La Isla de Los Ladrones

In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to discover Guam. The native Chamorro people provided the famished Magellan and his men with food and supplies and expected to be paid or compensated. Magellan, apparently unaware of the basic concept of trade, refused to give anything in return. Angered at such an insult, the Chamorros clamored aboard Magellan's ships and began taking anything made of iron. The fact that the Chamorros already understood the intrinsic value of iron prior to European discovery suggests a preexisting trade network with Asia. Magellan, however, did not pause to ponder this conclusion and began to kill the Chamorros and burn the villages. Magellan named Guam "La Isla de Los Ladrones," the Island of Thieves. Luckily, the islands were later renamed.

Last week I had a run in with some thieves or rather some thieves had a run in with my unlocked car. It was after a hash that ended at Piti beach. It was well attended by about fifty hashers and we all parked within fifty feet from our bonfire. During the post-hash rituals, someone stealthily raided several of our cars. I assumed that my beat up P.O.S. vehicle would not attract attention but I was wrong. The culprit stole my backpack given to me by my late step mom. Inside the backpack was my digital camera and my government issued cell phone. Yes this could have happened anywhere, but petty theft is somewhat endemic here on Guam. One coworker recalled the time her car was robbed when she was inside the post office and another told me about when his car was broken into when he was at church.

Perhaps I should lock my car.