American in Japan

Sayonara Nihon!

2006-04-24T07:17:00.000+09:00

This was taken during my 5 minutes of fame at Naha airport. These girls were from a middle school in Osaka. They literally bum-rushed me for all sorts of pictures and this was the last one. We tried to get my girls in but they were too shy.

I treasure all of my experiences in Japan but it feels amazingly great to be home. From now on I will be posting to my other blog - American Gaijin at www.american-gaijin@blogspot.com. So check that out for stories about all of my current culture shock, jet lag, vacation pics and comparisons between Japan and the US. Please continue to post questions to this blog as I will be monitoring it indefinitely. Thanks for reading and sayonara!!

2006-04-24T07:09:00.000+09:00

Finally home!!! My husband took this earlier today

2006-04-24T07:08:00.000+09:00

how long we had been on the plane at that point

2006-04-24T07:07:00.000+09:00

almost there! Now on a Boeing 777 with video screens in the back of each seat.

2006-04-24T07:05:00.000+09:00

Ashley on the 747

2006-04-24T07:02:00.000+09:00

first airplane from Naha to Osaka

New pics

2006-04-24T06:39:00.000+09:00

Here are some of the pics I had time to take. We had like no layover once we got to Osaka so pics were out of the question at that airport.

I'm home!!!

2006-04-22T21:41:00.000+09:00

It feels so good to be back in San Francisco. I have some picures that I will post a little later. It's the middle of the night and I'm using the loudest keyboard I've ever heard so I don't want to keep everyone up. Just wanted to say that we are all home safely!

12 hours left

2006-04-20T17:45:00.000+09:00

I got the "OK" from my doctor to travel tomorrow. I'm excited, hesitant and a little nervous. I've really gotten used to living over here. I'll miss my friends and the exoticness and the food. At the same time I will be able to go to the mall and hit a Sephora shop or actually have a fluent conversation with an employee at a shop or something instead of choppy sentences with a strangter and walking away knowing that there was some miscommunication.

All we have to do tonight is give our car over to my husband's friend and finish packing. Tomorrow morning a pre-arranged taxi-van is coming to get us at our hotel room and it will take us (2 tired adults, 2 hyper kids, 2 cats and 8 suitcases) to the airport.

I'll take pictures of the airports (Naha and Osaka) with my cellphone and post them here when I get some extra time. My new blog is American Gaijin at www.american-gaijin.blogspot.com and I'll post about my new experiences in the US and how they differ from Japan and then maybe some more personal posts that have nothing to do with the move.

I'm off to pack. You all know I'm Aviation Girl so I think the flight will be fun. :D

Going out in style

2006-04-18T19:31:00.000+09:00

I've been waiting to get my nails redone so I could go home with freshly-done kimono nails. I got this specific idea from a Japanese Nail Max magazine. The originals had a dark pink, almost cherry red background but I wanted more of a spring pattern.

I go to Nail Cinderelle at the Mihama shopping center right across from A&W on the inside. They always do a great job but just like everything else in Japan, be prepared to pay a hefty price for beauty. A full set of acrylics cost 6500 yen (fills are about 3500 yen) and the design cost 3450 yen so today I paid 9950 or almost $100. Lesser designs like basic French manicures are about 2000 yen.

2006-04-18T19:30:00.000+09:00

Close-up of my new kimono nails

Japanese Washer Tutorial - 2. How to use it

2006-04-16T14:20:00.000+09:00

I had to have a friend come over and help me because I only understood 1 of the kanjis and the start button. Turns out it is very easy to use.

Picture 1 shoes the top buttons. The big square button is the power button. You can push it first. Picture 2 has a close-up of the dial to the left of the power button. It has the water levels. It is currently set on high. The next Kanji to the left is medium. The Next one is less and the last one to the left is low water - erm....probably a few drops of water I would imagine

Picture 3 shows the cycle options. My friend said all you have to do after the power is on and you selected the water level is push the "sutaato" (start) button on the right and in picture 4. Pic 5 of course is just a close-up of the drum.

As soon as you start putting clothes in you see that the inside of the washer is really loose. The weight of the clothes causes the drum to go back and forth as if it itself is sitting in a tub of water. The drum only spins during the spin cycles. When it is in wash mode it just kind of lazily shakes to the right and then to the left. This shaking (not the best word to describe the action)causes the water to whirl around once and brings the clothes along with it. I took a quick video with my cell phone but it has an .amc file extension that as far as I can tell only plays with VLC media player.

The washer either has two wash cycles or 2 rince cycles. I found this out the hard way because I put the softener in too early. The tub drained after the first "rinse" cycle and then completly filled up again. The clothes were extra soft :P The entire experience for 1 load took about 45 minutes. As I didn't have to get out blood or ink or something crazy, I was pretty happy with how clean everything was. Considering that we are a family of 4 and I was only able to wash 2 shirts, a tank top and a pair of sweatpants in that one load, I think we will go pay for the washers and driers on-base from now on.

Japanese Washer Tutorial - 1 The difference between theirs and ours

2006-04-16T14:11:00.000+09:00

It is well known over here that Japanese washers and driers suck in comparison to American brands, which except for on base, are not sold here in Japan. They suck because:

1. They hold about 2 complete adult-sized outfits as long as jeans aren't involved.
2. The washers don't clean as well due to the general mechanics which I will explain later
3. You can only use cold water
3. Its even worse if you use Japanese detergent. Detergents and shampoos are much weaker then the US counterparts.

In this first set of pictures I had a hard time getting the entire washer in the frame because of the skinny hallway going towards the bathroom but you can get a good idea of how big it is. It is as tall as an American machine but but isn't as wide. Even though we are in a hotel, this washer is the same size as the ones sold out in town. Washers and driers come in many colors - always pastel and pretty. White isn't the norm.

The top kinda lifts up and then folds back to display the tiny washing compartment and it's 3-4 inch long agitator - maybe one of the reasons the clothes don't come out as clean.

Learn something new every day!

2006-04-16T11:43:00.000+09:00

Plumbing lesson. You know that curve in American pipes? I always figured it had something to do with pressure and how the waste is expelled and I might still be sorta right but what it for sure does is it allows free flowage (yes my word :P) of gas so sewage smells don't creep back in or just get stuck there.

Japanese pipes have no such bendiness. We woke up this morning to a smell that almost knocked us dead. 3 hours into the day and it has finally cleared up after a couple of flushes or maybe just after wishful thinking.

Doing better...

2006-04-14T13:46:00.000+09:00

We've all settled into the Hamagawa pretty well. Except for a game of Chinese Fire drill involving bedrooms last night we haven't had any problems. Even though this place is a pit its roomier than the Westpac and we are more relaxed over here.

I'm still healing - slowly but surely from my surgery on Wednesday. I wasn't gonna say what happened because it is kinda personal but it's all part of this moving experience so here it goes. For the past 7 weeks my doctors and I thought I was having a miscarriage. I got pregnant with a Mirena IUD in place. Hello! The odds of getting pregnant with an IUD in are 3 in 1000! I've had it in for three years. So my luck. My husband looks at me funny and I get pregnant. It was a shocker because I SO didn't want any more children. So anyway, a week and a half ago I went to see my doc because I had been bleeding every day for the past 6 weeks and I assumed my IUD had gone bad earlier than it should have. A blood test later revealed that I was pregnant but my hormone counts were only 130. Crazy low. I had it checked 2 days later and it was the same. She thought I had been pregnant since mid-February. I had no idea because I never had a period on this IUD.

Monday morning I was cramping real bad but because we only had one car at the time (the other was on the "lemon lot" on base for sale) I couldn't go to the hospital. I was bleeding heavily from 10:00am until noon until it pretty much stopped. My husband didn't get home until about 4:30 pm. By 5:30pm I was at the ER and had another ultrasound (my third in a week) done and a blood test. My counts had gone down to about 90 and they still couldn't see a baby in me but they found a 5cm cyst in my left ovary. The ER doc called in an OBGYN doc and she admitted me for surgery first thing the next day. The only catch is that I wouldn't be able to fly out on Friday to go back to the states. She said I technically could since it would be an outpatient procedure but I would still be in pain. So she wrote a note for my husband's command saying I needed to stay in Japan a week longer. This was done so we could get reimbursed for the extra hotel stay of over $700.

So the morning arrived. I was in pre-op talking to the anesthesiologist when I started noticing throbbing pain on my right but higher than where my uterus and ovary is. I thought I was going crazy. I almost didn't mention it to my doc when she walked in. I didn't want her to think I was being a hypochondriac due to nerves. She said, "OK I'll take a look around there," and left for the OR. I was getting laproscopic surgery on my left side for the cyst so I was a little worried about her actually getting to my right side.

So they took me to the OR and put me under with general anesthesia. When I woke up she said she got the cyst out and a "very large" ectopic pregnancy in my right fallopian tube! None of us had any idea as it didn't show up on the ultrasound and until that morning, I had no pain in that area. I'm not sure she would have looked over there if I hadn't mentioned the new pain in passing as we all thought I had miscarried. She tried to whip out pictures taken by the camera inside of me during the surgery but I was too nauseous to look at it. She said, "It's okay - it doesn't LOOK like a pregnancy," in other words, it was in the tube blown up now like a balloon - I caught that much before I turned away. I was too nauseous to look at it or the pic of the cyst. She wound up taking the entire right tube out since I didn't want any more children anyway.

So I went home at 7:30pm that same evening. Pain management in the hospital pretty much sucked the entire time and the nurses were trying to rush me out of the hospital, which pissed me off. They had originally wanted me out by 5:00pm but I was like no - I'll go when I'm good and ready. We all wound up compromising a little but I left the hospital with less-than-helpful drugs even though I told everyone it wasn't working. I'm sensitive to all narcotics - get very nauseous or can't breathe so I was prescribed ultram to take the place of the Demerol, which I was on up till then.

Today I finally gave in and called my doc to get a better prescription. She gave me percocet and zoforan for the nausea. They are working. Finally I'm in less pain and can move around more. But there you go. That's why we couldn't leave today like we had planned.

I'm fine with all that though because that baby was in my tube long enough for it to break open! I would have been in trouble if I hadn't gone to the doctor before leaving Japan. So now we actually get to rest before leaving. As far as the pregnancy I'm okay with it. I really didn't want any more children. At first my doc just said, "You're pregnant!" as if that was that and I had a healthy baby in there. I started crying not out of joy but out of complete despair. I thought for sure I wouldn't get pregnant with an IUD in. Every time a huge thing happens in our lives I get pregnant and right before PCSing and my husband going to Iraq I get pregnant again? WTF?? So no I didn't go through a mourning period. Just relief as bad as that sounds. Now that this is almost over my concern is how am I going to keep from getting pregnant again when all contraception has failed us short of getting all of my innards scooped out.
If my doc says the cyst and ectopic pregnancy weren't caused by the IUD I will probably get the same IUD in again. What are the odds of 3 in 1000 happening twice with only one fallopian tube left?

2006-04-13T15:34:00.000+09:00

There is a tiny washer next to the bathroom but I couldn't get a good picture of it because the hallway is narrow. It is all in Kanji so a friend of mine is gonna drop by later to translate the settings for me. On the upper right are the communal dryers. There are only 2 as most people line-dry their clothes. Right across from the driers is that vending machine. The bottom 2 pics are the Discovery channel - English with Japanese sub-titles (yeah!) and the bed in the master bedroom. Like I said this place is a total hole but this is how the Marines like to house their people. It could certainly be worse. I could be sleeping on a futon like the Japanese do or I could once again have no AC. This place is a lot bigger than the two rooms put together at the westpac. Oh and the only reason we are here instead of back on base is because of our cats. Before my surgery we were only gonna spend one night here to let our cats relax with us before the long and scary plane ride. But now that I'm on med-hold they get to spend the entire week with us.

2006-04-13T15:28:00.000+09:00

For 12,000 a night (About $120) you really get pampered. This is the bathroom. The tub is also tiny of course because Japanese people are short. They don't actually wash in the tub - they shower first and then just soak. Usually the entire family soaks one at a time in the same water. Oldest goes first. Below are two of the three bedrooms. Just like a trailer in the South! But at least there is AC in every room unlike the westpac. Also the westpac's shower jet was piercing and would have hurt my stitches. So I'm looking forward to trying out this kiddie-type (through an American's eyes) shower.

2006-04-13T15:23:00.000+09:00

Here is part of the kitchen. That stove is teeny-tiny. There is also a microwave and a regular kitchen sink. The fridge is a typical Japanese fridge but not as pretty as some others I've seen. They are skinny and this one is ambidextrous! The top part can open to the right or to the left. Out in town you can buy these for about $1,000 and they come in pastel colors like pink, purple and blue.

