Asia Driving

Hey everyone!! Sorry it’s been so long sine I’ve been able to post. I’ve been having technical difficulties with getting my video uploaded to youtube so that you can see what a tropical drive looks like for Dan and I. In the video you’ll hear myself and my friend Danielle. I had picked Danielle up from school and she was gracious enough to help me with the filming while I navigated my way back to base. Sorry this is a short and sweet post, but PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to hear what you think about what it’s like to drive in Asia! We love you all and miss home like crazy.

As promised, here’s the link:  https://youtu.be/lECp5EfwO4c

Christmas Parties and Christmas Presents (Well… Sorta)

Hey everyone! So, I’m really trying to keep up with this blog- but when life is boring, it’s no fun to write on here because there’s nothing to tell. However, this past week we have been somewhat busy, so I figured I’d let you all in on the latest happenings. As I stated in my last post, Daniel had his command Christmas party and then two days later we were invited to attend another Christmas party- both events were semi-formal, and yes, we wore the same thing to both. What can I say? Life is a little difficult since we don’t have our stuff…

The parties were a lot of fun. We were able to dress up and just relax a bit. We were also able to meet some people in Dan’s new command. However, one of the most comforting aspects of the whole party (for me) was that Heather and Jacob were there- I just love Heather, she’s a wonderful friend and I know her. So it made the awkwardness of not knowing anyone else a lot easier. It’s nice to be in the clueless boat with someone else (so THANK YOU Heather!) At the second party, Jacob and Heather weren’t with us, however I knew some of the other wives at this party from working at the American Red Cross. So it was a lovely evening. At the command Christmas party- Dan won a $25 gift card to the NEX here on base, and at the second Christmas party I won a couple of Lush products (handmade, organic bath-and-body-works like products). So overall, we were both happy with the outcome. Below is a photo of us from the second Christmas party but it was the best photo we have from the events….

My handsome hubby and I at the Christmas party!

The other exciting thing that we found out this past week is that our household goods are in the country! We have been waiting for over a month for them to arrive and this past Wednesday they cleared customs- so they will be coming into our apartment tomorrow!! Don’t worry- I know a lot of people want to see our new home, I promise that once we are all settled and it looks normal here, we will gladly post photos since it will be impossible to have a house warming party with all of you back home. 🙂 Hopefully I will be able to get everything unpacked and put away quickly and Dan and I will be able to have a Christmas tree up for our very first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs.!

Anyway, on Sunday after church we went out to eat with some friends in the Odawara area. If you remember, Dan and I have gone there before to see a castle. It was really good Japanese food- I thoroughly enjoyed my noodles even though they were nothing like I expected. It was almost salty but not really- it was very good and filling though, and of course there was wonderful green tea to go along with our meal. We went because Jacob was really interested in the brewery there- he was not disappointed. Dan and I on the other hand were not disappointed with the food. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of my food for you all this time… by the time we got it, I was so hungry that It took me no time at all to eat it before I could get a photo of it. But just trust me, it was good and I really appreciate the way they present their food. Our salt for the meal was sea salt and it was clumpy, but there was just a little bit in a small side dish- it was just the right amount. They did the same with the small amount of onions we could put in the noodles as well. By the time we were ready to leave, there was a beautiful sunset (photo below) and then we went and walked around Odawara for about an hour before returning home. It was a relaxing adventure to be sure.

Anyway, those were the four major highlights of this past week. Now that we are getting settled, the newness is slowly wearing off- however it is still frustrating to not be able to read anything when we’re out in town. Once we get fully settled, I hope we will have more time to get out and get some more photos to have some more exciting things to say. One thing is for sure though, never in a million years did Dan or myself EVER think that we would be living overseas, let alone in Asia. It truly is a blessing. Sending you all of our love!

The Newest of Happenings..

