Cup a Noodles

This is just a misc. post about some random things. I entitled it 'Cup a Noodles' because that illustrates what we've been up to (or not up to I should say) since the last post. We are here in the country of Japan, known for it's noodle cuisine, and this is what Trips had for dinner the other night; a cup a noodles from the Mini Mart nextdoor. He went back to work last week (students start tomarrow) and I have been attending AOB/ICR (Area Orientation/Inter Culteral Relation) classes. By the end of the day we haven't had the energy to pack the girls up for a hop onto the bus and a walk into town. Things tend to be a bit more difficult with an infant who's completely dependant and a 3 year old who can tend to lose control of her emotions (yes, we all know who she got that characteristic from). We've also been trying to go out with housing agents to try and find ourselves a home more suited for us than this Navy Lodge room, which can be it's own special type of torture with screaming kids and an agent who barely speaks our language and comes from a culture where being load in public is kinda rude. We've been fortunate to have some very understanding agents, but I have uttered the phrase, "Gomen nasai" several times. This will be my first Japanese language lesson to my readers. "Gomen nasai" = "I'm sorry"!
The girls:
They were in daycare last week. The CDC (Child Developement Center) offers both hourly and fulltime daycare. We got the girls into the fulltime center for the week of my AOB/ICR. In the beginning I didn't want to take them, especially Lacey who has never been with someone other than me or family. But, by the last day I was sad that I couldn't bring them back! The place was really great and they took great care of the girls. The ladies (5 total for both classes) were wonderful and I very much liked all of them. Lacey cried alot at first, but I think she gained some independance. It was the best thing Stella could have done. She was aching for some playtime. Unfortunately, the wait list is quite long so I don't see them going back there anytime soon.
Stella has been amazing at understanding her surroundings. She has become a wiz at paying attention to signs. Not the word kind, but the picture kind. She's helped T and I with several questions, like where to change Lacey's diaper!
Stella has also proved to have her Gran's interest in mystery. She's discovered Scooby Doo and loves it. Alot of you are aware of her pention for 'scary, scary stories' being told to her. That interest has developed further. She's really into 'scary' things. She's been wanting to see 'scary' movies alot so, I rented the Wizard of Oz for the first time. I was very excited for her to see it and my expectations were met with the expression on her face when Dorothy opens that door and the color of Oz is revealed. PRICELESS.
Lacey is still a baby. Her first tooth has made it's way through. She has not learned to sit up, but manages to get around on the bed by scooching towards what she wants. She is grabby. Very, very grabby. She has a very high pitched scream, which I'm sure is not popular around the lodge. She still smiles a ton. And, as I mentioned before, she's a hit with the Japanese public.

Hopefully, my next post will be about our new house. Until then...

Some pictures posted on Photo Journal page

Kamakura

Trips had his turn at AOBs (Area Orientation Briefing - the military is crazy about acronyms) this past week. One of the days is scheduled as a field trip. They teach you some things about the train systems and you are supposed to pick a destination and make your way there - so we gave it a shot. We picked the seaside town of Kamakura, which is across the Miura Peninsula and to the north. Our journey started with the bus ride to the front gate. From there we had a 15 minute walk to JR Yokosuka Station. Trips bought us each a Suica card loaded with Yen for convenience. Our first hurdle came when Lacey's stroller wouldn't fit through the turnstile. I saw that there was one at the end designated for wheelchair use, but I wasn't sure where to swipe my card. So, not remembering the word for 'excuse me', we stood there waiting patiently for someone to notice us. And someone did. A lady who had been sitting on a bench came over and got the attention of the attendant for us. We've encountered this type of kindness alot. When Trips was buying the tickets, I was standing by reading a pamphlet on our destination and a woman just came up to me to ask me if I needed help. Today, I was talking to a lovely woman named Yuki and she offered to communicate something for me. So, now I think that when I need help, if I just wait long enough, someone kind person with English speaking skills will come along an rescue me (I can only hope).
So, we got off of our first, nice, big, empty train to make a transfer. We found the correct platform with ease. The train pulled up and we boarded. I got our mammoth stroller as far as I could onto the crowded train, which was only a couple of steps. That didn't matter. The people kept coming, pushing their way past us and onto the train. It freaked me out! I held my breath for a few stops and we got off and made our way over a few streets to view the Pacific Ocean at Shichiragahama Beach - beautiful black sand.

We ate at what turned out to be a relatively high dollar restaurant, but yummy. You have to depend on trial and error alot, I've found, when traveling in a foreign country. Then walked back to the train station to backtrack to another stop we wanted to make. We made it through the crowded station and onto another crowded train. And did I mention it was hot? Real hot. Baking sun and high humidity hot. Dripping with sweat hot. We got off the train and walked in the direction of our destination. Another 15 minute stroll, in the heat, on a very narrow sidewalk, with a huge stroller, at a very busy tourist location. I was spent. We made it to the sight of the Great Buddha statue we were going to see, We entered the tree filled sanctuary, sweet relief from the sun. We cleansed our hands and mouth, as is custom when entering a temple. We turned the corner and there it was. The big, beautiful Buddha statue.

