“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Today, we got the keys to our house! It does not look amazing quite yet, but just wait until we make it a home! We met a few great neighbors and are loving the new neighborhood so far. Move in day is tomorrow! :)
The entrance and hallway. Through the door to the right: Kitchen. Straight ahead: Living room/Dining Room
Under the stairs, we have a little storage closet! Every child's dream playhouse! Across the hall is a half bath.
Living room/ Dining room. Tile floors and outdated fixtures, it could use a paint job!
Through the dining room and to the right, the kitchen! It is long and skinny, has a very nice dishwasher and tons of storage space. The counter tops are stainless steel and if you turn beyond the fridge, the washer and dryer are in a closet there. There is a small patio right through the sliding glass doors.
Let's head upstairs to the Master Bath!
Master Bedroom
There are 2 spare bedrooms just like this one. One will be an office with a futon, another the 'guest room'.
Nothing exciting to post today but I have been getting numerous questions about housing. This morning, we were offered a multiplex (townhouse/duplex style home) on base. It is about 15-20 mins from where Troy will work and we decided to bypass the financial burden of living off base and accept this housing. We are sad to pass up the opportunity for culture and character in our home but excited to have a place to call our own. It is the third of four units, has a back yard that we will fence, and is 3br and 2.5 bathes. The kitchen looked to be a decent size and the unit has tons of storage. We move in Friday and will post pictures ASAP! The best news: Our doggies will have a fenced yard! Yay. :)
Troy's first day of work was Friday. He looked sharp as always in his Alpha's. He was assigned the job of Headquarters Battery Executive Officer. For those of us who don't speak military: He is a supervisor of about 70 Marines. In his words "He makes things happen." This will be a demanding position but he is up for the challenge!
Housing Update: We are still in the hotel but have a prospective house picked out! We should know tomorrow what is happening with our living situation, either way the dogs will be accommodated!
Now, on to the fun stuff! This weekend, we were explorers. Our first destination was Torii Beach on Saturday. It is on a very small Army base, but a terrific beach! It is on the West Coast of the island in the East China Sea. Our first Okinawan swim was in the East China Sea, how cool is that?!?! The picture does not even do this beach justice. The water was crystal clear and the ocean waves were crashing on the reef in the distance. That made the water very calm and perfect for swimming!
After our beach adventure, we decided to drive along the coast. We headed to Cape Zampa, an amazing place! There is a tall white light house and cliffs overlooking the sea. The waves were crashing on the shore like nothing I have ever seen. The ocean water would spray upward, creating rainbows all around us! Anyone who comes to visit will experience this, it is a sight like none other.
After our adventures, we headed back to the hotel to relax before dinner. We decided to go to American Village (the place with the Coca-Cola Ferris Wheel and Sunset Beach) and look for something for dinner. We came across a true 'Hibachi Grill' as you would call them in the States. It was amazing! They sat us at a small grill, just for the two of us! First, we were served an amazing fresh salad (Troy even ate cucumbers!) and something comparable to Chicken Noodle soup. Then came our entrees. We both ordered steaks and the person cooking them made sauteed potatoes, onions, and peppers and a pasta dish then our steak. It was more food than we knew what to do with! How can I forget the best part? A Mai Tai made inside a fresh pineapple. They are grown here on the island. It was delicious!
Today, we went and picked up the dogs from the kennel for the day. We took them to a dog friendly beach and they played in the water. It was so funny to see their reactions when they took the first drink of salt water! They both rolled in the sand and got really dirty! Then, we walked to a dog park where we met some great people and kids who wore our dogs out! We hated to put them back in the kennel (aka 'Puppy Prison') but were so glad to get some quality time with them!
We are going to fix it up and put the Continued FAQ's section at the beginning today!
How do I comment on your blog?
First of all, scroll to the bottom of the page. Second, type your comment. In the drop down box, choose whatever type of email account you have. For example: Gmail (Google), LiveJournal, AIM (AOL), etc. You will have to log into it. Let the computer do its thing after you log in. Don't click away!! Then, you should either see your comment posted, or have to push "Post Comment". I hope this works!
Onto the blog!