2006-04-13T15:19:00.000+09:00

Welcome to the Hamagawa Lodge. Insert Sanford and Son theme song here. This place is a hole but it is one of 2 hotels approved by our command for off-base temp lodging. I took these with my cell phone so they didn't come out too good but yes, the water in the pool is green.

Bad news - can't leave this week

2006-04-12T21:36:00.000+09:00

I had to go to the ER last night. I had severe pain regarding those "issues" I mentioned about and I wound up needing emergency surgery. I'm on med hold for the next week so I can't fly out on schedule. Luckily my husband was able to get the ticket dates changed. We will have to stay at the Hamagawa for an entire week now. We move out of this hotel tomorrow. My poor husband - I won't be able to do any lifting for a couple weeks. He's gonna have his hands full.

Let's hope for comfy beds at the Hamagawa - Japanese western-style beds have all been super hard so I'm not optimistic.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again - not sure if the Hamagawa has an Internet connection.

Murphy's law er...Lynne's Law?

2006-04-11T09:13:00.000+09:00

This move wasn't destined to be easy for me. Yesterday morning I awoke to a super-sore throat and I think I might have a small fever. Luckily it hasn't moved into my sinuses yet - a big nono for flying, but I still feel like crap. On top of that, I'm dealing with another medical issue that started about 7 or 8 weeks ago and hasn't let up. My doctor wanted to see me if this issue brought about a fever and general malaise but she is not in today. I will have to do a walk-in tomorrow afternoon. She agreed not to put me on med hold for this since I can get immediate care in San Francisco through Tricare (insurance) if I have to but I must admit - I'm in no shape to fly a 12-hour flight today. Hopefully I will be by Friday.

All that's left to do is wait.

2006-04-10T16:26:00.000+09:00

The house is empty and clean, the tickets are in our hands (Tickets for 4 cost us about $3,600) and my husband is checked out of his unit. The only thing left to do is to do an early check-in for our cats at the airport. We have to bring them down there, show that shots are up to date, get them weighed and then we can bring them back to our cat-sitter until the day of the flight.

Today is the first sorta crappy day at the hotel because it is super-humid outside, therefore super-humid inside. And warm. I saw a dehumidifier up in the playroom and I'm thinking about relocating it. Muah ha ha.

All of this work has left me drained and the girls a bit grumpy. I made coffee just now and I'm not sure if I'm gonna have any because its 5:00pm but it sure smells good. Maybe it will wake me up. Red Bull didn't even help earlier.

Or maybe I'm just mourning because I express-shipped my laptop earlier today :O

Westpac woes

2006-04-07T21:22:00.000+09:00

Wow. The Internet connection over here sux! It is set up for 10Mbps which is not too bad in theory. I've used 12Mbps before and the pages were blazin' fast and I never noticed a real slowdown in torrents. This connection won't even load the Google picture at the top of the search bar! I called the front desk and the lady said it goes up and down a lot so I'm now on my old Konnect dial-up connection thanks to the phone at the desk.

Another complaint is that it is April here and it is getting hot again and the air conditioning in this building is still off. This is the norm for Marine Corps barracks. I think Colonels think we are too dumb to use a thermostat. I've heard that they like to save money by leaving either the heater or the AC on depending on the season. But now it is sweltering even though it is cool outside at night. We can't seem to cool the room with the drapes shut and we can't leave them open because we are on the first floor and people walk by often.

My husband said he heard one guy complaining at the front desk, "This is the second time I've complained about the AC - someone needs to fix it ASAP!"

"Well sir, the base doesn't turn the AC on in the buildings for another month."

"Are you kidding me? I pay $124 dollars a night for no AC?"

"Well sir, I can but your name on this list..." My Husband laughed and said,

"Well if that's the case you can put my name on there. Oh and you might as well put my daughters' and wife's name on there as well." I don't know if he really put our names on the list because I wasn't there but I was like, that guy had a good point about spending lots of $$ for a hotel room with no AC. Normally base lodges cost service members like $40 a night, but not here! MCCS loves ripping Marines off so they can give the head honchos big Christmas bonuses. But the AC thing is still a Colonel or a General's fault. FFS give the Marines and their families a heat stroke in the winter and freeze them out in the summer. You would think the base would SAVE money if the heat/cold could be turned off for a few minutes! To them I say DUH!

With that said, luckily this is a nice time of year to have the windows open.

The movers are here, and my hairspray saga

2006-04-07T11:02:00.000+09:00

I'm writing this from the Westpac Lodge. The movers have been at it since just before 8:00 this morning. My husband and I have been pretty much hanging out outside and he decided to go get us checked into the hotel. So now he's back home and I'm here in our room vegging.

I can't believe how many suitcases we have. I think it is either 7 or 8. We are allowed 2 suitcases for each person and we are maxed out. We probably could have packed lighter but its gonna be a month or two for all of our stuff to make the boat ride to the States. On Monday we are sending our express shipment off which includes some dishes, lots of clothes and professional materials like computers, books, etc.

Its funny what is most important to you when packing. Here are the first 4 things I packed:

1. My new House season 2 DVDs
2. Wit DVD
3. All of my lipgloss tubes - anyone who knows me knows what I mean.
4. My nail care things.

The rest of the stuff like clothes and shoes, I pretty much just threw in there. But I am seriously mourning something I supposedly can't ship out to the States. Its also the #1 most important thing. This is gonna sound silly.

ADORN HAIRSPRAY!!!!!!

It only comes in aerosol cans and that shouldn't be allowed to ship. For those of you who have no idea about this, Adorn hairspray is also banned in the US for containing CFCs. Yes you heard me right - no right-wing complaints please saying that I'm single-handedly destroying the ozone layer with my can.

Anyhoo, Adorn has won top honours among hair professionals as being the best dern hairspray in the WORLD! I saw it for the first time in an Allure magazine. They said it smells a bit like Grandma and you can only buy it overseas but it works like a dream. Well one day at the PX on base I ran into it! I almost you-know-whatted myself. Like an addict I literally went in for the kill and took home my prize.

My hair is super thin. So thin that if I were to curl it, before I finished with the rest of my hair, the first bits would be flat already no matter what mousse or hairsprays I use before, during and after, but OMG with Adorn not only does my hair look great when I'm done curling it, it looks the same after spending the afternoon in jungle temps at the zoo! I'm so not kidding. Its not like rock hard either - it does what Pantene's hairspray promises but doesn't do - it is a flexable hold with no stiffness. Its like freakin' magic! Even if I'm not doing my hair I just spray a little on and scrunch it and voila! Instant bedroom hair!

So I took my almost empty can with me to the hotel and I hid a new can (the PX is out now - I bought the last one) in this tupperware-like container containing all of my other shippable beauty items like curlers, face masks, lotions, etc. Right before I left the house I noticed that everything in my bedroom was already packed :D:D:D:D So I'm hoping they didn't notice it but I'm still mourning because I won't be able to buy any more when I get home. And hell the can might explode by the time it reaches home. Oh and I can't fly it home because of the pressure changes - the can would explode for sure.

I'll write more later when we all get settled in.

2006-04-05T13:33:00.000+09:00

Here is another Konnect ad. They are taking reservations for each base but they are actively installing on Foster Main Base, Camp Courtney and McT housing area.

Only 5 more days until the movers get here!

2006-04-02T00:28:00.000+09:00

I'm still in serious denial but at the same time I'm looking forward to living in hotels for a while. I'm a dork - I LOVE love love hotels. I would live in one permanently if I could. On the 7th, once our stuff is moved out we will go to the Westpac Inn - one of the suites too. They are brand new and really nice. The suite has two adjoining rooms - two actual bedrooms and a living room with a pull-out bed, kitchen area, free Internet and it is just all around nice. We stayed there when we first got here.

Our last night here will be spent in a Japanese Hotel - the Hamagawa Lodge. I've heard horrible things about this place, but they allow pets. Up until then we have a pet-sitter in place but we want them to eat and chill-out before the flight. When we get to San Francisco they will stay in a pet hotel in Belmont while we stay with my husband's Mom. She's getting us a nice Marriott hotel so we can have more room at night.

Then we will stay at his dad's house in Antioch for a few days and then off to Tahoe for some late-season snowboarding lessons. First time for me. We will prob stay there for a week. Some time after that we will fly out to Atlanta, get a rental car and drive the rest of the way to Beaufort. We will have a month to get acclimated before he has to check in to his new unit who will then immediately wisk him away to Iraq for 7 months. :(

Even with our plans laid out, I still can't believe I'm leaving Japan. I will certainly go through culture shock in the States. I'm not looking forward to driving right away. I am looking forward to shopping IN PERSON for new clothes for once!!! W00t!

Finally - a kick-ass internet connection on base :D

2006-03-29T16:52:00.000+09:00

ADSL Is Here!!!

I got an account through Konnect about 2 weeks ago and I LOVE it! Downloads are wicked fast and my husband can't complain about me being online and him not being able to use the phone:P My fastest download was over 730 kbps (compared to 5 kbps for dial-up) but I usually average somewhere between 80kbps and 250kbps.

The service price hasn't gone up - still $33 a month for unlimited use! You can go to www.konnect.net to sign up for an account. Ask about their specials for current and former Konnect subscribers.

2006-03-11T23:52:00.000+09:00

This place was awesome. If you are heading North from Naha on the Expressway, get off at Exit# 4 Okinawa Minami. Turn left and go straight towards Ikeito or Ikeido (sorry don't remember for sure right now) Make a right at the intersection past Kadena's housing seen on the left. You will also see signs now for the Botanical Gardens pointing that way and from then on. Some of the signs as you get further out into the boonies are brown and just in Kanji but it is really easy to find and the final sign is in English. There is a full playground for the kids and lots of refreshment stands. We didn't have to use the bathroom but I have a feeling there are western toilets for the little ones. There was also a tram ride. The park opens at 0930 and closes at 1730. We got there a little late and didn't get to see everything so we have to go back before we leave here..

2006-03-11T23:46:00.000+09:00

More prettiness...almost done (><)

2006-03-11T23:45:00.000+09:00

2006-03-11T23:44:00.000+09:00

Cool-looking duck

2006-03-11T23:43:00.000+09:00

Pretty :)

2006-03-11T23:41:00.000+09:00

To the right of the last picture.

2006-03-11T23:40:00.000+09:00

More water, different area. This place is huge!

2006-03-11T23:39:00.000+09:00

Waterfall and pond

2006-03-11T23:37:00.000+09:00

Hi :D

2006-03-11T23:36:00.000+09:00

Southeast Botanical Garden - more pics

2006-03-11T23:32:00.000+09:00

Southeast Botanical Garden - more pics

2006-03-11T23:29:00.000+09:00

...I bought food from this old, rusty, fish food vending machine. Click on the picture for a closeup if you would like to see everything written on it.

2006-03-11T23:26:00.000+09:00

Southeast Botanical Garden - I walked over by the water and for some reason wasn't expecting to see carp so I was caught empty handed - without food. *Gasp!* So...

AFN and the Winter Olympics

2006-02-14T22:00:00.000+09:00

FFS. For the first couple days of the Olympics, minus the opening ceremony (So I've heard) I've had to watch the live Japanese coverage. On the Jp channels I've seen snowboarding, mogul, ski jump and a couple other events that I can't remember at the moment. What's been on AFN for the past two full days??? Curling!!! Curling?

So right now I happened to tune into AFN and what do I see? A bunch of skiers cross-country skiing in a small spiral and then they get down in the prone position and have to shoot 5 targets with a rifle. WTF is that?

So thanks AFN. No real skiing, no figure skating, no luge accidents, just crap. Pre-televised crap. I knew there was a reason I studied Japanese over here. Well back to NHK.

What the heck...

2006-01-29T04:42:00.000+09:00

Since we are PCSing in April we are starting to look for homes for our two cats. We love them and they are great but two cats and two kids is just too much of a hassle. My husband took in both of these cats before they went off to the pound. They are both females.

Cookie, on the left is totally my husband's. She loooves him and the girls as well but she could care less about me. When he is gone for a long period of time, she warms up to me but as soon as he comes back she's all over him again. When she's not begging for love from my hubby she is cuddled up with the girls in the playroom. Cookie will let our 3 year old cover her up in blankets and baby her on the floor. Frankly she prob wouldn't let me do that. She is an indoor/outdoor cat but is sometimes be outside for long periods of time - anywhere from 12 hours to two days. We think she is two-timing us sometimes lol. She usually sleeps with my H at night.

The one on the right is Miss Kitty. We got her as a tiny kitten. Her left eyelid has a gauge in it from before we got her. Seems as if she got torn up by one of her brothers or sisters. We took her to the vet and he said he could operate to get her lashes out of her eyes but it would do more harm as she wouldn't be able to shut her eye all the way, and he also said her eye wasn't the least bit irritated by the lashes as they adapted to the irritation. She's just over a year old now and still has no problems.

