Philip's Visit

Philip has come and gone already. He arrived last Tuesday night, right on time and left yesterday afternoon.

When I picked up Philip from the airport on Tuesday evening, he was exhausted. He thought it was very weird for all of us to be driving on the "wrong" side of the road and kept getting scared thinking I was going to hit another car or go the wrong way. I had his bed ready for him (my extra mattress) so he went right to sleep when we got back to my apartment. He woke up on his own in the morning and went to school with me. He enjoyed playing with the kids at recess and watching videos on my computer all day, while I was teaching.

Arriving at the airport in Naha after 18 hours of traveling across the world.

Playing with my students at recess the day after arriving.

Happy "Green Day" I explained to my students the history of St. Patrick and traditions of St. Patrick's day. They didn't really understand it but liked learning about leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold =)

Wednesday and Thursday night we went out to eat. I showed Phil American Village and he decided to not go to school with me Friday. Instead he walked around the main street I live on, looked around some shops and spent time at Starbucks.

Having dinner at the Italian restaurant Rose Garden

They have delicious apple pie and vanilla ice cream!

Friday afternoon, Phil and I went to my favorite place, Sunset beach.

The sun was setting and as always, the view was amazing.
Phil couldn't stop admiring the view.
We walked along the seawall for a few minutes.
This area in front of the beach has a spot to sit and put your feet in water. I've seen people at this spot before but didn't know exactly what it was.
We decided to give it a try. The water was very warm. We finally figured it must be water coming from the day spa, in back of where we were sitting.

Phil made a few friends that were happy to say "goodbye" and "Have a good day" in the little English they knew.

Friday night, we ate at Tony Roma's in American Village and attempted to watch a movie in English at the local movie theater. We asked to see the movie "It's Complicated" but the lady didn't know what we were talking about. As we were trying to explain to her, the movie came up on a preview on the TV behind her, so we pointed to the movie and said "that one." She said "oh, okay" and gave us tickets. I made sure the movie would be in English and she assured me it would be. We ate dinner and went back to the theater. We were the only Americans and were a little unsure if the movie would actually be in English. It turns out the movie was in English but half way through the movie we realized it was not the movie we had asked to see. We were watching "Have You Heard About The Morgans?" which was a boring movie, we both struggled to stay awake. Oh well, it's a movie we can say we watched in Japan.
On the corner of American Village, heading to the movie theater.

Saturday, we got signed on base and I showed Phil the BX, a few shops and then we ate lunch at Chilli's. I had been craving a salad from Chilli's and it was delicious, I think I'm going back there after church on Sunday instead of the food court! There was a random, new vending machine in front of the BX that caught my eye:

A HOT DOG VENDING MACHINE! I would except this off base but not ON BASE....

We declined to try it out =)

After eating lunch on base, I took Philip to the WWII Peace Prayer Park. I knew he would love the history and learn a lot about Okinawa from the visit. Philip helped me navigate and find the Peace Park with only a few wrong turns. We found a museum that I didn't go to when I was at the park before. The museum had letters written from survivors of the war (they had a few in English for us to read). Their stories were graphic and horrifying. We were the only Americans in the museum and it felt a little awkward. We watched a few videos of live footage from the war and looked at artifacts, including a canteen from the war that was discovered 10 years ago, with water still in it! We read timelines and saw gruesome pictures. Phil and I were very happy that we went to the museum. We learned a lot about Okinawa's role in the war, the toll it took on their culture and economy and how the war affected the world.

Just a few of the names of Americans who died during the war.

Eternal peace flame.

Last time I was at the Peace Park, the observation deck was closed. This time, it was open, so Phil and I went up to the top floor for an amazing view.
Part of the Peace Park.

After the Peace Park, Phil and I went bowling in the American Village area. We bowled four games. Phil won two, we tied one and I won one. We had a blast drinking Coronas and bowling.

Picking up the spare.
The workers spelled my name wrong, I was "Iorsten" for the night. Haha. I had to take a picture of this game, we performed equally horrible =)
We were the only Americans in the entire bowling alley.