Try pronouncing these two words. They sound quite the same, right? Well, I like to sometimes get them confused. :)
Shujin= Husband
Shuujin= Prisoner
Isn't it convenient how these words allign?
This morning, we went to a housing brief. They said Troy was only allowed to go but I batted my eyelashes and he showed his abs. It got me in! It is a long process, but let's make the long story a bit shorter. Refer to a previous blog and remember that we would live off base if housing was more than 90% full. The housing in our approved area was 98.6% full, so we have options. There is one multiplex that *might* be available on base. The wonderful, very helpful housing officer promised she would see if she can get us in. At the same time, she recommended we start looking off base. We went to see four properties today and definitley have a prospect in mind. We will be seeing a few more tomorrow and then we will hear about the on base house. After that we will be able to answer housing questions about where we will be living!
We also picked up Troy's car today! It is a 1992 Toyota Soarer. It is a pretty sweet little car that has some get-up-and-go power unlike mine. Note that it does not have a hood scoop or cute girl behind the wheel so mine is obviously still better!
It has two exhaust pipes... ooooh!
The front, you can sorta see the sunroof!
A really cute guy!
We stopped at the beach during our super busy day and took a minute to relax. I thought it would be fun to make our mark on Oki!
Today, we had a newcomers brief in the morning. The whole time we were only thinking about getting our licenses and searching for cars afterward! We did learn a few great things, including the reason why Okinawa is named as it is. The island portrays rope floating in the water, so the Japanese symbols represent exactly that! The first is rope, the second is water, and the third is island.
沖縄県
After the brief, we were headed back to the hotel where a person (who turned out to be really cool) had agreed to meet us to see a car. After a test drive, I fell in love. It is the perfect size to fit into the super small, Okinawan parking spots, plus it has rooms for my dogs, beach gear, or house guests (hint, hint)! It is a 2001 Suzuki Kei Turbo. It has a yellow plate and that means it has a small engine. This makes the car extra- environmentally- friendly and cheaper for us! We filled it up from empty with only $16! It has a hood scoop because it is a "turbo" but I have a feeling that is just for looks. She certainly gets the job done, but is not cut out for racing or drifting! I am so excited to have a super cute, reliable, environmentally friendly vehicle! Not to mention, it was a great deal for less than we wanted to spend!
Hood scoop...yeah! Haha.
It's cute lil caboose.
Big Pimpin'!
I love my "new" wheels!
Tomorrow, we have a housing brief and should get to pick up Troy's car! More pics to come after that! :)
Today, we woke up and started studying! It was driver's test day. We went to the testing facility, filled out some papers, and got right to testing. We were both finished in 15 minutes and passed! We finished paperwork and hoped to get our licenses. Unluckily, they will not give them to you until you attend a "Newcomers Brief", which we have tomorrow. So watch out Okinawa, the Walton's will be on the loose shortly!
After the driver's test, we called our friends Kaylie and Adam who were nice enough (again!) to drive us around. First, we went and saw our puppies! We missed them so much and they were so glad to see us. They let us hang out in a private little pen outside where we could cuddle them and play some Frisbee.
Chesty looks happy after some Frisbee!
Murphy is happy to get a drink from Daddy!
After wearing out the pups, they showed us the Kadena BX. A BX is the Base Exchange, it is pretty much like a giant department store! Kadena's is the second largest in the world only to Germany! They had everything you would need! Next, we went to the lemon lot and looked at some cars. We will hopefully purchase one tomorrow! Next, it was off to dinner. I am so proud of Troy, he tried his first Sushi!! We went to a Sushi- Go- Round. The plates are color coded for price and there are pictures on the table you can compare to figure out what your options are. The food just goes in circles until someone picks it up! Troy only had cooked sushi this time, but I think it is a great start! It is a nice way to try sushi, because it comes in very small servings and if you don't like something, there are many other options!
The options on the Sushi-Go-Round!
One of my choices.. not sure what it was because none of the pictures matched up! I do know it was delicious and SO fresh! :)
After dinner, we went and walked around American Village. It is a really cool place with shops, restaurants, and really cool people. There is a Ferris wheel on top of one of the buildings! Adam told us about some pancake desserts, of course we had to try it! They stuff a warm pancake in a cup, add whatever ingredients you want, and you enjoy!
