The New Look

Noa is now sporting a true marine look - he got his hair cut really short due to a miscommunication with the lady at the salon. Guess he needs to practice his Japanese!

 

The View

I'm making up for lost time by posting a bunch of photos. Here are some more of our view from our apartment. Notice the rainbow in one of the photos!

 

Shuri Castle

Today, I gave myself permission to take a small break from school work to do a little sightseeing. Noa and I headed to Naha (Okinawa's capital) to visit Shuri Castle with our friends Joe and Megan, who are also new to the island. The castle was built back in the mid-14th century and housed kings during the Ryukyu period (this lasted for about 450 years). Over time, the castle was burned down several times (including one time during WWII), although it was always rebuilt. We learned what we could from the few English resources, but most signs and flyers were in Japanese. Still, it was fun to explore a national monument and get a feel for some Okinawan history.

On a side note, I was able to experience what Japanese tourists are like in their own country. Here are some of my observations about the women:
1 - they will trek around in 4-inch heels (even on coral stones that lead uphill), frilly lacy tops, and tons of jewelry for a (mostly) outdoor tour
2 - they carry umbrellas and dress in long-sleeved tops and pants in order to protect themselves from the sun, even when it is 90 degrees and high humidity
3 - they give the peace sign for every photo opportunity

That being said, the people are always gracious and polite wherever we go. They helped us back our car in the tight parking lot and are patient when we walk in a room and forget to take off our shoes.

 

Up and Running!

We got our internet set up today and I couldn't decide what to put on first, so here's a glimpse of our beautiful view. That's the China Sea and I'm hoping to post more pics - the other day we got a photo of a rainbow!

It's been chaos and lots of work this past week with school starting soon. I'm going to work hard to blog each day, but it may not be as much as usual since I feel like lately I'm living at school. My house unpacking and decorating has been put on hold due to my work at Kinser. It'll all come together eventually, I guess. School starts on Tuesday for all the kids except Kindergarten. We spend the first week doing home visits, where we get to meet the parents and evaluate the students. Then, the kindergarten kids start on Wednesday, the 6th of September.

So, I'm headed back to work right now (yes, on a Saturday) and get that room in shape! 

Recipe for Disaster

Combine:
1 large classroom, located close to the water on a tropical island
1 hot and wet summer, due to the rainy season
assorted classroom items, such as posters, blocks, paper, toys, etc.

Mix well. DO NOT add air conditioning. Let sit.

What do you get?

MOLD!

Yes, folks, mold is now my new nemesis! My classroom (and all the others in the building) battle the mold growth on a daily basis. It's growing on the walls, on the toys, and the shelves. While moving my things to a new room and working on the room layout, we've had to clean every surface in order to kill and combat the mold that has lurked around over the summer. Thankfully, the classroom is eqiupped with a dehumidifier that we can use that throughout the year to keep the humidity down, but it will be a real challenge to combat this annoying fungus. I'm certain that I'll be developing some kind of illness due to the mold, but I'm told that that's life in Okinawa.

On the positive side, at least I have a naturally occuring science lesson continually in the making. There's one less lesson I'll need to prepare.

Overwhelmed

We made it to the Beer Festival (gotta love that Orion) but missed the Eisa dancing because we got our huge shipment late Saturday. We spent all day Sunday working on unpacking boxes, running errands, and trying to get our lives in order. We didn't get very far. We still have boxes everywhere. And of course, being the organizer that I am, I can't stand trying to find things in our place. Noa and I are running around saying things like, "have you seen the camera? Where's the cord to the DVD player? Where am I supposed to put 4 tennis rackets?" Etc. etc.

It's kinda bad timing to be moving in all our stuff since today marks the first official day of work for both of us. Noa and I are spent the whole day in orientation sessions, but I got some time in my classroom. Speaking of my classroom, you'll never believe this - I'm being switched again! No, not to another school or grade like before, but I'm moving into a different kindergarten room. One of the other kindergarten teachers is teaching a combo class of kindergarten and first grade this year, so she'd like to use adjoining rooms. My (old) room was next to an empty classroom, so she asked if we could switch. Since I'm used to changing things at the last minute (and really, I hadn't really done anything with the room anyway), I agreed to change. I also got to meet the paraprofessional, AKA my classroom aide, and some other staff members today, so I guess you could say that I'm starting to get settled at work.