The Great Buddha (Daibutsu), a bronze statue of the Amida Buddha, was cast in 1252. It is 37 feet high and weighs 121 tons. Very beautiful and worth the trip. As, I mentioned to Trips, I can't believe we've viewed two 'Big Buddhas' in our lifetime (the other being on Lantau Island in Hong Kong - also magnificent - this Daibutsu was gratefully lacking the 300 + stairs to the top). Stella's favorite part was the ice cream. She chose vanilla ice cream. Trips chose the green tea ice cream - very popular here. Not too bad. Also popular is the purple ice cream - sweet potato.

We made the long journey back - walk, train, train, walk, bus. Again, the girls were troopers. Our first Japanese train experience - check.

Pictures Posted on Photojournal page

Where we're living (for now)

The Naval Base

We've spent the majority of our time in Japan on base so far. This experience in a new country has been made even more wonderful by the things made available to us here. We are able to live in and experience this completely foreign place with all of the excitement, anxiety, and discovery that that entails, but we have this haven to come to also. On base we can get American food. We have the fast food staples like McDonalds (which, of course, has permeated Yokosuka also), Subway, Taco Bell, and several others. There's a Chili's. There is a Starbucks. We have the commissary to buy American groceries and the Navy Exchange to shop for merchandise
(think Walmart that sells Coach purses, etc + there is a whole baby store.) We can bowl. We can go to the movies and see a new release for $4. We can rent American movies. There is hourly ChildCare and Daycare available. There is a Co-op preschool. Trips was worried about losing the routine he had lived for so many years of working out in the morning at the Executive. Well, there is also a state of the art Gym we have free access to, which just happens to be right across the street from Trips' school and that also supposedly has childcare available. (See photo in "Yokosuka 1" album on Photo Journal page. T is pointing to his classroom from Mikasa Park. The building behind with the arched roofs is the gym). There are several playgrounds, great views of the bay, a hobby shop, many, many programs and classes available for all of us. We have 2 buses that circumnavigate the base in both directions, so getting around is pretty easy.
I don't mean to brag - I'm just excited and thankful and wanted to share.
Until next time...

Into Japan

So, we made our 1st excursion together into the city of Yokosuka for some sightseeing! I was anxious upon approaching the exit from our little haven, the base. I was anxious about standing out, about the thought of everyone looking at us. I've experienced this before in China, but it's been awhile. Trips had been out before with a guy from school who helped him get us some cell phones, so we knew at least where we would head. We walked down some streets to the open air mall type place where Trips had gotten the phones and just continued to walk from there. We stopped in a very cool little stationary shop (mine and Stella's idea). What we really wanted, though, was to have our first Japanese meal. Many of the restaurants/noodle shops have displays in the front with wax/plastic models of the meals, so we were able to see what was available. We passed up many places. On our stroll, we happend upon a mall called More's City and decided to take a look (again, mine and Stella's idea). In the level called Restaurant Park we found a small place where we finally decided to have our meal. It was a very quaint little place with a diner type feel to it (note to self: I need to start taking pictures of everything!). We took out our menus, found what we thought looked alright, and pointed! Trips was successfully able to order a beer and the waitress understood our need for a kids meal. This was the coolest kids meal ever. Stella got a bowl of noodles, a burger patty, a couple of fried potatos, and a scoop of rice + the customary tea, which she loved. Now, one of the reasons for entering this establishment was the display we saw out front which featured a very large Hello Kitty toy. The waitress brought out Stella's tray and walked away. Stella's face dropped when there was no toy. We were just getting ourselves prepared to diffuse any reaction, when the waitress reappeared with a whole basket of toys, handed it to us, and held up one finger with a smile. Stella was elated to get her first Hello Kitty item in Japan, a plastic bank. I am positive there will be many, many more. Hello Kitty is everywhere! Trips even saw a Hello Kitty no smoking sign. Anyway, I was very, very pleased with my meal. Hot noodles in a delicious broth topped with some tofu + a very tasty beer. Trips received cold noodles topped with some kind of egg. He says his was alright, just not what he had hoped for. I consider myself to be very lucky to have loved my meal considering I chose from a very grainy picture in a menu. From there, we explored the rest of the mall, which was cool and someplace I will return for further inspection on the rare chance that I get any time to myself. After the mall we headed back to the closest gate to the base. Right at the gate, we decided to continue on and check out Mikasa Park, which was right around the corner and something that we can see from the base and were curious about. The park is named after the Mikasa, the flagship of the Japanese Imperial Army, which is permanently "docked" in Yokosuka. The park also features a "Light, Sound, Water Park", a coordinated arrangement of fountains, waterfalls, light, and music, which we didn't get a chance to see yet, maybe we'll save a revisit for when we have out of town guests!!
We had a really great first run, I think. Stella was really cooperative, only a few complaints about not wanting to walk. I felt very enthusiastic and excited about being here. My anxieties were calmed. Oh, and there is really no need to feel uncomfortable at the thought that everyone was looking at me, cause as it turned out, everyone was looking at Lacey! Whether she was awake and smiling at everyone with her blue eyes or passed out asleep in her stroller, people just loved her. So many people smiled and commented on her and several older citizens stopped us as we walked so they could touch her and her chunky little thighs.

