i haven't crashed. yet.

after weeks of being a passenger, i finally purchased a car.  i am disappointed in it's normal-ness.  it's a honda and it has a super boring name.  sm-x.  i was really hoping to score a "fairlady z" or even an "every."   it feels like i'm driving a mini-van because it sits so high up.  i thought about rocking a mini-van so this is the next best thing.  except, it's a three door.  two doors on the passenger side, and one on the driver's side.  super random.  my only complaint is that it smells like cigarette smoke.  whenever i turn on the heat or a/c, i get a nice whiff of smoke.  i need to febreeze the vents or take up smoking.

my pride and joy.  until i get my apartment.  i need to name her.  suggestions?


driving on the left side of the road has had me all worked up since i got here.  however, it hasn't been that scary or unnatural.  i think being a passenger for several weeks helped me to acclimate to the driving situation.  i do turn on my windshield wipers pretty regularly when i am attempting to turn my turn signal on or off.  i have not turned into oncoming traffic (knock on wood) but i have gone over a few curbs in my attempt to stay as far away from other cars as possible.

driving here is interesting.  the fastest speed limit i've seen so far is 60 kph (about 45 mph).  a lot of times it is 40 kph (about 25 mph) so it takes a while to get anywhere.  it's against the law to talk on cell phones while driving so people will just pull over where ever they are to answer their phones.  they put on their hazards and chat it up.  motorcycles can go in between the lanes so they are always zipping around, especially at red lights.  they go to the front of the line.  it's a bit terrifying.  people don't really seem to have road rage here.  they just smile as people cut them off or suddenly stop in the middle of the raod.  it's nice but i'm sure the slowness of it all will eventually drive me crazy. right now, i'm grateful that i'm not the only one driving under the speed limit.  speeding tickets are crazy expensive, like in the thousands, so that is another motivator to drive the speed limit.  they have speed cams and if they catch you, you get a hefty ticket in the mail.  parking tickets are upwards of $200.  american owned vehicles have "y" license plates and they sometimes target those plates because americans are rich.  it's a fact.

the road system is chaos.  my coworker accurately described it as "someone took a bunch of noodles, threw them on a piece of paper, and said 'this is how we should build our roads.'"  however, the nice thing about living on a small island is that you can't get that lost.  and there are so many military bases here that if you get lost, you just ask where the nearest base is and go there.


i could write 50 posts about the driving here.  it's a bit ridiculous, sometimes hilarious, and always a little bit unsettling.

food friday, #1

after the convenience store food found out about thirsty thursdays, there was an uproar.  hence, food fridays.

i very recently went to my first convenience store here.  there are convenience stores on every corner.  the japanese love their snacks and beverages!  

lawson's is where i had my first convenience store experience.  unlike most of the stores i had been in so far, there was not much in english.  therefore, i had to guess.  here is what i ended up with:

some random little green things in a bag, mitsuya cider, and a rice ball with plum in the center.  rice balls are a misnomer.  they are rice triangles.

the olive things turned out to pickled eggs of some sort.  i almost vomited after trying them.  and i attempted to look them up on the internets but no luck.  who knows what i really ate!  

the rice ball was pretty good but i was surprised by the rice ball filling.  for some reason, i thought it would be sweet plum but it was pickled.  japan loves to pickle their food.

the mitsuya cider was delicious.  it was like a less sweet version of sunkist.


maybe next food friday i'll actually pick something that is not pickled.

thirsty thursday, installment two

since the vending machine in my office is full of lame american drinks, i decided to get this week's beverage from the shopette on base.  

i wanted to be refreshed.

i picked the wrong drink.  it tasted like a watered down liquid cherry popsicle. not my favorite popsicle flavor and not my favorite drink flavor.  i gave it an honest effort but ended up throwing it away after a few sips.

i still need to get some good shots of a row of vending machines but without a car it's been difficult.  now that i have a car (see future post for the details), i'l be able to go where my little heart desires.  and it desires vending machines.

mochi pounding and roller slides

yesterday, a sweet lady from church picked me up and we went to a mochi pounding party.  


mochi is made from rice with a little water pounded into a mass of sticky goodness.  we all got a chance to take a whack at it.

after the rice is good and mochi'd, you form it into little balls with delicious fillings.  my personal favorite was the sweet bean paste (for you kerianne).  a very sweet japanese woman taught me how to make mochi balls look pretty.

