Endless Rain is all I remember of one of the karaoke songs I sang with Mark's coworkers last night. Karaoke (which everyone should know by now is pronounced "car-ah-oh-kay") is only karaoke in it's purest form in Japan...well, in MY opinion. Everyone has a great time, everyone is singing, and someone is passing out peanuts covered with different things, and the funny part is, it is nothing you couldn't buy in Hawai'i. Which brings me to a point Mark made and I pretty much agree with. Hawai'i had all the Japanese things we like and it was easier to navigate because of everyone speaking English. Don't let that fool you though. Mark and I go many places that no one speaks English and we get along just fine with buying food, clothes, and other items. The fact that the natives don't speak English doesn't slow us down.
We went out with Mark's coworkers to what is called an "izakaya" which is a place you can drink and eat if you choose to. They serve smaller portions and the food is meant for sharing. It took me a minute to dive in, because I didn't realize we all chipped in money to eat this food together. Once I knew the rules, which basically were just pick it up, I was okay with trying things. Though, many items were nothing new, it was enjoyable to try them in Japan and the sashimi was beyond fresh, it was tasty! I forgot the Japanese word for saying something is good, but Mark knows.
Care to know where Mark and I actually are? We are on the island of Okinawa in the far southern part of Japan. A chain of island separated from the "mainland". Okinawa, from what we can tell, has what we would consider one county, it is referred to as the Okinawa Prefecture, and it includes the whole island. Our apartment is in Chatan-cho, that is our city. Our suburb that we live in is Sunabe. The air force base Mark works on, Kadena, is in Chatan-cho as well. I have not been back to Naha, another city, since I flew in 7-28-2010.
I start work when Mark goes back to work from leave on 8-9-2010. I will be working at Sunshine Montessori School. Mark works on Kadena AB.
Since my bags were lost, I can't post pictures, but hopefully I will be able to soon. I will leave this blog, my 1st, with things I have learned about Okinawa. Things I have learned:
1. You need to step up or step down everywhere you go, EVERYWHERE, meaning, always be aware there can be a ledge at the doorways of many places. Just when I think I have accomplished this, one sneaks up on me. I nearly biff it at least 3 times a day.
2. It rains, a lot, and it's different from Hawai'i in that in Hawai'i, in certain times of the year you will get misted with what is not even what we would call rain. It's a nice refreshing mist that allows you to cool off. In Okinawa, replace that daily misting with a downpour. It's not the rainy season right now, it is typhoon season, which between the 2 of them pretty much spans the whole year. One of my 1st purchases was an umbrella. The rain seems to last maybe 30 minutes tops but will soak you to the bone. I have not straightened my hair once since I have been here.
Sayonara from the Scott's!
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