Miss Kitty is the playful one. She loves all of us and loves to play with me and the girls. This one either sleeps with me or one of my girls at night. I play hide and seek with her in the house and she loves it. Actually my husband and I go outside with her sometimes and hide around the yard. She also loves to run with me and the girls. She's a good watch cat - even growls at strange noises or strange people outside. She spends more time inside than outside because she likes being around us more than anything. She too hangs out with the girls. She always greets us when we come home. She's a very loving cat. Her bad habit was clawing at our couches and thanks to the awesome PX, we couldn't find a scratching post with any covering other than rope so my husband went to the furniture store and bought a 6X9 carpet, kept it rolled up and stuck it in a corner of our living room. It was the best investment ever. She not only claws at it but she throws her ears back and bounces up it and sits on top of it surveying everything. If you are interested in her it would behoove you to take the carpet as well. Its silly but it works.

Both cats are spayed and shots are up-to-date until next month. They don't have fleas. Something about Okinawa I think. Cookie has had ticks here and there from spending more time outside but we deal with those immediately. If you are seriously interested in adopting one or both of them please send me an E-mail at lynneblogs@gmail.com. They aren't used to lots of crazed kids. We have two girls and they have never like picked them up by their tails and screamed a lot or anything but I know Cookie wouldn't have anything to do with hyper kids because of her attitude. She really likes calm. Miss Kitty on the other hand could get used to that I'm sure and might even like it - minus the tail pulling and whatever.

Of course we would love it if they could go together because they get along so well but we just really want to find happy, stable homes for them to go to. We want to start looking for families now incase the arrangements don't work out so we can take them back in if necessary. We DO NOT want these cats going to the pound over here. Back at our old base in NC, when pets are euthanized, the local vet comes in every Monday and puts the animals down with a lethal injection (supposedly painless), then cremates them. A couple months ago, one of the local magazines put out an article about how the pound here called "Karing Kennels" opens a hatch on the day of execution and the animals walk back to an oven. When all the animals are grouped in there they are gassed and sometimes it doesn't kill them on the first try. But in the next step they just burn them. The article was about 4 pages long and really stressed that if you love your animals at all you won't send them to the pound.

My husband just took our cats to Kadena Air Station for an adoption fair but he said it was more like a pet owner's convention and no animals were given away. The organizers said they will hold another adoption fair at either the Camp Foster Commissary or the PX sometime in February so if you aren't sure now, maybe you can catch us at the next outing.

Whoops :P

2006-01-26T21:17:00.000+09:00

Okay my bad - I turned on the moderate comments option but I wasn't thinking...haven't been to my blog in a while and today I just realized that I have to approve all comments before they publish....DUH

I knew that....but I had something different in mind after getting that one ad in my comment and saw that I had no way to delete it.

So comment away.

Oh and about the moving comment - one cool...no HELLA cool thing about being in the military is that when you move, the movers pack EVERYTHING up for you and when you get to your destination they unpack everything! The one time we get to live like Kings and Queens in the military lolll.

Oh and I WISH it was a sunny vacation to the beach. It was cold the entire time we were there and then the sun came out the morning we all left. GO FIGURE! lol :)

Nice hearing from you guys :))))

Short-itis and other general updates

2006-01-26T20:52:00.000+09:00

Hi all,

I'm kinda half-sorry that I haven't been updating this like I used to. Predictably, since switching to an onbase job, I haven't had much to write about. I barely even go offbase anymore unless I'm going to the Naval Hospital.

The weather has been pretty chilly - low 60's. Last weekend when we went to the ice rink I experienced the most crazy cold-front ever. The weather that week has been in the low to mid 70's and just picture perfect. That Saturday morning before leaving for Naha my husband came into the house from the Grocery store wiping sweat from his brow. I was surprised to see 88 degrees on the thermometer at 11:00am! Not sure how to dress the girls, I stuck them in jeans and a tank and hand-carried sweaters and jackets for the rink. When we left the rink at about 3:30pm it was about 62 degrees and drizzling! I don't remember the last time I felt such a dramatic change in the weather. It has been freezing ever since.

Work is going well. I'm happy I made the switch. I haven't exactly learned a lot since being here but I am comfortable and it is nice to get more money for WAY less work. This is where my "Shortitis" comes in. I am so ready to leave here but my shortitis isn't really effecting my work. I've never been one to drop my pack a month or more from leaving a job but I have been ancy (not nervous) in those situations like wanting to resign earlier then I had planned. I guess I'm just that happy at my job. It's a good, almost no-brainer setup and I will miss it. I always take jobs that challenge me as I love the responsibility but for once it is nice to just let my brain exhale. My contractor has an office in Beaufort but my boss told me today that there aren't any projects over there right now. I wish I could move right back into this job. But maybe I will be able to get back into aviation. If not I've decided that it will be a good time to think about switching careers. I've always wanted to be an oncology nurse but the thought of switching careers now seemed like a huge waste of time. I'm starting to lose hope with the FAA. Funny too because I always thought it would be so easy for me to get back in.

Well I'm tired. Sorry this post didn't have any useful information.

Naha Ice Arena

2006-01-21T18:36:00.000+09:00

Today we all went ice skating down South. I'm pretty sure it is the only ice rink on the island. It is pretty easy to get to. Just take the Expressway as far South as it goes. After paying the toll you can only go left or right so veer left. Now you come into some of the heaviest construction I have ever seen so it gets a little confusing. Basically go up the street a little and you will have to make a quick left up a hill. Just look for the big picture of a penguin wearing ice skates. Just a few meters up the hill is the skating rink and you will see a parking sign leading to an underground garage. To our surprise it is also a bowling rink, karaoke parlor, izakaya (restaurant for parties) and also has a game room.

The ice rink was regular sized and is open from 10:00 to midnight. Once inside the locker area, you have to buy tickets before going to the counter. It was 1300 yen each for the adults and 700 yen for the children. Skates are an extra 300 yen and gloves (no ticket for the gloves) were from 100 yen to 300. They don't have the double-bladed skates for the little ones and toe picks stop at a women's size 25 or US size 8. That's a little off because by their charts I should have been a 26 as I'm 8 1/2 but they were too small and 27 fit perfect. So I was well into men’s' hockey skate territory - a first for me. You could also rent ice chairs for 15 minutes at 500 yen to push the little ones around the rink in.

The rental skates were all fashioned like inline skates. Figure skates were only for sale starting at about 7500 yen. Real hockey skates and gear was for sale but I didn't catch the prices. Inside of the rink were drink vending machines with everything from Pepsi to iced tea to hot cocoa. A separate vending machine sold Cup O' Noodles - yes same brand as in the states.

Oh and Japanese people who are on the verge of falling have no problem with grasping onto your arm and trying to take you down with them. This happened to me but I didn't fall. I was however surprised. More like shocked. I mean it wasn't like she was going along and tripped a little and balanced herself on me - she was flying and grabbed my arm with both of her hands while my 5 year old daughter was next to me. I was able to slow her down enough for her to then push off of me to glide to her boyfriend or whoever. It wasn't until I threw a look at her (she was in her 20s) that she said sorry in Japanese. Later on I saw a 20-something man almost take down an 8 year old boy as he was flailing to the ground. Again the boy somehow didn't fall but if I hadn't of thrown that guy a look he wouldn't have spent as much time with the boy making sure he was okay. Then there were a couple bad-assed US Marines speed-skating back and forth in a straight line and skidding to a stop not caring that none of the Japanese folks were doing that.

We all really had a good time. I'm just well into a "tired-of-being-in-Japan-mode" where things get on my nerves more often than they did in the past.

Countdown!

2006-01-09T01:34:00.000+09:00

We just received an actual leave date, counting in leave days. We will fly out on April 22nd. We don't have to check in to Beaufort until June 1st, so we have lots of leave days.

More good news is that even though I'm not making a whole lot of $$ at my current job, Countrywide approved a mortgage loan for me for $175,000 at 6.0%. Perfect for that area. This will be our third house - the other two are being rented out in two different states.

2006-01-05T01:49:00.001+09:00

Side view from our room

2006-01-05T01:49:00.000+09:00

Back view of our hotel as we were walking to the dolphin area.

2006-01-05T01:48:00.001+09:00

Back view from our room. See that black circle in the water to the left? That was a school of fish :)

2006-01-05T01:48:00.000+09:00

Looking down from the 10th floor at night.

2006-01-05T01:47:00.000+09:00

Drinky Drinky in December :O I love the sub-tropics.

2006-01-05T01:42:00.000+09:00

Some pics from the hotel

Dolphins have people eyes!

2006-01-05T01:37:00.000+09:00

Maybe its because I've only paid attention to regular fish, or maybe its because I?ve seen too many episodes of Spongebob lately but I was shocked to find out that dolphins have people eyes?.actually more like dog eyes. The iris is surrounded with white and you see this plain as day when a dolphin is looking at you out of the corner of his or her eyes. I had always thought of dolphins as intelligent mammals but seeing their eyes up close made me feel even closer to them. Its one thing to see them do tricks and know that they are intelligent but when you can look into their eyes and see a soul, well that?s downright humbling and, well a real eye opener!

Okay okay?what does this have to do with Japan? My whole family was able to swim and play with the dolphins at the Renaissance Resort on Route 58 half way up to Nago for a mere Y10,000! It was a dream come true for me.

I don't have digital pictures of us in the water with the dolphins but a photographer took a bunch of us. If I have time I will digitalize them somehow.

So I had always imagined how soft and slippery a dolphin would feel and I was right but it was also different. They are soft but feel more like...well a fish and not like rubbery or something. The one thing that really got to me was how delicate they felt. They're sort of squishy or at least when you touch their side you easily press into them and feel the fat layer. Their bellies feel thin like there's not much protection and the fins felt delicate too and I didn't want to grab them too hard even though I know they are strong and can pull us around with them. Dolphins are amazing creatures. Oh and they have fish breath - I got a whiff of it and it made me laugh.

Most of all, the people eyes really got to me. In one of our printed pictures you can just barely see the whites. I will try to get it online soon.

The end is near!

2005-12-29T15:08:00.000+09:00

My husband called me from work early this morning and said we just received orders to go to Beaufort, South Carolina next May ? maybe a little sooner, depending on the changing needs of the unit.

As much as I've enjoyed Japan I've been ready to go "home" (meaning anywhere in the US - funny how living abroad changes one's perspective) for the past 6 months or so. I will have spent 4 years over here and I've had many wonderful opportunities come my way such as working for a Japanese IT corporation and meeting some wonderful friends and being in a commercial for a Japanese bank. I've learned how to drive on the other side of the road without keeping one eye shut at all times, I've learned to read and write the language enough to get buy and traveled to the mainland to see the "real" Japan, as Okinawa is to Japan as Hawaii is to the US. I've accomplished way more than the average military dependant over here and I fully realize and appreciate it.

When I leave Japan I plan on updating my blog until I get over the culture shock of being back in the states. I’m sure I will have some stories to tell.

Another question I received

2005-10-22T16:22:00.000+09:00

Well as I'm laid up in bed with a nasty little bug I thought I would catch up on some posts.

Is Japan a romantic place?....isjapanaromanticplace... My personal answer is a general NO. I would consider places in France romantic but Not Japan. With keeping different opinions in mind I would have to say yes and no depending where you are and whether it's daytime or night-time. Okinawa daytime? HELL No. Nighttime? It can be but only late and I mean 'la hay hay ate' at night when no one is out on the streets and you are walking around by yourself in areas like Chatan.

I've only really been to Sasebo in Mainland Japan(Southern). I thought the town off base was way more romantic anywhere I had been yet because of the river and parks. Okinawa is so not like what you would expect Japan to be like with all the grungy boxy buildings so I think I really experienced Japan for the first time when I went on that trip up North. The Sasebo area is still pretty far South so there are some jungly areas but there are a few more deciduous trees in the mix as well. There are lots of green rolling foothills. Part of it reminded me of Upstate New York or Pennsylvania because it was so green. The train ride from Fukuoka to Sasebo took about 2 hours and on the way I saw the houses that are always seen in Japanese soap opera-like shows - nestled in the woods with stereotypical Japanese roofs and double doors that slide open to the world. It was nice to ride through a part that hasn't seen much Western influence.