Hey everyone! So it’s been just over a week since I’ve written- and it’s mainly because there’s not a lot to report. This coming week we have the command Christmas party and since all of our stuff is still shipping- we’ve been running around different places to try to find something to wear (it’s semi-formal). Not to mention I have been sick and feeling horrible, so please be praying for me. Also,one crazy note to mention is that the community of Gettysburg sent Dan and I a care package thanking us for the sacrifice we make as a family to be apart not only from our families but at times from each other as well. Big shout out to Mama Ruth for signing us up to receive that encouragement- it arrived on a day that I was desperately missing home.

Anyway, this past weekend Dan had a 3-day weekend which was really wonderful. He had to check in with work on Friday morning, but then he had the rest of the weekend to himself, for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks! So needless to say, we enjoyed our (mostly) quiet weekend, even if I didn’t get the rest I needed to get over this sinus infection that’s kicking me in the tail- we still had a great weekend. 🙂

On Friday, our friends Jacob and Heather moved into our building! That’s right, we have friends who actually live in the same building as us- and the guys work together! Since they had a lot to get done to get settled in, Dan and I helped them around the base, getting their stuff into the apartment, then going to get all the necessities the military doesn’t help with-even when you’re waiting (i.e. towels, sheets, blankets,  pillows, shower curtain, ect). We spend the whole day leisurely having fun as we looked around the different shops. There’s a second-hand store here that’s run by the Enlisted Spouse Association, and I found the PERFECT Christmas party dress, while Dan found jackets, shoes, and I even think a uniform top. Jacob found a couple of things as well, so needless to say, it was a successful trip. We then did some venturing to some of the other stores on base and of course to the Fleet and Family Service Center for some of the loan items they have for the kitchen. Overall, it was a really successful day and we all had a nice time together.

Saturday came, and Dan and I planned on going to Tokyo- finally. Just to learn that there was a Bizzar here on base. So we changed our plans and walked around one of the gyms here to see all of the really unique pieces. We bought a couple of small things, and decided to save up for two things. 1. An entertainment center (or at least, that’s what we’d use it for) that is actually build like stairs with a bunch of cabinets and drawers all hand-carved. It’s lovely. But you can take the top part of the steps, flip them upside down, and have an entertainment center (big rectangle thing). The 2nd thing we’d want is: A fold out bar. Dan and I enjoy the occasional glass of wine and these are GORGEOUS. The one we want has an inlay of mother-of-pearl. They’re extremely unique and would be lovely for holding some wine bottles and glasses- but that won’t be for a while, so we’ll see. 😉

Sunday was probably the busiest of all the days. It started with church here on base; they’ve been having me sign the worship songs which is one way to help keep my interpreting skills sharp. Then Dan and I went back to the Bizzar just to make sure we got everything we wanted and we ran into Jacob and Heather. The four of us decided to go to Yokosuka to look for shoes for my awesome dress and some for Dan’s suite along with a few odds and ends. It takes a little bit of time to get there by train, but it was nice to have the company- then the craziest thing happened.

We got off the train and started walking toward the base. Now, the Japanese are VERY peaceful people. However, there was a small group of people marching down the streets with signs, and a megaphone. Police officers kept the protestors safe as they peacefully made their point- but still, what was all the shouting about? The four of us felt really awkward as we walked into the Red Door Ramen shop for some food. We talked a bit about it, and decided to ask the guards at the base to see if they knew why there was so much commotion. When we got to the front gate, we could no longer hear the megaphone-but I still asked. Come to find out the protestors were extreme conservatives wanting all Americans (American Forces) out of Japan for good. No wonder we felt really awkward hearing them go down the street. While we disagree with their protest (and wish they understood that the individuals here haven’t necessarily CHOSEN to be here as much as we’re PLACED here) we were really amazed with how the police officers PROTECTED the peaceful protest and how everyone outside of the small group essentially ignored them and went on their merry way. At most, it was an inconvenience for those driving in the direction they were marching.

Once we were on base, we went to the store and looked around for a while. Jacob and Heather were amazed at how much bigger the NEX is there- while Dan and I knew what we were getting into. Once we were all done, we went to Chili’s to have a taste of home. One big difference that I should note is that the base that we live on is actually a Japanese base- it is 51% owned by Japan and 49% owned by the US- where Yokosuka is US soil. So when we eat at Chili’s there- it really is like eating it at home. Finally, we made our way back to base to go to bed so Dan could get up early for work this morning.

