Zampamisaki Royal Okinawa

Since this island is so small, we decided to do it again and this time go on a tour of the north today. This was a much less sobering tour than the one that we did yesterday given that it was more contemporary and less focused on the tragic past of Okinawa. Our stops today included of all things a pineapple farm and the world's second largest aquarium - apparently second in size only to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

The bus ride today was a longer one as we had to ...

... yourself in a sub-tropical paradise surrounded by beautiful trees, beaches, and ocean. Yet, nearly 70 years on, the history of World War 2 and the horrendous events that happened in this place still weigh heavy on the minds and consciousness of the people here. When one considers the scale of what occurred during the Battle of Okinawa (around 13,000 Americans killed and over 200,000 Japanese killed), how can it not? It is mind boggling to consider the scale of ...

... room, kitchen, and living room with comfy couches and a tv. But the best part is the two balconys....they have trees and all types of foliage growing on them and it's the perfect place to sit and blog about our arrival.
It's funny, becaue I didnt feel sad during the weeks leading up to moving, and I thought for sure I would be sad leaving the airport to Tokyo, but I was not. Then I thought to myself, well, Im sure i'll be sad once I'm there ...

... yet, and a couple beer at the foreigner's bar. The Food: Yum! The people: Great, I think you know. Rhetorical question/comment for the Taiwanese and Japanese: * If that's what you pay for duty free, I'd hate to see what your regular prices are! Photos attached: Life's a beach on Zamami/Okinawa! Next stop: The land of the party animal, where I am convinced a 12 year-old can drink me under the table. (Oops, I am already there!).

... One Family that we met when we were staying in the temporary living quarters, has a little girl about 4 years old, needed a sitter for a couple of days. Ava loved having a play mate for a couple of days. The ParaOlympic team came to Kadena to train before they headed over to Bejing. Trevor signed up to be a sponsor. He picked him up and got him settled into his room. We spent a few days with him and took him to a few places ...

... The beach we went to had a jelly fish net so you can only go out so far in the water. Well, it was low tide so the water only got about 2 feet at most. It was perfect for the kids. We also went to a friends house and made cupcakes! The kids had a blast. Fourth of July was nice. We had no major plans since T had the pleasure of missing out on a 4 day weekend, but that's life, right!? We ...

Chilulilulei! Hyvin pieni okinawan infopaketti alkuun: Okinawa on eteläisin Japanin prefektuuri ja sijaitsee noin puolessa välissä Kyushun saarta ja Taiwania. Pääkaupunki Naha, asukkaita Okinawalla 1,3 miljoonaa, lämpötila ei koskaan laske alle 20 asteen ja todella upeita koralliriuttoja sijaitsee tässä edustalla... et silleen, ei paha :-) Paha sen sijaan on, että Yhdysvaltojen armeijan painostavassa tunnelmassa täällä edelleen elellään ja jengi on jo täysin kypsynyt jenkkien röt ...

... the weekend. On Monday, the girls and boys team were still in the tournament and they had games on Tuesday. I had classes of course, but I thought this may be my last chance to watch them play. So I took a few hours off on Tuesday morning and went to the games. I watched the boys team first. They played fairly well, but they couldn`t get anything to drop. It was pretty sad because they were trying so hard, but they ended up losing by ...

... what a seven year old can do. Yet, I keep going back for more. I thought perhaps it was because I am a masochist. But, I do not think that is it. I would like to believe that I am delving into this head first because I wanted to step outside my boundaries and limits, challenge myself to try something new. And possibly build on some of my weaknesses. Become more well rounded? Well anyway, I am trying and if I ever get something I ...

... to it. It becomes a part of you. I did not choose to come to Futenma High school. I did not choose to come to Okinawa. I did choose to come to Japan. But I really could not`t have lived in a better place for the last two years if I had picked it myself. I was very, very lucky to spend two years here. To have made wonderful friendships and shared unforgettable experiences! Ok now I must move to what`s ...