Currently I'm torn between working at school and working at home. Both places need major unpacking and decorating done. Obviously, I'll be putting in most of my time at school, but I hate coming home to boxes and piles. I'm seriously overwhelmed by both tasks as the jobs seem insurmountable. Maybe I just gotta crack open an Orion (or when I'm at school, a Coke) and start with whatever is closest to me. It'll get done....eventually.

Weekend Work & Play

We have a busy weekend coming up. It starts off with Noa taking his first call at the hospital tonight. Now that he is staff and lives close enough to the hospital, he actually can go home during his call and if he is needed he'll get paged to come in. However, with it being his first official call at the hospital, I have a feeling he'll spend most of the evening there. I will be busy taking inventory of my classroom since I was able to get the keys yesterday (finally!). It looks like I really will be teaching kindergarten afterall! ;) The classroom not set up, but has shelves of supplies that need to be sorted and organized. This will probably fill most of my free time this weekend.

Tomorrow our big shipment arrives. This includes the majority of our stuff that wasn't put into storage in the states, so we'll get our furniture, books, kitchen supplies, decorations, etc. As if getting my classroom ready wasn't enough of a task, unpacking and setting up our place will be. Unfortunately, we have no idea what time the movers will arrive. Basically you have to stay home all day and wait until they show up.


Hopefully, they won't show up too late for us to catch some of the Eisa Festival that's taking place in Okinawa this weekend. The eisa is a dance performed during the holiday of Obon - a holiday celebrating and honoring deceased ancestors. We actually saw a group perform this about a week ago in one of the local neighborhoods. During the festival groups perform the eisa dance with elaborate costumes and moves throughout the day. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the shipment arrives early so that we can see a lot of the groups perform.


The Eisa Festival is also held in conjunction with the Orion Beer Festival, which celebrates Okinawa's own beer! I've had Orion and like it. It's a light beer - probably similar to Bud Light - but I'm far from a beer expert. I've only recently acquired the taste for beer within the last two years. Orion has a factory on Okinawa and I think you can go and get a tour, which would be cool. The best part of going on a beer factory tour is the end: free samples!

Update....Again

Okay, so here's the (hopefully) final story. We're going to stay in our apartment - even though it may cost more.* It's beautiful and even though it lacks a neighborhood, it has the most amazing view. I mean, how often do you get to wake up to a view of the China Sea every morning?

Also, I got word from HR that I will indeed be teaching kindergarten at Kinser. We'll see if it really happens when school begins. At this point, I'm not holding my breath.




*Marc: We are paying a little more to live in our current place, but since I am working we can afford it. It's not out of our budget, but it is more than the military gives for our housing allowance. Thankfully, I'll be working so that we can live in such a place. Maybe you and the fam need to come see it for yourselves? :)

Transitions

You aren't going to believe this - Kinser Elementary told me they now need another kindergarten class and want me back at their school. I feel like a tennis ball being slammed back and forth between two crazy athletes. I just want to know where I'll be teaching and what I'll be teaching so I can prepare my room and lessons. School starts soon!

Meanwhile, we are looking at possibly moving again (!) for a variety of reasons. Mostly to save money, be closer to others, and have a neighborhood of sorts (our "neighborhood" is all industry - we are surrounded by factories). We love our apartment and the view, but the lack of any sort of neighborhood is frustrating. Unfortunately, our choices are not easy. One place has a good view, but is old, dark, and much smaller. The other place is beautiful and has a great set-up, but is located off the water and is connected to a hotel (I've never seen that before!). So, we aren't sure what to do at this point.

Right now pretty much everything is up in the air (again). I have no idea what I'll be doing or where I'll be living a week from now. Hopefully things will get settled within the next day or so.