Today I am relaxing a bit before going to the Red Cross for just a couple of hours. I am desperately trying to let my body finish recovering. I’ve been sick for almost a week now and I don’t know how to handle being sick- this is the first time in over a year. So please be praying that I get better soon. Also, please pray that I find a job that works well with our crazy schedule as well. We recently learned that Dan will be working nights, so that will be a big change. It would be wonderful if I could work from home and possibly be on the same schedule that he is on- simply to make life easier. We  appreciate all your prayers and encouragement. We miss everyone and we send you all our love.

Aquatic Explorations

Hey everyone! This past weekend Dan and I decided to take an afternoon trip to an aquarium! It was a lot of fun and we had quite the experience. Before we could get to the aquarium though, we had to take the train. Now, I’ve told you all about the train system here before, but let me just give you a better idea of how this particular exploration worked. We had to get off one train, LEAVE the station and cross over through a random bike parking area to go up some steps, walk across a bridge, and find the next train we needed.

Since we’ve never been there before, we had no idea what we were doing. We left the train station and were completely confused. Then Dun…dun..dun…DUNNNNN… I saw Deaf people (did I mention they’re my favorite?!). I started signing to ask for help. The fun part of these two though is that it took a bit more work to effectively communicate. You see, I am strong in American Sign Language and they were strong in Japanese Sign Language and while there are similarities between the two, they are definitely NOT the same language. However, we managed to make it work and they were super excited to meet us and sign with me. They even showed me the sign for where we are living now- it was a really fun experience. They walked us to where we needed to go and sent us on our way.

Once we made it to the train and found our stop (thanks to the Deaf people!), we walked off to find ourselves in a gorgeous park. However it wasn’t exactly where we wanted to be-so thus began our next challenge. We were at the right spot, but how to do we get to where we wanted to be? We decided to take a few photos of the area and use our phones to find the aquarium. It was a colder day and we were right at the water, so the breeze made me really cold- but we still had a lot of fun.

Told you it was beautiful!

Anyway, before long we stumbled upon “Pleasure Island” (I’m not making this up people- that’s the name of this children’s amusement park). We walked around a bit, there were different buildings and stands everywhere but everything was really spread out. We found the food court and decided to get some food- which was interesting to say the least. We tried a cheeseburger, french fries, and a ginger ale…. which tasted odd… all of it (minus the french fries). Then we got some ice cream from a vending machine (yes it happened, yes it was amazing!). Then we were off to get our tickets for the aquarium.

Once we got into the first exhibit of the aquarium we knew something was a bit different. We had a lot of fun looking at the different tanks and wild life- they even had a penguin and polar bear exhibit (don’t worry they weren’t in the same one). Before long we were going up an escalator and were surrounded by the fish and sharks- it was really awesome. As we continued through we had fun seeing all sorts of different fish that we had never seen before- including something that looks like a giant blob with fins on the top and bottom (sun fish).

We took our time going through the different exhibits and walking around the beautiful complex. Before long we headed to the very last exhibit where we were able to pet a dolphin and a penguin (I’ve done both before but it was Dan’s first time). We had a blast at the aquarium and attempting to speak some Japanese (we’re doing a little better). We had a lovely afternoon and enjoyed seeing the different exhibits and the aquarium. We love you all and we’ll be sure to keep you posted. Lots of love from Japan!

Unexpected Changes Lead to Unexpected Adventures

Hey everyone! So… Dan and I finally got some time to actually go sight seeing- but it turned into a grand adventure. It all started when we woke up this morning and decided we wanted to see a castle. So we looked up all the train stops we would need and any bus routes and decided to go. Before we left base, we had lunch with our friend Vu from our introduction to Japan class and he decided to come with us to sightsee. Shortly thereafter, we left base and embarked on our journey to Obawara (don’t ask us to pronounce this) to try and see the castle there (note the word: try.. but we’re getting to that).