On Sunday we went to the 100 yen store but Phil wasn't impressed with it. We also went to a martial arts store on gate 2 street. Phil found a tee shirt he liked, so I had to buy it for him, it was the only thing he wanted for himself the whole trip! We went back on base for church Sunday evening and had dinner at Chilli's again. Phil kept saying how being on base made him feel like he was in the U.S. I told him that's part of why I like my weekly base visits =)

Over the weekend, we kept commenting on how "foggy" it seemed to be outside. I told Phil that it was never like this before. Monday at work, Mr. Elofson informed me that it wasn't "fog or smog" but in fact Yellow Dust from China! YUCK! It was really bad out on Monday, lots of people were wearing masks. I read that the dust had made it all the way to the U.S.

Here is a picture of the Yellow Dust from my apartment balcony on Monday afternoon. Good thing Phil left on Tuesday because it's still bad out and I don't think his allergies would be corporative.

Although he protested, I had to catch a picture of Phil with Mc Donald's in hand. We got it as a "snack" on Monday, but after eating, both of our stomachs were upset. So, we stayed in and watched movies on his last night in Okinawa.
I packed up the extra suitcase Phil brought for me. That is now 3 suitcases I've sent home with visitors with my "extra" things and souvenirs from Okinawa. I think I'll be okay now with the luggage weight limit come June. I decided that my souvenier to myself from Okinawa would be a set of Japanese dishes. I figure that is something I can keep forever (as long as earthquakes and/or kids don't break them). The dishes only come in sets of four and I know I'll never have meals for only four, given our large family. So, I bought double of everything. I sent home two sets of plates, two sets of bowls, one set of cups and one serving bowl with Paul John and Phil. Now, I just have to buy the last set of cups and serving plate to make the set complete.
I thought I'd take a picture of the serving bowl to show you what the dishes look like:

Phil went to school with me Tuesday morning and Mr. Elofson let me leave school to bring him to the airport. We left school at 10:45 am and got to the airport at 11:30 am, one hour before his flight. Since he was flying domestic, to Tokyo, we were told to get there one hour ahead of time. I walked with Phil to the ticket counter to find a huge line of over 50 people waiting. By 12:05 we had only moved up two feet. Everyone in line around us was American and on the same 12:30 flight. I left to go back to work and told Phil to email me when he got to Tokyo. He emailed me later that afternoon and told me the line moved quickly after I left and that he made it on the flight right as they were shutting the doors. He made it to Tokyo okay, had a 2 hour layover and was exhausted by the time he boarded his flight to LA.

At the airport, ready for takeoff

I called him this morning and it was 3 pm in L.A., he was out to lunch with my mom and said he was struggling to stay awake. He said the flight was good, he had a good seat, emergency row, so extra leg room and nobody sat next to him! I told him to stay awake at least until 7 pm but I doubt he made it that far.

Our last picture in the airport.

Philip LOVED Okinawa and kept saying how he wished he had done something like living abroad for a year. Like Paul John, Philip didn't want to do the traditional tourist type of outings so we stuck to trying new restaurants and enjoying the scenery. The weather was perfect the entire week (minus the yellow dust) it was in the high 60's and mid 70's, no rain! Philip said he loved the slow pace and friendly people. He was amazed at how great the service was everywhere we went (and the fact that they were so friendly even through there is no tipping in Japan). He wished he could have stayed longer but knew he had to get back to work. I was sad to see Phil go but take comfort in knowing I'll see him again in 2 1/2 months. We had a great time together and made great memories to look back on in the future.

After two visitors in a row, I'm ready to relax and stay in a bit until spring break in two weeks! This Friday my class goes on our field trip to the aquarium and next Friday I submit 3rd quarter report cards. I will keep you posted on my upcoming events.

XOXO

Kristen

Some of Paul John's Visit

Sorry to keep those of you who check my blog often waiting. Paul John didn't want to go to the traditional tourist sites so I wasn't taking any pictures until this past weekend. Paul John left yesterday (Sunday) after 12 nights in Okinawa. I have to wait to get the bulk of pictures from him but here are a few to give you a little insight into some our adventures.

