Echo, echo...

Hey...(tap, tap).  Is this thing on?  I have been a total Bloggie failure the last month.  Being a first year teacher is definitely time consuming.  There's no doubt about that.  I've been busy, busy.  But, I have much to update.  And, truth be told?  I've missed writing in this little space of mine.  I'm definitely making it my October (and beyond) goal to blog more frequently.

Japan has been quite an adventure so far.  Most days I love it, and some days I loathe it.  It's still hot and humid, and I have a wardrobe full of sweaters and boots that are looking mighty sad.  It's starting to feel a little more like home, which I will write an update on later.  Here in Okinawa, it's Sunday night, and I have a long week of work ahead of me.  I promise you'll see me back this week, though.  For now, here's a fun picture depicting one of our excursions out here on the island.

One month in Paradise

Wow, have I really been on island for one whole month now?  I've been so used to saying that "we just got here," but I guess I can't really say that anymore, can I?  It's been an experience, for sure.  It has been an amazing experience so far, but it hasn't been all roses and sunshine.  Here's my take on the pros and the cons of island living in the Beautiful Okinawa, Japan.

Pros:  Umm...this Midwesterner is no longer land locked!  It is less than a ten minute drive to the ocean.  The ocean!!  I have never experienced being this close to the water before.  I am such a beach person, and although we've been busy doing other things, I have really enjoyed being able to take an impromptu beach trip.

Cons:  The tides and crazy weather!  So, I had no idea the tides and such could be chimed, so Joel and I had a beach fail last weekend.  We went, literally, at the lowest tide of the day.  It was barely to our ankles!  We decided to wait and try again another day, obviously.  The next day, it was gorgeous!  We ran errands to escape low tide again, and then went home to pack up and it started storming.  For hours.  It's hard to plan for beach days sometimes.  Or anything, really.  When the rain really falls, no umbrella or rain jacket will keep you dry.

See the people wading in their ankles?

Pros:  The delicious food!  Ramen takes on a whole new name here, and it is so delicious.  We also have tasty Hawaiian restaurants,  sushi places (for Joel, not me), and many, many other delights.  I am going to have to hit the gym hard here.  Plus, dining with a view isn't too shabby.

Cons:  They Japanese aren't always the best when choosing things to eat.  They sure have some disgusting things on the menu.  I am so happy when they have pictures on the menu to help us figure things out, because I sure can't read Japanese.  It's been a very hard hurdle, and I'm still pretty uncomfortable with not knowing the language, although I have learned a few key phrases.

I'll definitely have more observations as time goes on.  Right now, it feels like I am just on a really long vacation.  We have a house, but not our stuff (still have another month on that) and I haven't started work yet (tomorrow is the big day).  The weather is always hot and humid, which is a pro and a con (my poor curly hair!), and Joel's working weird shifts at the moment.  It's not our "new normal" yet, but I'm enjoying it for the most part.  I think month two is going to be very different.

Monday, Monday...

I realize that it is still Sunday for most of my friends back in the states, but it is Monday morning here in Okinawa.  I am still trying to fully adjust to the time, but the real test will be next week when I have to start back at work.  Right now, I'm sleeping until about 0830, and it is truly glorious.  Next week?  Back up at 0545.  I'm rather enjoying my life of luxury at the moment, but I know it won't be long until I go stir crazy, so I am happy to be rejoining the workforce less than a month after I left it.

We have started to make our "home" feel as much like home, without our stuff, as we can.  After so long living in a hotel, I am thankful to have a home to go to.  As I said before, I'm not super excited that it's on base.  Right now, they have a "live where you work" policy.  What that means is, that if the base you are stationed at (for Joel it is Kadena AB) is less than 98% full, you have to live on base.  If it's over that, then they look at a secondary location and it has to be below 98%.  If they are both above, then you are able to move off base.  For us, Kadena was pretty full, but our secondary base was only at, like, 70%.  We were told at first we would be placed there, and then magically they found a place for us to live on Kadena.  I would have rather gone to the other base, because it is closer to where I will be working, but there's no arguing here.  It is what it is, much to my dismay.  So, may I present our home to you during our time here.  It's not much to look at, but it does offer a view of the beautiful sunsets from the living room.  Inside photos to come when we have our stuff.

Konichiwa!

Hello, everybody!  I've officially been in Okinawa now for a little over two weeks, and a lot has happened in that time.  We have new cars, a new house, and new jobs.  Eek!  Yes, you're officially looking at the newest Special Educator on the island.  That job that I interviewed for and was less than confident about worked out for me.  I little shout out to the Man upstairs on that one.  He was really looking out for me.  And look at my new car!  Isn't it fun?  Where else then Japan, no?  I named her Rizzo, as she is a pink lady.

While we are all moved into our house, and although I am glad to have a place, I didn't exactly go willingly.  Currently, the base we are at has a mandatory "on base first" policy, and anyone that knows me knows I am not a fan of base living.  When we were in Germany, I really feel that the main reason that I became immersed in the culture and learned so much of the language is because we lived in the local community and NOT on base.  Here in Japan, I wanted the same kind of experience, but because there was availability on base, we had to take it.

