September: Seminary, TESOL

Hello! The summer has passed and I have barely been able to keep up! Here is a brief update from each month.

September marked the end of a busy summer and the beginning of a new lifestyle for us. Nathan started his Masters of Divinity classes with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which means that he now spend several hours each night in silence, either watching video lectures with headphones, reading stacks of books, or writing forum posts. After one night of needing to keep quiet and having a very difficult time doing it, I knew I needed a project too. I signed up for a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate class. So now we both spend time studying each night. It works out pretty well.

As of November, Nathan will be the ranking RP on island for awhile. As such, his command is moving him from Camp Hansen to Camp Foster, as it is the HQ for the RPs. Since Foster is an hour away without traffic, we have decided to move south. Our lease ends the first week of November, so the timing works out pretty well. I'll either transfer to a bank branch down there, or find a new job. Working on that! We're looking forward to the new atmosphere. Living up north has allowed us to explore places that would otherwise be very far, but now we get a chance to explore the south and live close to everything.

We currently live and work on Camp Hansen (C), and are moving down to Camp Foster (G). For reference, Okinawa is about 70 miles long, half of the height of Pennsylvania.

July: Typhoon Neoguri, Sea Kayaking, Zip Lining

Hello! The summer has passed and I have barely been able to keep up! Here is a brief update from each month.

Over the July 4th, holiday, I experienced my first typhoon. Because they are huge and slow-moving, we know days in advance before it hits, which allows time for preparations. The wind picked up and the skies turned grey a day or two beforehand, hinting that some rough weather was ahead. Since this was our first typhoon in our 5th floor, ocean-front apartment, we were a little nervous. The wall facing the ocean is half windows! We taped cardboard over the sliding glass doors, charged all our electronics, put sandbags in our cars, and filled our water bottles. 

We ended up having to deal with a good bit of water coming in through the glass doors, making up tape and towel them multiple times. We lost power for about 30 hours, but our water still worked. We passed the time reading books, playing games, and taking naps. Since we have a gas stove, we were still able to cook, though we tried not to open the fridge. Growing up in a rural area with bad ice storms, I was used to dealing with power outages. The new thing for me was the noise. The wind and rain were roaring. We switched rooms as the storm changed directions to get a break from the noise. In the end, I had two days off from work and a lot of wet towels.

As for fun in July, we led two events, now deemed the Summer Island Adventure program at the chapel. The first was a day spent sea kayaking and snorkeling. Since it was through a tour group, we didn't get quite as much freedom as we would have liked while kayaking, but the snorkeling was amazing. The group was thrilled with all the fish, sea cucumbers, snakes, and coral they could see, without even having to go fully underwater. 

The other Island Adventure for the month was a trip to Forest Adventure zip lining park. That pretty much explains itself. By the end of that day, we were tired, dirty, and happy. Dinner that night was at a michi no eki, a large rest stop created by the government that has shops and food vendors. The guys got a chance to try soba, Okinawan donuts, and mango ice cream. 

Oh and one last thing. Blonde now :)

May: Promotion, Seminary, Ryugujo Butterfly Garden

May was a busy month, though in retrospect it is hard to remember why. We have two things to announce. First, promotion to RP2 (E5). 

Second, something that has been brewing for several months. Nathan has decided to pursue chaplaincy with the Navy, and was just accepted into Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He will start online this fall, but something within the next two years, we will move to Boston where he will finish his degree on campus. It is a very exciting step for us, and a path we are sure is the best way.

As for other things this month, we held a Star Wars marathon at the chapel in honor of May the Fourth. We saw X-Men, Days of Future Past and Godzilla in theaters, and worked on creating a calendar of several summer events to get the single Marines off the base for a day.

Our tour spot this month was Ryugujo Butterfly Garden in Ocean Expo Park in Nago, and it was just lovely. We spend the afternoon photographing tons of butterflies.

and spent a little time being butterflies...

