Christmas

Merry Christmas from Okinawa! Our first Christmas together. Because Nathan had to run several services on Christmas Day, we celebrated together on Christmas Eve. We received our PCS shipment that I had packed back in Michigan a few days ago, so our presents were placed under a tree made of packing boxes. After opening gifts from each other and family, we headed early to the chapel to set up for the candlelight service.

After Nathan got back from work today, we headed to a small dinner party at the chaplain's house. We spent a peaceful afternoon with close friends, which was the best way to spend the day when away from home.

And it rained all day. That's as close as we'll get to a white Christmas for several more years at least!

21st Century Park

Growing up on the East Coast, I should be wearing snow boots and mittens by now. But so far here in Okinawa, I only need a light jacket in the evening, and even that isn't always necessary. From what I understand, this is not yet the coldest part of the year, though I expect it won't be much colder than this.

A few days ago, Nathan had the afternoon off, and we decided to explore the northern part of the island. Most of the major sites and shopping areas are south of us, so the north is unexplored territory. We looked at a few attractions online, then decided to simple head to Nago, a major northern city, to see what we might find.

We have made a habit of reading together, especially while in the car. I read as he drove, ending up a little south of the aquarium at a place called 21st century park. Here we saw older men playing croquet, couples picnicking, and counting cats lounging. The park had lots of open grassy areas, and a concrete boardwalk along the beach front. In the water, a large group of young adults were yelling and laughing as bunches of them took turns riding a big floating raft towed by a jet ski. In another area, another group waded and swam. Away from the water, a group of young children played in the grass outside what I believe was a daycare. We walked along the boardwalk and the paths around the open areas, watching the people and smiling at the antics of the cats. It was a pleasant day, and a simple walk was all that was needed to enjoy it.

We left the park to drive further into Nago, but stopped shortly after at a digital camera shop and browsed their selection of lenses. When we got back into the car, it would not start. After some diagnostics, we determined there was problem with the ignition accepting the key, even though the key would open the doors. This wasn't terribly surprising as the key was worn from the previous owner and had given us a little trouble before. With the other key nearly an hour away in our apartment, we had to start making phone calls. By the time things were sorted out, a tow truck from our insurance was on its way. Thankfully I had packed snacks, and we had the Kindle, so the wait for the tow truck wasn't too bad.

After a lot of finagling (we had locked the wheel when trying to get the key to work), the driver got the car onto the tow truck, and we drove back to our apartment. We had decided to have him take us home so we could try the spare key before taking the car to a shop, and happily the spare worked fine, confirming our diagnosis that the old key was simply too worn. It was a bit of a stressful situation because neither Nathan nor I had ever really had car trouble before, so we didn't immediately know what steps to take. Also because it isn't exactly possible to live off base without a car, unless you want to pay for a taxi to take you to work every day. But it all worked out well, and it ended up being a good learning experience for us, though not quite the adventure we had set out to have that day.

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.

Moving Day

Moving day!

The entirety of our earthly possessions, packed, loaded, and gone in two hours.

before

during

after

bags for the plane

Updates, and Plane Ticket!

So I've missed a lot of days and happenings. Let me get you up to date.

I was promoted to manager at work, which has turned out to be a lot of fun. Even though I had never worked retail before, the position turned out to be a good fit. I've been having a bit of fun here in Lansing, from contra dancing to the Renaissance Festival. It's been good to keep busy. I went to North Carolina last weekend to visit my family and meet my new niece. Things are changing so fast, and I wanted to be able to see everyone all at once, for the last time in a long time.

Nathan went to a spiritual retreat with two congregations. A few days in a resort hotel discussing theology was good for him. He also has been dodging typhoons, and dealing with the government shutdown.

But really, I'm dying to tell you the big news.

I have my plane ticket. I'm leaving for Okinawa in about two weeks. It all slowly came together, through a lot of prayer and asking questions and waiting. Just yesterday Nathan went to look at several housing options. We are settling on a place to live, and will be staying in an apartment in a Christian community center near Hansen until we can move in. Nathan bought a car for us, though we have to wait for the personally own vehicle approval comes through to drive it. The movers are coming a few days before I leave to pack up everything and ship it sometime in the next few months.

It's a lot of craziness. It's a lot to figure out and learn about and settle while both of us still work. Everything is new to us, so we have to be guided.

But it's almost over. After almost five months apart, we have just two weeks to go.

Six Months!

Six months!