Pictures Posted.

We're here!

We've made it to Japan!


Our journey started out a bit rocky when our 11:00 am flight to Chicago was cancelled resulting in an extra 7 hours waiting around Standiford Field. We got a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth at around 6ish and had to stay over night there before our flight to Japan. They put us up in a hotel with the meal vouchers and the whole deal. I considered this to be a blessing 'cause after all of those extra hours we had to wait in Louisville, I was not ready to tackle the long haul that was ahead of us. The girls were pretty great considering the set back.


So, the next day we made it back to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. We made it back through security again with all of our carry ons, which was quite a process, but went pretty smoothly both days. No lines and helpful people. Our wait there was incredibly short compared to the previous day, but, man, we sure could've used the amenities available at that airport the day before. Standiford is severely lacking. Oh, we met a very nice guy coming from Louisville also and going through the same process we were on his way to Japan. He is a magician living in Tokyo for the last 10 years. A very interesting and kind guy and fun to talk to. Shout out to Steve!! http://www.stevemania.com/


The flight left out at 10:10 Dallas time and turned out to be a pretty good one. We had a whole row of 5 seats to ourselves, each seat of which contained an individual screen with many movies, tv shows, games, music, etc. available. I brought with me a whole heavy bag of reading materials and never got to one, well I did manage to read the People magazine I bought at the airport; darned Brangelina drew me in. Anyway, it was a 12 hour 55 min flight. It was, of course more difficult with kids. Even when you're trapped on a 747 there's still no rest to be had. The flight was relatively empty, but I was still on eggshells the whole time, just waiting for one of the girls to lose it and starting screaming. But, thankfully, they never really did. Lacey did sleep several times, but neither Trips nor I ever managed to fall asleep for an effective amount of time. Stella got a bit of cabin fever, but for the most part and considering how extensive and tiresome the journey had already been, she was great. For those of you considering a visit, we flew American airlines and had, besides the cancellation, a good experience. I don't know how the prices compare, but worth checking into. I am, in no way, dreading a return flight home.


We landed in Japan @ Narita airport. We were able to navigate past the lines in passport check and into our own line 'cause of our family status. We made our way down to the baggage claim where all of our luggage waited for us, already being pulled off of the carousel. Oh, I didn't mention before that we had 9 suitcases, a pack n play, 6 carry on bags, a stroller, a booster car seat, and a baby carrier base! Back in Louisville we had many people to help us get it all inside, but we were concerned about what to do when we got to Japan and it was just the 2 of us. Miraculously, we loaded everything onto 2 carts and a stroller and made it to customs, which we zoomed right through. On the other side, Trips' contact from his new school was waiting for us. He was able to help us with our luggage, get us out of the airport, drive us the several hours to the base, and supply us with an enormous amount of information. We were so fortunate to have his help. Shout out to Al!!


So, it's now Sunday night to us. We've been in Japan since Thursday, but it really doesn't even seem like it. We've been trying to get over this jet lag and spending our days getting aquainted with the base. We don't exactly feel very 'wordly' yet though. It's difficult when you've been eating at the Chili's across the parking lot every night, Taco Bell and Micky D's for lunch, and watching cartoons and the Golden Girls on tv. But it's been really cool just learning about these surroundings and seeing the sights and learning about the amenities available to us on base, which are numerous. On that note, here's our mailing address, which should be U.S. postage...

Foster Jones
PSC 473 Box 95
FPO, AP, 96349

We finally made it off base today when we went out with a local housing agent and looked at our first couple of houses. We spend the next week at different orientation briefings. We also take our driver's test on Friday, which I'm a bit anxious about. I've acclimated to seeing the driver on the opposite side of the car and the car on the opposite side of the road, but I'm not sure how I'll do when I am the driver!


Things have gone amazingly smooth so far. The girls are adjusting. We're surprisingly having the most jet lag problems out of Lacey. She's been a super crank since we arrived. When we deboarded the plane, Stella said she wanted to "go back home to Ooaville, Entucky", many times, it was heartbreaking, but she's now really excited again. We've had some discipline problems, but hey, she's 3 and everything she knows in her life (except the presence of her mom, dad, and sister) has changed. We're staying in very close quarters at the Navy Lodge, so hopefully our spirits will stay high so that we can endure. T starts work the week after next.


There's still so much to do, see, learn, experience - we'll keep you informed. Thanks for checking in on us! Until next time...

Naval ships in the Bay