Audio Narrative 3 of 4
Life IN THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS,
Year 3, 1977-78
chapters 22-31
by Dr Kit Porter Van Meter
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Please click the play button on the image below to list to the audiobook,
and scroll down for more information Created & Posted October 12, 2025
Our third year living on Saipan, Sept 1977 through August 1978, was full of changes. I am Kit Porter with my daughter Lisa Porter sharing 50-year-old audio tapes from our lives back then. Audio narratives from Years 1, 2 and 4 are also available.
September started with an unnamed Tropical Storm that closed school for 3 1/2 days and made it difficult for me to return from meetings on the neighboring island of Rota.. Later in that year, our neighbors, the Ada family, helped us board up our house for Typhoon Mary. Lucy Ann Ada and Lisa remain friends till now, almost 50 years later. On Jan 9, 1978, the NMI became a US Commonwealth. Governor Carlos Camacho had been elected Dec 10, 1077 and our neighbor was now Lt Governor Ada. During the many Inauguration activities we sat at a picnic table with President Carter’s son. Lisa liked school and her third grade teacher Ms Sonoda. She took music lessons, was on a swim team, began writing cursive, took care of puppies and kittens and had many friends. I began my second two-year contact as Coordinator of Bilingual Education and when the Commonwealth status took effect, I also became the State Director of Bilingual Education. Our two Title VII proposals were funded -- one for Chamorro and one for Carolinian. I hired two Project Directors, Henry Sablan and Jesus Elameto. In March our state level Bilingual grant was one of the first US federal grants funded in the CNMI. Providing educational opportunities continued to be a priority. Our bilingual projects had increased the number of workshops and degree level courses for bilingual educators, teachers & staff within the N. Marianas & off island. Lisa helped show visiting professors and consultants the island and even attended some classes. No audio tapes for October, November, February, April and the summer months of June, July, August survived so content for this narrative is limited. To listen to the narratives focused on my first four years working in the NMI and to see photos: https://www.kpvcollection.com/kits-original-narratives.html © Kit Porter Van Meter 2025 www.kpvcollection.com |