We got the choice of a newly renovated four-plex, or a single family home stuck in the 70s.  While I loathe the interior of the single family home, it made much more sense to take it versus the town home.  It is much larger and has an open floor plan, plus the dogs will be able to make as much noise inside as they want without bothering anyone.  And, we have a nice patio and yard for them.  Oh, did I mention the home we didn't choose backed up to the youth center?  Yeah, it was pretty much a no-go at that point, anyways.

We still don't have our stuff, but we have a loaner couch and bed from the base until it arrives.  Which is hopefully sooner rather than later.  And, of course, Joel found the move a perfect opportunity to upgrade to a bigger and better TV.  Other than that, we are pretty empty in this house, but I am doing my best to make it "home."

I have so much more to say, but I'll save it for a different post.  I took my first Japanese lesson yesterday courtesy of the base, and have a lot of studying to do!  My German is pretty good, but my Japanese?  Not so much.  Back to the language drawing board, so to speak.

Pictures say it best...

We are officially in single digits until we move.  Our stuff has been all boxed up and crated, and we officially said goodbye to being homeowners this week.  Holy crapola...

Moving Madness

As we speak, everything we own, minus two suitcases each, is getting packed up and loaded into a truck, and will soon make it's way to Okinawa!  We will see all of our stuff in approximately three months.  That time always feels like Christmas to me.

We checked into our hotel last night, and will be "homeless" until we arrive in Japan.  God willing, we will close on the house next week, and then we'll have nothing else to do (ish) until we fly out.

This is our cat's first time in a hotel with us, and he is none too pleased.  He likes having the house to roam, and all of his good hidey spots are gone.  But, he'll be fine.  Poor Pugsley, in his old age, gets the nervous trots, and had pretty bad diarrhea last night, but some medicine made him much better this morning.  Gomez is faring the best, but he's none too pleased about the random hallway noises.  He often, literally, voices his displeasure.  Thank God for thick walls.

I'll be sporadic for the next few weeks, so hang in there with me!  I'm super excited to do some PCS recaps, and to start exploring and sharing our new home.  The moving madness has started!!

I confess...that I'm getting really tired of United's terrible customer service and their lack of compassion for military families moving overseas.  I'm just trying to get my cat booked as a carry on during our flight that the military has already booked, but that they won't issue tickets for until days before our flight (that's just the military's policy).  We have a reservation, but United cares not.  Their answer?  You might just have to leave your cat behind.  Thanks for nothing, jerk faces.

I confess...that as happy as I was to receive orders to Japan, now I wish we would just stay stateside.  I have such wanderlust, but the stress that this move has been put on my is frying my brain.  I am on the verge of a breakdown.

I confess...that as much as I will miss my job and my work, I will absolutely not miss the unnecessary drama that goes on here.  Other than the technical folks, half of the people here have no idea what they are doing, and seem to make up policies to suit their mood that day.  I'm tired of it, and smart enough to look up regulations on my own.  Thankyouverymuch.

I confess... that I am really going to miss this area.  St. Louis really has become a "home," and it's so hard to say good-bye.

I confess...that my heart is just not into anything right now.  I'm not putting my full efforts into being a friend, a wife, a military spouse, or an employee.  My mind is in a million directions right now, and I'm ready for a break.

Bad Blogger Award

Image found here.

Ok, so no tricks are up my sleeve, but things have been so busy around here!  Moving internationally has been no joke.  Here's a quick update on what's been going on, and hopefully after our stuff has been shipped and we are chillin' in a hotel, I can resume regular blog posts.

- We sold our house!  We passed inspection, and are just waiting on the final walk through and closing, which we will do in two weeks.  The movers are scheduled to come next week, so we will be homeless after that.  It will take about three months to get our stuff, so can I get a big "boo" for temporary government furniture?

- We sold both of our cars!  I hand over the keys to mine this weekend, and I am very sad about it.  I love my car, and she has been fabulous to me.  Hardly any issues outside of scheduled maintenance.  I will miss her and our adventures.  I've had her longer than I've known Joel!

Joel's parents actually want to but his car.  We gave them a sweet deal, so they will come by a few days before we fly out to see us, and then they will drop us off at the airport and make their way back to Oregon.  Crazy, but I am so thankful to them.

- We have orders!  And plane tickets!  Without saying exactly when, we have less than one month before we fly to Japan.  So much to be happening in so little time.

- I put in my resignation at work, and have a job interview for a teaching position on base in Japan this week.  I hope it goes well.  With the 14 hour time difference, it might be at 3am, which is when I got the call informing me they wanted to interview me.

- Pugsley is 100% vaccinated, chipped, rabies free, and ready to fly when he's allowed in November.  I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but pugs are forbidden to fly until after 30 September.  I am going to miss my stinkers, but I found a lovely foster to take care of them in the meantime.  Gomez should be good, but the base vet "lost" his medical file, and his information is loaded on his US chip, vice his international one.  We are in the process of figuring out how to change it.  I may lose it at the vet's office in the meantime.  Our vet is fantastic, but Joel just had to get this done on base instead.  Lesson learned.

Jaeger is supposed to be allowed to fly with us, so we have to call and make reservations for him to fly on the plane.  This whole process with the pets is so ridiculous, and has been the worst part of this PCS.  I am about to lose it over all the conflicting and, oftentimes, wrong information that we have received.  Why can't they fly on the plane in a seat?  Hell, buying them a seat is cheaper then shipping them later.  And they'd be much better behaved than some of the hellions I've flown with.

Boston, in pictures.