Weathering the Storm

On the island there are Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (better known as TCCOR) levels that notify the base how close the typhoon is and what to expect. If you're interested you can check out the different levels, as well as what TCCOR we are in here: http://weather.kadenaforcesupport.com/update/tccor.htm We are usually in TCCOR 4 from June to November since that is considered typhoon season. Last Saturday, there were warnings of a tropical storm headed toward the island. A couple down the street took us to the commissary (because we still don't have a car) to buy some supplies to be prepared for the typhoon. The commissary was fricken crazy! From now on, I'm stocking up on typhoon food & water all the time just so we're prepared and don't have to go fight the storm of people at the commissary. We bought a couple jugs of water and some food that we could prepare if our power were to go out.

The storm was predicted to hit us on Sunday afternoon. Chad and I were excited to experience our first tropical storm! Well, Sunday afternoon came and went and left us with just a little bit of rain but nothing really. It wasn't until we went to bed that night, when the real storm hit. It was funny too because the commander had put us in to TCCOR Storm Watch before we went to bed, which pretty much means that the storm is moving away from the area and soon we will be in the clear. Well, turns out the storm's back end hit us during the night. It kept waking me up, the wind was throwing rain up against our window! On Monday morning, Chad got all ready to go work and then he got a call that he didn't have to go in because we were in TCCOR-1C which means that all nonessential personnel must go or stay home. It reminded me of a child, when we would get all ready for school and then find out that it was a snow day. Loved when that happened! By Monday afternoon, the storm had cleared up and the sun starting to shine again! We survived our first tropical storm, technically it wasn't a typhoon when it hit us, it did turn into a typhoon as it moved away though! I've been told this was just a baby storm, they can get a lot worse! I'm kind of excited to experience a real typhoon! As long as we're prepared and inside :)

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

Before we left for Japan, we had pictures taken of us with Chad in his uniform. I love them, so I wanted to share them with you! Thanks to Sally Vrooman Photography for taking them & this website for the inspiration!

Frustrations

On Thursday, we moved into our new home. We love it! The government is loaning us furniture until our stuff arrives, so that furniture was in our house when we got here. It is very uncomfortable furniture! The bed is only a full size and it's very hard! I guess I shouldn't complain since it's better than sleeping on the floor but it just makes me want our bed here even more!


Our stuff probably won't arrive until September which seems so far away at this point! I find it very frustrating to have to buy things that we already own but just aren't haven't arrived yet, like towels, shower curtain, dishes, etc. We don't even have a microwave in our house and I'm already very tempted to go buy a cheap one. We made chicken tacos in the crock pot for dinner the other night and then we put the leftovers in the fridge. The next day, I realized the leftovers are useless because we don't have a microwave to warm them up! It kills me to have to go buy a microwave when we already have one sitting on a boat somewhere! There is a loan closet on base at the Family Readiness Center where they will loan you pots, pans, microwaves, etc. to get you by until your stuff arrives. I went there the other day and they didn't have a single thing to loan out! Right now is PCS season, there is a lot of people coming and leaving the island so everyone is needing these essentials.

We still don't have a car and it's becoming very frustrating to me. We went to the dealership and picked out the car that I wanted. Then we find out that we can't get it right then because Chad doesn't have his license. I have my license, but Chad needs his in order to have the car in his name. The car has to be in my sponsor's name for whatever reason. Chad wasn't able to get his license the same day I got mine and now since he's attending First Term Airmen Classes for 2 weeks, he doesn't have time to get his for another couple weeks. The way around this is having a letter signed by an officer in his shop and then taking it to a different base to have it OKed. But with Chad having to be at the First Term Airmen Center this week and not at his shop, it has been almost impossible to get done! I hate depending on other people to give us rides! Several people have offered to give us rides to where ever we need to go until we can get a car, which we have had to take them up on their offer to go to the BX and Commissary. I'm grateful for these kind people, but I just want a damn car of my own already!

Our New Home!

 

 On Wednesday, the housing office called Chad with the 2 housing options we had to choose from. We couldn't look inside them until Thursday but we were so anxious to see them that we walked across base to look at them from the outside. We first found the Marek Park neighborhood and from the outside the places looked pretty decent. We didn't find our exact unit since they all looked the same, we figured if we've seen one, we've seen them all! Then we went to find the one in Washington Heights; this time we found the exact unit that they were offering us. We weren't really impressed from the looks of it. We really didn't like how our balcony was facing someone else's balcony. It did have a nice park directly across the street where you could see the ocean in a distance, that was nice. After that, we decided we wanted to find our unit in Marek Park. So we walked and walked and finally found it! We both fell in love with it! It's located in a culdesac, where none of the units have been moved into yet. Our balcony wasn't facing someone else's; it actually faces a hill, which isn't the best view but better than someone staring at us! It had covered parking right out front. It just looked newer. We left it feeling pretty confident that was the unit we wanted!