Yep, that says Coca-Cola!
Chocolate- Banana Dessert Pancake- Yum!!
We headed to the beach to catch the sunset. Sadly, some clouds rolled in and we missed it setting on the horizon. It was still a beautiful night to be by the water!
I love this sign! It pointed right at the horizon!
Troy and I enjoying our first Oki sunset on the beach!
It is official, we live in paradise. And we have awesome friends. Today, we woke up and made a few calls to the States. It was nice to talk to family and friends! Then, we went for our first run on the island. Working out in paradise is much more enjoyable. :)
The view during our run!
The view I enjoy the most! :)
After our run, we got ready for our friends, Kaylie and Adam, to pick us up. They were coming to take us see our dogs at the kennel. The dogs were so glad to see us. We got to take them out to play for about an hour and found an old Soccer ball, Chesty's favorite. We had to put them back in the kennel, but think they were pretty happy to come out and play!
After seeing the dogs, Kaylie and Adam were nice enough to invite us to lunch. We went to a place at the Kadena Marina. It was our first time seeing the beach- and also the first time we realized how blessed we are to be living in paradise! The water was crystal clear and we fed the fish off the balcony where we ate a delicious lunch.
The view from where we ate lunch!
After lunch, we walked down to the beach and had our first feel of sand between our toes and ocean water on our skin! Then, we went over to the sea wall and did some exploring! The boys found crabs on the shore, we saw a sunken boat, and little colored fish were swimming around everywhere. We could even see an island in the distance. We made a mental note to visit that island in the near future!
A bay near the sea wall.
Troy and Adam looking mischievous on the sea wall.
When we were walking back from the sea wall, we heard drums. We headed that direction and saw an awesome Japanese dance performance! It was mesmerizing and certainly an experience to remember!
Two men were inside this dog costume. They played around with the audience and did funny dances!
A group of young girls and boys who were dancing perfectly in sync and smiling so big!
After the dances, we went into some shops and had a hilarious photo booth experience that we will post pictures of in the near future. Overall, it was an amazing day in Okinawa. Thanks, Kaylie and Adam, for being great friends! :)
We made it to Okinawa! But before we get ahead of ourselves, let us start at the beginning.
The Flights:
The workers at the United counter were not pleased that we lugged along our 3 checked bags, 2 carry ons, and one dog each, but were tolerant nonetheless. Troy left on the early 7:43 flight and I left at 10:51. The goodbyes were tough all around and I cried so much three different people offered me tissues and two asked if I was leaving the country for good! By the time I got to Chicago, they were boarding the flight for Tokyo. I felt like it was a 3 mile walk to the gate where we boarded. We sat in row 47 of a Boeing 747. It was incredibly cramped! Poor Troy had his legs crammed into his throat once the people in front of us reclined!
The Meals:
After a few hours on the plane, we were offered our first meals. Troy opted for the Rosemary Chicken and Veggies and I opted for the Ziti Marinara. Both came with a salad and roll. There is a running joke between my Mom and Dad that when they were first married, she would cook meals and ask how they were. My Dad's response was usually: "The rolls are good." This may or may not have meant the rest of the meal was not great. Either way, the only way I can sum up the meals on the plane- and the first thing that came to mind- was "Well, the rolls are good". And this time, it meant the rest of the meal sucked! Later in the flight, we were offered some "Chinese Noodles" aka Ramen Noodles without the flavor packet. Before landing we were offered Turkey and Cheese sandwiches. They were much better than the first meal, but still nothing to be desired!
Tokyo:
We landed in Tokyo at 3pm local time (JST). On the flight, Troy noticed 3 golf courses and decided he already liked Japan. I was skeptical and ready to get off the plane! Once we were off, we had to go through immigration, a pretty easy process. Then we had to go get our 6 pieces of luggage and 2 dogs (which took 4 carts!) and go to animal quarantine. After running back and forth in order to get 4 carts to the animal counter, we finally turned in our paperwork for the pups. They were cleared to come into Japan! Sadly, we were not allowed to remove them from their cages so they sat and cried at us for the entire Tokyo airport experience. It ripped my heart out! Next, we went through customs. People in Japan are SO NICE! They were quick to help us with our extra carts and got us to the ticket counter where we had to re-check our bags. A little bump in the road left us paying for 2 of our bags because United seems to have their wires crossed with the local Okinawa airline. They took our bags and dogs away and I have to say customer service is amazing here. The workers were friendly and helpful to the point of excess. It made me want to fly with ANA and do business in Japan over and over again. We boarded a 767 for Japan and both passed out immediately because we had been up for more than 20 hours straight!
