Military Wife in Okinawa

Kudos for Military Kids

I have recently heard from two separate Japanese women say that people in California are very rude.  Not surprising to me, of course.  What did surprise me is that one of them remarked that she has never seen such ill behaved children as in California.  She also shared that she thinks military children are far better behaved than other American children she has encountered.  I thought, "Really?"  You could have fooled me when some punk on base stole something off of my porch....  Truthfully though, while I completely believe in honoring my children's individuality and feelings, there is definitely something to be said for structure, loving discipline, and teaching values.  On top of that, it's nice to hear that our children aren't known as the horrible brats who invade other countries and behave badly.  :)  Always comforting to hear. 

Til October

The last week or two have been, well, not good.  Hectic, rushed, and exhausting describe how things have been lately.  I’ve been sick.  Rick has been rushed with work, and with trying to tie up loose ends for me here at home.  Finally, this morning we woke up, loaded the car, put some sleepy, pj wearing children in the car and headed off to Rick's work in the dark.  Ricky would barely look at Rick as he was trying to say goodbye.  On the way up he kept saying, "Daddy work?"  Evie, however, seemed to be taking it pretty well.  She is a pro at this I guess.  Well, she probably doesn't remember the last times he deployed very well.  At any rate, we had quite an amazing ride home.  Driving along the water we were graced with a breathtaking view of a very large orange moon shining its light on the ocean.  Cars were stopped all along to take pictures.  Then the children viewed a spectacular sunrise.  Now, we're off to start our hectic day full of workmen filling our kitchen, and a teacher home visit.  If I can make it through the day I can jump into bed, pull the covers over my head and tune out.  As for how long he will be gone?  Only til mid October.  Hardly a blip in time considering what's coming up later in the year, and the 10 month/7 month deployments of the past.  We're just practicing.  Luckily the teachers in Evie's school are living the same life we are, and want to know immediately if a parent is deployed.  They watch the kids relate to them accordingly.  We're lucky in that.  Still, we'll be counting down the paper chain til the end of this short little deployment. 

Harry Potter

A Little Message for a New Found Blog Friend

This Side of The World

One of My Favorite Things

THE GARLIC HOUSE!!!!!!!  It took me forever, but I finally found a babysitter for tomorrow night.  Garlic House here we come.  I love, love, love this place.  It is a restaurant out in town that serves garlic infused dishes that range from pizza to regular Japanese food.  One side is bench/table style, while the other is traditional Japanese.  You step up on to a beautiful wooden floor, take your shoes off (as always), and sit on cushions on the floor.  Some restaurants actually have a place hollowed out under the table, so that it just "looks" like you are sitting on the floor, but it's actually a bench.  This place, however is really on the floor.  So, it is really neat aside from the difficulty my creaky knees have getting up.  There is a little button on the table that you push and your server is right there.  My favorite dish is this tomato salad.  So, SO, so good.  I can't WAIT to go back.  Yummy. 

Finished

You Kids Will Set You Straight

The Good, The Bad, & the Interesting in Okinawa

Ok, so this isn't meant to be a gripe session.  I just though some of you might be curious about okinawa, and while everyone has their own opinions, I find most of these to be pretty common.  Brace yourself, it's a long one

I'll start with the negative finish up with the golden. 

Things I will NOT miss when we leave:

1.  FEAR OF TSUNAMIS-I have learned to relax, but this is not that big of an island and while driving you are, most of the time, quite near the ocean.  The view is stunning, but I have a phobia.  I'm doing better.  I'm getting there.  I used to adore the ocean-then came the Indonesian tsunami

2.  Typhoons-a big one hit us just last month and it was not fun, and not cool.  Thank God the Japanese build for these things.

3.  Small roads, small parking spaces, small, small, small-Ok, I have a depth perception problem, so it took a while to get used to driving and parking here, which leads me to my next complaint

4.  People park in the middle of the road.-Yes, just anywhere, and often in the worst places

5.  Shopping-Once you get used to going out in town it's a little better, but you people don't realize how much you should appreciate Walmart and Target.  :)  Our exchanges try their hardest to make us happy, but the hours are not the best and they have to rotate what they carry, so often you can't find something you love or need.  Out in town is fun but it gets expensive

6.  Trying to understand the people on base-Yes, I know, I know.  It's their country.  My husband reminded me of this every time I got irritable when we first got here.  BUT, when you're on base and it's military business,and it is hard to get anything done because they don't speak English that well, it's frustrating.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am very shy and sheepish off base, cause I feel I should always speak Japanese out in town.  Now, I understand what the people on base are saying, and I'm much more reasonable.  It was really just a matter of adjusting my ears. 