you may not think these look that nice but you should have seen my first batch!  they put mochi in a variety of foods, like in soup.  i was on mochi overload by the end of the party!

cutest little japanese boy at the party.  i wanted to steal him but instead, i just took his picture.


after the mochi pounding party, the lady i was with took me to a japanese park to experience my first roller slide.  on okinawa, they don't have very many "regular" slides.  most parks have roller slides or drop slides.


here is a okinawan park.  they have massive parks all over the island.  the local kids at the park were so quiet.  japanese kids are so well behaved.  it's adorable. 

and here is a roller slide:

roller slides are made of a bunch of metal rollers next to each other.  the key is bring something to sit on.  without it, you don't go as fast and your butt burns by the end.  i borrowed a plastic tray to sit on and i flew!  i took a video going down but i'm having trouble uploading videos.  this is me on my first trip down.  i sat on my feet to avoid the bum burn.

i didn't wear the appropriate footwear and so this happened when i used my feet to break:

i'm sad about my boots but impressed with the okinawans.  they are ingenius!  

thirsty thursday, installment one

as I said in my previous post, okinawa LOVES their vending machines (as requested, a picture of the vending machines to come).  sometimes you'll see a whole row of them, i'm talking eight or nine.  since i have two years here, i should be able to try one eighth of the different beverages they sell.  

this week i played it kinda safe and chose:



aloe and white grape juice.  sounds good.

it was a very light and delicious drink for the first half of the can.  then, suddenly, i got a surprise.  

jello pieces (or a substance very similar to jello).  

not only is this a drink, it's also a light snack.  

actually, the jello was kind of good.  my only complaint is that it bottlenecked at the opening, causing a traffic jam of juice and jello. 

next week, i'm hoping for a drink that surprises me with a place to live.

vending machine fail

japan is the country of vending machines.  they have vending machines everywhere full of all sorts of exciting treats.  i read that there is one vending machine to every seven people.  with a population of about 1.4 million on okinawa, that's a LOT of vending machines.  so how is it that both of the vending machines by my hotel room are out of order??  i am dying for a cold coke but no such luck.  and unfortunately, my room is located in a building across a large and busy street from the hotel lobby.  the suffering.


i am going to start sampling the delightful drinks in the vending machines.  possibly as a thirsty thursday activity.  stay tuned for the beverage reviews.

i finally retired the flip phone!

one of my first orders of business was to get a cell phone.  i was dying for the iphone so i can stay up with everyone's happenings and have gps.  the plans they have are HILARIOUS.  the lowest plan is 24 minutes and the highest plan is around 146 minutes.  my plan has a grand total of 62 minutes.  the only calls that count against my minutes are outgoing calls.  they charge texts against my minutes but at a really low rate so i can send over 600 a month.  again, incoming texts don't count against me at all.  the cost of the phone made me a little light headed.  it was something like $833.  they break that up into 24 months and include it as part of your monthly bill.  but still, so much freaking money for a phone.  the funniest thing is that cars are super cheap here.  no one drives really nice cars because they take such a beating with the ocean air.  my phone cost a third of what my car will cost.  craziness i tell you.

i just married america

I got sworn in today.  or as the hr guy says, i married america.  no big deal.  although i would like to be addressed as mrs. america from now on.

michael jackson knows no language

warning:  this is a pretty long post.  this blog is as much for me and writing down my memories of this experience as it is for you to get updates on my life.


disclaimer:  i am still jet lagged.  this may be only semi-coherent.


my flight to okinawa was on january 9th.  i had the brillant idea of staying up all night until my flight left at 5:47am.  my cousin, case, and friend, dani, came over to my parents' house to keep me company.  we played some games and they watched a movie while i showered and finished packing.  my last american meal was at denny's right before heading to the airport.  a classy end to a classy american life.  case and dani decided to walk me into the airport and help with my numerous suitcases.  thankfully they did but there was NO ONE at the united counter.  not a single united employee to be found.  i realize that it was 3:45am but the airport is still open and flights are still coming and going.  i stood in line, along with about 30 other disgruntled travelers, waiting for someone to show up.  45 minutes later, ONE employee came out to check people in.  i am on a customer service complaint kick so i will certainly be letting united know about my displeasure at being kept waiting.  that is valuable time i could have spent enjoying the ambiance at denny's.


