A Kindergartener, a Tropical Storm, and a Navy Ball (on the way)

Ben looking a little nervous about his first day at EC Killen Elementary School as a Kindergartener.

Three weeks ago, Ben started kindergarten. I had been debating about home schooling him this first kindergarten year, but after 3 months home with him I decided he would be better off enjoying the socialization the public school offered. Plus, I just think he might be one of those kids who will perform for others but not me. So, day one went great! No tears, and happy when he got home. Days 2-4 Ben had some separation anxiety going on. Weeks 2 and 3 have been better, so I'm hoping for a tearless week this week! I know he's having fun because he comes home sharing songs and telling me all about his day. So far I've been very pleased about the type of work I've seen come home. The curriculum seems pretty close to what I've taught in the past, PLUS...they have some really neat "specials" classes that he wouldn't get in a public school in the states: Japanese Culture, Japanese Language, and Spanish. He comes home saying things in Japanese and brining home worksheets with Japanese phrases (I'm keeping them for cheat sheets for myself!).   I'm so happy that it looks like Ben is really going to grow from educationally this year, but I am hoping that he'll grow even more socially and emotionally.

The only thing about the school system that I'm not too pleased with was the process for getting a background check for volunteering in the school. Just like everything else military, it seems to be more complicated than it really needs to be. At the new parent orientation, Ben's teacher explained that there's the "mini-check" and the "mega-check" (they have other real names that sound fancy, but these will do) depending on how much you really want to be involved with the students. If you want to just work in the room with the teacher, you only need the mini-check. If you want to be able to walk a kid to the library to check out a book without the teacher there, you need the mega-check. So, thinking that with my experience I have to offer, I would go for the mega-check so I could really be put to use! Why not. My schedule is pretty free....

The teacher explained that the mega-check takes a long time to clear, so go ahead and get started now. I'm thinking, cool...I'll go fill out a form in the front office and they can send it off wherever and maybe by the first field trip I'll be good to go! Nope, this is not how this works, apparently.  The secretary gives me the packet and says I need to go by PMO to get it filled out. Ok, but what the heck is PMO and where is it? PMO is the police station, and she gives vague directions and after looking at the packet I decide I'll go by the next day and get 'er done. The next day, PMO's background checking program is down (of course!) and I needed to call back next week to see if it was back up and running. A week later, it is, so I go back and try again. No line, 5 minutes later, I'm in and out. Whoa! This is easier than I expected...which probably means it's too good to be true. So before leaving I check with the guy who just did the check and asked him if there was anything else I needed to do to have this background check complete. He looks at each and every page in the packet and says I am good to go. All done!

Feeling very proud and accomplished, I march into Ben's school the next day to show them my completed packet (having finished it in record time, for sure). The OTHER secretary looks at the packet, and asks what kind of clearance I was wanting in the school. I explained to her I wanted to be able to take kids to the library without the teacher having to hold my hand, and then she kindly explained to me that I needed to complete the packet. What?!?! It's done! I went to PMO....but apparently PMO is only the FIRST stop along the long and tiresome road to getting the mega-check complete. Ok, deflated now. I'm so confused. I asked not one, but TWO professional individuals if what I needed to have done and neither explained that I needed to not only go by PMO for a records check, but the Substance Abuse Counseling Center, the Base Housing Office, AND the Family Advocacy Program must also run their own records checks on me before I'm in the clear. (Just so you know, there are papers in the packet addressed to these other places and I DID notice they were not complete....but I just assumed it was all connected through PMO. Lesson learned: Never assume that one person knows everything when working with the military.)

For heavens sake! It just shouldn't be that hard to get cleared to work or volunteer for the military. Why can't ONE government location take care of every check that needs to be done? Finger print me and run my name through whatever military database there is to check out people and be done with it! It just seems like a big waste of time and money for people to do basically the same thing over and over again. And I never even get fingerprinted. I have not completed my School Volunteer Application yet, nor have I figured out where the three other places are to get the forms completed....

Changing subjects...

Some of our finds from Torri Beach

We have lucked out so far missing the two tropical storms that hit right before we got here, and then having another divert itself before landfall. The fourth storm, Tropical Cyclone Roke, spent an entire week snaking back and forth over the island with some rain and a little heavier wind. Living so close to the water, and having the amazing view that we do, it's really eerie to be able to see the rain roll in the way it does. And you can tell by looking out into the usually calm ocean how gusty it was becoming by all of the white caps that are usually non-existant. Roke was really just a tease for us, but poor Mainland Japan! A breeze took Roke and turned it into a Typhoon that caused a lot of flooding for them (and a lot of delays in produce and mail for us). But it also brought some neat treasures onto the beaches here, and the kids and I had a fun time exploring a Maeda Flats and Torii Beach for coral, seashells, and sea glass. I now have a pretty little beachy arrangement on my dining room table.

Chris's work is going pretty well. He stays on call or back-up call most nights. But life as an attending physician at a Naval Hospital is nothing like life as a resident in a Level 1 Trauma center, such as Greenville Memorial. Chris gets to come home and stay home most of the time when on call in the evenings. And work days aren't that bad either. He stays busy, but not insanely busy like before. Most days he's going in around 7 and home around 5. I can't complain one bit. The only downfall of being on so much call is not being able to go too far from base together as a family. Oh well. Life could be a lot worse! We have a beach within walking distance...it's really not that bad having to stay close to home.

As I said before, it's a little different in the military than in residency....One day Chris came home from work and says, "I need you to ask around and see who's going to the Navy Ball...and then decide if you want to go." A ball? A chance to get all dressed up, see my handsome husband in uniform, and get out of the house sans kids...uh, yeah! I mean, in Greenville I got all excited about Dr. Taylor's anual Christmas party and The Ashmore Graduation Dinner, but a "ball" just sounds a little more exciting! I've picked out my dress (keep your fingers crossed for me it arrives on time AND fits!), got a babysitter lined up, and have convinced a few friends to come with us. It should be fun!