Continuing Big Surprise...sorry my posts got a little out of order!
My plan was to sleep in late, but I guess jet lag/excitement about a new day in a new place got the best of all of us, and I think we were all up by 5 AM. Chris got ready for work, and I leisurely lounged since we had nothing on our agenda to do. We watched some Japanese programming (there weren't many options, but thank goodness there was something that resembled a PBS of sorts with children's programming). I say resembled but...not really that close. In the middle of cartoons and such, they showed a clip of a Japanese mother nursing her baby. It zoomed closer and closer in, and the kids and I all sat spellbound. Then they shot to a child saying something we couldn't understand, and then flashed to a cartoon picture of breasts. I'm thinking...really? Then back to the child again, laughing. Then a cartoon of little children laughing and floating around on what looked like giant, solitary boobies. Like balloons in space. Only boobs. Then it was over. Yep, it was going to be an interesting few weeks in the Japanese hotel for sure if this was my best programming option for the kiddos.
Thankfully, a phone call came to our rescue. Around 9 AM our sponsor's wife called and said that the housing office ALREADY HAD 2 HOMES for us to check out! We quickly got ready and she came to pick us up. One home had a view of people's back doors and garbage bins, and the other a view of American Village (with a huge ferris wheel that lights up at night), and right behind it...the ocean. It was a no brain decision, and we could hardly wait to move into our new home on top of the hill on Camp Lester. 2 days and a couple of adventures later, we "moved in" with our luggage and a couple of sleeping bags. We had been living/visiting/vacationing here, there and everywhere for way too long, so we "moved in" on the 18th after a pizza dinner at our sponsor's house with no furniture and sleeping bags. What a great birthday gift!
The next morning government furniture arrived. We got the "family pack" of furniture which included 1 couch, 2 chairs, 2 end tables, 1 coffee table, a dining room set (with 2 leaves and a china cabinet included), a full bed, 2 twin beds, 4 night stands, 4 dressers and a mirror. Although we don't have any sheets, or dishes, or barely any clothes to fill all these wonderful pieces of furniture up, we are so happy to have them as it makes it feel slightly more like home. That being said, I'm so anxious to get our shipments here I can hardly stand it. This town home has an awesome view, but apparently the people who used to live here smoked inside, and I can't quite get used to the government furniture/old cigarette smoke smell. It will be better once our stuff gets here, but until then we're burning candles like crazy. I'd open the windows open to air it out...but the humidity level is so high here we'd have mold growing within minutes.
Other interesting things about our new home:
-There are drains in every bathroom that you have to pour bleach water down every so often to keep the air suction in the pipes, and to deter the cock roaches (which Ben is deathly afraid of).
-We have giant fruit bats that hang out in the banana trees outside our house. If you startle them they swoop down at you...but they are harmless. Just as big as a cat with wings. And a little creepy. Bats in Texas are tiny little things (haha, we have "Texas" sized bats here!).
-We're starting to enjoy cable again after 3 1/2 years without it. But it comes in really grainy over here, so the only way to enjoy the benefits of our plasma is to watch movies streamed from the internet or a DVD/BluRay.
-Our neighbors have been over the top friendly. It's nice living next to people who are in the same shoes you're in. There are built in playmates for both Ben and Claire, and several moms who stay at home.
-Camp Lester, where we live, is the smallest base between the other two on either side of us. Camp Foster is about a mile a way to our left (where the new hospital is being built) and Kadena AF base is to our right about three miles down. Each has an exchange (mini-mall/Wal-Mart) and commissary (grocery store). Anything government business has to be done at either of those two bases. But if you have to get to the hospital quickly, Lester is the place to be. (Until the new hospital is completed on Foster and then we'll be SOL with no hospital and no government offices). When the new hospital is complete they are planning on phasing all of the residents out of Lester and onto other bases (which will take a few years). Then Lester will be shut down and the land will be given back to the Okinawans. It's prime real estate over here, and I'm sure they can't wait to get their hands on it to build condos and hotels and probably more shopping geared towards the Japanese tourists that come here during the summer.
Some neat things about living military life:
-You have $2000 a year to spend at Eagle Hardware. You can get a limited number of home improvement items, including paint, any time you want. You just set up your free account and go in and they tally up how much you spent and you walk out without paying a dime. Pretty sweet!