Okinawa:
3 hours later, we landed in a rainy, humid, tropically amazing Okinawa. As we entered the airport, there were gorgeous flowers lining the terminal. Orchids and tropical lilies filled the air with awesome scents! We went and claimed our baggage and doggies, then headed out the door to meet our sponsor. He is a great help, and we are so thankful we had him! He loaded up all our baggage in one car and took us in his car. We headed for the kennel first thing, then back to the hotel!
Chesty and Murphy:
Both of the dogs did so well on the flights! When we got to Okinawa, as Troy helped Jeremy (our sponsor) load the things, I took the dogs out of their pens. It was raining very hard, but I took them over to a grassy area that was covered. I think they had a competition about who could pee the longest and Chesty won! Neither of them made a mess in their cage so I am sure they were excited to get out and go potty! We took a nice walk around the parking lots that were covered and then headed back to the car. They rode with the luggage and we were off to the kennel. When we got there, the lady working was very nice and promised to take good care of them. We took them back to their pen, which is an indoor/outdoor run. They seemed sad to be leaving us again, but happy to be in something much larger than their little pens on a plane. We can't wait to go back and see them tomorrow!
The Hotel:
Next, we were off to the hotel on base. We are staying at the West Pac Inn on Camp Foster. When we arrived, it was another great customer service experience. The desk workers were very nice and showed us to our room with our three luggage carts full of goodies. Here are some pics of our hotel room!
It is a pretty nice setup!
First Day in Oki:
We got a great nights sleep and were up by 9 to try and get our MagicJack in business. Luckily, Troy got it figured out and we were able to make one call. As soon as I heard my Mom's voice, the fire alarms went off! They evacuated the hotel and I had to hang up. We stood outside in the rain while the firefighters came. Luckily, it was just burnt popcorn or something and we were allowed back inside. We made a few short calls before our sponsor showed up! Sorry to those of you we have not reached yet, our number is up and running now so please call ANYTIME! :) If we aren't here, just leave us a message! After our sponsor showed up, we were off to the PX to get cell phones. We stood in line for a while then got asked to the counter. We had another GREAT customer service experience! The cell service here is very reasonable here and we even got iPhone 4's for free with a 2 year contract! After that, we headed over to Camp Hansen where Troy will be working. On the way we stopped for lunch at a Japanese-Indian restaurant. The food was delicious! I had a vegetable curry and Troy had something likened to Chicken tenders over rice with curry sauce. They were both really yummy and we can't wait to go back! I am proud of Troy for trying something new! We even paid in Yen (thanks, Aunt Donna!) He saw the outside of the building where he will work and we got our mailbox set up. After that, we headed back to the hotel and let our sponsor go home to his family! We spent the rest of the day unpacking, figuring out our new phones, doing laundry, and now we are just waiting for everyone to wake up in the states so we can call them!
FAQ's Continued:
How long does it take mail to reach Okinawa? How much more does it cost?
The Post Office is not likely to quote you a delivery date, but if they do it will be something from 18-32 days. In reality, most things take about 10 days! It does not cost any more, it should be the exact same amount as sending from an American post office to another American post office. To send a letter, put a regular stamp on it!
Can we call your cell phone? What about texting?
Sadly, No. Our cell phones are Japanese numbers, so calling them would be outrageous on your bill and ours. Calling our MagicJack number is the best option all the way around! We have heard rumors that texting the states is a possibility from an App on our iPhones. We downloaded the App but are still working out the kinks. So, the answer to this one is: Maybe.
Can you see your dogs while they are in the kennel?
Yes! We are trying to see them as often as possible. We are allowed to go see them during visiting hours and will have them officially out of the kennel whenever we get housing. (Soon, hopefully!)
