Well lets see...we live off base in a beautiful turquoise house on a golf course. It is an American style home with 4 bedrooms, about 1900 square feet. Much larger than we thought we would find on the island. We have a washing machine/dryer, fridge and stove provided from the military for the duration of our stay, so we didn't have to buy anything. We also have a great yard overlooking the golf course and parking spots for about 3 cars, but no garage, or covered parking. We are loving the quiet and serene feeling of our neighborhood so far, and the drive to base takes about 10-15 min without traffic (mid day) and about 25 min during rush hour. We live north east of Kadena in an area called Uruma, close to Camp Courtney on the pacific side of the island.
The government gave us loaner furniture until we get our House Hold Goods (HHG) shipment which should be arriving shortly (next week!!!). So for now we have a full size bed, and Cruise has a twin. We have a kitchen table and chairs, a sofa and coffee table, a desk and chair, 2 chest/dressers in our bedroom, and one in cruises room. Some of the other branches on the island that were not allowed to move with a full weight allotment are allowed to keep the furniture for the whole tour over here, but we will be giving ours back since we were able to bring our whole house. So we are anxiously looking forward to the day our HHGs arrive!
Today we went on an adventure to the famous Churami Aquarium. The 2nd largest aquarium in the world. It was amazing. It's one of those places you have to see to really appreciate it. I have been to aquariums big and small before, but this one was stunning. The location had the most stunning views of the East China Sea, and since it was much too hot to be outside, we were able to enjoy the air conditioning and see the beautiful fish. It was a little crowded going on Father's Day weekend, so since we are now annual card holders, next time we are back we will try a weekday adventure.
The aquarium is on the west side of the island north of us, near Nago. The drive was relatively easy and took about 1.5 hrs. But we had great company- another couple from our squadron who are also new to the island. It was great to meet new friends and experience this adventure together. After we spent a few hrs at the aquarium, we headed to the "pizza in the sky" restaurant. It had such amazing views. The food was great and the wait was only about 15 min. Such a wonderful afternoon.
Some other adventures we've been on....
We found 2 amazing parks near our house with fabulous Okinawa slides, and a running track surrounding the park.
We spent an afternoon at Torii beach with some other families from the 909th squadron, it was soooo beautiful and located on the military base of Torii Station. Living on base ain't so bad when the beach is your back yard, those lucky army guys!
Our sponsor and another 909th spouse took us to the Mini Egg Zoo. What an experience! It's a local place to buy the freshest and most delicious eggs-and they have a free zoo you can walk through. Cruise loved it. He was laughing the whole time and kept saying Oh WOW! And clapping. We saw monkeys, turtles, pigs, ostriches, birds, snakes, and tons more. Afterwards we went inside to buy our eggs, and saw the most amazing pies and cream puffs and treats for very little yen. I know where we will go next time I am having a sweet tooth!
We have spent a lot of time getting ourselves lost all over town, but that is helping us learn our way as we find short cuts and hidden gems all through this city. I finally have a car, that means Cruise and I will be out and about more to do some exploring. It's a yellow Toyota Sienta. So far we love it and the Mobilio that Chris is driving! After buying one car from the Lemon Lot on base and one from a dealership off base, we got a good mix of what it's like buying a car overseas!
We have visited our local grocery store a few times, and each time we try to buy something that we have no idea what it is. This last time Chris bought a milk carton that looked like some sort of chilled coffee, and it is heavenly! Tastes exactly like a Starbucks frappe! I am glad I can't read the ingredients or calories, because I am sure it is not good for us!
Cruise is our little local celebrity. People fawn over home and always say "kawaii" which means cute. Many want to touch his hair since its so blonde! He used to be timid and freaked out about this but new he high fives and waves to pretty much everyone! He really is Kawaii :)
The locals really appreciate when we give it a try, so here are some of the words we use daily. Its a small list, but we hope to build more and more soon!
Konichiwa- hello/good afternoon
Arigato goziamas- thank you very much
Sumimasen -sorry
Sayonara- goodbye
We miss you all very much! If you want to be pen pals, send me your address! We are going to send some post cards soon! Also, if you want to see tons of pics of our adventures, follow me on instagram @bknaute
xo-The Knautes
0 comments:
Post a Comment