7.  When it says a family event on base what they really mean is for the local people-I know we need to keep good relations.  Maybe we shouldn't be here at all.  We're in THEIR land.  I know all this, but when my daughter is crying because she got all dressed up and didn't get a single EAster egg out of the kazillions that were put out for children, and they were all gone in 2seconds.  That gets frustrating.  Don't get mad at me.  I'll explore the good of this on the flip side. 

8.  Giant Bats-Okinawa is famous for them, and they love the tree in our back yard-The other night I was jogging and I heard a family (obviously new) who said, "Wow, that doesn't sound like any bird I've ever heard before."  I felt like quoting Indiana Jones by saying, "Those aren't birds sweetheart.  They're giant bats."  They're actually a little cool so maybe I should take them off my list...

9.  It seems like everything is so difficult on base-Of all the places to make things run smoothly, or maybe keep things in one place you'd think overseas would be it.  Nope.  Things are difficult here. 

10.  It's HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT &Humid beyond belief-Summers are unreal.  They just are (count an unbelievable amount of mold on anything set on the counter for any length of time in this one)

11.  This is sort of related to people parking in the middleof theroad, but they pull out in front of you here ALL the time.  I mean it's crazy!  And trust me you DO NOT WANT TO HIT A LOCAL PERSON.  It's pretty much your fault and you have to take money and flowers to the person who you  hit.  (Not that I would know thank goodness)

Now for the Good:

1. When I can relax my tsunami phobia I realize that the views here are STUNNING!!!!!!  And they're everywhere you look.  It's like one of those beach screensavers people put up on their computer.  Sometimes it's so beautiful it takes your breath away. (Also, i don't dive, but Okinawa is one of the top 10 dive spots in the world)

2.  Typhoons may hit us, but the Japanese really, really, know how to build for this stuff and it makes me feel alot safer. 

3.  Everything is small, but at the same time you learn to appreciate all of the space we have back home.

4.  I don't have anything good to say about parking in the middle of the road or pulling out in front of you, so I'll just think of something new: The good looking Japanese guards at the gate.  There you go.  They're so nice, and "most" of them are oh so cute. 

5.  Shopping:  The good side of shopping here is that once you feel comfortable enough to go out in town, and have a little extra money it's so much fun.  People are so nice it's incredible, and they have Hello Kitty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The grocery stores are also fun.  I haven't had anything to eat here that I didn't like. 

6. Ok, now for my unPC irritation at not being able to understand the base employees.  Sometimes it does get frustrating, but like I said, it's their country, and when you stop to realize how intelligent and brave a person would have to be to have a job on a military base where they constantly deal with Americans, and speaking a second language... I couldn't do it.  Also, "most" of them, not all, but most of them are soooooooooooooooooooooooo incredibly nice.  You just wouldn't believe how nice people are here, and what we have to put up with in service back in the states.  Well, service isn't allways that good-they don't put up with that demanding customer, "I want it now" stuff over here, but still they're very respectful and very nice. 

7.  The bases-Things are difficult here, BUT they do try.  We do have alot available to us.  I will admit that, and I am thankful.  It's just whenyou have to get paperwork type things done that it sucks. (and  few other things)

8.  It may be hot during the summer, but the late fall, winter, & spring are oh so devine.  Still humidity, which I can't wait to leave, but wow the temperature is sooooooooooooooooooooooo nice.  So nice. 

9. I mentioned it before, I'll say it again: The People are so nice.  They don't do that abrupt, in your face thing and I LOVE IT!!!!!!  That's how I am in my life and I appreciate it so much in others.  Now, that's not to say that they don't talk down to us or about us, but I can't tell it, so who cares?  :)  Also, they seem to really know how to laugh, enjoy life and their loved ones. 

10.  the flip side of so many people being on the base for family events?  It's so interesting to interact with them, and also there are often orphanages on base.  The military really gets involved with the children and people in need here. It's good to see. 

