Sad Trees

Christmas is not a big holiday in Japan. From my understanding, it's treated more like a child's holiday and the gifts usually consist of cash. I've also read about how Christmas in Japan is equated to the American Valentine's Day. Still, driving around town, it's apparent that the holiday season is upon us - lights decorate buildings, images of Santa appear, and the nurseries sell poinsettias. I'm told that most of the decorations are actually for the Americans on the island. I credit the Okinawans for putting up decorations and dealing with the crazy Americans during our hectic holiday season.

However, I do have a bit of an issue with one aspect of Okinawan holiday decorating: the Christmas trees. The Christmas trees that I see around town in restaurants and businesses are so sad. They look like they've been pulled out of storage, with the branches all mashed up and the decorations haphazardly strew about. They are so sad, that it's actually funny. I'll try to get some more photos of these trees to really capture the "look", but for now, here's one from Mos Burger - a restaurant that serves burgers and coffee (interesting combo, huh?).

ARRIVED!

The dogs finally made it! After crisscrossing the airport several times and finalizing oodles of paperwork, the dogs are now "home." They were a little shaken at first, but have settled in pretty quickly.

As soon as I came home today (yeah, um, I tried not to speed), I opened the door and dropped my stuff and was completly engulfed in puppy kisses. It was pure joy. Both dogs look great. Gunnar has really grown! He is taller and longer. He's kinda like a 15-year old boy who just hit a growth spurt. We're planning on trying to get him to bulk up a little more, but they are completely themselves. Sadie has already found the favorite lounging spot on top of the big armchair and Gunnar has established the location of the toybox. Now we have to go get him more stuffies.

Here are some photos from the day.

Sadie (notice she's wearing her new "Ho Ho Ho" Christmas collar)


Gunnar (sorry about the pet eye - I haven't figured out how to get that out of the photos yet)


On our walk - Sadie and Gunnar on the sea wall


With me (do I look happy to you?)


Up the steps with Noa - they weren't too keen on checking out the water


What they do best - sleep (on their favorite lounging spot again!)

Doggy Update

The dogs were supposed to arrive and spend the day with me today, but they got held up in San Francisco and had to spend an extra night there. So, they will be picked up tomorrow morning - Noa will get them - at Naha International Airport. Since I took the day off of work (thinking I'd be with the dogs all day today) I'm getting the apartment ready for them and trying to stay occupied until then.

Also, if you ever have pet transportation needs or know anyone who might, we've been working with the most wonderful people in pet travel. Here are their websites - I highly recommend them.

http://www.puppytravel.com/
http://animaltransportation.com/index.htm

Bark

I got the recent issue of Bark magazine in the mail over the weekend. I may be biased, but this looks like the best cover yet!

Holiday Weekend Fun

It's been a wonderful holiday weekend so far and it's not even over yet!

We spent Thanksgiving day with some old friends from Jacksonville, Sean and Beth. They had invited some other friends over so we got to meet some new people who are spending Thanksgiving in Okinawa as well. It was a fun mix of people and we are already planning another get-together. We're thinking a progressive dinner would be cool. It's always fun to see what kind of living arrangement people have over here. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, we do have a regular Thanksgiving meal here with the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. Our commissaries offer the traditional foods. We don't have a Thanksgiving Day parade to watch and no football - at least during our regular daytime.


We decided to participate in black Friday over here. It's not as wild and crazy as it gets in the states, but the PX/BX do offer coupons on that day. We used ours for a much needed vacuum cleaner - woohoo. Actually, most of our shopping entailed going to all the scuba shops on the bases to compare prices and gear. One of the shops has a big sale at this time of year and we waited on Noa's gear, which is his birthday gift, in order to take advantage of the sale. He got a Sherwood Magnum BCD, a dive bag, and he'll most likely be purchasing an Apex regulator and second stage this week. Now, we're cookin'!

We did purchase gifts at a bazaar that was being held at Foster. It was basically a bunch of vendors selling goods from all over this area: Japan, China, India, Thailand, the Philippines, etc. We also found some great underwater shots of a sea turtle and clown fish for our guest room (slowly, but surely our apartment will look finished!), but the best thing I saw were the signs for the neighboring vendor. It was a rug vendor with Persian rugs, which normally I don't really pay attention to because it's not really my style. However, the sign for the vendor totally caught my eye. Check it out:

You'd think they could have thought of a better name. Anyway....