The next morning in Sasebo, my boss and I walked from the Holiday Inn to the USO building. It was about a mile away and we had to cross a small foot bridge that went over a small waterway that led to the ocean. Looking North there were tall mountains with low clouds and fog just barely obstructing the view. It was a perfect dewy morning. I remember wishing the fog wouldn't lift. Once we were over the bridge we could see the USO entrance up a little further but right after the bridge is a little quaint park with lots of trees and shade. There was a beautiful worn out wooden trail going up one of the foothills so I just had to divert. Half-way up the first part of the path I almost ran straight into a banana spider’s web (make a circle with your arms, fingertips touching and that's how big the web was) so with a high-pitched squeal I was outta there. So much for that romantic scene even if I was all alone.

Japan at night is pretty seedy with lots of "by me drinky" bars. When you walk by one you can smell the stench of cheap perfume wafting through the doors out onto the street. Many shops close at 8:00pm but outside shops by the base stay open much later.

When my husband and I go on "date nights" there is no where quiet place to go, short of love motels and we haven't done that yet because we are afraid of catching crabs or something. When my friends took me into that one love motel it was beautiful on the inside - lots of waterfalls and colorful lighting but everything was in Kanji and I so can't read any of that.

Everywhere you go is super crowded. Northern Okinawa is a lot less crowded but it takes hours to drive up there. White Beach would have been romantic if it wasn't for the neighboring pig farm.

So my final answer is going to be vague because it really depends on what you're into. Romantic - technically no. If you are young, cute and single and just want to get laid? Yes. If you are young ugly and single? Still yes because of the porn/marital aid vending machines so you can get it on all by your fugly self with the help of some Marvin Gaye playing in the background.

Community Service Announcement #1

2005-10-22T11:58:00.000+09:00

For the love of God! If you plan on coming to Japan for an extended amount of time, stock up on American deodorant!

Especially if you are a guy. The Jp brands just DO NOT WORK! Over the past two weeks, every single male Japanese contractor who walked into our office smelled like a sewage plant. Thw worst was this one Jp fellow who was attached to military police. As soon as he walked in the three of us (myself, my co-worker and an officer) all looked at each other with The Look. I swear he smelled like he hadn't washed his uniform in over a month. It was so rancid I couldn't tell if I was going hurl on my computer or if I was gonna pass out. I can't sufficiently put the stench into words. It was the smelliest smell I've ever smelled, and it was thick like rancid fog or tear gas.

So I quickly assessed the situation and found a reason to run upstairs. I ran into one of the Marines' rooms and plopped down on their couch and said, "What ever you do DO NOT go downstairs for the next 5 minutes."

"Why?"

I proceeded to tell my story when the Sgt said, "Oooh THAT guy from PMO! Ya he's famous over there and he is the duty driver so his stank is locked up in that tiny white van all the time. When I had to stand gate duty they warned me, 'Don't get stuck with that guy'".

I couldn't believe he was so notorious....well yes I could actually. So I went back downstairs and half way down I smelled it again! He never even stood in the stairwell let alone that area of the hallway! Luckily he was gone so I was able to spray some Fabreeze air freshener all throughout our office.

Some of my old American co-workers (who didn't have base access)had rancid attacks as well. You always knew when it was time for another shopette run for them.

As far as women go, they don't smell bad...at least none of the women I've run into, but I know they like to buy the western brands in the stores around here. I've never seen an American guy deodorant though, so come well stocked.

Consider yourself warned (o.O)

Don't dream it...

2005-10-21T21:42:00.000+09:00

I was shocked that I found almost everything I needed at the PX for my costume. This is a very rough draft of my Frank. I just slapped on regular makeup 'cause I'm saving the real stuff for later. When it comes to Frank's makeup I'm really a perfectionist so the night before I will study my pics one more time and then make my lines as straight and perfect as possible.

In spring of '96 I joined a Rocky troupe called Barely Legal first as prop crew and then as Columbia since I already had short red hair at the time. I would have loved to play Frank and could have totally pulled it off back then but the guy who was casted was amazing. We put on the show every Satrday night at midnight at the theatre in Berkeley, CA and it was awesome. I stayed with the show until I had to relocate to Florida.

What's so sad about that pic is that I didn't apply any white...that's my natural paleness :O

I know it's been a while but...

2005-10-16T21:13:00.000+09:00

...nothing has been happenin' out here. I thought I would stop by anyway to see if I could scrounge up at least one bit of news.

So.

The weather started cooling down yesterday and today was absolutely beautiful! It was a humid 84 degrees max but there was this chilly breeze thanks to the typhoon that is out there somewhere. We were able to have our doors open for the first time since about April. I'm sure this will be short-lived as it was still roasting until after Christmas time last year.

Halloween is approaching and I think this year I will resort to my old fave Frank-N-Furter costume (Rocky Horror Picture Show). I haven't dressed up like that since before I had kids so this year it will have to be toned down. I will do the full-on wig and make-up with Pearls but instead of the rest of the outfit I think I will don a pair of black gothy capris, fishnets, heels, a black tank-top, a dark red boa and the Mom tattoo to finish it off. My boss is gonna find out if we can get dressed up at work or not. I hope so.

Anyway I said all this to basically complain about online shopping. I found everything I need but now I have no idea if it will get here in time as some shipments can take from 7 working days (like Old Navy, Gap, etc.) to as many as 30+ days (like Victoria's Secret or Esprit).

This year the PX seems to be teeming with costumes so I might go there tomorrow to see what I can scrounge up. Random black curly wigs work but I have to trim the hair to get a shorter all around length. Stock make-up works but I would rather have the actual Rocky Horror make-up kit that I've been seeing online - Not that I've ever needed that before, and I must say my make-up always looks perfect because I am such a perfectionist. Anyone can do the basic stuff but I can really blend and catch the subtleties from screen-captures of the movie. I even won two costume contests the last year I went as Frank. I even had people coming up to me asking if I was a guy or a girl, thanks to one properly placed sock :P

Let's see - what else...

Oh last week while standing on the highest point on base, I saw two waterspouts over the ocean about a mile offshore. Well one really. One was skinny and was shaped like a C. That one actually made contact with the water. Another one was off to the right and it was a big fat funnel cloud that was half-way down to the water. That one was steady but the skinny one was doing touch-and-gos. I tried to get a picture with my cell phone but it didn't come out well. Everything in the background was washed out because of the grayness. The clouds weren't anywhere near land so we weren't concerned. I heard one person say there were more a few days before that. The whole week was filled with big billowy clouds over the ocean.

I guess that's about it. Back to work tomorrow :D

Still driving with one eye open after all these years.

2005-10-07T19:56:00.000+09:00

As I said before. Working on-base has pretty much taken away the need to drive out in town but today I had to make the lunch-time trek up to Kadena Air Force Base to run some errands. When I left the front gate of Camp Foster, I was instantly taken aback, "OMFG! I can't believe how narrow these street lanes are!" and then thought, "Woah. Did I really just think that? I need to get out more!"

I was in mini-shock. My mid-sized sedan (mid-sized in the US - large here) seemingly ate up the entire lane's width. They fit three lanes into what we would expect to be a two-laned road (6 all together. 3 going north and 3 going south with a median in between.)Today I stayed in the middle lane because the traffic was moving nicely but every time I passed a car I caught myself squinting shut my right eye. Now I have no problems staying in my tiny lane but cars are ALWAYS going into your lane to dodge the hundreds of cars illegally parked on the side of the road (super skinny shoulder so the car juts way out into the lane) and scooters and motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic that is already squeezed tightly together. Then there are the taxi drivers who constantly cut people off in a reckless manner to get to customers waiting on the side of the road. Driving is very stressful here. I can't even imagine how people deal with driving vans or SUVs - oh let alone the dump trucks.

But you know what you will NEVER see on the roads? Large MAC trucks - semis. There just aren't any like we would see on the highways of the US. There is no room for them whatsoever.

Needless to say I made it back safely. The traffic gods were on my side today.

White Beach Recreation Area......Disaster!

2005-10-01T10:43:00.000+09:00

OOOOOMFG! So Last month my DH surprised us with a 3 day reservation for the new cabins over at White Beach.

Just to get this out of the way, White Beach is a Naval Port Facility on the East side of Okinawa, about half way up the Island. Really beautiful Area.

Anyhoo, out last reservation was cancelled because of last month's typhoon. The earliest opening was this weekend. At first we were expecting to get cancelled again because of Longwang (I just like saying longwang) but since Longwang passed way south of us we were still on. The drive up there was great. The further away we got from the Chatan Land, into unrecognizable territory, the more relaxation started to take over. Once we got on base it was totally dark (about 7:00pm) and the scenery was awesome! To get to the recreation area you had to go up in these jungly mountains on tiny little roads - more like running paths. The ocean was churning a little from longwang and across the bay were more mountains and even city lights. It was amazing.

I stayed in the car while my DH checked us in. When he walked out of the check-in place he looked a little worried. He plopped down in the car and said, "Uhh...I don't think we got the biggest place here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well when I called to make the reservation I asked for the 'Biggest space you have for a family of 4' but I think we are getting one of the log cabins."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Here...," and with that he gave me the Navy brochure with some little pics.

The biggest place were these duplex house things what were about half the size of our house, with little yards. Next smallest were the log cabins. They looked smaller but still livable for two days. For the cabins they actually had small pics of the inside. They were minimally furnished with wooden rocking chairs, wooden kitchen table and chairs and wooden bunk beds. I was getting worried. The final two pics were of little trailers on the beach.

DH said, "Well if these suck we can always go home but we will lose our money ($90 for an extended day trip. Since it wasn't a holiday weekend we couldn't stay as long). So we followed the directions up to the site and OMG! The cabins were tiny! We just sat in the car for a minute and finally I said, "Well let's at least all go in there and see what it's like on the inside."

The first thing we noticed as we got out of the car? Pig stench. The brochure failed to say how the duplexes and log cabins were right next to a huge Jp pig farm. The small was horrendous. Even my girls were like, "EEEWWWWWWW WHAT'S THAT SMELL??!!"

Usually things like this look smaller in pics than they are in real life but these were pretty damn small! The view from the front was breathtaking (IMHO even more "breathtaking" than the pig shit) at night so I was like okay, but my dh was not having it! He was thoroughly disgusted. Not more than 10 feet from our front door was a little playground for the girls. When we opened the cabin, it was as wide as a single trailer but only half the length. My cell phone was packed in the trunk so I didn't have a camera but..... there were two full-sized bunk beds in each room. next to the beds in the front room was a descent little kitchen (a small one like you would see in a cheap hotel) and a kitchen table with 2 wooden chairs. To the right of all that was a small TV on a stand but if you did want to watch it, there was the big ass bunk bed blocking everything. In the back room, to the right of the bed was a little hand-washing sink and a paper towel dispenser. The bathroom was the size of one you would see in a camper. Then I was like okay this sucks but let me try the mattress out, right? Hard as a rock. It looked kinda fluffy but once you sat on it your butt just kinda hit wood. I've slept in cheap little motels tons of times while driving across country 3 times but I've never experienced anything like this. I just laid there and that's when the whole crappy situation hit me like a ton ob bricks. By now the girls were getting all giggly but DH was still standing in the front room with his hand over his nose. I just started cracking up! I was like, "Come here! You gotta try out this bed!" He saw down and was like, "Oh hell no! We are gonna get another place to stay."

I made the girls put their shoes back on and out the door we went. I took in the view once more because I had a feeling this was it. The check-in clerk said there was nothing else available except for those tiny campers on the beach. When my husband complained about that pig stench the other clerk looked at him like he was a fucking idiot and said, "Well sir, the campers aren't as LUXURIOUS as the cabins. And um YA there's a pig smell because we are like right next to a pig farm," as if we knew that before hand or something - like it was in the brochure next to the other lie about the cabins being in walking distance to the beach. Hello we were like on a cliff. Neither of us started laughing but believe me, we found out afterwards that we were both dying inside.

The Jp clerk took us to the larger of the campers and they were way too small with only 1 full sized bed and we were like, okay. No way. Let's just leave.

It broke my oldest daughter's heart. After some mutual bickering (without opposite viewpoints really) we took the long drive back home. I kept saying, "Look I can handle the stench," but my hubby was like, "That's the second smelliest smell I've ever smelled! No way are we staying there." That about the extent of our mini-vacation. The first sort of overnight stay we've had in 5 years. Now he's trying to make reservations at Okuma for sometime in November.

Moral of the story:
If you are single guys or girls looking to have a drunk fest at the beach, go there and rent 1 large camper for every 2 people. It's about $50 a night and there's no pig stench at all down there. The Cliff's Club Diner delivers meals to your cabin. Sounds like a good time. There weren't any duplexes available for us to look at but still - they were in the same area as the pig poop. DO NOT STAY IN THE LOG CABINS IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY! THEY ARE CRAP! but...the view is beautiful.

Snicker...

