November 25: One Month

Today makes one month that I have been in Okinawa. The time has gone fast, yet at the same time the memories of the summer apart are already fading. Although we are still learning how to make a home together, I've almost forgotten the long separation.

For the first week and a half I was here, we lived in the Hansen Christian Center. It looks like a house that is used as a ministry center. During the week, it is mostly empty with the only current planned event being on Friday nights. It was a good transitional place for us to live, as the upstairs is an apartment and the downstairs had a fully equipped kitchen. It was much better than living in a hotel, as we had planned before this was an option.

Since my flight was delayed, we arrived from the airport just a few hours before the Friday night meeting. We were able to spend a little time alone before people started arriving. Just being in the same room was amazing. When everyone showed up for the meeting (a dinner and Bible study of sorts), I was rapidly introduced to a lot of people, most of whom knew I was coming and were eager to meet me. Though I almost immediately forgot everyone's name in the rush, I now know the group well. Though the Friday night meetings are not part of our regular routine now, the group that attends is the central circle of most of the activities we are involved in.

From then on, things have been a rush of busyness and precious time together. I took the Newcomers' Orientation and got my Japanese driver's license a few days later, and in Okinawan style, ran six red lights within a week. The people drive like big city drivers, so you are expected to run some red lights, cut people off, and drive around turning vehicles. Motorcycles do whatever they want, and you just have to do your best to avoid hitting them when they zip around you. Learning to drive on the other side of the road and using an speedometer in kilometers wasn't hard. Navigating is the tricky part, as the roads aren't really named, or else are in Japanese. Only the main highways are marked in English. Even the GPS can get confused.

Once our government furniture was delivered, we moved in to our apartment. We are on the fifth floor of a building that was originally a sort of resort that was later converted. After the conversion, the restaurant in the basement remained, giving off a tantalizing aroma at mealtime. From our deck, we have an amazing ocean view and accompanying breeze. Although it doesn't sound like much, ~800 square feet is more than enough for us. We barely touch the living room, but will be glad of it when we entertain. But since it is mostly just the two of us, the space is plenty. Little by little, we have been converting it into our own. (Shout out to everyone who gave us money in lieu of bridal shower and wedding presents. Soon I'll post pictures of how your gifts were used!)

While I still have a lot to learn and explore about the island, I am comfortable in the sphere I'm in. I'm running the sound board at chapel, and tag along to work with Nathan frequently. We started decorating the chapels for Christmas today, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is even close. I am aware of the passing of time, but since I don't have a cell phone or a calendar to look at, I am surprised at the passing of days. The idea of living in one place for three years is still a little hard to grasp for us, but so far, we are enjoying getting to settle into a place we can call our own.

Traveling to Okinawa

Nathan and I are together at last. I am currently sitting next to him in our own apartment, overlooking the ocean. Let's start with getting here.

Last I posted, the movers had come and packed all our belongings. I boarded a plane a few days after that. I was happy because I only had a 20 hour itinerary. But that thought didn't last long. I flew from Lansing, Michigan to Minneapolis with no trouble. In Minneapolis, I boarded a plane headed for Tokyo. A few hours over the Pacific, there was a medical emergency that forced the plane to turn around and land in Seattle for about an hour. Having shut off my American phone line, I had to borrow someone's phone to email Nathan so he would know what was going on.

We landed in Tokyo around 11pm local time, about five hours behind our original plan. The delay caused everyone to miss their connections, so the airline shuttled us to various hotels where they put us up for the night, and arranged flights for the next day. If I had not been so upset, I would have enjoyed the delay, as it allowed to me spend a little time in Tokyo. But the long summer and letdown from the delay tainted it. I wasn't upset with the airline, but I was supposed to be spending that night with Nathan, but had to spend it alone in a hotel. I was able to chat online with him for awhile though, and that helped. The upside of the situation was that I was so tired from all the travel, I was able to sleep, which automatically adjusted me to the time change. Also it meant that the people picking me up wouldn't have to be out late, since my new flight would land in the afternoon instead of at night.

The next morning, I got breakfast from the hotel buffet, which was a combination of Japanese and American food. I took a shuttle to the airport, and had another round of confusion. I ended up in an international line, so I had to be sent to domestic. Once there, the Japanese workers looked at my ticket and began consulting with each other, looking worried. I soon found out that there are two airports in Tokyo, and I had been brought to the wrong one. The language barrier slowed down communications, yet they quickly made the point that I was going to be very close to missing my flight. One of the girls grabbed me and my stuff, ran me to the bus ticketing counter, and quickly got me on the next bus, telling me they would call the airport and tell them to hold the flight for me. 

Once I arrived, I found an airline worker and showed her my ticket, trying to explain what happened. Like the girl at the last airport, she grabbed me and my bags and rushed me to security, then to my gate, where they were already boarding. I wasn't the last person on the plane, but it was close. 

After a three hour flight, much shorter than the previous one, I landed in Naha, Okinawa. As I stood in the baggage claim, I spotted Nathan standing outside a one-way glass door, waiting anxiously for me. The wait for my bags was one of longest of my trip! Finally I had them all loaded onto a cart, and pushed it quickly out. We hugged for a long time, and kissed in front of an audience of people who had come with him. I met everyone in a blur, then rode with Chaplain Black, the chaplain Nathan works with, and his wife. Nathan held me the whole way while I looked out the window at all the new sites that were now home.

A lot has happened since then, so I will write another post about it. The past two weeks have been a flurry of many things, and there is a lot to say. I am overjoyed to at last be living with my husband, in our own place, with no separations in sight.