Tickets to Taiwan

Spring break is an exciting week for the eighth graders of Saipan SDA Elementary. It is the week they go on a "class trip." For some of the class, it’s the first time they have ever been off the island of Saipan. At the beginning of this year our principal Mr. Berglund, and the rest of the office staff put their heads together and came up with a destination and a fundraising goal. They wanted to choose a country that is safe, culturally vibrant and relatively inexpensive to tour… and safe. After a little deliberation they decided on a location. The destination for this year: Taiwan. The fundraising goal: $400 per person. (This amount covers hotel, food, tour and travel costs while on the island itself. The airfare would be up to each individual student to raise).

For student missionaries to the CNMI and FSM, the opportunity to travel to other countries on school breaks is not only highly appealing but also quite possible financially. Being as close to Asia as we are, flights from Saipan to counties such as South Korean, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines cost a fraction of that they do in the states. When I was asked by Mr. Berglund to be an eighth grade class sponsor and assist them in fundraising I was only too happy to accept as it meant

1)      more fundraising experience

2)      the travel experience of a lifetime

We began raising money for their class by selling snacks after school. Ice Keki is a local favorite, and in my opinion it is the better version of Otter Pops. At fifty cents a popsicle, we knew that while it would help us reach our goal we would need to plan some much larger fundraisers. Next we began having hot lunch fundraisers. Local restaurants… (I laugh at my use of the word “local” because everything here is local.)… such as Spicy Thai and Eden have generously offered us a $3 dollar per lunch special. We sell the lunches for $5 and then for each lunch we sell, two dollars goes towards the class trip. Every other Wednesday we have hot lunch fundraiser. With these small but steady sources of support we have managed to earn most of the $4,000 the class needs. The rest of the money was raised by larger projects such as selling Calendars for the 2015 school year that I designed, and a bowling tournament that we held earlier this year.

At this point I will mention that as of this week we have met 75% of the fundraising goal. I will also mention that 100% of that amount was raised by the office staff. Here’s the scoop on island culture. Usually if something requires extra effort, it holds a lot less appeal. If you do not include hand making traditional Chamorro skirts, there is little exception to this rule. If it takes effort, it probably won’t happen. That being said, our group of office staff (myself included) has what we fondly call the travel bug. We want to see the world because we know how important it is to broaden your view of other cultures. We also want to make sure that our students have at least one opportunity to see something of the world… to know that the world isn’t just one island 12 miles long and 5 miles wide. When I first started helping with the fundraising my motivation was a little selfish I will admit. The longer I work with these kids, the more motivated I am for their sake. I don’t want them to miss this chance. It’s not that I feel they are missing out on “better things.” Saipan is a great place to live (once you acclimate to the heat and the high prices). I see how little ambition most of them have for their own lives beyond high school. Their dreams are limited to the world they know. When asked, some of the more aspiring students talk about joining the army or becoming teachers and doctors. I have met a few of the past elementary students who are now in high school. They are still working towards their ambitions… and you know what, those students are the ones who got to travel. Their experiences abroad were something that had an impact on their lives. It’s exciting to think that this is what a ticket to Taiwan could give them.