On Thursday at 8AM, we went to the housing office to pick up the keys to check out the places. The unit in Washington Heights was still getting renovated so they were unable to give us a key. They told us that it had the same floor plan as the one in Marek Park. So, we went to go check out the one in Marek Park. My first impression when I walked in was that it was huge! Chad and I stayed in an apartment back in MI that was tiny, so this was big to us! It had 2 bedrooms, a laundry room, an office, lots of closet space, and a huge wonderful kitchen! We fell even more in love after we saw the inside. It's wonderful! We decided not to even give Washington Heights a consideration since we really liked this place.

We had to attend a housing briefing on Friday. They just went over how to recycle, fire safety, and paperwork. We move in on Thursday! I can't wait!

We're still working on getting a car. I hope to have one next week! 

Trying New Things

On Sunday night, our sponsor family took us out to dinner at CoCo's Curry. I've never had curry before, let alone Japanese curry. It was actually really good! I guess it's a really popular restaurant around here. Before we had gone, several people had recommended that we go there! After dinner, we went to check out the PX on Foster. It was pretty much a smaller version of the one on Kadena. When we got home, it was around 9 or 10PM and we were ready for bed! We're still trying to adjust our bodies to the time change. 

Chad had to go in to work at 6:30AM on Monday. We still don't have a car yet, so that leaves me stuck in the hotel all day. Let me tell you, it gets pretty boring just sitting here. I am able to skype my family back home in the morning which is really nice! But once everyone in the states goes to bed, there isn't much to do! We only have a few American stations on the TV in the hotel and of course there was nothing good on. Chad and a guy from his shop picked me up for lunch. I had already ate so I just went a long for the ride. We went to a place called Sukiya. I am not sure what it was called that Chad ordered, but it was a bowl of rice, beef, and cheese. It was pretty good! We also tried miso soup. It tasted a little too fishy for me! Later that night, our sponsors came and picked us up again to take us to American Village. I really like that place! It's a cute area full of different shops and a huge ferris wheel! It was fun to see at night, everything was all colorfully lit up! We went into the Sega building which is a huge arcade. It was pretty cool! After walking around there for a bit, we went to a chinese restaurant called Dragons. Chad and I both ordered the sweet and sour chicken. I don't like the sweet and sour chicken that I have ate back in the states, but this was delicious! They gave you so much food too! They had an area where you took your shoes off and sit on the floor to eat, but those tables were all taken so we sat at a normal one. It was a really fun night, especially after being stuck in the hotel all day! 


We should know more about our housing situation within the next couple days. They will give us 2 options for housing and then we have a day to tell them which one we want. I am unsure how soon after that we get to move in... hopefully soon! Tomorrow, Chad & I will go to the newcomers briefing and hopefully get our drivers license!

Shogun Inn

We have been staying at Shogun Inn, which is the hotel on Kadena AB. It really isn't a bad hotel room! We have a kitchen with a full size fridge, microwave, sink, lots of cupboard space, and even a dish washer! The living room is separate from the bedroom and then of course there is a bathroom. If we were staying here for a few weeks, the only thing I wish it would have is a stove. There is a laundry room on every floor that is free to use for guests. It's pretty decent!

First fews Days

Our first few days in Okinawa have been pretty uneventful. Chad went to meet the people he'll be working with on Friday morning. Someone from his shop came to pick up later in the day to give us a tour of the base. He also took us to the Commissary so that we could buy some groceries. We have no car right now and aren't able to get one until we get our driver license over here. To get our license, all we have to do is take a written test, that I have heard is pretty easy. I believe we take that test on Wednesday at the Newcomer's briefing, so hopefully by the end of the week we'll have a new set of wheels! I hope we also have a house by the end of this week or at least have a move in date. Living in a hotel with no car is getting old pretty quickly!

We are in walking distance of the BX, so we went there on Friday to get cellphones. We both ended up getting iPhones. We were both droid users before so we're trying to get used to the iPhone! The BX here is huge! It is 2 stories tall; on the bottom level there is a food court (Burger King, Taco Bell, Baskin Robbins, Subway, and some other places), a bunch of Japanese vendors, and other stores. Take the escalator upstairs and you enter the actual BX. It's pretty cool. We've been told that if you see something that you want, to buy it right then. If you wait, it won't be there when you come back to get it!

 

Other than that, we haven't been doing much. We are trying to get adjusted to the time change. Yesterday we were wide awake at 3AM! We took a nap at about 4PM and set an alarm to wake up at 7PM, otherwise we would of slept all night. In order to get our body used to the time difference, we dragged our bodies out of bed and went to dinner at Chilis on base. It wasn't that bad of a walk from our hotel but it was still a hike! 

I can't wait until we have a car so we can actually go see things! I'm kind of scared to drive on the other side of the road here. I can totally see me turning into the wrong lane!