i was finally checked in and said my final goodbyes.  even though case was dying for me to break down, i kept my composure and went through security. dry-eyed.  right before i boarded, i heard a deep "hey."  it was dave, my friend tenille's husband who works at the airport.  it was nice to see a familiar face right before getting on the plane.  we chatted for a bit and then i got on the plane.


my first flight was to san francisco.  it was a tiny plane and every seat was booked so it was a bit snug.  luckily the flight was only an hour and half and i slept through most of it.  in san francisco, i grabbed some breakfast and found the international terminal.  the regular section of the san fran airport showcased stores like brookstone and the typical bookstores.  the international section of the san fran airport was filled with gucci, coach, etc.  it was like walking into a secret, designer portal.  instead of taking advantage of the shopping options,  i found the gate for my flight, got out my travel blanket and pillow and took a two hour nap.  when i fell asleep, i was the only person there.  when i woke up, the seats were full and i was getting some strange looks.  maybe it was due to the eye mask and sound machine i had set up to create an optimal sleeping experience.   


the plane to tokyo was giant.  thankfully.  it was an air japan flight so all of the flight attendants were japanese and SO nice.  overall, the flight was pretty ok.  they fed us two full meals, which were both a mix of american and japanese food, and several snacks.  they were consistently offering some sort of beverage and the flight attendants would walk up and down the aisle holding items like they were modeling for the price is right.  i loved it.  the only downside to the flight was the none of the economy seats reclined.  so for 12 hours i had to sleep sitting up.  i slept less than i had hoped but since i had an individual tv, i was able to watch several movies to help pass the time.  i finally watched "as good as it gets."  maybe it was due to the fatigue, but i wasn't a huge fan. 


the chaos begin in tokyo.  my layover was about two hours.  just enough time to get through immigration, customs, and the security line for domestic flights.  i took two large suitcases and a carry-on size suitcase.  luckily, i was able to attach the carry-on to my larger suitcase but it was still a struggle to drag them all around through the maze that is the tokyo airport.  again, i will say that the japanese people at the airport were extremely nice and helpful.  


finally, i was down in the lobby waiting to board my final flight to okinawa.   the lobby was filled with military people coming back from leave and/or deployment.  i guess i better get used to being around military all of the time.  we had to take a shuttle to the plane.  i thought the plane to okinawa was going to be tiny but it was bigger than most planes i've been on in the u.s.  when i found my seat, i struggled to get my suitcase in the overhead compartment while a bunch of military guys watched.  i was disappointed in their helpfulness but they seemed to enjoy the entertainment of watching me struggle.


i slept almost the whole flight to okinawa.  when i got off the plane, i was hit with the humidity. even inside, you could feel how thick the air is.  as i was walking to the baggage terminal, i heard the music playing in airport, "human nature" by michael jackson.  it was as if okinawa was giving me a personal welcome.  


i got my luggage, again, while a bunch of soldiers/marines/seamen/airmen, watched me struggle.  in the lobby were my boss, betsy, and my co-worker, ricardo.  of course, when we got to the car, i went around the right side of the car only to be reminded that i was going to the driver's side.  they drove me to the hotel to check in.  on the way, as they tried to make small talk, i started to get more and more overwhelmed.  i checked into the hotel and they drove me to the tower were my room was.  they left me with a bag of snacks and a time to pick me up the next day.  as soon as they left, the magnitude of the changes i was/will be experiencing hit me.  the tears began and didn't stop for quite a while.  i didn't cry much as i said goodbye during my last month in the states.  apparently i had been saving it up for that night.  i cried hard for at least 30 minutes.  after i cried, i felt a bit better.  i knew i was overly tired, hungry, and overwhelmed.  i decided that a hot shower and a good night's sleep would help.  and they did!  i'm feeling much better today.  still really groggy but much more optimistic and relaxed.  knowing myself, i'll have several more nights like that as i adjust to everything here.


the moral of this story?  michael jackson knows no language.  

even my own mother

i wanted my first post to be a video of the tribute song my two youngest brothers wrote for me but blogger joined the "i hate kate club" along with evite and hotmail so no videos as of yet.  instead, here is a funny story.


i was playing games with my mom, my two youngest brothers, and my cousin.  my cousin had a bracelet on that had writing on it in english and japanese.  my mom asks my cousin about it and he tells her it says "pray for japan" and she says "is that because kate is moving there?"


even my own mother.