7 Months!

It is hard to believe, but we have been in Okinawa for 7 months already! When I looked ahead to our move here I didn't think that the time would go by so quickly, but it sure is! I look back at the last 7 months and think of all the things that have changed and happened since we moved here and it is amazing! Here is a short trip down memory lane...

* We rented our first house ever (after two apartments) and we love it!

* Ben ate sushi for the first time (not a huge milestone, but big for him) and loved it. He then asked if I could make it for him. That hasn't happened yet, but we'll see! :)

* I traveled the farthest I have ever traveled in my life (http://goo.gl/maps/KP7Fs - the distance from Illinois to Okinawa).

* We became parents for the first time! After 10 weeks the Lord took our baby to care for him/her in Heaven until we join them there (Lord willing, that day will come very soon!).

* Ben promoted from 2nd LT to 1st LT in August. That was a really neat time and I'm so glad I could be here to pin him on!

* I rode in a Zodiac for the first time (a boat that Recon and the Navy Seals use) and that was an awesome experience!

* I taught in a classroom for the first time in my life. I was scared to death (to the point of almost getting sick!), but the Lord gave grace and it was a humbling and exciting time.

There is so much more that I could put on this list, but I already promised it would be a short trip down memory lane and not an extended one. :) I just love being able to look back on everything that has happened and see how God worked so intricately to bring things to a place that He wanted. I know in my heart that today we are where God wants us to be. Tomorrow that may be a different story, but God is the Author of our lives and we will go where He sends us!

Driving in Oki

Driving in Okinawa is an adventure of its own. I never really, truly thought through what it would be like to drive on the left side of the road. I never really thought through what it would be like to drive on the right side of the road either. :) It was just natural. Driving on the left side of the road is natural for some as well, but not for me. Well, it is now, but it wasn't before moving here! Am I making any sense??

Ben and I were watching a video the other night and it had a van driving in the States (on the right side of the road). After watching for a few minutes, I commented on how strange it was to see a vehicle drive on the right side of the road. Ben started laughing and said that he was wondering what was wrong with the video! Haha. We are both so integrated now into Japanese driving that it is the 'correct' way of driving for us. Watch out for us when we head back to the States, folks! Dangerous drivers coming your way. :)

Here are some of the interesting aspects of driving in Okinawa.

*Children
Children apparently do not have to buckle up in Japan. Due to this, you will constantly see children jumping around, crawling around and having a grand old time in the car. It is a bit distracting to me...especially when the other day I saw a really young child sitting on a mother's lap while she was driving! Children also have a signal that they use when they want to cross the street here. They raise their hand straight into the air and then they cross the street. That is a signal to drivers that they are going to cross.

*Left (not right!) turn on red
Left turns on red are NOT allowed when you are off base, unless there is a designated turn lane that veers off the intersection; then it is treated like a yield. On base you can make a left turn on red if it is clear to do so.

*Flashers
Otherwise known as "Hazard Lights". These are used super often here on the island! Cars will pull over at the most random times, pop on their flashers and do whatever they needed to do. I have never seen them used so often before! I have started using them more often as well.

*Horn
A car's horn is not used here as it is in the USA. In America it is used to express anger, frustration, alert vehicles to how close they are to you, etc. In Japan it is used very rarely. More for saying 'thank you' after you let someone in ahead of you, etc. You will hear a horn blow and know that most likely it was an American that used it. I have used it a couple of times (once this morning when a car about drove right into me!), but much less than in the States. I am definitely a Chicago girl. :)

*Speed
The speed limit in Japan is all in kilometers, not miles per hour. The normal speed limit on most streets is 50 kph. That is right around 31 mph. The highest speed limit sign that I have seen so far is 80 kph. This is right around 50 mph. So, this is another reason to watch out for us when we come back to the States. We will be driving like senior citizens. :)

Well, I hope this opens your eyes a bit into the life behind the wheel in Japan. It is definitely different than in the States, but we are adjusting pretty well. :)

1stLT Benjamin C. Schmid

That's my husband! Well, that is what my husband's new title is. :) He promoted from 2ndLT to 1stLT at the end of August, but officially got pinned on 18 Sep 2012. The basic reason was so that I could be there during the pinning. What a very sweet husband I have! :)

We had the promotion ceremony on Oura Wan Beach which is located on Camp Schwab. This is the base where my husband works. He is one lucky guy as he has one of the best beaches on the island right at his fingertips every day! We had the "Do What Daddy Does" day back in May on the beach here. It is a gorgeous place to be! Here are some pictures from the ceremony (some of them are out of order, so please forgive me.)

After the ceremony we had some lovely pictures taken on the beach.

The background and weather were amazing!

1st LT & Mrs. Benjamin Schmid

Removing the 2nd LT bars

Putting his 1stLT bars on.