Today was our diving day. It was a perfect day for diving - sunny, warm, and the water was not too cool. We dove the Kadena steps (north) and had a blast seeing all kinds of fun creatures, including sea snakes, a moray eel, a lion fish, a cuttlefish (looks kinda like a little squid), and lots of other assorted fish. The coral was beautiful. However, by the end of the second dive I was ready to head out with a splitting headache. I learned that my mask was probably on a little too tight (the "mask face" is just now starting to disappear). Here's a look at the sight and if you look closely in the second photo you'll see some cute crabs sunning on the jacks.

Finally, the BIG countdown is on - 5 days until the dogs come home!!

Feast Day

Today at school, we had our Thanksgiving Feast with my class and their parents. The feast was held in one of the all-purpose rooms in one of the towers (apartment buildings). It started to rain as we headed over. By the time we had to leave, there were major storm conditions, in fact, I had heard that we were on a tornado watch. It sure looked like a tornado outside. This photo collage doesn't quite capture it, but you can imagine it wasn't fun to lug tables, chairs, and escort children in this.

Japanese Cars, Part II

The names of the cars really crack me up. If you can't read these, they read as (left to right, top to bottom) That's, EveryWagon/Joypop, Suzuki Carry (for a truck), Cube, Stream, Comfort (a taxi), Sunny California, Life, Today, Naked, Latte, and Bongo Friendee.

I feel so boring with my Toyota Starlet.

Walking on the Wild Side

I got to wear my new rain boots today! I bought them after enduring a minor typhoon here when we arrived. Now, I just have to find a raincoat to go with them. Cute, huh?

Safe

Just wanted to let you all know that Noa and I are safe and sound. There were a few concerned e-mails to us regarding the recent earthquake, but it only caused small waves, not devasting tsunami conditions. Also, it was focused up on the northern part of mainland Japan and we are quite far from there.

Many, many thanks to those who sent good thoughts and prayers our way. We love you all!

IGs in the Land of Shisas

Since moving to Oki, I have not once seen an Italian Greyhound on the island. I know that there are some in mainland, but so far, none here. I find this interesting since this culture seems very dog-friendly, especially to small dogs and we all know IGs are definitely that.

At the Murder Mystery Dinner several weeks ago, we met a young couple who joined us for drinks after the event. During the conversation, the topic of pets, specifically dogs came up (I know you are all shocked on that one....). They mentioned that they had two dogs and when I asked what kind, they said, "italian greyhounds"! My mouth dropped to the floor - I couldn't believe it! What are the chances?!

Come to find out, they are as crazy about IGs as I am! It's nice to know I'm not alone on this island.

This past weekend, we got to meet their IGs for the first time. Fiona, who is the largest IG I have ever seen (20 lbs) is blue and white and a bit shy at first. She has the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. Gamine, pronounced "ga-meen" is less shy and more concerned with getting attention. She is beautiful and looks a LOT like Sadie. Not that I wasn't excited for my dogs to come here, but knowing that they'll have friends makes it even more exciting! I can't wait for Sadie and Gunnar to get here (2 more weeks!) and meet Fiona and Gamine.



So, without further ado, here's Fiona (top) and Gamine (bottom).

















Oh, and I wrote 2 entries today, so keep scrolling down and read about geocaching (sorry for the messed up formatting...blogger and I are in a major fight right now).

The Biggest Hunt in the World

Over the weekend some new friends of ours, Rob and Liz, took us geocaching. Geocaching is an activity that can be done all around the world. To geocache, you have to have a GPS device that you can punch coordinates into (you look up coordinates through the geocaching website). The coordinates will take you to a hidden box that has little items in it and a log book to state "I was here". The neat part about geocaching is it takes you to places that you might never go to or find on your own.

Our first box was located under a bridge located up high on a hill. We followed the bridge that led to a little park. The park was located in the most random place - up on this high hill, between two major roads, and surrounded by buildings. Normally, we'd miss a park like this, but through geocaching, we got to experience it. Here's some photos of getting the first box:

The box:

The "treasures" inside the box:

The group with the goods: (left to right: Rob, Noa Liz, & Joe):

The park & the view:

We decided to look for another box, since this one seemed pretty easy to find. The second hunt took us to Maeda Point, but instead of going to the regular diving/snorkeling area, the coordinates led us to a beach that was further down. Here of some shots...isn't it beautiful??