After about 45 minuets we arrived at the Obawara train station. We excitedly took off to find the castle. It wasn’t long before we saw it in the distance- the big question was, how do we get there? So we began walking in that direction. A few minuets into our walk I noticed signing. Being the ASL interpreter that I am, and not having any idea as to were I was- I waved and signed “excuse me”. That was all it took! Ya’ll- I MET DEAF PEOPLE!!!!!! Take a moment and let that sink in for a minuet ok? I MET DEAF PEOPLE!!!  And for the first time since we’ve arrived, I could communicate fluently without any issues! Although their sign language was a little different (they were Japanese after all) we could communicate! It was simply beautiful! And the best 2 minuets of my day. Ok, now that we’ve gotten over SOME of the joy I’ve experienced through my brief interaction with probably my favorite language,they asked me a few questions (if I was Deaf, where I was from in the US, ect) and briefly talked to me, they told me to hurry up to get to the castle because it would be closing soon and that we weren’t far from the entrance.

We hurried to try to beat the closing time, while still taking in some of the sights around us. We even saw the castle from a distance through the trees (see above). However, when we arrived at the gate, we were 15 minuets too late. The entrance closes at 4:30, the museum, at 5. Disappointed, we decided to go explore a bit. We walked around to simply see what we could see. This part of Japan isn’t as busy as where we are outside the base, but there was still a lot to absorb. While we were walking in this beautiful, “quieter” city, We stumbled upon what may have been a shrine or something (we’re not really sure) but it was SO peaceful! A drunk man showed us the ritual before entering (clapping twice and bowing twice) and as he somewhat staggered away, we walked in to take photos and try to figure out what this beautiful place was.

Once we finished getting our photos at this peaceful place (maybe a shrine? I have NO idea), we were hungry so we decided to go find food. We had seen this really beautiful (what we thought) restaurant where you sit on the floor and eat (but not really). We walked in and the lady working welcomed us. It wasn’t a restaurant but instead some sort of tea room. The woman asked us if we wanted hot or cold tea (remember, it was difficult to communicate) and we took off our shoes before stepping onto the bamboo/grass flooring. They did allow us to take photos (see below) and the two other people in the place with us were super sweet in taking the photos- they didn’t mind at all. When we went to pay, the woman said “no” and wouldn’t let us! That’s right, we got a completely amazing Japanese experience without charge. It was truly the best green tea I’ve had to date.

Finally, we were on our way to find food (the boys were really hungry). So we went for a walk and did something that you would NEVER be able to do in the US. We walked through a tunnel!  it was a really crazy experience. As a child I always wondered what it would be like… well folks, it was LOUD.. really really loud. However, it wasn’t long after I took this photo that we found a restaurant. It was nothing like what we expected, but it was good. It was very traditional- but it was all seafood, which I despise. So I had soup (see photo below), which was surprisingly good. It was green lavender miso soup and then there was complimentary tea and I had a coke (really a pepsi) and all of our drinks (the guys had orange juice) came from glass bottles and we had to pour them into small glasses to drink! It was really really good.

My meal!

Finally, we decided to head back to base. It was fun to simply go explore and get lost in a new city. We’re hoping to go back to see the castle next weekend, but at least we know now to go earlier in the day and really take our time. However, I must add that it will be a bonus to know which trains to take next time too- we’re really getting the system down! 🙂 Anyway, that was our little adventure today. Hopefully there will be more to come soon. We love you all and we’ll continue to keep you posted!

Us leaving the city.

The Cell Phone Debacle

Hey everyone! If you remember from my previous posts, I told you that we were in a culture class which would end up with us going out into Japan using their train system (which is somewhat simple yet complicated) and taking a test to have our Japanese driver’s license. Well, we have successfully completed both tasks and now I can actually tell you about it! Unfortunately it’s not as great of a story as I wish it were- but the great stories are yet to come I’m sure. 🙂

To begin, the culture class that we went through was mandatory. It taught (or tried to at least) us basic phrases in Japanese. They told us a brief history of Japan (they covered 2,000 years within 1 hour..),explained that we were in the Tokyo metro area which housed 30% of the Japanese population (2.5 million people in this area), and told us customs and behaviors as well as explained the train system, bus systems, and sights we may want to see… and more. By the time we got to our field trip- we were all ready to experience the interesting culture which we had been learning about. Dan and I went out on Wednesday night to try and get cell phones so that we could go out and sightsee on Thursday for our field trip. Well, long story short- we failed, but not due to lack of trying.