Moving Right Along

Here are some updates from Okinawa:

-We've moved into our apartment! We're on the water with a beautiful view, but we have UGLY loaner furniture from the government and the walls are very bare. Currently, we are trying to learn how to work the dryer and the air conditioners that have buttons with kanji labels.

-I've found out where and what I'll be teaching. I'll be teaching 6th grade at Amelia Earhart Intermediate School (3 - 6 gradeS) at Kadena Air Force Base.

-We do not have internet or phone access currently. So - blogging will be at a minimum until we get our line up and running. Hopefully, I'll be able to borrow some computers and head to the internet cafe a few times this week.

Just think, once we get our own line - pictures will be posted!!

Door # 3

So you know those game shows where the contestants can choose between doors 1, 2, & 3 and they get whatever is behind that door, good or bad? Well, I kinda feel like our move to Okinawa has been like playing on that game show. Here's how our game has been so far:

Door #1: Arrived to Japan safely with all the belongings we packed. We win!
Door #2: We find cars and an apartment with an ocean view. We win!

And now we open door #3:
Noa gets established at the family medicine clinic at the hospital. He wins.
Julie, however, gets transferred to another school and grade. Move immediately to start. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Okay, so maybe I'm mixing up my games, but you get my point. I just found out the disappointing news today. I went to Kinser Elementary today to get the key to my classroom and begin inventory of my supplies. Instead I was told that due to low enrollment numbers, they'd be cutting a kindergarten teacher. But they would be transferring me to another school (this was "good" news). So, after making some phone calls it looks like I may be teaching 5th or 6th grade at a school up at Kadena Air Force Base.

I haven't quite grasped this sudden change. We chose our apartment based on location. It's located between Camp Lester, where Noa works, and Camp Kinser, where I thought I'd be working. Now, however, my commute time will double since Kadena is further away. I also have been planning to teach kindergarten for several months now and have compiled lessons and bought supplies appropriate for this grade. I know that I should be thankful I have a job at all and wasn't cut completely, but it's not an easy change. I won't know what grade I'll be teaching for sure until tomorrow and then I'll only have a couple of weeks to prepare.

It's frustrating to get one door closed on me and another one open - especially one I wasn't prepared for.

The Golden Eagle

Today we purchased car #2 for Noa. It's a Honda Capa - here's a photo and yes, it's that color - GOLD! Noa really likes the car except for the color. Hiroshi, our car guy, kept saying, "it's not gold, it's apple green!" Okaaaay - anyway, we bought it because it'll be good for hauling our dive equipment, the price was right, and it had really low milage. Right now, we are lovingly referring to it as "the golden eagle" although Noa hopes to develop a cool Japanese name for it.

Also - a totally random event tonight. We visited some new friends of ours who happened to move into their new apartment today. While we were out on their balcony we heard music coming from down the street. So, we went to investigate. Turns out that there was this local parade of dancers and drummers who were walking the streets honoring deceased relatives of those who live in the neighborhood. After some research, I found out that this is a part of the celebration of Obon, one of the most important religious festivals in Okinawa. The people believe that their ancestral spirits return to visit their living families and the "eisa" dance is performed to welcome the spirits. Noa, in true form, went up to the Okinawans and asked to take their photo and tried to get more information about the parade, but was limited due to the language barrier. However, he did get some great shots, but I'll have to wait to upload them until we get our own internet access on our home computer.

First Visit

Today I got to go to my new school, Kinser Elementary, where I met some of the staff and see my classroom for the first time. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the school overall. The outside of the building does not look like much, but the school offers quite a lot. All the technology is up-to-date; in fact, the school has computers for every 1.3 students. They also offer music (complete with a music lab), gym (indoor and outdoor facilties), art (they even have a kiln!), and culture (Japanese, of course). My classroom is huge - much larger than I expected. The windows face the ocean, so we have an amazing view, the classroom has 4 computers all hooked up to the internet, there's enough space for lots of centers (such as writing, blocks, creative play, etc), a full kitchen, and the kids get their own bathrooms in the classroom. I was told that they provide whatever materials we need and I got to check out the supply room, which was full of paper, markers, a laminating machine, a die cut machine - the works! I can't believe all the stuff that's already provided. I'll have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks before school starts, especially since the other 2 kindergarten teachers already have their rooms set-up. Once I get it all set up, I'll post pics. For now, you'll have to settle for a photo of the outside of the school.