Paul John arrived last Wednesday afternoon, I picked him up at the airport and brought him back to school with me. On the way back to school, we realized he forgot the extra suitcase that I asked him to bring for me, at the airport in Naha! I was almost back to school so couldn't turn back around. We called the airport and they said they would hold the suitcase but we would need to be back by 4:30 pm to pick it up. I told them I could make it by 5 pm. It was Jessica's church night so I'd have to drop her off at church, then go to the airport and that would be cutting it close. The airport staff said they would wait until 5 pm for us. Jessica found a ride to church, so we were able to go straight to the airport after school got out. We made it there at exactly 4:30, paid 350 yen ($3.50) for a storage fee and got the suitcase back in one piece.

Since we were in the area (Naha), we decided to go to International/Kokusaidori Street. We ate at Sam's (a seafood restaurant shaped like a boat where a chef cooks food in front of you). It was definitely the best place to take a new visitor on their first night. All the shops have traditional Okinwan foods and souvenirs. Paul John loved looking at all the cars and seeing their weird names. I don't even want to know how many car pictures he took! We ate dinner, walked around and headed back home since it was a school night.

Roxy of Okinawa on Kokusaidori Street. I really wanted to buy a tee shirt that said "Roxy of Okinawa" but none of the shirts here fit me, they are all very wide and short.

Paul John and I in front of Sam's Restaurant on Kokusaidori Steet in Naha

Paul John went with me to school Thursday and Friday and the kids loved him, the boys especially liked having a male "teacher." He played with them during recess and helped teach first grade when Sarah was out for the day. The weather went from hot and humid to cold and rainy and back and forth throughout Paul John's entire visit. Luckily, he had a variety of clothes to adapt when needed.

On Saturday we ate at Jakkepoes which is known as the "IHOP" of Okinawa. I've read about it several times on various websites. Paul John read about it on his own before I could tell him about it so we decided to give it a try. It's a very small, "house turned restaurant" located down narrow, side streets. The only directions were to turn at the grocery store and follow the signs. We surprisingly found it without getting lost! The menu was basic but just what you need to satisfy a pancake craving. I had the plain pancakes with eggs and sausage. Paul John had a traditional Okinawan spice on his pancakes and the pancakes lived up to their expectations, delicious!

One of Paul John's main goals while in Okinawa was to take a karate class. Okinawa is the birth place of Karate so it's a unique experience to take Karate in Okinawa. Rocky drove us to a few different dojo's but they told us they don't offer one day/one week classes. On Monday night, we even walked to a dojo two miles from my apartment. We finally found a dojo about 20 minutes from my apartment. Paul John signed up for the class and we went back at night so he could take the class. Paul John bought a gi at a martial arts store on gate 2 street. We also found an organic bakery on gate 2 street that I think I'll be visiting often (delicious cinnamon rolls and french toast!).

Paul John was the only new person at the Karate class, four other guys who were black belts from Canada were training at the dojo. The sensei spent all 2 hours working with Paul John and another guy who was a brown belt. It was interesting to watch, I got a lot of good videos! Paul John was very happy with the class and enjoyed every moment of it!

The sensai is the one with the red belt. A red belt means you earned enough stripes to pass a black belt!

On Saturday, we went to Cape Zampa beach during the day and found a variety of full seashells! I was very excited about this =) (pics to come).

We stopped by a traditional Okinawan soba house for noodles and rice on the way home. I guess because it was so hot and humid Saturday and I hadn't been drinking much water, I got sick Saturday night and was up half the night throwing up my soba noodles. I won't be eating that again for a while! Paul John loved the 100 yen store and sushi go-round. I have lots more pictures to post of all these fun events, I just need to get them!

School is going well, two weeks until the 3rd quarter is over! I've been doing more oral language practice with my students which seems to be helping their phonics grades. We are going on a field trip to the aquarium next Friday. We have lots of parent volunteers (which means less students per adult) so I hope it's a successful event. I'm still tutoring a 4th grade girl every Monday afternoon for an hour. Before tutoring today, her teacher told me that she had no work to do but needed to practice her oral language, so to just talk with her and correct her grammar. So, todays tutoring session consisted of me asking her questions and giving her one minute per question to talk/answer as much as possible. I asked things like "describe what you ate for lunch today, describe an apple, describe the different between a cat and a dog, etc). Again, I felt bad for getting paid for such as easy task. I know that these little things do add up and make a different though. When tutoring was over and I met with the girls mother, she was very happy to hear that we "talked the whole time and practiced oral language skills."