Giving him a peck on the cheek after pinning him on. :)

Beginning the ceremony.

The Oath of Office.

Captain Ernst swearing Ben into office.

The Marines who came to the ceremony!

Reasons You Know You Were Stationed In Japan and in the Military...

Reasons you know you were stationed in Japan and in the military
(some excerpts copied from www.okinawahai.com)

1. You find yourself bowing unconsciously instead of saying "Hi"!

2. You get a letter from a pal with eight stamps on it, and JAPAN in large letters across the bottom.

3. You thought you would never choose decor in an "Asian theme" and now your living room resembles a Tokyo hotel lobby.

4. You wish that the military could insert a barcode under your skin instead of having an ID card.

5. There's an earthquake somewhere in Asia and everyone thinks you must have felt something.

6. You sheepishly shrug (feeling undeserving) in your seat when a young Marine salutes your car.

7. You have no problem dropping 5,000 Yen at dinner. It still doesn't really seem like fifty bucks to you.

8. You can meet all your shopping needs, at 11 PM, at Family Mart, but wouldn't be caught dead in a 7-11 after dusk in the States.

9. I noticed that my soon-to-be 3 year old son (who was born on mainland Japan) had picked up some Japanese nuances….like when he plays with cars he makes them “beep” when they back up!

10. You return Stateside and find that you’re turning on your windshield wipers instead of your turn signal. And you almost find yourself on the left side of the road when you’re not chanting “right, right, right” in your head.

11. You say “hai” to everyone instead of yes. Hopefully they just think I’m being friendly. :)

12. When we returned to the States from living overseas the first time I was so programmed to show my ID that I tried to show it to the greeter in Wal-Mart!

13. People ask you if you know someone who is stationed in Japan or lives in Japan, but they live on mainland and they think Tokyo is just up the street. :)

14. You turn off your lights at night or early morning when you get close to anything resembling a gate

15. You graciously accept a little candy from a sweet local and actually give it to your child.

16. You think nothing of the same sweet lady holding or touching your baby

17. If you travel by plane for less than 12 hours and make only 1 connection…it’s a quick trip.

18. You consider spending $4000 on a car to be a lot

19. You take seeing the ocean every day for granted

20. Seeing motorcycles and scooters using the roads and sidewalks interchangeably doesn’t even phase you and they no longer startle you when out of nowhere they suddenly appear right next to your car.

21. At first you are amazed by all the drink machines every 20 feet, but before you know it you are using them all the time and panic when you don’t see on right away when really thirsty!

22. You stop mulling over purchases and start buying things you MIGHT need later (eg. space heaters, turkey roasting pans, etc) as soon as you see them, thinking it is better to return something you don’t need than to need something that is no longer available to purchase.

23. Remembering the "3 car rule" at intersections when you realize that you are more likely to go through a yellow light than to stop.

24. Going 80 kph on the expressway actually feels like you’re going really fast!

25. You use landmarks when heading somewhere new instead of relying on street names.

26. You live out in town and can hum along to the music played at 7:00am and 6:00pm every day.

27. You can buy a piping hot CAN of coffee from the vending machine!

28. You carry customs forms, sharpies, and mailing boxes in your vehicle

29. You automatically add 6 months to the expiration date on coupons

30. You know exactly when you’re Space A paperwork expires

31. Once you’re back in the States:

a. You visit people for the first time and your whole family walks in the house and automatically lines up their shoes by the front door.
b. The first grocery store you look for is an Asian food store.
c. Every time you walk into a Dollar Store you wish you had a 100 Yen Shop nearby!

A Blustery Weekend

Last weekend we had another typhoon! It has been quite an active season for typhoons here in Okinawa. From what we have heard it is much more active than a typical season. Last Saturday we had Typhoon Jelawat blow around most of the day. It ended up being one of the strongest typhoons experienced here in a long time! The storm started at the southern part of the island and went all the way up the island leaving flooding, trees uprooted, houses and walls in shambles, cars blowing around and power outages in its wake. The following link shows a car that was blown away from its parking space on one of the bases on island. http://youtu.be/7eny9s9m2SA

We survived the storm with some slight damage done to our roof, water damage to the ceiling, and our power out for a total of 58 hours. Some of the damage has already been fixed, but some of it is still a work in progress. Today I had three Japanese men standing in my living room after fixing one of our issues and they were just chatting away in Japanese while I sat there completely oblivious. Then they started laughing and I began wondering what they were talking about. It is a strange sensation sitting in ones own house and not being able to understand what people are saying. :)

We are having beautiful weather now that is just starting to have a touch of fall in it. The mornings and evenings are beautiful and in the 70s. Some of the trees have all of their leaves gone now, but that is probably due more to typhoons than the actual changing of seasons. The colors really haven't changed at all, but I've heard it does so more on mainland Japan than here in Oki. I'll try and get some more pictures up soon!