Here's how it has worked...we were picked up at the airport (on Kadena Air Force Base, not the airport in Naha) by our sponsors, Nathan and Irisha. They have lived here for about a year and Nathan is a family doctor like Noa. So, they have helped get us acclimated to the culture and get us set-up. They made arrangements for us to stay at a hotel called the West Pac, which is located on one of the military bases. The hotel is really nice - much nicer than I expected. In fact, we have internet access from our room - that's how I can e-mail and blog all of this.
Nathan and Irisha are also helping us get around, explore restaurants, and get settled. They take us pretty much wherever we need to go. They've been wonderful, but obviously they can't be our drivers forever, so we'll be taking a newcomer's orientation on Wednesday, which includes taking a driving test. Then, we'll be able to drive around this crazy place - oh, and yes, they do drive on the "other" side of the road here. The driver of a car is also located on the right side of the car, which will take a little getting used to.
So far, we've been able to make one big purchase - a car! We found a little car to get me around the island. It's a green Toyota Starlet (1997) and it doesn't smell like smoke, which I have found to be unusual in used cars here on the island. I looked on the internet for a picture that I'm including. Mine looks pretty similar, except it has four doors, not two. I plan on tinting the windows because it is soooo hot here - I think it may be worse than Florida!
Next on the agenda is to find an apartment, get another vehicle for Noa, contact the Department of Defense schools about my job, and have Noa check into his new post at the hospital. We are quite busy as you can imagine. More to come later....
That car is so cute! Perfect for driving around a little island.
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