out of strategizing, while others love the adrenaline rush of creeping over in to enemy territory. Some folks, like my friend Riki even seem to enjoy the waiting game—remaining, silent and hidden for hours until the moment of action arrives.

I’ve learned that a good game of Capture the Flag has something fun for everyone. This year, thanks to a few critical rule changes, was such a good game. If last year, I was captured by grace, this year I was captured by joy.


This year's team captains: Me and Pastor Glenn. Glenn played hard, he played fair, but he played with joy--the zestful, good-natured enthusiasm that were the hallmarks of this year's Capture the Flag contest. Glenn, thanks for some tough competition and a truly fun game!

This time around we employed a key change to the rules that one of our former teachers, Grant Graves suggested after last year’s somewhat contentious game. In the past, team members who were tagged by their opponents had to go “prison” where they would remain until the game ended or they were rescued. This could often mean literal hours of boredom in prison for unlucky captives. And it was usually the impatient players who were eager to dash across the line in a hurry who were also least equipped for a lengthy stay in the slammer. Grant suggested that we set a limit on prison time. After the set time had passed, we’d conduct a prisoner exchange and all the prisoners would be back in the action. We made a few other adjustments to facilitate this rule change—moved the prisons closer to the boundary line to make prisoner exchanges easy and added a little timer that could be set to ring every 20 minutes from the time the first player on either team was captured. At the end of those 20 minutes the prisoners would be free.

The result of this change was that everyone had more fun. There was a lot less lounging on the line and a lot more action—after all the players had a lot less to lose darting across the line—they knew if they were caught that their time out of the game would be short and soon they’d be back in the game again. Throughout the game there were constant shrieks of excitement along the border as the kids—generally the younger ones—chased each other back and forth across the line. And for the rest of us, there were other kinds of fun. The fantasy soldiers were still able to creep across enemy lines shrouded in darkness and hidden among the jungle foliage. The defensive players were still able to find shadows to melt into while awaiting their prey. And military-style strategists like me had new tactics to employ. Now we were running against the clock, and I quickly made a point of timing our runs at the opposing team’s flag according to the “prison clock.” I’d send my troops across the line at the 15 minute mark, ensuring that even if they were caught, it would only be a short wait before I’d have them back and we could try it again.

Another change in strategy is that I found I didn’t worry too much about capturing the other team’s players or even guarding the prisoners carefully. My old strategy of filling up the prison and thinning the ranks of the opposing team before going for the flag was no longer useful. Prison was good for halting an advance on our flag and keeping our line loungers busy, but beyond that I didn’t worry too much if I lost a prisoner here and there.

Amy Foote, our preschool director, was a key player on Glenn's team. She kept an eye on the prison clock and had lots of great suggestions for tweaking the game as we went along. She says that in year's past she's always focused on freeing prisoners, but found it less rewarding this time, since they'd go free on their own so soon. Amy is a true student of the game and I think she'd make an excellent captain next year.

These three fifth and sixth grade students were my key line soldiers and prison guards. They spent much of the evening chasing down and tagging members of Glenn's team who dared to cross the line.

I had two simple goals. Keep our flag safe and, of course, capture the other team’s flag. I failed at both in the first game—as in the first two years, the game was over almost as soon as it started. There was a fatal flaw in our defense; I knew it, but our flag was stripped away before I had a chance to fix it. Our territory in the first game was hard to manage—much of it was in dark jungle and with only a sliver of moon, it was pitch black—darker than I can ever remember it being in a game of CTF. It was so dark, that much of the time my key defensive players, Mai and Riki, hiding the requisite 20 paces from the flag couldn’t even see the it. For me, using a flashlight back in those woods was no longer a luxury but a necessity. Mai and Riki made two corners of a triangle with the flag between them. The third corner of the triangle was unguarded and that proved our undoing. One of my former students EJ Bautista, now a high school junior, who joined us for the weekend, boldly used his flashlight to snatch the flag. In seconds he was past my guards and from there he was able to run unchallenged all the way to the boundary line. We gave chase, but we didn’t have a chance against his long legs and the thick darkness. The game was over.