The problem we ran into was that the box seemed to be planted up high on the coral rock. So, the boys decided it was worth the risk and climbed the rocks to try to find the box. It proved a challenge...but for only a moment.

The boys did find the box. Here is a photo of their find and a photo that Noa took looking down from the rock.

Can't wait for the next adventure!

Random Photos from Today

After I worked this morning, Noa and I ran some errands and I wanted to share some random photos from our afternoon out.

First of all, it was SUPER WINDY today! Here's a photo of me trying to get into the car without blowing away! Nice hair, huh?

We headed to a local pet supply store that I've been wanting to visit for some time and found some funny things. First were these dog necklaces. The necklaces themselves weren't funny, but the fact that they had IGs on the photo were. One almost never sees an Italian Greyhound pictured on any type of promotion or packaging for dog things in the US. In Japan it seems to be even rarer to even see an IG (at least here in Oki). So, I found this amusing.


Noa and I have always found Doggles to be a funny accessory for a dog. But sir, although I give you props for protecting your pooch from flying debris, do you really think it's safe for a little dog to ride on a motorcycle with you??


Finally, Noa and I picked out our Christmas tree today! You have to buy it early since they sell out quickly here in Okinawa. Since it's nearly impossible to get a real tree*, we had to settle for an artificial one. Here's Noa "cutting" down our tree for this year.




*Last year, all the live Christmas trees that were shipped in had to be burned due to some type of serious tree disease.

The West in the East

We went out to the Western Steak House last night for dinner. This place cracks me up. I think that it represents what the Japanese really think parts of America are like. It truly is "western," complete with Americana decor, Texas flags, saddles, rifles, and wagon wheels all over the place. The waiters (and even the cook) wore flannel shirts, jeans, and cowboy hats. The food is mostly steak and chicken served on a griddle plate (with peas and carrots as the vegetable!). Don't be fooled though, it still had some classic Japanese flavor, such as the eggs on the steak and the shredded cabbage salad. The other funny thing about it is that the servers don't speak a word of English. Usually in a restaurant with English in the name or on the menu, there's someone that speaks it, but here they do not. Even so, they do make you feel right at home and they serve some great iced coffee in little metal mugs. Yeehaw!

Halloween, Part III - Trunk or Treat

Our final Halloween event was the Trunk or Treat held on Camp Foster. This event allows the Japanese locals to come onto the base to trick or treat. Instead of having all those people go into the apartment buildings or duplexes, the Americans dress up their trunks and give candy away from there. I found out that 4,000 Japanese and Americans attended the event. We went through over 30 bags of candy in 2 hours! It was insane. And of course, there were prizes for the best trunks, but (again) we didn't win any. Still, it was really fun and like the other events, we are already planning again for next year. I think I'm going to have to start saving my money for candy now.

Our theme (that we gave ourselves) was Haunted Under-the-Sea. We decorated Megan's black Nissan March as a freaky ocean creature with big teeth. The top of the car had a torn pirate flag, and the ground was covered in fake blood and gooey worms. We also had a freaky skeleton hand come out as people went to grab candy out of the treasure box, located within the creature's mouth (where the skull is sitting). The final touches were a pot of dry ice under the car to make it smokey and the Jaws theme song playing in the background. Our costumes were so crazy: on the left is Joe, as a seaweed creature, Noa is a shark-attacked diver, Meghan is an evil octopus (sorry, I didn't get a good photo of the legs), and I'm a scary pirate. Ahoy! Argh!

Halloween, Part II - Murder Mystery

Have you ever heard of a murder mystery dinner? It's a game in which you are assigned a character role to play. The game is played around a theme and a recent murder (fictional). The players have to figure out who commited the murder from the characters involved in the game. While playing, food is served and people are supposed to mingle as their specific character trying to get information and clues.