When we left base Wednesday evening we immediately felt a sense of freedom, and fear. We were excited to get out and explore the area a bit- however, it can be a bit intimidating to explore when you realize two things: 1. You can’t read ANY signs. and 2. You can’t speak the language. So off for an adventure we went. We walked a while to get to the cell phone place (the first of two we would end up entering that night), we even passed a landmark building that has a giant gorilla on it (it’s an entertainment store near-ish base) to finally find an AU store (that’s the name of the cell phone company). When we walked into the first store-which was in with a car dealership (apparently that’s common here?) and the woman just told us that she couldn’t speak English and ignored us. Needless to say, we left to head back to base. Then we ran into store number 2. This time the woman working with us was super sweet. She hardly knew any English, but she did get an interpreter on the phone to work with Dan. As an interpreter myself, I am seriously grateful for our profession-without this stranger on the other line, there was NO WAY to understand the lady we were working with. We got all the way up to figuring out what plan we wanted, just to find out they didn’t have the phones we wanted. Defeated, we went back to base.

Thursday morning, we went with the group to the train station. While we waited for the train, one volunteer with our group was teaching me some Japanese words for body parts (i.e. cheek, teeth, mouth, ear, shin, arm, ect). The train came and we went one stop down before getting off for one last pep talk before being released into the wild (or at least that’s what it felt like). So Dan, Daniel (a guy from the class) and I took off to go get Dan and I cell phones. The train ride wasn’t bad- though we did go one stop too far, but so did a local- who was extremely sweet and helped us figure out what train we would need to get back to where we wanted to go. About 3 trains and one hour later we made it to the cell phone shop.

We walked in, and were immediately overwhelmed. A woman greeted us and Dan asked her if she spoke English. She pushed something on a touch screen and printed out a ticket. A few minuets later, we were ushered over to a long counter with several dividers and workers in-between each divider. The girl working with us promptly informed us that she couldn’t speak English- which prompted Dan and I to just look at each other. She smiled, was kind, and dialed the phone- you guessed it folks, it was interpreter time! This process of passing the phone back and forth went on for over an hour. Then the girl said that she had a customer, and basically handed us off to a guy- who also couldn’t speak English. It was quite an experience. There was literally no way for us to communicate effectively except through an interpreter. Anyway, the whole process was grueling and took about 4.5 hours but I am happy to report that we got the company we really wanted (docomo) and the phones we wanted (iPhones…. that’s right folks- I AM FINALLY IN THE 21ST CENTURY!). However it did basically eat up our entire day (we didn’t want to be anywhere near rush hour train traffic…).

However, before we left this new city, we did eat at a fast food restaurant. It was such a strange experience. Aside from the restaurant being extremely small, you ordered from a machine! (The boys did a MUCH better job than me- but we’ll get to that.) It was hard to tell what everything was, so I ordered rice and a soup (BIG MISTAKE), Dan ordered a beef bowl (the rice was on the bottom) and Daniel ordered curry. It didn’t take the waiter any time at all to give us our food. The boys quickly ate theirs, but my soup wasn’t pork like I expected…instead it was tofu (which if you know me at all… I HATE) and it was REALLY odd. We  quickly finished our meal and jumped back on the train and made our way back to base. We stopped at a McDonalds just before getting back (yes, it tasted slightly different.. but it was a good, healthier different). Finally, we made it back on base, exhausted from the stress of buying cell phones.

This coming weekend we’re hoping to get some sightseeing in, depending on weather. It was a great experience to be out in town, and to experience everyday Japanese life- yet we can’t wait to see the history and beauty of this country. We love you all and we’ll be keeping you posted. ❤