The intersting:  The bats, the ghosts (a different entry), the signs-I'll post a picture later, but on the way to my husband's base, where he works, there is a sign that says, "Your reckless speeding brings about your death."  I understand what it's saying, but it always reminds me of a sinister fortune cookie.  :) 

So, there you have it.  It's certainly not everything, but I'll explore more in various entries.  It's a gift to be here, and I'll miss many things when we leave.  It's also so amazing to hear my 2yr old yell good afternoon in Japanese at the guard, or say thank you in Japanese.  My daughter knows how,but she is too shy.  :) 

If you made it through the entire entry, have a good one.  ;) 

Recycling

Some of you might be surprised to hear that the military actually makes us recycle.  Gasp, I know.  :)  Actually, when it comes to recycling the military are pros-they often have adapt and overcome shortages.  But, I digress.  We live on Okinawa, and here recycling is not just a kind thing to do for the environment, it's a must.  They are very tight on land here (especially since our bases take up so much of it-yet they're still nice to us. :)  They benefit from us too-I"m not US bashing just saying they would have alot more land if we weren't on it) So, anyway, recycling is very, very important here.  Aside from leaving altogether the military goes out of its way to make sure we behave and treat our host with respect.  For themost part it goes well, and as for recycling, well that's something we should all be doing anyway. 

Now, that being said, I KEEP FORGETTING TO PUT IT OUT.  I have a pantry so full of recyclables that I can't see my bottom shelf.  I don't know why.  Well, I know why.  I keep forgetting to take the time to scrub off the labels.  ACK.  What a pain.  Don't get me wrong, it makes it out to the curb eventually, it just takes  awhile. 

Here we go again

As my profile indicates, my husband is a Marine.  Like everyone else in the military he has spent quite a bit of time in the Middle East.  Okinawa, is sort of suposed to be a low key duty station, though I knew there are still plenty of deployments out of here, just not as much or for as long.  Well, since we've been here I have found out that there plenty of spouses gone for long deployments.  I have been lucky though, and Rick and I have had the time to work on our marriage, which we needed.  When one person is gone so often, and for so long you have to rediscover each other again every time they come home. 

It has been lovely having someone to be home with the kids at night or on the weekend so I can run an errand without a screaming (but lovely) :) toddler trying to escape.  Although, he still isn't home very much due to work hours and his own hobby, which he needs, but still...  It's been nice.  Now, he is preparing to be gone for almost two months again.  Not that long, but it will be the first time I have been alone with the kids here in Okinawa.  In North Carolina I  learned how to stand on my own while he was gone, but also found a new family in my neighbors (all military).  We bonded, helped each other and drank wine on our front porch when the kids went to bed.  We all had to readjust when our husbands came home, but then we all bonded as couples.  There are great people here too, but none that I'm as close to as I was my former neighbors.  Not to mention that we are now in Japan, not North Carolina.  SO, I'm a little nervous.  The nervousness is not just for the coming two months, but for the possible deployment to Iraq coming up next year.  Rick wants me to take the kids and stay with family in Tennessee so he won't worry, and I don't want to, but that is a different blog entry. 

So, all of this to say that I guess I have to put my military spouse face back on and step up to the challenge.  I need to flex my independence muscle again.  (Even though it's hard to feel independent when you're on a military base in a foreign country where you need your husband-or wife if she's the active duty member-'s permission to do anything truly important)  Not bitter.  It's just the way it is.   And I wouldn't change my life.  Though maybe a full body protection suit for my husband and everyone else as well.  :)

Thanks for listening. 

Drives Me Crazy!!!

Ok, so this entry is just a little bit of a vent.  When I try to leave comments on e-bloggers sites, I can't tell what I'm doing because the internet recognizes our ip address as being in Japan so it comes up with these blocks instead of words.  AGH!!!! 

Ok, I feel better.  Thanks. 

The Pool

I will admit to all of you that my kids missed out on alot of pool time this summer simply because I did not want to get into a bathing suit.  Well, that and the fact that it is just too darn hot to even walk to the car, much less chase a toddler boy around the pool while keeping an eye on my 5yr old who can't swim.  Whew, that was a long sentence.  SO, I finally realized that I can't make my kids suffer over my own vanity and signed them up for swim lessons.  She's already done two weeks, and they were lovely.  Evie was with her swim teacher, and Ricky and I played in the, quite large, baby pool.  Now we have signed up for another two weeks and I'm loving it.  I got over my bathing suit fear and I'm glad I did, because now  every morning I get to enjoy my children enjoying the summer instead of hiding from it. Don't get me wrong, we have been to the beach,  but my husband is not a beach person so that does not happen often. 

My favorite pool moments so far?  Evie finally putting her head under water and Ricky separating the rings on the side of the baby pool while singing, "What's gonna work, Team work." over and over again. 

Harry Potter

First Entry