-There's a loan locker (closet) that has some household items you can borrow for 30-90 days. It's PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season, so when we went by there wasn't much to choose from. Still a cool idea.
-Coupons are good here for 6 months after their due date. People from the states (like you!) send us any unused coupons and a volunteer group here sorts them out into food/non-food items and you can stop by an office and pick up 6 envelopes chalked full at a time. The only downside is that the commissary carries limited items and you may/may not be able to use them. Again, still a great idea!
-Okinawa Yard Sales (Bookoo.com) are awesome for finding just about anything you could want or need. It's geared towards military families and you can find some really awesome deals.
-You can register at the library for a FREE Rosetta Stone online class to help learn Japanese. There are also free classes to attend for just about anything you could be interested in. You just have to get out of the house and ask someone. There's so much to do just on base, it could make your head spin!
There's so much more to say but I'll add it another time...
Monday, August 29, 2011
Aeon, the Japanese Wal-Mart/Mall/Grocery Store
It used to be called Jesco (I'm not sure about spelling)...that's what everybody calls it...but technically this crazy place is now called Aeon. It has almost anything anybody could ever want and is your stereotypical Japanese experience. From groceries to an arcade, bubble tea to fabric. It's all there...and completely insane.
It has a Japanese style bakery where you use a tray and tongs to pick out what you want from the variety of baked goods which are made on a daily basis. The first time I shopped there I went to put my tray back (trying to be polite and helpful) and almost gave the poor ladies who worked there a heart attack. My GERMS were on it! Oh no! It could not be used again before sterilization. Hmmm. I like that. One of my favorite things to get at the bakery (so far) is a yummy sweet bread that goes great with coffee. I'm trying to stay away from the sweets that have a whipped cream in the middle because those could definitely get me in trouble.
The grocery section has better looking produce and meat products than the commissary offers, but some things are, um, a little different. Like they have fish for sale, cut up in hunks, head and all. Eyeballs staring at you. Ew. Other things are familiar, like the Campbell's Soup and Del Monte tomato paste. While others are just interesting because they are different but look delicious...like the deli section that has sushi rolls and tempura everything and beef on a stick and so much more. You can make a little bento box of anything you want and pay by weight. Another perk of shopping at Aeon is buying beer. We have become Asahi fans, but it's pretty expensive to buy at the shopettes or commissary. We must pay some sort of import tax because a 6 pack of cans is over $10. It's a little cheaper at the Japanese grocery store, but with the crappy exchange rate you still pay a chunk of change. A case of Asahi is about $50. But Orion is a locally brewed beer here on Okinawa, and it isn't that bad and a little cheaper. However, I personally think it's better on draft and watching the sunset on the beach during "Happy Time."
Also at Aeon are a variety of fast food and sit down restaurants, kiosks for this and that, tons of clothing, shoes, kitchen items, a 100Y area ($1 store) etc., etc. But the mall is set up much differently than your typical mall. Instead of stores offset in the perimeter only, stores are set up throughout the middle as well with little or no barrier between it and the next. It makes it hard to know when you're leaving and going into another shop, as you have to pay in each area before you go on to the next or they will chase you down because they think you're stealing (so I've heard...not from experience. :-)).
Some interesting things about shopping in Okinawa are:
-You never hand money directly to the cashier. There is always a tray for the transaction.
-If you pay with a card, you are supposed to hand it to the cashier with two hands, and receive it back with two hands as a sign of respect.
-This is the land of reusable bags. If you don't bring a bag, you are charged 100Y a piece, which is over $1 a bag!!
There are similar stores throughout Okinawa, like Makeman and San A. Makeman actually has pets for sale (like bunnies and small dogs) and San A is less Americanized with a smaller crowd. It's fun to see everything different in each store and soak up all the culture, as well as catch funny "lost in translation" signs and advertisements. (Tequira Sunrise, Holdon to the railing, Tank you., Tool Egit.) Why shop at the commissary or exchange when we've got all these cool places to explore!?
It has a Japanese style bakery where you use a tray and tongs to pick out what you want from the variety of baked goods which are made on a daily basis. The first time I shopped there I went to put my tray back (trying to be polite and helpful) and almost gave the poor ladies who worked there a heart attack. My GERMS were on it! Oh no! It could not be used again before sterilization. Hmmm. I like that. One of my favorite things to get at the bakery (so far) is a yummy sweet bread that goes great with coffee. I'm trying to stay away from the sweets that have a whipped cream in the middle because those could definitely get me in trouble.
