TIS!

-A sign at the DMV reads, "We are closed from 12:00-1:00pm to let our printer cool off."

-There are two newspapers in Saipan, The Marianas Variety (aligned with the left) and The Saipan Tribune (owned by the Governor and aligned with the Covenant Party...Saipan's very own Good 'Ol Boy Network).  On the Wednesday after Election Day, the headline in The Marianas Variety read, "Kilili Wins!"; whereas, the headline in The Saipan Tribune read, "Too Close to Call."  The Covenant Party did not want to admit defeat.  Kilili won with over 40% of the vote.  It was a resounding victory for the good guys!


-A sign at the DMV reads, "No Bettlenut Chewing or Spitting Allowed."  Bettlenut is the island's version of chewing tobacco, but it crosses all generational and gender boundaries.  A bettlenut is grown locally, split in half, filled with lime, chewing tobacco, and then wrapped in a leaf.  It requires one to spit a great deal.  Women, children starting at the age of 7, old men...it's just a part of the culture.  You see these signs everywhere, but you also see people ignoring the signs.  Like the DMV employee who processed our application, the one who took our picture, and the one who typed our license.  TIS!