Philip arrives tomorrow night, YAY! He will be here 7 nights. I am very wiped out from Paul John's visit but I am excited to be sharing this place I call home with so many loved ones. It's a lifetime memory and I will enjoy every moment. Spring break is less than four weeks away and I'm still trying to book a trip. I promise to keep you updated so your not waiting on me so long this time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Love and miss you all!

XOXO

Kristen

P.S.

I forgot to mention the big earthquake we had in Okinawa last Saturday morning. At 5:30 am I woke up to a big jolt. It was long enough for me to completely wake up, lay in bed and think, okay, this is normal, by the time I get up it will stop. Then I actually had time to get up, walk to Jessica's room and stand under the doorway with her for a few seconds. In reality, the shaking lasted 15 seconds and was recored as a 7.o. The epicenter was located under the ocean, in Naha, about 45 miles from me. It definitely felt strong but the thing that scared me was how long it lasted. At home, I'm used to the quake stopping before I can fully react.

Everything in my apartment was fine, the dish soap fell into the sink but that was it. My principal called a few minutes after I got back in bed to tell me there was a tsunami warning and to not go by the coast. I called my mom to let her know I was okay and she already had people calling her to check on me. I went back to bed for an hour before getting ready to go to the flower show with Rocky. Not long after the earthquake, the tsunami warning was lifted. I didn't feel any after shocks which surprised me.

On Tuesday afternoon however, I was siting in bed with my laptop on my lap and felt a smooth rolling motion. I sat there waiting for it to get bigger but thankfully it didn't. I looked it up and found out it was a 5.0, not too big but big enough to feel. Hopefully that was the last of them!

That's all for my P.S. =)

Kristen

Happy March!

I can't believe it's March already, yay! The weather has been beautiful which I am very thankful for. It actually started getting humid the last few days. Hopefully the rain and cold are gone for good (or for a while at least). I was able to make it to the beach a few times during the week and actually brought my camera this time.

This is Sunset beach, the area where I go running. I usually park by the hotel (near the windmill) and run around to the area where I took the picture.

As always, a beautiful sunset.

On Saturday I went with Rocky, Lori and her kids to Nago for a flower festival. I was told there are a few gardens near the aquarium that have tropical Okinawan flowers. Rocky took the kids into the aquarium and Lori and I walked around the flower gardens for a few hours. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't see any unique flowers. I enjoyed the nice, relaxing walk though =)

After the flower festival, Rocky took us to a Ryukyu event where Okinawan singers and dancers performed. They usually charge $75 a ticket for the show but since tourism is down this year, the show was free. Rocky still had to reserve tickets for us, it was packed! The show was two hours and was authentic as it can get! There were traditional Okinawan singers, Eisa drummers and a karate performance.

I was able to get a picture with some of the performers after the show.

I would have never found this show without Rocky, I am so thankful for him being my tour guide! It's definitely nice having someone who grew up in Okinawa show me things that nobody else knows about.

Today was the birthday of Dr. Seuss and my class celebrated with reading Dr. Seuss books and playing games. My students didn't recognize the name "Dr. Seuss" but most of them were familiar with his books. We made Dr. Seuss hats in which students filled in Dr. Seuss words that end in at. They all looked so cute!

I filled out and sent in my 3rd quarter progress reports. I had three students with D's and F's. All three received progress reports for their Bible grades and one of them for both Bible and language. They are my three lowest students, two to of which are boys and have really gone downhill since the beginning of the year. Luckily, one of the boys has parents who speak English, so he can get extra help at home. I'm trying to find ways to help them improve as soon as possible!

Paul John is on his plane ride to Okinawa right now. He arrives tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 11:30 am. He will be here until March 14th, hopefully the weather stays nice. Oh, Philip just booked his ticket to see me too! He will arrive on my birthday, March 16th and be here until March 23rd. Fun month full of visitors =)

My cough has continued to get worse over the past week, for some reason it's really bad in the morning and at night. The past few days though, I had to quit reading to students for a few minutes because of cough attacks. I got directions to the doctors office, now I just have to go, UGH!

Happy March! XOXO

Kristen