So, I've always wanted to play one of these and the Saturday before Halloween, I finally got my chance. Noa, Joe, Meg and I signed up for our first murder mystery. It had a bizarre theme: the Immortals Halloween Ball. Basically, our characters were considered immortal and lived in a parrallel existance with mortals. The immortals are all part of different families or clans. I was a Mage, which was made up of medeval characters. I played Guenevere (who turned out to be disliked by most of the other characters). In another group, Noa was the prince of the vampires (who dressed as a vampire dressed in an Elvis costume - it was a costume ball after all), named Prince Allendro and Meghan played the part of his scion, or basically servant/follower, named Cynthia. Joe was part of a different family, which comprised of different characters from ancient Egypt. His name was Anubis and he was the loyal son of Isis. Here's our group photo:

It was an interesting night. It took awhile for the game to take off. The key to it all is to talk to people; see what they know and try to get information about the murder. During the event you get to eat and drink (no alcohol though) all you wanted, but throughout the game, clues were hidden and characters were "killed" off. I was one of the unfortunate few and then I became an investigator (lame-o). We never did figure out who the killer was until it was revealed to us at the end. If I was to do it again, I would have stepped it up a notch, since the game seemed to end just as it was getting good and people were getting into character.

All in all it was fun and strange all at the same time. We're thinking that it would be fun to host one ourselves sometime. Here Noa and I pose by some of the decorations from the event.

Halloween Activities - Part I: Underwater Pumpkin Carving

Since I'm trying to catch up on blogging, I'm going to break up the Halloween blogs into separate entries. We were so busy with events the entire weekend leading up to Halloween. I definitely think this was the busiest Halloween I've ever had.

The first activity actually involved Noa and our friend Joe. Meghan and I signed them up to participate in an underwater pumpkin carving contest. The basic rules are as follows:

-you have 30 minutes to carve your pumpkin

-you must carve your pumpkin underwater

-you and your buddy must be underwater

-you can use any carving instrument

-you may add adornemnts after the underwater carving, but you may not cut your pumpkin in any way

-there is a limit of 20 teams

Here's our guys, ready to go:

Meg and I were supporters of our team and helped as much as we could - which was not much except for giving commentary on the competition and cheering them on. It was a beautiful day for the event and we enjoyed the sunshine and the opportunity to be outside.

After all the teams had completed the carving portion of the event, they gathered all the teams at a tent to decorate their pumpkins. People went crazy with the adornments! Here are some of the pumpkins below:




There were 2 categories: silly and scary. You had to pick one to enter your pumpkin in, so the guys chose silly, even though it didn't really fit into either category (more on that in a minute). The prizes were good: all diving equipement, like underwater cameras, BCDs, wetsuits, etc. So, there was definite incentive to win.

Unfortunately, the guys didn't win, although we really thought that theirs was pretty good and should have at least won a second place prize. I think the winning pumpkins won more for their adornments that carving or creativity, but what can I say? The judges just didn't appreciate the creativity behind the boy's work.

Their pumpkin was named Sparky. The inside of Sparky was spray painted black to look charred. Then Sparky had 2 batteries put in his neck with spark plugs attached. The guys even added dry ice to give it a smoking effect. The top of his "head" looks like it was blown off - nice carving detail and the eyes look starry. I thought it was "the bomb" (sorry, bad joke there). Seriously though, theirs was great. Here is a fantastic picture that Meg took that really captures the essence of Sparky. You can also see some of the competition (the one in the back far right won the overall prize - it had a fog machine attached to it, but I wasn't that impressed the adornements or the carving). I liked the Kiss themed pumpkin next to Sparky, but that didn't win anything either! Even though Sparky didn't bring home a prize, we all had a really fun time and I'm planning on participating next year. I'm already working on a scary idea.

Weekend Update

Another weekend come and gone and not without tears this time. I got a serious case of homesickness this week and longed for life to be the way it used to be. Even though I really like it here, I miss many aspects of how life used to be before moving here. Thankfully, our dogs will be joining us in 3 weeks and the Apostles are due to visit at the end of December. Until then, I am staying busy, trying to blog, and trying to enjoy the many opportunities here. Here are some of the highlights of this past weekend:

-went to my first Starbucks in Japan
-went to the O-club for drinks and dancing - wasn't in the dancing mood (again, dealing with homesickness)
-shopped at the Christmas sale at the Kadena gift shop (it's that time of year again)
-spent 5 hours getting my classroom in shape before Parent-Teacher conferences next week
-planned my lesson for my observation this week by my principal (yep, I'm freaking out)
-visiting one of the local pet shops (quite disappointed with it)
-learned to play MaJong - I think I'm hooked!
-went out to eat at my new favorite restaurant - a Nepalese place (basically serves different kinds of Indian curry dishes with REAL naan bread)
-walked along the beach in the evening
-discovered the pirate ship that is a playground