The grocery section has better looking produce and meat products than the commissary offers, but some things are, um, a little different. Like they have fish for sale, cut up in hunks, head and all. Eyeballs staring at you. Ew. Other things are familiar, like the Campbell's Soup and Del Monte tomato paste. While others are just interesting because they are different but look delicious...like the deli section that has sushi rolls and tempura everything and beef on a stick and so much more. You can make a little bento box of anything you want and pay by weight. Another perk of shopping at Aeon is buying beer. We have become Asahi fans, but it's pretty expensive to buy at the shopettes or commissary. We must pay some sort of import tax because a 6 pack of cans is over $10. It's a little cheaper at the Japanese grocery store, but with the crappy exchange rate you still pay a chunk of change. A case of Asahi is about $50. But Orion is a locally brewed beer here on Okinawa, and it isn't that bad and a little cheaper. However, I personally think it's better on draft and watching the sunset on the beach during "Happy Time."
Also at Aeon are a variety of fast food and sit down restaurants, kiosks for this and that, tons of clothing, shoes, kitchen items, a 100Y area ($1 store) etc., etc. But the mall is set up much differently than your typical mall. Instead of stores offset in the perimeter only, stores are set up throughout the middle as well with little or no barrier between it and the next. It makes it hard to know when you're leaving and going into another shop, as you have to pay in each area before you go on to the next or they will chase you down because they think you're stealing (so I've heard...not from experience. :-)).
Some interesting things about shopping in Okinawa are:
-You never hand money directly to the cashier. There is always a tray for the transaction.
-If you pay with a card, you are supposed to hand it to the cashier with two hands, and receive it back with two hands as a sign of respect.
-This is the land of reusable bags. If you don't bring a bag, you are charged 100Y a piece, which is over $1 a bag!!
There are similar stores throughout Okinawa, like Makeman and San A. Makeman actually has pets for sale (like bunnies and small dogs) and San A is less Americanized with a smaller crowd. It's fun to see everything different in each store and soak up all the culture, as well as catch funny "lost in translation" signs and advertisements. (Tequira Sunrise, Holdon to the railing, Tank you., Tool Egit.) Why shop at the commissary or exchange when we've got all these cool places to explore!?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Welcome the Okinawa: the island that's prettier at night (unless you're at the beach)..
We get our baggage in OKI and head out looking for the fellow surgeon who was supposed to be picking us up. We'd seen pictures of him online...but no one looked like him. Then, a 6'7" Marine corpsman asked if we might be "Bailey." Turns out there was a rare, multi-person trauma that needed the all surgeons on deck, so he couldn't come (understandably) and sent "BRIGHT" instead. Bright was a good ol' boy from Alabama, very personable, and apparently was the shortest of his 3 other brothers. Whoa. I'm guessing he may be the biggest guy on the whole island!
We rode from the airport in Naha, about 30 minutes to our hotel close to Camp Kadena. Neon EVERYWHERE! Almost every establishment is lit up in some form or fashion. That was one of the first things I noticed...and then the crazy drivers on 2 wheels. They do something totally illegal but not enforced by the police called "white lining." They basically ride in-between two lanes of traffic or on the shoulder to skip ahead of traffic. You always have to be diligent about looking for them when driving and especially when turning. Even if an accident was the fault of the biker, they will not be held accountable. Guess who will?...
We got our inaugural peaceful protest while sitting at a stop light on the way to the hotel from some bikers behind us. Bikers, Mopeders, Scooterers...all known for revving their engines to know their displeasure with the military presence on their island. No dirty looks, though. Or cussing or yelling or rude hand gestures. Kind of different than the states. Bright said even when they protest outside the military gates, they are peaceful and wish you a good day when you walk by.
Our hotel was further from base than we (and our sponsors - those helping our transition to our new home) were hoping. Okinawa is known for their frequent festivals, and the weekend we arrived correlated with one of their BIG ones. I can't remember the name, but it has to do with drumming and honoring deceased family members. Anyway, all the hotels, on base and off, were almost all booked up. So we were really lucky that our sponsors managed to find a place that wasn't two hours from base. It was called the Sunrise Hotel, and advertised that they served a steak dinner 24/7. It didn't really smell like steak...but they definitely cooked something all night and all day at that place. The room had 2 twin beds, a full, and a cot. It also had an AC unit that was controlled by a remote, a baby blue tub, and robes and slippers for everyone. We managed to squeeze into the room with all our luggage, and TONS of groceries that our sponsors bought for us since we were going to be living off base for a while. It was going to be an interesting 2ish weeks while we lived in our hotel awaiting housing to become available.