2005-10-01T08:55:00.000+09:00

The typhoon passing south of us this weekend is called Typhoon Longwang. heh. I'm dead serious.

Misogyny in Japan

2005-09-24T22:48:00.000+09:00

One of the questions I received was about Misogyny in Japan and how it compares to the USA. First of all, Japan is not like China. I’ve heard that there are still communities in China that kill female offspring like they did hundreds of years ago. With that out of the way, tradition is important in Japan like women performing tea ceremonies, Geisha (pronounced gaysha not gEEsha) and little things like women pouring drinks for men at an outing. Japanese women to seem to enjoy waiting on their men hand and foot as long as they are respected in the morning as it is their tradition after all. What bothers me is when American men come out here and demand the women do that for them and then brush it off as, “Well its tradition! Hell ya she’s gonna pour my drink!” In my humble opinion, American men shouldn’t demand this as this is not their tradition no matter how Japanese they think they are (I’m not talking about waitresses in a restaurant because that’s part of the atmosphere and tradition tied into one). Ya there really are American men who move here and think they ARE Japanese ? but that’s probably because they couldn’t get a girl in their own country because of looks and/or attitude and now they think they are mini celebrities because some jp girls will lay anyone to get a free English lesson.

Okay so I got off the subject a little. When I first arrived in Japan I had a horrible impression of Japanese women. I thought they still, for the most part, dressed in Kimonos to please their men, were looked down for speaking in public and were walked on by men 100% of the time. This was bread out of not only my own ignorance but from others as well. I've read prose that contains quite possibly 3rd hand information about women’s roles in Japan. I would like to both confirm and argue over some classic points.

As many of you know, Japan has a very long history going back thousands of years. Back then and more recently, fighting and war have been big contributors to the idea and the roles of masculinity in society. The men would fight for their country or their own honour and would be recognized as heroes. Women were taught not to have an opinion and that their place was at home with the kids. When a written and spoken language was formalized, women were given more polite verbs and their words and sentences were a lot longer.

Today while Japan is still a male-dominated society and the basic roles of women haven’t changed in theory, the actions of women have evolved though some of the rational is a little cockeyed. Like women are expected to work to help out the economy, but they are being urged to have more children because the population of Japan is getting pretty old and there aren’t enough youngsters to keep the population growing. The language has pretty much remained the same. There are still polite verbs used in formal speaking. This is not to be confused with male and female words in European languages because the difference is more dramatic in the Japanese language. What’s funny is that many American men learn Japanese from their girlfriends so they speak like gay Japanese men. It’s pretty easy to catch too! Ne?!

Even though Japanese women are more modern, they are still taught to be submissive and not speak their minds. They are taught not to have an opinion on matters because it would make them look too strong in men’s eyes. While some women take this to heart, many realize how archaic these beliefs are. One reason chikan (pervs) can get away with molesting jp girls on trains is because the women are taught not to make a scene. These same men know they could never get away with this in America. They would be thrown in jail with the quickness! Despite their teachings, many Japanese women have formed their own backbones. Though it is rare to see a woman appointed to president of a company, their thoughts and ideas are respected and heard, especially is they have longevity with the company. At my last job, my supervisor’s boss asked me to join him in a meeting to discuss our database. Not only was I the only American in that meeting but I was the only female there. My comments and ideas were well received and I gained much respect (not that I didn’t have it already) as the meeting went along. Afterwards my boss thanked me up and down and even sent me a nice E-mail with appreciation for my assistance in the matter. I already knew that I understood my job inside and out but this was the first time it was obviously recognized by a male in the company.

Men are taught not to help out with the duties of the house or with child-rearing. Whether men do this or not in the privacy of their own homes, I’m not sure. If business men are helping out the wife and kids instead of being at work, they are considered unproductive. In a Jp company, you aren’t a valuable asset if you leave the office before the boss does so the entire office usually stays very late and arrive to work early. This leaves very little time for the family even if the husband wanted to hang with them.

I’ve observed young jp men and women on dates and from what I’ve seen, they act just like American couples. Older married men in the cities are notorious for having women on the side and this is said to be tolerated by the wife as divorce and standing up for ones self is still looked down upon. Then there are the Jp men who never learn how to interact with women (or anyone for that matter) properly because they were always mamma’s boys. With this common knowledge it could be said that the misogyny in Japan isn’t necessarily due to being told how to act, it could be the effect of not knowing how to relate/react to other people and outside influences from the start. If the father is not around the mother will baby the offspring and as they grow they will not be able to make decisions for themselves. Single parenthood in the States would not create such a problem (although girls without father-figures in their lives are known to sleep around to find a positive male influence in any form they can get) because we as a society are outspoken to begin with and learn through others’ recalled experiences if nothing else. We do whatever makes sense to us and makes us happy where Japanese people do what satisfies others.

Though misogyny is prevalent in Japan, it is not argued about internally and therefore not a problem in the eyes of most Japanese citizens. In my opinion, they are doing nothing wrong except when submissiveness gets women molested or raped and they are too “proper” to tell the guy to stop it or have him arrested. The level of misogyny that remains in Japan might seem archaic and repulsive to some but it is their life to live and it’s not about to change any time soon, even with the growing Western influence. If they are happy in life and feel balanced in their own mind then that’s all that matters. Other countries have misogyny problems that are far worse and even deadly compared to what Japan has to put up with so they're doing something right!

Thank you Cherry!

2005-09-23T22:56:00.000+09:00

Welcome to my "new" blog! Cherry from web-divas.com deigned this for me and I love it! If you have time you should really check out her site. All of the designers are awesome and their work is everywhere!

Thanks to everyone who have been going to Mamma's Cafe. They appreciate your patronage and I'm sure I didn't let you down!

I promise to drum up some posts this weekend. My friend had some questions about the time I've spent in Japan so be on the lookout for new topics I haven't covered in the past. If anyone else has any questions please feel free to reply here or E-mail me at lynneblogs@gmail.com. Jaa ne!

Somebody please help me pick my jaw up off the floor...

2005-09-06T19:04:00.000+09:00

...and stop my head from spinning while you're at it IYDM. I ran into some real winners today. Winner, after winner, after winner. You know if everyone in the world were managed by a highly motivated group of air traffic controllers, I wouldn't be having my little moment right now. That's all I'll say. Thanks for letting me vent. But I promise, the day I resign from my new job (when I finally PCS)I will share in my disbelief.

Free Mamma's Cafe Mocha! - Bumped!

2005-09-05T12:42:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone! During the Month of September take this coupon to Mamma's Cafe here in Okinawa and receive one free single-sized mocha! One per customer please! To get this coupon first click on it to enlarge it. (It might not get much bigger) Right click on the picture and select "Save as" to save this coupon to your hard drive. Then print it out and ask for Ayumi-san at the cafe. Enjoy! See www.mammascafe.com or my earlier post for directions to the cafe.

TC-1....boring! Bring it on!

2005-09-04T12:32:00.000+09:00

Even though this storm is steadily moving North because of the front coming down from China, it is still pretty windy outside with moments of near-calm. It hasn't rained too much yet and it has been sunny on and off. The bases are currently in TC-1. All on-base stores close but we are still allowed on and off base. Japan is so accustomed to storms that businesses only close when the commuter busses stop running. Even then there is nothing from keeping people from going out and about. What's kind of funny is seeing news reports on NHK because they always show people who are trying to beave the outside with an umbrella. heh. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Super Typhoon Nabi will be a big wash in Okinawa

2005-09-03T23:32:00.000+09:00

Super typhoon Nabu is the first typhoon this year to get close to Okinawa. This is rare indeed because thinking back to the past few years, by now we would have had about 3. Unfortunately at this hour it seems like the super typhoon is turning north and may simply skirt by the northern part of the island

Why unfortunately you ask, after everything Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia are dealing with after Katrina? Well for Japan, typhoons, even category 5 "super typhoons" bring nothing but extra days off of work. Yesterday afternoon, the top gusts of typhoon Nabi were 203Mph. This would have been the strongest storm to hit Japan in years. With that said, Japan has built its houses and buildings to withstand typhoon winds. Every time I have gone outside after a typhoon I have seen absolutely no damage and typhoons by nature are much stronger than the regular hurricanes the East Coast of the US sees. A hurricane Katrina-like storm is pretty much expected once a year and the smaller typhoons that come our way during the year are still way stronger than a typical hurricane.

I lived in NC for 5 years and have experienced strong hurricanes and their damage first hand. I can understand poor areas of the US not being able to deal with these storms but I still can not believe that people who own beach houses have not reinforced their houses like people in other countries do! I guess they like renovating year after year. If you are going to live in hurricane alley or build houses in that area make sure they are built for these storms that occur every single year!!

So anyway a front is pushing the storm away from us slowly but surely. I was hoping for Monday AND Tuesday off this week! I'll write again after this storm passes.

Japanese foods/drinks and kidney stones?

2005-08-20T00:34:00.000+09:00

Hi all, serious question here for those who read this blog and have spent a goodly amount of time in Japan. I don't normally post personal topics but this may tie into Japan...

Less than a year ago I began having problems with kidney stones. I think it began in February of this year. I was diagnosed with Cystine stones which aren't caused by calcium but by my body's inability to filter out the excess amino acids which in turn produces extra cystine which hardens into stones over a very short amount of time. Cystine stones are the rarest type of stones. Though this form of kidney stones is hereditary, (My Grandma had them too) doctors and dieticians believe that regular amounts of animal protein in the diet can accelerate stone growth. Since I was diagnosed in February I've had 4 uteroscopic surgeries and three or 4 stents. My largest stone was only 6mm but it hurt like hell. The rest of my stones have been around 4-5mm and I always have multiples up in there.

So my question/comment is this. I've never had kidney problems before arriving in Japan. My diet over the years hasn't really changed much. I don't over-eat and I was never one to live only on steak, eggs and bacon. I have however started drinking coffee rather regularly - about 3 grande coffees at Starbucks a week for the past two years now. My doc said I've always had this condition because you are born with it but for some reason my kidneys either don't handle it as well or I'm taking in more protein. Could it be the milk in the coffee? I know Japanese milk is processed differently than American milk because it tastes like baby formula and not fresh milk. Maybe all of the milk in those coffees is causing the stones?

So in my last hospital stay almost two months ago my urologist (Dr. McAdams at Lester - he rocks!!) had a dietitian speak with me before being discharged. She suggested I quit all forms of animal protein cold-tofu-turkey and begin a strict vegan diet. Well that lasted for a whopping two weeks. When I went back to my urologist he said I really needed days without any meat or dairy products but if I decided to take a day off that's okay as long as I drink ungodly amounts of water for 24 hours following my meal. So I only half stayed on my diet after that but a couple weeks later I realized that, omigosh!, I'm not in pain! No stones to speak of. But by then I was back at Mamma's Cafe pigging out on BLTs, potato salad sandos and who knows what else, but only during lunch time. While I was on my diet, my coffee intake was zero! We already know my stones aren't composed of calcium so maybe it is all that milk in the coffee?

Even stranger is that my co-worker also has stones. He too has a rare type of stone although it's not as rare as cystine. We both eat at the same places and drink coffee. I don't know if he had stones before arriving in Japan. I guess I should ask sometime. Anyway, has anyone out there has problems with stones since being in Japan?

Obon

2005-08-19T23:19:00.000+09:00

Today is Obon. In the Buddhist religion, this is the day when people celebrate the return of their dead relatives. The spirits come home once a year and the surviving family gather together to celebrate the occasion. I found a good link describing Obon in depth:

http://www.2camels.com/destination69.php3

Please copy and paste the above link because I'm too tired to mess with HTML right now.

Anyway, so In Okinawa some people go to the beach to welcome the spirits instead of waiting at their houses. With that said, my husband went diving today. I had heard that you shouldn't go into the water on the first day of Obon so the spirits can come to the island safely, like without obstruction. When I asked him if the dive site was quiet he said there was a Japanese man out there. So maybe I heard wrong?

When I told him that today was Obon he said, "Wow then we were obviously swimming with some spirits today!" Apparently at first the water was perfectly clear but when they all got in (there were 4 divers in the group)the visibility went down to almost nothing for the rest of the dive. This one guy kept having buoyancy issues, some strange ones that he couldn't control well, and that same guy's oxygen meter went from 500 right to 0 at the very end of the dive when he was still down at 50 feet. The water was so murky for some reason, they kept losing sight of him. My DH thinks it was the spirits' way of saying, "Get the Hell out of the water on our day!"

You never know!

Movin' on up!

2005-08-14T22:30:00.000+09:00

Well after 2 years of working for my current company (Japanese telecommunications corporation in case you haven't been following :) I got a new job! It's another IT job but this time I will be working for a contractor on base. The job itself is a serious downgrade, from a database administrator to a help desk technician, but this new position will almost double my pay and there is serious promotion potential!

