Guam Day 156 - A Fishermans Tale

 





7/28/2022 - I met this guy on the drive out to Asan beach, turns out he is Chamorro and has family roots that go way back on Guam. He had retired, and his morning gig was to go out and catch some fish. I related to him a lot, here is a guy that has all the free time in the world, and what do you do with it. He enjoyed his time doing hobbies, teaching people about the local fishing traditions, and spending time with family. Not a bad gig. 

My favorite story he told was being a young child participating in the large village catch. To get a share of the fish you had to have someone you knew participate in the net operation. A large group of people would carry the gill net out into the ocean and wait for the school of fish to come. In one large pull, the group of people would bring in the needed fish for the village. This man as a kid talked about pulling a fish out and hiding it in his pocket to save for later as he helped pull in the catch. Little did he know, the main reason the adults didnt want this done was fear of getting a sting ray in the net and being stung! 

The connection was short, just 10 mins on the side of the road near the beach, but I learned more in that few mins than I had during my many weeks here on the island. I am thankful for the opportunity, this interaction wasn't possible early on due to fear of the coronavirus. Life is more normal, and people are more interested in opening up. Very kind people on this small island of Guam. 

Comments

  1. Dave S.August 1, 2022 at 10:56 AM

    Such a wonderful story. Yes, family time is so important and such a blessing. Glad that you have grown so much over the months. Keep learning. Share your story too. ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  2. CurtAugust 2, 2022 at 6:03 PM

    Once again, it's the people you meet that have impactful lasting impressions. You had the gift of his story and he had the gift of you listening and being intrigued by his story.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dave S.August 3, 2022 at 2:52 PM

    So true Curt

    ReplyDelete

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