It was after midnight Okinawa time by the time we all crashed, and Chris had to be up early to start getting assimilated into military work life. The next day the schedule looked like this:
Chris: 6:30 AM, gets picked up from hotel by sponsor and they work all day on whatever.
Jess, Ben, Claire: Sleep all day.
Little did we know, the kids and I were in for a big surprise!
We rode from the airport in Naha, about 30 minutes to our hotel close to Camp Kadena. Neon EVERYWHERE! Almost every establishment is lit up in some form or fashion. That was one of the first things I noticed...and then the crazy drivers on 2 wheels. They do something totally illegal but not enforced by the police called "white lining." They basically ride in-between two lanes of traffic or on the shoulder to skip ahead of traffic. You always have to be diligent about looking for them when driving and especially when turning. Even if an accident was the fault of the biker, they will not be held accountable. Guess who will?...
We got our inaugural peaceful protest while sitting at a stop light on the way to the hotel from some bikers behind us. Bikers, Mopeders, Scooterers...all known for revving their engines to know their displeasure with the military presence on their island. No dirty looks, though. Or cussing or yelling or rude hand gestures. Kind of different than the states. Bright said even when they protest outside the military gates, they are peaceful and wish you a good day when you walk by.
Our hotel was further from base than we (and our sponsors - those helping our transition to our new home) were hoping. Okinawa is known for their frequent festivals, and the weekend we arrived correlated with one of their BIG ones. I can't remember the name, but it has to do with drumming and honoring deceased family members. Anyway, all the hotels, on base and off, were almost all booked up. So we were really lucky that our sponsors managed to find a place that wasn't two hours from base. It was called the Sunrise Hotel, and advertised that they served a steak dinner 24/7. It didn't really smell like steak...but they definitely cooked something all night and all day at that place. The room had 2 twin beds, a full, and a cot. It also had an AC unit that was controlled by a remote, a baby blue tub, and robes and slippers for everyone. We managed to squeeze into the room with all our luggage, and TONS of groceries that our sponsors bought for us since we were going to be living off base for a while. It was going to be an interesting 2ish weeks while we lived in our hotel awaiting housing to become available.
It was after midnight Okinawa time by the time we all crashed, and Chris had to be up early to start getting assimilated into military work life. The next day the schedule looked like this:
Chris: 6:30 AM, gets picked up from hotel by sponsor and they work all day on whatever.
Jess, Ben, Claire: Sleep all day.
Little did we know, the kids and I were in for a big surprise!
So you want to get a hold of us....
Chris and Jess Bailey
PSC 482
PO BOX 188
FPO, AP 96362
PSC 482
PO BOX 188
FPO, AP 96362
This is a stateside address, but unless shipped priority it will take a while, as in weeks, to get here.
We have something like Skype, called Magic Jack, for our home number. We chose an Austin, TX phone number so anyone can call us and it won't be an international call:
512-800-7102
If you need to reach us quickly and don't mind paying for an international call here are our cell phone numbers (stateside folks, you will have to dial the Japan country code first, which I believe is 81)
Chris: 080-4446-4702
Jess: 080-4446-4704
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Up, up and away!
Aug. 15, 2011
After spending almost 6 weeks either on the road or squatting with family members, it was time for our much awaited flight to Okinawa. Bill was also leaving from Bush Intercontinental that morning for business, and so we caught a ride to the airport with him. After unloading both kids and all the luggage (8 pieces to check, two carseats to check, and 4 carryon bags), we made it smoothly through the check-in process and had plenty of time to grab breakfast and convert some of our American dollars into Yen.