I'll miss working for my present company - mostly because of the friendships I've made. I consider myself pretty jaded as far as living in Japan nowadays, but one thing I've NEVER taken for granted is the fact that I work for a Japanese company. I'm an American living in Japan on the Japanese economy and to this day that still blows my mind.

So why am I leaving? Well two reasons. Okay three reasons:

1. I will be able to transfer with this job when we move back to the States.
2. I'm good at what I do but I seriously HATE database administration and I would rather fix peoples' computers or do sysadmin for Windows or Unix machines. This job will begin to steer me in the right direction.
3. More $$. I was seriously underpaid for all the work I did. IT chicks in Japan don't make squat and my company isn't in a position to offer me such a large pay raise right now.

My company wants to keep me on part time because I'm seriously the only person there who can do what I do. Our webmaster is good with the daily tasks but not with actual Oracle database configuration. I don't mind. The company has been good to me. So good that I actually wouldn't think twice about coming in for free to train and fix configurations in the future.

So anyway I start my new job on the 22nd. Even though my husband is active duty, I will be getting my own SOFA status and benefits with the job. I'm also excited about working in a 100% English working environment for some reason. Yeah me!

2005-08-07T20:40:00.000+09:00

Cafe Mocha from Mamma's cafe. I meant to post a picture of this awesome goodness in my last Mamma's writeup. Soooooo GD good!

2005-08-06T23:45:00.000+09:00

Another low tide pic from my camera phone.

2005-08-06T23:39:00.000+09:00

Beach at Camp Kinser this morning. The typhoon missed Okinawa but the clouds were from the tail end of it. (It was pretty windy still too)

2005-08-05T23:27:00.000+09:00

Staying late at work again. That's an Oracle import finishing up there in the background. Just thought I'd share in my misery ;)

I'll have Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam eggs goya and Spam!

2005-08-03T21:26:00.000+09:00

Quick Okinawan veggie lesson. This spikey cucumber thing is called goya. While it's very nutritious and loaded with vitamin C it's extremely bitter and tastes like last night's regurgitated dinner. It can be served raw (most bitter) on salads but another popular recipe is what you see in the bottom picture. Stir-fried goya with Spam and eggs.

Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam.... oh sorry. Couldn't help myself...

Okinawans eat this vegetable in the summer months because it is supposed to give you extra energy. Okinawans live longer than anyone else in the world and goya has been praised as an important longevity staple in their diet. If you do try it...well I warned you.

Hey US! Stop complaining about the price of gas!

2005-08-02T22:22:00.000+09:00

Well I managed to lose my ATM card last night. After making a visit to the bank to cancel my card I headed towards the gas station on base. Once I got there I realized I had no ATM/check card and forgot to get two weeks-worth (time it will take for my card to arrive) of lunch and gas money from the bank. So now I was already an hour late for work and on the other side of the base with my gas light on. I decided to forget it and head for work which was only 3 minutes away, thinking I could get gas on base during my lunch break.

All of a sudden my car started acting sluggish and I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it back on base later. I was totally upset at my dumb self for losing the card and not thinking straight. While waiting at the last traffic light before my office I had a BRILLIANT idea!

"Well my car is getting a little dirty again so why don't I just stop at the gas station across the street from work, get it hand washed and topped off at the same time! Ya! What a great idea!"

So I pull up and still flustered asked for a "hando muusu to gasu oneigaishimasu." He looked at me a little funnier than the regular gaijin stare.

"Toppu?" he asked with that look.

"Hai, oneigaishimasu!"

"Regular?" he kind of chuckled with a smile.

"Hai," all the while smiling with an air-headed ya whatever air, handing the gas guy my key so I could hurry up and get on outta there.

While crossing the street on foot all I could think of was, "Eeehhh 7300 yen ($70) for a full tank of gas and an extra 1800 yen for a car wash is okay just this once. Hmmm I've never actually gotten gas at a Japanese gas station before. Oh well, shou ga nai, (Japanese saying for 'It can't be helped')..."

It didn't really hit me until I stepped into my office and I was like, "OMIGOD I'M SPENDING $80 FOR GAS AND A CAR WASH!" I began hyperventilating and laughing and told my co-worker what I did. She was like, "So you were out of gas. You know you could have just asked for 1000 yen worth of gas right?" and all I could say was YES!!! I know!!!! Gas on base is only $2.15 ish a gallon. All I needed was like 1 gallon of Jp gas to get me back on base for the cheap stuff! What was I thinking? My brain needs a vacation. A full tank of gas for my car only costs $28 on base. WWWAAAAAAAHHHHhhhhh! Well I paid with my credit card so I could at least get some United miles out of this debacle.

On another note...

Dirty Jobs is on tonight! I'm so glad we get the Discovery Channel here in Japan both here and out in town. Mike Rowe was a hilarious hottie host on a show I watched back in California so seeing him get dirty reminds me of home. This should cheer me up!!

Can I just get it over with and say...

2005-08-02T20:05:00.000+09:00

...guys who are half Japanese, half gringos are soooo cute! I haven't met 1 mixed guy that wasn't a total hottie. And I don't find Japanese guys to be all that attractive either!

Mamma's Cafe update

2005-07-31T22:59:00.000+09:00

Thanks for those who have gone out and supported Mamma's Cafe. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they now have some new returning customers thanks to my blog. I couldn't be happier because they really do deserve a full house everyday.

Well there are a couple more things I want to bring up about this awesome restaurant. First of all, for health reasons my doctor put me on a trial vegan diet for two weeks. Ayumi-san helped me out and had her husband tweak the daily lunch sets so I could have a meat and dairy-free meal. I thought that was sooo sweet of them. The meals were wonderful and I owe them many thanks for the "special menu" they created for me.

Next I discovered their Cafe Mocha Saturday night. OMG! That is the best mocha I've ever had. It was 1000 times better than Starbucks' mocha. It was smooth and had great cream/foam on the top drizzled with chocolate syrup. She makes it from real cocoa instead of a mix. It was amazing. I just kind of melted into my seat and my husband was totally laughing at me but he was swooning too.

Lastly, Mamma's cafe has a new breakfast menu with everything you can imagine on it on the weekends. I haven't gone there for the breakfast yet because I'm just too lazy in the mornings but I will drag myself out there soon.

hmmm this is funny. The word "blog" wasn't in blogger's spell check. The irony!

Say Chiizuu!

2005-07-29T22:54:00.000+09:00

Well after the Henry Rollins incident I decided to break down and upgrade my cellphone to this AU 5505 SA. There were plenty of cuter phones out there but here is what I got with this one:

Global passport - can go pretty much anywhere and place a call
GPS (as seen in the pic) with lots of options
FM Radio
Camera or short movie
Mini SD card (like 16MB I think)
Compass and lots of other small tools

The only thing I don't like so far is that even though the ringers are .qcp files, with this phone for some reason I can't send my own customized ringers to my E-mail account. It receives the attachment but it's labeled as an unknown type! It might be an anti-piracy issue but I had all sorts of ringers on my last phone that couldn't transfer over. I'm not stealing music or anything but I took a "Whoop whoop, PULL UP!" sound from a real black box recording of a commercial airline crash and used it on my last phone. Now my ringer is just beeeeep....BEEEEEP! I feel like I've lost my identity!

But at least I know I will be ready if Henry Rollins ever comes back into town haha.

My husband has a moment of culture shock back in the US

2005-07-08T17:10:00.000+09:00

I thought I would share this with y'all because it's something I think about and see everyday.

My husband just got back from spending a month in the United States and he was shocked at how rude many people are in the States compared to Japan. I immediately understood what he meant. From listening to some of his stories he did run into a couple of genuinely rude folks but as for the rest, things are just done differently back there.

While at the Detroit airport, my H was behind a Japanese guy in line at a snack bar. The Jp fellow was trying to use his credit card to buy something but it was declined. The Jp guy said, "That's strange, because I just used it on the other side of the airport," and the cashier literally raised her voice at this guy and said, "LOOK! It was declined!" Then the manager came out and gave him a hard time as well even though this poor guy only muttered one sentence. Finally they ran it again and it worked fine. My H was shocked and felt sorry for the Jp guy. That would NEVER happen in Japan as store employees are always super polite.

Tips are considered rude in Japan. If you ever come out here never give a tip at a restaurant. Jp people get paid to do their job (their own opinion)- which includes being helpful and nice to the customer. People in the US expect a tip even if their service sucks. Everyone from the lowest-paid Starbucks employee to presidents of large corporations treat you with the utmost respect over here.

Now on the road? As far as driving goes people are just as rude no matter where you are I think ;)

While on the subject of hot %$@ weather

2005-07-02T23:40:00.000+09:00

I always thought this was a little strange. Japanese women don't wear shorts in the summer no matter how hot and sticky it gets. In fact they wear their jeans to the beach. Friday morning on my way to work I noticed the temperature was little cooler. It was still hot as hell at 0630, but there was a nice cool breeze. Half way to work I saw this Jp lady walking down the street in jeans and a full-on sweatshirt looking as cool as can be. Keep in mind it was already in the mid 80s. Scenes like that still surprise me although I've been in Japan so long that I've actually become acclimatized to the summers no matter how much I bitch about them. I haven't worn shorts outside of the house, except of course on the way to my lap pool, in 3 years. I'm too self-conscious of my whiteness and (God forbid...I know...)of not fitting into Jp culture. I'm a redhead so I'm especially white and when I go out in town showing a little skin I get occasional snickers and "whitey" comments from Japanese guys passing by, thinking that I can't understand them. I've developed a cute little sneer for moments like that and I love the surprised look on their faces. heh.

Soap box warning:

Okay. Speaking of paleness. I'm also tired of MFERS (U.S. folk) coming up to me and being all like, "DAAAAaaaammm girl! You should get a tan!" My response?, "Uhh...I'm part Irish!?" and leave it at that. In this day and age of skin cancer you'd think people would be a little more sensitive about paleness and whatnot. Even though I'm see-through pale I can tan quite easily, though slowly at first, and I used to rock a kick-ass tan every year...until about 1999 that is when I had to get a mole removed. Was it benign? I have no idea because the GD Naval hospital misplaced my biopsy. The doc had taken the whole thing out so there was nothing left to scrape out. They weren't gonna tell me either. I had to finally call in to get my results although they were supposed to contact me. Too bad too. It took a lot of work and inner creativity to make that thing. It was shaped like a halo with a dark outside ring and a yellowish center. Anyhoo, since I don't know for sure I always assumed it was malignant just to be safe. I stopped tanning and started sporting SPF gazillion in the pool every day. Last week I noticed a new crazy-looking mole close to my left shoulder. Though not as pretty as the one I had taken out it's pretty irregular shaped so I'm gonna get it checked out.

Moral of this story - be nice to those of us who are super pale. We have been pale all our lives and have probably had access to a mirror at one time or another and are fully aware of our ability to blind others at will. Those of us who choose to shy away from the sun probably have a good reason for doing so. That and it's not like Mystic Tan has made its way to Japan yet. :P

2005-06-27T14:23:00.000+09:00

After what seemed like an extra-long rainy season, full-on Summer has hit Okinawa like a ton of hot, steaming bricks. Yuck.

Henry Rollins in Okinawa for USO Tour

2005-06-20T10:47:00.000+09:00

This guy ROCKS!

OMG. I just met Henry Rollins at the Starbucks at Mihama village! No crowd - just a couple USO guys having a conversation with him. He's so cool. I know so many guys that would die to meet him and I feel bad because I'm not into his kind of music but his stage presence alone is amazing. Plus he is sooo cute. Unfortunatly my cell phone hasn't been upgraded to the camera model so I couldn't get a pic with him...this is the first time I wish I had a camera phone! That made my day!

Mamma's Cafe - Best restaurant in Okinawa (Article bumped 'cause it's just too good! Originally written in 2/2005)

2005-06-11T12:30:00.000+09:00

Mamma's Cafe, located South of Mihama Village off Highway 58 in Chatan-cho, is a small Italian restaurant with delectable food and a friendly Bi-lingual staff who quickly make you feel at home. This small cafe relaxes you the instant you walk in with an Italian country setting and Norah Jones lightly playing in the background. The food is nothing less than amazing with unique twists on Italian cuisine with menu items including hot and cold foccaca sandwiches, bubbling hot gratin, salad plates, creamy chicken and rice dishes and a meatloaf that's to die for just to name a few choices. Mamma's Cafe created an original Italian sauce that perfectly compliments the appetizers and entrees and is so tasty it keeps you coming back for more. Desserts include chocolate cake, tiramisu, yogurt cake and my favorites, Strawberry or blueberry cheesecakes, all of which are made from scratch by Ayumi-san.