March, Part 6: Churami Aquarium

The last day of vacation touring was spent at Ocean Expo Park, just the aquarium part. We had been here before, but it always deserves posting a few pictures. We managed to catch a dolphin show, which was fantastic. 

And that was March! Obviously there was a lot going on, but our island touring was the focus of the month.

this guy is about three feet long

 the aquarium is famed for its giant tank, hosting three whale sharks. that thing is every bit as big as it looks. 

they had a small whale in their dolphin tank...

March, Part 5: Whale Watching, Pineapple Park, Neo Park

Wow, really far behind here. 

We came home from White Beach on Friday, March 14th. After a weekend relaxing from all that vacation, we headed to a harbor in Naha. We had signed up for a whale watching tour about a month before, and I had been anticipating it even since. Humpback whales spend about two months every spring around the island, and I had heard great things about taking a boat tour to see them. We were not disappointed. We boarded a two-level boat, along with Japanese, French, and German passengers. We spent about an hour out on the water, watching schools of dolphins. At last we spotted a whale, or possibly several different ones, as I could not tell them apart. It was breathtaking, being so close to such a large creature. 

This was a long and slightly sunburning day, but very rewarding. After this, we went to a Japanese McDonalds for the first time. And yes, they are different, evidenced by the fact that I got a shrimp burger and melon soda. Also that the burgers look exactly as pictured. None of those squashed meals here!

dolphin midair 

a humpback breaching 

and the tail

Wednesday, March 19th, we went two places. The first was Pineapple Park, a tourist attraction set up to show you around a pineapple farm and give you a chance to view the many pineapple products made on the island. We got to walk around and ride a small cart through the fields, and also sampled fresh pineapple and pineapple pound cake. Okinawan pineapples are simply amazing. The flavor of the pineapples shipped in to the commissaries doesn't begin to compare!

one of the fields

a baby pineapple

The next stop was Neo Park, which was an open-style zoo. We wandered along trails and through large enclosures, watching, photographing, and petting many types of animals, mostly birds. There are lots of pictures from this day, so email me or look at the Facebook album to see more.

we took a train ride around the facility before touring it on foot

mama and baby lemur

 turtles, as always

 there were lots of different birds, all kept together, that we could walk right up to. this shot is from about two feet away.

they were easily fooled into thinking leaves were food. this bird's bill was wider at the bottom than the top.

for the life of me, I can't remember what these are called. they roamed freely with the peacocks and liked cabbage.

March, Part 4: Shopping around/ E5 Exam/ Birthday!

Wednesday, March 12. This was the day before Nathan's E5 exam, and as he wanted to get in some last minute studying, we kept our activities to a minimum. We did go out for a little while in the afternoon to stretch our legs, stopping at the Ikea of Okinawa, Nitori, to get some things for the house. We also got some scarves and a vest at a clothing chain called Mac House, our first time going in one. And lastly, we wandered through a chain called Don Quixote, a giant store that has, well, basically everything. Clothes, blankets, shoes, jewelry, kitchen appliances, TVs, and everything else they could throw in, following typical Japanese style. This was a low-key day, most of it being spent with Nathan in front of his computer.

Thursday, March 13. My 23rd birthday! Nathan left around 5am to drive the hour to Camp Shields, straight across the island from White Beach. I slept ad hung out in the cabin until he came back, bearing flowers, cake, and gifts. We spent the afternoon in American Village. The whole day was a blast.

Dr. Suess Converses. He knows me so well.

 New year, new hair, compliments of Nathan's Salon.

 Dr. Fish. They eat away old skin and tickle like mad.

 Dinner was shabu shabu, named for the swishing sound the meat makes as you cook it in the broth.

The view from the Ferris wheel

Frozen yogurt at Partyland. They have exotic flavors like royal milk tea, mango, and aceola, plus Okinawan cookies and other local toppings.

Nathan's

 Mine

 Super fun birthday :)