Update

We've now been in Okinawa for a little over a week and I thought I'd fill everyone in on what we're done so far. So, in no particular order, here' s some of what we've accomplished:

• bought one car, learned to drive on the other side of the road
• signed a lease for a 3 bedroom apartment - we move in on Friday!
• already tried out 10 different restaurants
• met lots of people, already forgot a lot of names
• learned more Japanese phrases and words, such as "konbanwa" and "oishi"
• went on a "Battle of Okinawa" tour
• visited a little of the capital city, Naha
• watched the Karate Kid II*
• became an official part of the Department of Defense School system - I even had to take an oath!
• cried, cried, and cried some more
• got soaked walking through the Okinawan rain, sweated from the Okinawan sun/heat
• visited a San-A (kinda like a super Wal-Mart that's been divided into 3 sections: food, clothes, and electronics)
• ate some seafood: prawns!! (for those of you that know me well, you know that I'm not big on the whole seafood thing)

We have a lot to do in the next week. Some of the things we hope to accomplish are:

• visit my classroom/school
• buy a second car
• get cellphones
• move into our apartment
• visit northern Okinawa
• explore more of the island with our car
• sign up for NOSCO (Naval Officers' Spouses Club of Okinawa)
• check out the local dive shops

Well, that's all I can think of now, but I'm sure they'll be more things that get added to the list. Tonight, we are simply hanging out together since we haven't had many nights alone to ourselves. I think we are going to rent "National Treasure" - a rainy night definitely calls for a movie.

*So, for those of you who have not watched this recently, you may remember that this story is about how Mr. Miyagi travels back to his homeland - Okinawa - where is father is dying and he's challenged to fight by his old friend. Well, we've always been under the assumption that the movie was filmed here (we've also been told so by several people), so we decided to see if the movie depicted the Okinawa we expereince today. I didn't think so, but things could have changed since the movie was filmed back in the early 80s. Well, as we watched the credits, we found out that all the "Okinawa" scenes were actually filmed in Hawaii! So much for looking for the familiar! I feel so let down.

Passed

Just wanted to let you know that after the longest day ever - we were in an orientation briefing all day (with bored children present) - both Noa and I did pass our driving test and are now official card-carrying drivers on the island of Oki. Yeah!

We pick up our (or rather my) car tomorrow and then I have to get up the courage to actually drive it. Just because I have my license now, doesn't mean I'm ready to take to the streets yet - it's crazy out there!

Nervous

Learning to drive in Okinawa is probably my biggest fear right now. It's crowded on the roads, there are scooters that weave in and out of traffic, and, of course, they drive on the other side of the road (all I'll be saying to myself is "think left!")

Today, Noa and I are taking the written driving test. Here's a picture of some of the signs we had to study.

Strange

We went out to eat next door at Macaroni Grill with our friend Sean (who works with Noa and is also new to the island).

All the servers and cooks were Japanese.

It's strange to go to an Italian-themed restaurant that is completely run by all Japanese workers.

Strange. Very strange indeed.

Temporary Home

Here's a photo of the front of the WestPac Lodge where we are staying. I must admit that I was surprised to find it very accomodating and updated. The room includes a bedroom (with tv), full bath, a mini-kitchen, a living room with tv and Playstation, and internet access. Oh, and the largest Macaroni Grill in the world is located next door!


I could get used to staying here!

My New Ride

So, you may be wondering what we are doing in Okinawa - Where do we live? What are we doing? How do we get around?

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....

Arrived

After a total of 21 hours of travel time, Noa and I have made it to Okinawa, Japan from Jacksonville.

More to come later - I'm not even sure where to begin - everything is so different.