Mamma's Cafe opened their doors after moving back to Okinawa from Los Angeles about six months ago and our office has enjoyed many lunches there since their grand opening - up to 3 times a week! I've taken my husband there twice and he fell in love with their food as well. In fact last night he had their mouth-watering meatloaf foccaca sandwich and two heaping side dishes of their potato salad and special sauce and could barely move afterwards, but at least he had a smile on his face.

I?m not sure I was able to touch on exactly how magnificent these guys are but if you ever visit Okinawa don't leave until you taste their food. It's just that good. Ayumi-san is our waitress every time I visit their place and it's like she never goes home. Last night she came up to me with a Japanese food magazine and I was surprised when I saw that Mamma's cafe had made the front cover! The photography was beautiful and I felt like this publicity was well-deserved. Here is a Japanese link to an excerpt of the magazine article.

Mamma's cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00pm and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Last orders are taken one hour before closing time. Savings include an E-mail coupon club which includes a free monthly special and a separate stamp card that lets you earn free coffee/tea and dessert. Their E-mail address is mammascafe@galaxy.ocn.ne.jp

LMAO!

2005-05-11T21:55:00.000+09:00

As I begin my 4th year here in Japan not much makes me think, "OOOh oh oh something to blog about". I guess I've covered just about everything I run into on a day to day basis. I'm still bewildered by the price of 1 melon ($50), $4.00 a gallon gas, etc., etc.

Tonight while surfing the web for an (I'm sure) embarassingly easy Japanese phrase to mutter to the security guards who will undoubtedly call me in another hour (I'm at work very late) I ran across this website that made my laugh so hard I cried.

http://www.japanippon.com/japanese/lesson_1.htm

This is an old Japanese lesson site circa 1998 but it has sparked a new flame in me as far as wanting to learn more Japanese. It reminds me of this little red French phrase book I had in high school - full of jokes and insults such as "You are a bunch of camels" and other such phrases. This website has actual lessons but the practice phrases are hilarious. For instance in lesson 2 the writer tries to teach you the fine art of "This" "That" and "That way over there" with the following sentences:

"If you want to talk about the walking stick in your hand you would say:

Kore wa sutekki desu. (This is a walking stick.)

And when you want to refer to the pistol that someone is holding to your face, you would say:

Sore wa honto no juu desu ka? (Is that a real gun?)

And when you want to inform your assailant that the policeman over there is pointing a shotgun at both of you, you would say:

Are wa sandanjuu desu yo! (That is a shotgun!) "

The lessons are all like that and I can't stop reading. This is just what I needed to get interested in studying Japanese again!

I'm Back! sorta...

2005-04-26T21:35:00.000+09:00

Hi Everyone! I spent all of last week in the hospital and I was discharged late Friday night. I'm at home recovering and doing well. For obvious reasons I haven't been able to write but I wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here. It might be a little while before I post again as I haven't had contact with the outside world for a while now.

One thing though. I've been here so long that I've lost my ability to understand European accents. I've become so accustomed to Japanese accents that I couldn't understand one of my male nurses who had a strong Irish accent. Instead of hearing and comprehending actual words, when I first heard him my brain kinda shut down and all I saw was a bunch of pretty colorful swirls and curly lines like a girlie drawing in my head that went to the tune of his noise. And that was all before the morphine. I felt so bad. He was really nice but all I could do was smile and nod most of the time. It was truly exhausting. What's funny is that I remember a time when I thought I would never understand strong Japanese accents. And then I adapted without taking much notice.

Family Outing to Ocean Expo Park

2005-04-09T22:28:00.000+09:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything but work and home have kept me busy lately. This morning I took the family up to Ocean Expo Park in Northern Okinawa, with the sloooow traffic/speed limits it took over an hour to get there. The weather was beautiful - (12:30) over 80 degrees and not too humid, with a nice cool sea breeze the entire time. After a quick detour to a butterfly and tropical bird center just south of the park, we went to the aquarium and checked out the fishies and the dolphin show. The girls weren't too grumpy so afterwards we went North a mile or so to Emerald Beach. Since it's still so early in the year, the ocean was pretty icy but because it was so hot out it was refreshing. When my husband took this pic it was 3:00 and the tide was coming in. When I originally walked out to that floating thing I had folded my jeans up and was all good but by the time I got down to get the camera the water was already knee-high so my jeans got totally soaked but the girls were real troopers and were fine with the small trek back out there. I'm glad we took that trip up North because I think it might be the last nice weekend before the real heat gets here. I like to hit that beach during the summer because the water is perfectly clear and has a perfect emerald color. It's really a beautiful place.

Richard Gere and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi do a little dance.

2005-03-30T14:26:00.000+09:00

Isn't this just a bunch of sweetness? I found this article on a French-Canadian website. This post's title links to it.

I kinda had to rub my eyes when I first saw this picture because I believe it's the first time I've seen a smile on the Prime Minister's face. That and Mr. Serious himself was dancing with a man.

If you can't read French, the article basically said that Richard Gere came to Japan to promote his latest movie. This was the Koizumi's first photo op with an American celebrity. As soon as Gere walked into the interview, the Prime Minister (PM) immediately asked Gere if he would mind waltzing. The article also said that the PM has been told he looks like Gere so now both are smitten. Gere called the dance and the PM, "Charming, spontaneous and a wonderful person," to which the PM responded with compliments towards Gere, "An interesting and marvelous person." Awww.

Turning Japanese, you think you're turning Japanese you really think so?

2005-03-28T22:11:00.000+09:00

So you wanna be Japanese or at least live here huh? A recent E-mail from Mr. Mike sparked this one. Click on this post's title to go to a Japanese visa page that is short, thorough and to the point. Go you your local Japanese Embassy or Consulate for more info. Japan is notorious for its paperwork redundancy so be sure to apply in advance.

The basic types of visas are:

Tourist Visa - Terms depend on your originating country. US citizens must apply beforehand. Good for short-term language schools or an extended layover in Japan from 72 hours to 15 days.

Working Holiday Visa - Not given to US citizns.

Working Visa - Apply beforehand. There are 14 types:
artist
investor/business manager
professor
religious activities
medical services
journalist
researcher
instructor
legal/accounting services
engineer
entertainer
skilled labor
intra-company transferee
specialist in humanities and international services

Student Visa - Apply beforehand. Some short-term language schools are exempt.

Spouse or Child of a Japanese National Visa - Must be extended after 1 and 3 years.

Permanent Residence Visa - Can apply for after 5 years of living in Japan. No need to extend.

Naturalization - Full-on Japanese citizenship. Must renounce your United States (or any other country) citizenship as Japan does not allow dual-citizenship.

Alien Registration - Not a visa but anyone who is not with the US military must register for this. This is how you open bank accounts with less stress. This card must be with you at all times after 90 days in country regardless of type of visa held.

Diplomatic and Official Visa - If you have to ask then you probably don't rate one ;)

**Don't forget! You can always get US SOFA status by applying for a US government jizzob with one of the military branches. We have bases all over Japan. All you would need to enter the country is a valid US passport and your SOFA orders. I honestly don't know why more people don't think of this. In many cases you get on-base housing or get money to cover all housing costs out in town. Civilian employees starting at GS or FG-09 are considered officer equivalent so you won't be living in the crappier housing.

Earthquake hits southern Japan

2005-03-21T16:02:00.000+09:00

My friend let me know about this one. The title above links to a CBS article. The Majority of Japan's earthquakes are way up North in Hokkaido. When i heard about this quake I was surprised that I didn't feel anything even though we are so far away. My friend up at the Sasebo Nabal Base which is two hours away from Fukuoka said it was pretty stong but no damage occured in that area. She said cell phones were out but that was about it. If you click on this picture to enlarge it you will see Hokkaido waaay up north. Fukuoka is on Kyushu island down douth and Fukuoka is on the west coast of that island. Okinawa is the last tiny island to the southwest. You can see Naha on the Map. I live north of there where that first bump shoots out of the western coast, not quite half way up the usland. Okinawa isn't as prone to Earthquakes as the nothern main islands of Japan but we are in a good location for a tsunami. Luckily a major one hasn't his Okinawa in many years.

Japan would be nicer with a little Rufus (bumped because he deserves more airtime)

2005-03-18T12:13:00.000+09:00

I've been a Rufus Wainwright fan for a couple years now and one huge reason I can't wait to get back to the States is so I can go to my first Rufus Wainwright concert....hopefully while he will still be playing in some smaller venues because I feel like I've totally missed out.

A new live CD came out today (well the 15th in the States is still today for the next couple hours I guess) and I'm totally bummed that I can't just run into the closest Tower records to grab a copy. I guess I'll have to settle for iTunes for now.

He's becoming really popular in the U.S and is loved in Canada and Europe. His version of Across The Universe was recently featured in I Am Sam and a Kodak commercial (i think it was Kodak...too busy listening to the music). I better stop now because I could go on for days and days.

Ever been claustrophobic? Do you wanna be?

2005-03-18T00:00:00.000+09:00

I have a friend who is doing some training up in Mainland Japan in Yokosuka. So lucky! This is a picture he took of Ueno market in Tokyo. Crazy huh? Click to enlarge.

How to get work in Japan as an American

2005-03-17T14:10:00.000+09:00

A forum on www.gaijinpot.com made me realize that I have never ever posted anything about gaijin employment opportunities, so here goes.

Okay - to get Nova out of the way quickly:

A little "Aurrrgh" goes through my head whenever I think about Nova. Nova is the best-known English school in Mainland Japan. If you ARE a teacher then by all means sell your soul to the devil but if not I would suggest that Nova or any similar teaching school should be looked at as a last resort. The main reason I say this is because I've heard and read that Nova's teachers are not allowed to ad lib. Their lessons are to go exactly by the book and helpful conversations are not allowed with the students. This quickly/highly frustrated those who really love to teach. More often than not Nova teachers leave their experience pissed off at the system.

So where else can an American get work in Japan? I'm going to focus on Okinawa, not just because I live here but because the US military's huge presence means Japanese corporations have had to grow a little to accommodate for the thousands of English speakers living on island, and therefore there is a wider range of jobs available on Okinawa.

A great Okinawan resource is http://japanupdate.com/classifieds/english/ . There is a drop-down box at the top and you can search under help wanted or business ads. This is where Japanese businesses will post their openings. Many are looking for at least a small amount of Japanese comprehension but ifyou are already in Japan I would suggest dropping by because you never know. Japanese are huge on looks so if you are pretty, thin and well-dressed you will score big. Yes, thin helps. To be blunt, the majority of Okinawans are tired of seeing obese Americans, especially women. Many military spouses are overweight and I often hear Japanese people making fun of big Americans that walk by. I can't understand all of it but I catch the important words. Anyway ya, it sucks I'm sure but if you want to work in Japan you need to keep this in mind. If a Japanese male is doing the interview and you are a pretty girl wearing a tasteful but short skirt you are probably in....hate to say it but its true. A degree can help but it is not necessary if you have good, relevant work history on a resume.

Your best bet is trying to get a job with the United States Government. The Marine Corps, Air Force and Army hire continuously over here because of the Permanent Change of Station rate. In other words, families are always coming and going so there is always work. Aviation-related? fugetaboutit. But there are tons of administrative jobs that need to be filled. Nursing is in huge demand. Just go to the civilian website at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ or to each military branch's civilian employment website, enter your resume info and start searching. Look for bids that are looking for people outside of the US. SOFA status is what allows military civilian personnel to live and work in Japan so look for jobs offering SOFA status. For the admin positions, degrees are preferred but not necessary if you have experience. Civilian resumes have to look a certain way and contain specific information so be prepared to re-write everything.

Imagine If Productions is always looking for actors and actresses to be extras in movies or commercials. www.imagineifpro.com is their website. It may seem out of date but the producres regualrly scour the site. I landed a Japanese bank (Ryugin) commercial this past summer. I was paid 20,000 yen for a half-day's work. It's not a day job but it might land you some extra play money.

If I think of any other useful tips I will ad them to this post below.

Aaaah, that's better.

2005-03-15T21:07:00.000+09:00

Nothing gets rid of those Been-in-Japan-too-long blues like getting lost in the countryside. Actually I wasn't driving and we weren't lost at all but taking shortcuts through the narrow, winding streets through semi-jungley foothills can definitely give one the illusion of being lost. These roads I speak of not only twist and turn but the entire street is only as wide as 3/4 of a single one-way lane in the United states. We had to pull over to let these big omnipresent dump trucks go by. The weather was perfect for the first time in weeks. Where it has been in the high 50s and low 60s, today it was in the low 70s with a slight breeze. My window was open and the jungle on the side of the road almost came into the car. I kept waiting for one of those hand-sized brown recluse-on-steroids-looking spiders that literally chase people in parking lots to spot me and have me for a late lunch.