And you know what? I felt good. I really felt fine. I’d lost fair and square. I didn’t feel cheated, I didn’t feel humiliated. I knew the gap was there—I just didn’t fill it in time. Losing that way hardly hurt at all. In fact, I couldn’t wait to try it again.
So a second game began. We switched sides and this time I made sure all of my exits were covered—Riki on the beach, Mai on the back path (the same one EJ had used earlier to win the game for his team), and Jessica hidden the trees off the main path. The triangle was sealed this time.

I've always said women are the better players in CTF. From left to right, Riki, Mai, and Jessica were my key defensive players (except of course when Mai switched to offense and won the game). With these three women anchoring our team, I never worried much about our flag in the second game. I remember one of the students telling me, after we'd captured him that we really needed to watch our beach. "There's no one down there," he told me. "I'm not worried," I said. "No really," he inisted. "I didn't see anyone. I was able to go all the way down the beach and no one tagged me." "I'm not worried," I repeated. And I wasn't. I knew Riki was there watching coolly from the shadows. And she was. She later told me she'd seen the student but figured she'd go after him once he was past her, if she needed to. "We're more than willing to let you come into our territory," I told the student. "We just don't plan to let you back out."

This game was much longer—several times they came within a few yards of our flag, but our defense was strong, and our flag stayed put. Meanwhile, I was probing Glenn’s forces in time to the prison clock—looking for a way in. Eventually we hit upon a plan to send in three players—two of my stalwart offensive players and Mai. Mai would be the decoy—we expected she would be captured while the one of the other two nipped the flag in the confusion. After plotting out our strategy in the starlit sand, the three disappeared into the night. And we waited. It wasn’t long before word came across the line that both students had been caught. But Mai was still out there. It was up to her now. Some minutes later I heard urgent shouts in the jungle, and a high yell that sounded for sure like Amy. I knew either they had Mai or Mai had their flag. It turned out it was the latter. Mai came racing up the path, jubilant and clutching the other team’s flag. She’d won us the game! (You can read Mai’s exciting account of her foray for the flag in her blog. Just click on her link.) Did I mention its fun to win too?

Hardcore offense. These two were vital offensive players for my team. They worked with Mai to bring back the flag in the second game. The boy on the left is a sixth grader, a member of our church and a former student at our school. He and his family joined us for the weekend even though he is no longer enrolled at SDA, and we were glad to have him. Hey, once a part of the SDA School family always a part of the SDA family. The boy on the right is "M", one of our 8th grade students. In about a month I'll be taking him and his classmates on an adventure of a lifetime in Australia!

These two stalwarts were also on my team. "T" on the left, disappeared into Glenn's jungle for what seemed like hours before he reappeared--in their prison! The guy on the left, who I'll call "Center" (the position he plays on our basketball team) relieved Mai on defense so that she could run for the flag. Without him, it might have been our flag instead of theirs.

It was just after 1 A.M. and the kids were eager for a tie-breaker, but we decided one win each was a nice way to end the evening and we returned to the camp where we all sat around in the pavilion reliving the exciting plays and thrilling moments of another great night of Capture the Flag. No one seemed to mind losing, and the winners didn’t seem to be obsessed with the victory. It was the moments of excitement and fun during the game that we told and retold to each other—not the wins and losses.

And this is what games are supposed to be. Sure they can build character, sure they can grow you and teach you about life and about grace, but they’re best when they are simply joyful fun.

This energetic sixth grader spent more time in our prison than just about any other player on Glenn's team! He just wouldn't quit! He got a little banged up during a close encounter with a tree.

Glenn poses with his lieutenants, Judith--keepin' it gangsta--Amy, and Vero.