We really lucked out by getting a commercial flight over. It was the best flying experience I think I've ever had (aside from me spilling melted ice cream in my lap, and Chris spilling a soda in his). The food on the plane was a lot better than I've had on other longer flights, and Chris signed the kids up for special "child friendly" meals, which were huge. There was TONS of "on demand" programming for the kids, which helped as well. Probably the most exciting thing that happened on the trip to Tokyo was that when we were getting pretty close to landing, there was a page for any doctor on board to notify the staff or their location. Well...Chris did his duty and along came one of the Japanese flight attendants, who had apparently been bitten pretty badly by a spider while in the storage area above the seats. Chris gave her some advice (she was going to be OK but see a doc if it started looking worse), and the remainder of the flight we were treated like royalty. Ok, not really royalty...but she was so grateful for the 90 seconds of Chris's time that she brought us extra drinks to have during the layover, and thanked us about 10 times. I'm not sure how much she realized how much we appreciated her kindness as well.
We had a 5 hour layover in Tokyo. I was expecting to see something memorable there, but really it wasn't much different than any stateside airport. It was our first time seeing a commode that was flush against the floor. Interesting...and confusing. The only other "exciting" thing in Tokyo that happened was we made it all the way through customs before realizing we had to pick up our baggage and take it to our connecting flight. Our "expert" who helped us in Houston said all our bags were checked all the way to Okinawa, so we didn't bother to look for them when we got off the plane. Thank goodness for the Japanese airport workers who knew better, and for the 5 hour layover. The only other thing worth mentioning about the Tokyo airport was how quiet it was. Middle of the day.... hustle and bustle....you could hear a pen drop.
We took a much smaller plane to Okinawa with several other people who appeared to be Americans. I have to say that the plane wasn't that nice, but the service was amazing. Japan Airlines have not forgotten the meaning of customer service. When we were called to pre-board with our two little ones and all our carryon's, the ladies at the check in counter and the flight attendants helped us ALL THE WAY to our seats. They brought us extra pillows, and toys to distract poor Claire who had had ENOUGH traveling the last 20 minutes of the flight. By this time it's Aug. 16, almost the 17th. We've lost about 13 hours while traveling.
After spending almost 6 weeks either on the road or squatting with family members, it was time for our much awaited flight to Okinawa. Bill was also leaving from Bush Intercontinental that morning for business, and so we caught a ride to the airport with him. After unloading both kids and all the luggage (8 pieces to check, two carseats to check, and 4 carryon bags), we made it smoothly through the check-in process and had plenty of time to grab breakfast and convert some of our American dollars into Yen.
We really lucked out by getting a commercial flight over. It was the best flying experience I think I've ever had (aside from me spilling melted ice cream in my lap, and Chris spilling a soda in his). The food on the plane was a lot better than I've had on other longer flights, and Chris signed the kids up for special "child friendly" meals, which were huge. There was TONS of "on demand" programming for the kids, which helped as well. Probably the most exciting thing that happened on the trip to Tokyo was that when we were getting pretty close to landing, there was a page for any doctor on board to notify the staff or their location. Well...Chris did his duty and along came one of the Japanese flight attendants, who had apparently been bitten pretty badly by a spider while in the storage area above the seats. Chris gave her some advice (she was going to be OK but see a doc if it started looking worse), and the remainder of the flight we were treated like royalty. Ok, not really royalty...but she was so grateful for the 90 seconds of Chris's time that she brought us extra drinks to have during the layover, and thanked us about 10 times. I'm not sure how much she realized how much we appreciated her kindness as well.
We had a 5 hour layover in Tokyo. I was expecting to see something memorable there, but really it wasn't much different than any stateside airport. It was our first time seeing a commode that was flush against the floor. Interesting...and confusing. The only other "exciting" thing in Tokyo that happened was we made it all the way through customs before realizing we had to pick up our baggage and take it to our connecting flight. Our "expert" who helped us in Houston said all our bags were checked all the way to Okinawa, so we didn't bother to look for them when we got off the plane. Thank goodness for the Japanese airport workers who knew better, and for the 5 hour layover. The only other thing worth mentioning about the Tokyo airport was how quiet it was. Middle of the day.... hustle and bustle....you could hear a pen drop.
We took a much smaller plane to Okinawa with several other people who appeared to be Americans. I have to say that the plane wasn't that nice, but the service was amazing. Japan Airlines have not forgotten the meaning of customer service. When we were called to pre-board with our two little ones and all our carryon's, the ladies at the check in counter and the flight attendants helped us ALL THE WAY to our seats. They brought us extra pillows, and toys to distract poor Claire who had had ENOUGH traveling the last 20 minutes of the flight. By this time it's Aug. 16, almost the 17th. We've lost about 13 hours while traveling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)