My Northern office, like my regular office is within rock skipping distance of the ocean except in this area a small cliff overlooks the ocean. It was low tide and the water was turquoise and perfectly clear. The coral was highly visible and the water was almost totally calm. I really need to start toting a camera around more often.

During our entire two hour outing I saw new everything; areas I hadn't been in before, new shops, housing, Japanese signs and a base that I had never been on before. It was very cool and made Japan seem just a little bit new again.

White Day - Valentine's Day reciprocal in Japan

2005-03-14T22:27:00.000+09:00

My husband sent this bouquet to my office yesterday. The card read in Japanese, "Happy White Day from your boyfriend." He had the florist translate for him. I was surprised he knew what White Day was.

The guys from our main office all chipped in and gave each girl a box of Godiva and my boss gave me a box of marshmallows stuffed with chocolate :)

a little bummed...

2005-03-12T21:02:00.000+09:00

First I wan't to apologize for however blogger manages to botch up the formatting of this post ;) I've been having bad luck with Blogger lately.

I'm sitting here watching reruns of America's Top Model on VH1 and I'm watching
the 4th Japanese episode. At first I was expecting it to be lame with a bunch of
cliche foreigners tearing through town making a fool of themselves but that
wasn't exactly the case. After spending their first night in a businessman's
hotel which consists of a bunch of cubicles roughly the size of coffins and
lockers to put your shoes and other belongings in, they had the opportunity to
stay in a traditional Japanese home. For one of their challenges they donned a
Kimono and learned the ins and outs of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The winner and
a friend were able to go to one of the hot springs outside of Tokyo to
experience the ultimate relaxation. To top it all off they learned about Tokyo
street fashion and the all-to-popular Harajuku girls, then posed on a motorcycle
in the middle of Shibuya.

As I watched these episodes I found my self a little jealous and nostalgic and
longed to recapture that first time feeling here in Japan. I wouldn't say I'm
jaded because I find myself taking in the moment and taking mental snapshots of
new sights and experiences on a daily basis but at the same time I feel the urge
to move on. Next year I will be able to say that my time spent in Japan tied
with North Carolina as far as living in one place for the longest time since I
moved from New York to California in high school. North Carolina wasn't exactly
home to me but I began to feel very comfortable in that area and sometimes I
find myself wanting to go back there just to recapture that sense of familiarity
and comfort. After spending 3 years in Japan, not once have I felt at home or
comfortable. Not once have I arrived home from work and exhaled. Some days when
I go out in town I am just too exhausted to play the role of the knowledgeable,
always courteous resident of Japan so instead I just play the smiling and
nodding gaijin and put on that blank stare so store employees and others won't
want to engage with me because to be honest, sometimes the stress of not messing
up, whether it is language or customs and courtesies is just plain Exhausting.
How I wish I could come into a lot of money so I could leave my job and family
for a month or two, fly up to Tokyo and just immerse myself in 5 star hotels and
just be a tourist to regain my spirit. I think I'm just bitter because I haven't
been home, wherever that really is, in 3 years.

Then there was that one girl, the tallest of the bunch that was frustrated
because while shopping for a clothing shoot, she quickly discovers that Japanese
clothing lines, while occasionally forgiving for those of us who are a little
tubby, don't make clothes for taller foreigners. I felt her pain and it reminded
me of another reason I would like to go home: to be able to buy clothes that are
cute and fit at the same time. I'm only 5'5'' and Japanese jeans come up to
somewhere between the bottom of my calf and slightly above the top of my ankle.
Japanese shirts don't take into account boobage. If you are bigger than a B cup,
you can just forget it. This especially sucks because I've really grown to love
or at least "get" Japanese style over the years.

Every day I realize how lucky I am to be living in Japan and working on their
economy and I'm not trying to sound unappreciative. I guess I'm just tired.
Whether what I really need is a change, I have no idea.

T'estimo Ad

2005-03-11T12:03:00.000+09:00

This is the lip gloss ad I was talking about and to me it epitomizes Japanese advertising. I will try to find ads from the two other types that I mentioned before - the Japanese businessman and the cartoon ads for unlikely products.

On to a happier note: Japanese lip gloss Rocks!

2005-03-09T16:39:00.000+09:00

Click on this post's title above to go to the T'estimo homepage. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Japan is tremendously particular about subtleties. Once slightly annoyed by that trait I now get it after discovering T?estimo Enamel Rouge Gloss by a Japanese make-up company called Kanebo. I am a confirmed lip gloss addict. I currently rotate through over 20 different colors and most are kept at work. I have extras of my faves which I keep at home for the weekends. Up until recently my favorite gloss has been Clinique?s Glossware. It?s a little on the sticky tacky side but all is forgiven because of the huge array of colors that are available. It all started when I read that J Lo uses the Honey Bee color. I ran out and bought it right away and although it didn?t look the same on me because I?m so pale, I could tell that line was a keeper.

About a month ago I found a lip gloss that is 10X shinier and the sticky factor is non-existent. It?s not the least bit tacky but isn?t slippery at the same time so it wears for a long time. The shimmer in this gloss is subtle enough so when you look at your lips close-up in a mirror your lips look like tinted glass without that confetti effect. The shimmer is SO perfect that it really makes your lips look fuller when worn generously with out looking sloppy and this is where Japan?s perfection with subtlety comes into view. This stuff is truly amazing. The brush is smooth and perfectly shaped and tapered. It?s a little more expensive than the Clinique sold at the PX for $11.00. T?estimo Enamel Rouge is \1,800 yen or close to $20.00 but it is money well spent if you are a lip gloss fan. The nail polish is extra vibrant too and the new spring collection has that pink color at the bottom of the picture (PK-135). I actually bought it for my 4 year old who has been bugging me for pink polish. This does have serious gold and opalescent glitter and is all her. The lip gloss and nail polish seen above looks a little darker and a little less vibrant than it really is. For instance the lip gloss on the right, PK-10 is actually a sheer light pink, closer to the color of the pink on the left, PK-08. PK-10 is, in person, the most perfect bubble gum-pink ever. Unfortunately is goes on a lot sheerer than I wish it would but I still say it was a good buy. I actually own everything you see above.

When you go to the site above you will notice that it's mostly in Japanese. Hopefully if you are a fan of my blog you have already installed the Japanese language settings on your computer. If you don?t know how you can drop me an E-mail and I will help you out. It?s a Flash site so make sure you have flash installed beforehand. The page takes a little while to load but luckily it is mostly English-friendly. If you are a poor soul with a dial-up Internet connection, you might as well take a bathroom break and make some popcorn because it will take a while. Skip the intro and go to "Line Up" to the bottom right of the main picture. Next select "Rouge". Here is where the Japanese comes in or you can just look for the lip gloss tube. For those who are interested and whose computers are set up for Japanese, lip gloss is simply ??? , or gurosu in katakana on that page. Or just click on the tube and you will see the full array of colors available. This brand isn't on Sephora or Beauty.com but I did see a listing or two on E-bay. Happy Hunting!

BTW, did you notice the picture on the homepage? Isn't it beautiful? That is typical Japanese advertising at its best, all pastel and airy. In Japan, if advertising doesn?t look like that it contains cartoon characters. It's like one or the other pretty much. Oh then there are those beer and other manly commercials that use overly-exasperated Japanese men in dark business suits but I try to ignore all those ;) If you let the T?estimo intro run all the way through, there is a similar picture that's even prettier. Or maybe the two pics show up randomly, I can't tell, but I think the green one is prettier than the pink one. In fact I might just post part of it :)

Domestic Abuse chatroom is up

2005-03-07T23:59:00.000+09:00

The chatroom I promised is up. Click the link above to access. It's a very siple layout for now but I plan on making a nicer webpage using Dreamweaver when I get a little extra time. If enough people access this room I will buy a domain name for it. For starters I'm gonna get the word out by putting it in all of the major search engines and Free For All boards and finally an ad in Japan Update and any other overseas military advertisements that I can find. It will take about a week for search engines like Google to index it but hopefully there won't be too much of a delay.

If that link doesn't work for some reason and you have already installed Java VM on your machine from Java's website, let me know and then go to this extra link to the chat room.

Domestic Violence Overseas in Military Families - Everywhere To Turn, No WhereTo Go.

2005-03-07T23:29:00.000+09:00

I apologize for getting off track as this post has nothing to do with Japanese families and domestic violence but it is a topic that I’m considering writing about in the future.

Recently, since this past Christmas or so I’ve been seeing a lot of abusive situations on base. Husbands yelling at their wives or seriously controlling them and vice versa. Men who call their kids names in public (and I’m sure women do too but I haven’t seen it yet). If this kind of behavior is going on in public, I can just imagine what happens behind closed doors. On AFN Radio I’ve heard commercials by the Victims’ Advocates Group and they are in need of on-call volunteers. I think this might be a good way to give back to the Overseas community and I’m seriously considering becoming a volunteer. I have a feeling that the average civilian who has had no real ties to a military community would be surprised at how much domestic violence occurs in military families, especially in peace time when daily stress isn’t quite as high.

The military has a “No Tolerance” policy on any form of domestic violence whether it is physical, sexual or emotional spousal or child abuse. While stationed in Japan there are basically three options:

1. Military police are called out to a serious fight. Family Advocacy and the military member’s commanding officer are notified immediately. This can end a military career.

2. Military member can force a civilian spouse into the Mental Health ward of the Naval Hospital for a short stay.

3. Military member can force a civilian out of the country in lightening speed, often with a military escort to the airport. When this occurs the military member is not obligated to provide the military spouse with any money or State-side living arrangements. This can happen whether the civilian was at fault or not.

The civilian’s fate lies in the hands of the military spouse. If he or she says the spouse has to go then the spouse leaves, plain and simple. In a way this makes sense because you can’t just send the military member to another station. If both halves were military then they would simply get separate housing and perhaps a restraining order if criminal charges were filed. The reality is that almost all civilian spouses make less money than their military husbands or wives while stationed overseas. Add in a couple of kids (or more!) and a fight and what happens? The civilian with little to no savings is kicked out on their asses with no money and lots of kids. Back to the States they go because living out in town is not allowed by the Japanese government once you lose you’re SOFA status. (Status of Forces Agreement contains what we the visiting country can and can not get away with ? laws that are different in each sponsor country) You lose your right to be in the country and Japan expects you to be deported at once and they will hunt you down. Holiday Visas can be obtained but not in the short amount of time needed and also because most people are required to go back to the states to get this visiting VISA and then have to fly all the way back to Japan.

Sounds harsh? I think so. The military and its community programs like Marine Corps Community Services and the Navy’s Family Advocacy department think they can solve problems by offering marital counseling and conflict resolution classes but more often than not they fail the civilians involved while overseas because abusive situations must be reported and then the civilian goes home. Either that or the military spouses can send away the civilian spouse before he/she knew what was coming. Now the civilian is being sent home with no money and many times with no place to stay as it’s not the military’s responsibility to worry about the civilian and what becomes of him or her afterwards.

Is there any middle ground? No. If a civilian commits physical, sexual, emotional abuse or child neglection, then I think they should leave Japan in an instant, however my point is that innocent civilians should be protected by a group on-base. A group that knows the inside and out of military regulations and life in general but also has ties to the real world back home whether it be free temporary lodging or seriously discounted daycare for a limited time. Currently on base there are no 100% confidential settings whether it’s weekly meeting or online chat rooms for those concerned about domestic violence. What if someone is in denial and they want to know if abuse is occurring or not? If they are afraid of being kicked out of their house and host country then they are out of luck. Also, many abused civilian spouses are afraid to report the incident in fear of hurting the military career of the abuser. If the abuser isn’t separated from the military, he/she can look forward to slow promotions for the rest of his or her stay in the military. Something needs to be changed and maybe if I volunteer I can at least give my opinion.

The reality of living with your military spouse overseas is that it’s a privilege that can be easily taken away for numerous reasons. If the civilian is at fault, by all means enforce the rules and regulations already set by military rules and regulations and SOFA laws. If the civilian is innocent and gets sent away there should be limits set in place to protect them from the wrath of the military member. Since a large number of my blog’s readers are former military I was wondering how many of you have encountered abuse in public on or off base or personal abuse experiences (overseas only please only because of the crazy way abuse is handles overseas) in Japan or any other host country. If you don’t feel comfortable posting your story anonymously here, you can E-mail me at lynneblogs@gmail.com ? since I’m slightly computer savvy I might learn how to make a permanent chat room online since I believe this could help a great number of people out there 24 hours a day and most importantly, confidentially.