HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — With the cost of living rising on Guam, more and more families are taking a chance and going after the American dream — a quest for a better life in the United States. For families like that of Daniel and Charelle Gogue, it was a “now or never” type of decision to pack up their belongings and relocate.
Daniel Gogue, a father of 10, walks two of his children to the departure gate at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport on Sunday, July 3. He and his family have decided to relocate to Washington state amid the rising cost of living on Guam.
The Gogue family is not your average family. With 10 kids, two of whom have special needs, this single-income family of 12 a couple of months ago made the biggest decision of their lives: to move.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, I kept going back and forth thinking about it because we are leaving the only life we have known,” Charelle Gogue said. “None of us have ever left the island.”
Her husband, Daniel Gogue, has worked in the plumbing industry for about 16 years, but, for his wife, he was more than willing to start anew in Washington state.
“She’s my wife, you know, what she thinks and feels matters. She wants to go; so I told her, ‘It’s now or never, if we’re going to do this we got to do it now,’” Daniel Gogue said. “I’m excited, I want to go to plumbing school.”
The cost of living on Guam and local employment wages were two factors that swayed the Gogue family’s decision.
“I have family out there and one works at a grocery store in Washington and makes $21 (per hour),” Charelle Gogue said. “I just really want to go out there to make money.”
Last Sunday, five of the Gogue children got on a plane to Washington with their grandmother. They’ve been there for a week now.
“They are so excited, they forgot about their mom, my son is all of a sudden is a gamer,” Charelle Gogue said as she laughed. “They did really good on the airplane and they are having so much fun with all their freedom because Mom is not around to discipline them.”
This is the first time the family has ever been separated and, although only for a brief while, Charelle Gogue said it does have an impact.
“Every day I call them. I haven’t slept good since they left,” she said.
The rest of the Gogue family boarded a plane early Friday morning.
“I’m excited and can’t wait to have my family all together again,” she told The Guam Daily Post the day before the flight. “I have just been cleaning and getting everything ready. I’m nervous, but I know this is the best decision for my family.”
The Gogues used their tax refund to purchase plane tickets for the family. Their tax refund increased as a result of the expanded child tax credit included in the American Rescue Plan.
“Our plane tickets alone were $16,000 and so a big chunk went to that and closing out our local bills like power and water. So we sold almost everything we owned, so that we don’t go out there with nothing.”
It’s a large investment for the family members, one that they intend to make worth it.
For Charelle Gogue, relocating means a chance at a better life and a chance to own a home in the future. Up until now, she stayed home with her 10 children while her husband was the primary breadwinner.
“I want to work and Dan wants to go to plumbing school because, back there, a licensed plumber makes like $31 an hour to start. It’s more than what he’s making here and he’s been in the industry for years,” she said.
Better employment opportunities aren’t the only factor the Gogues considered. Charelle Gogue looks forward to better educational opportunities for their children.
“Two of my kids have special needs. I think when we go out there they’ll have better schools and more resources for my kids,” she said.
Rising costs
The cost of nearly all the necessities needed to live on Guam have increased. As a result of inflation, many families are forced to live paycheck to paycheck.
The average median cost of single-family dwellings on Guam is $428,000 as compared to $380,000 last year and $105,000 in 2001.
Some food items are now 24% to nearly 49% more expensive than just a year ago. Rent and lodging prices increased 18.6% over the last quarter of 2022. Compared to a year ago, rent is now 15.9% higher.
The cost of power also is higher than last year, according to the Consumer Price Index second quarter 2022 report. Electricity has gone up by 50.1% more than it was a year ago.
The Gogues have a vision for their future, one they hope to make manifest by taking the leap, but they know that it will take time and effort.
“My mom and family are out there. We are going to stay with my mom for a couple of months, so we can get our housing situated, then in a few years we want to build our own house,” Charelle Gogue said.
