Brian was gone most of February on a training exercise. During this time, I finished my "Culture Substitute Teacher" position because they hired someone full time. My last couple of days, the new lady came in to observe and get her things together. It was a lot of fun talking to her because she is a native of Okinawa. She was extremely nice, and even made Brian and I Kanji signs with our names on them.
After finishing this position, I am just a "normal" substitute now, so I just get called in for odd jobs here and there. I have been able to work a couple of longer jobs rather than just the day jobs. One was for about a week, and another was for two weeks. I like working in the longer term because you can connect more with the kids, and it gives me ideas for my own classroom in the future! During my week long job, I got to experience my first earthquake. I was sitting grading papers while the students were working and I noticed that I was rocking back and forth gently, like I was sitting in a rocking chair. I looked up at the students, and they just shrugged it off saying, "It's just an earthquake Mrs. Clark!" I found that quite amusing that it is just second nature for the students.
I have been able to get out and see a lot more things near to us on the island with one of my friends. She has taken me to different restaurants and stores, all of which have been very enjoyable. I have tried Indian food for the first time, and it's quite delicious! Another one of my new favorites is the 100 Yen Store, aka, the Dollar Store. They literally have EVERYTHING there, it's a little overwhelming, but I can't wait to go back again!
Another thing that has happened that I'm not so proud of is getting my first ticket, ever. The rule over here (and I think on any military base) is that you can not talk on your cell phone, and we also can't off base in Okinawa. There aren't many MP's (Military Police) on the bases since they are pretty small, and usually you don't see then when you are driving around. Well, they caught me by surprise. I got a ticket for talking on my cell phone, and it is yet to be decided what my fate will be for that.
The weather has gotten extremely nice within the past week here. Lots of sun and 70 degree weather! I can finally work on my tan now!!! We have been trying to put a fence up in our backyard for Piston for close to a month now. The ground here is very tricky though because it is mostly made of red clay. We have finally given up the battle and are having someone come to put it up for us at the end of this next week. Piston will be very happy to have a fence to play in once it is all said and done.
Piston is still growing at a rapid pace and is a lot of fun for Brian and I both. He will be 6 months old in just a couple of days, and we have had him for 4 months now. It seems like we have had him for a lot longer than that though!!! Brian used to say that I spoiled him to death, but now Brian does the spoiling, Piston gets a new toy almost every week because we just can't resist it! Piston now knows a total of 6 tricks including: sit, shake, jump, lay down, high-five, and crawl. We are still working on the crawling, but if he is focused, he can do it pretty well.
Brian and I are celebrating our One Year Anniversary today, we can't believe it's been a year already. We have been through a lot so far, and we've made it!
I am officially coming home in June for Andy and Ivy's wedding, as well as for Jessica's High School Graduation. I am very excited about coming home to see family and friends. I know I will miss my new home too though.
Last month, as everyone knows, there was a huge earthquake and large tsunami's in Mainland Japan. Brian and I are very appreciative of all the thoughts and prayers we got from the natural disasters. We were extremely fortunate to be so far away from all of the things going on, but are still thinking about all those up in those situations now. It has still affected us in some small ways. Brian was supposed to go to help with the relief efforts, but that was cancelled for some reason or another. Also, DoDDs schools have a transfer program where teachers can request to transfer to a different school or location. This program is supposed to announce transfers for the next school year around this time, but because of the issues in Japan, this process has been frozen for the time being. They are not sure what the situation will be for the schools or bases up there in the next school year. Many of the classrooms up there now are operating with only a handful of students coming to class as it is. This is affecting me getting a job for now. Until the transfer situation is under control, I will have to continue being patient to hear about whether I will get a full time teaching position next year or not.
Last week, I went with some of my friends to get a pedicure. There is a place here called Cocoks that is famous for their pedicures. I would say they definitely lived up to those expectations. We all sat in nice leather recliners and were brought buckets of water for our feet to soak in. Once that was done, the rest of the pedicure was done with our feet up and leaning back in the recliner. We each got a glass of Jasmine Tea to sip on that they refilled throughout the two hour process. They do awesome artwork on pedicures too. Everything is done to perfection, it is really amazing. It was an awesome experience, and I can't wait to go again!!
Close to a month ago, we went out to White Beach for a function with Brian's work. This beach has campers and cabins to rent out. The campers sit right in front of the ocean with an amazing view. We had a great time and plan to go back many more times.
I'm not quite sure if I have covered everything that has been happening here, but I did cover a lot of it!! Enjoy, and I'll try to update again before I head back to the states!!!
Above: Araha Beach
Above: White Beach
Above: Kanji from Friend
Piston with his monkey...
Family :)
