Can I go get my face rubbed?

Okinawa world killed Thomas' nap. He was a ridiculously grouchy child because of that. We went to the BX to get more binkies because he had thrown his in a river in the cave.

Hmm. Things I never thought I would say "My kid threw his binkie in a cave river."

Anyway, we bought 6. By the time we got home at 6:45 he was passed out. So passed out I don't think he even opened his eyes on the three flights up to our door. He just nuzzled in while I held him.



He's wearing his "Looking for a Japanese girlfriend" shirt. I'm noticing my favorite pictures of him sleeping are always on a sheetless bed. Josh and I hate sheets. We put them, we get all tangled up in them and then rip them off our side in a fit of sleepless rage. It's a funny quirk we both have.

I wonder how old he'll be before toe pictures become unacceptable.


So anyway, baby boy was passed out cold and Josh wanted to play on the internet which left me with sitting on the hardwood floor bored out of my mind. I knew there was a reflexology place in the Jusco near us that took walk ins so I decided that some spa time sounded good.

I was right.

When you arrive they ask you what services you would like, you can choose from, hands, feet, back and face. I chose face and feet. I keep stress in my face and I'm going to get wrinkles. According to Josh I already have some. That punk.

Moving right along, they had me sit down and fill out a simple form, they also had me select a tea. There were five options. I chose lemon. I hate tea. It tastes so, just, ummm, errr, disgusting. Yep. That's the word I'm picking. I've had more tea to drink since we got here than I have in my entire life. I drink it to be polite.

Once I selected my tea they had me put my purse and other gear in a basket which they put a bandanna over. Just in case someone was scoping out your stuff I guess.

Mutsado was my...helper? masseuse? reflexologist? I don't know what her title was, but I'd call her perfect. That face therapy was glorious. They do your whole face and head. At first I was sort of fighting the pressure but I reminded myself to just relax and from then on it was so relaxing. She had me sit up and massaged my shoulders as well. The actual reflexology part was pretty cool. It basically felt like a funny massage. They massage your whole leg as part of it and they use those hot towels that I'm such a fan of.

When she was done she brought my cup of tea to drink in my chair and showed me the reflexology chart to show which parts she worked on. Despite it's location inside of a busy retail store they don't rush you at all, nor do they rush through your treatments. It was a great way to destress.

Sometime during my foot treatment I heard it. The drumming. It calls to me. I'm like a moth going towards the light, it just draws me in. I don't know why I have such a pull to it. It's just so beautiful and so different from what I've ever seen. So once I was done with my treatment I followed my ears and found the performance. It was the most elaborate one I've seen yet. They had face paint and crazy hats and banners and flags. It was an unexpected moment. All by myself at night, feeling the beat of the drums vibrate around me. I definitely miss home, but I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

Okinawa World=Epic Fail

I should have known. It's so touristy but everyone says it's so much fun and a great place to take visitors. I thought it was pretty lame.

It's basically everything Okinawan packed into a little area and every exhibit dumps you into a store. An overpriced store where we can't read any of the labels.

Anyway, it wasn't all bad. We paid like $32 to get in (which was insane!) but we had driven all the way there and certainly weren't turning around.

So the first thing you do is walk through a cave. It was "raining" in here and I didn't expect it to be so wet, but I guess it makes sense with 90% humidity. That also made the path pretty slippery but we managed not to fall.






When you got out you took the longest escalator I have ever seen. It was like the escalator to heaven or something.
We literally just got home and I can't really remember what we did. There were a bunch of little craft stations to make souvenirs or paint your own shisa dogs but obviously Thomas wasn't going to sit down for that. There was a drumming/dancing show with a shishi mai. A shishi mai is one of those mascot sort of looking things that looks like a dog/lion. It was the best part of the show, but that's not saying much. No photography was allowed. boo.

After that we ended up in another shop. I tried some dried kumquat which tasted like candied orange peel. That led to the awamori shop. The south has moonshine, Okinawa has awamori. We passed on the habu awamori. Gross. I did get a bottle of hibiscus flavored awamori. It was pink and looks pretty on my counter.


We saw this at one of the many shops when we were looking for something to feed the boy. Gee that cookie looks kind of phallic....hmmm...WHY is this baby surfing naked? Why is he eating penis cookies? I don't understand. I don't know if I want to. We fed Thomas something else. We gave him beni imo wafers. Beni imo is huge here, they make it into anything, from chips to ice cream. It's purple sweet potato.


They had glass blowers. Yay! I did like this part. I loved some of the pieces, there was a huge store where I didn't take pictures because I was afraid of breaking things. Josh played a game and won me a cup. It looks like that light blue one in the middle. My first Ryukyu blown glass.



Here is a little video from when we were in the cave.


All in all I wouldn't mind never coming here again, but it might be nice for visitors if they are here when there aren't any festivals going on. Which by the way, the 10,000 Eisa festival is this weekend. Hopefully we have enough energy to check it out tomorrow.

There is also a festival on base. They're celebrating a new parking lot. Feel free to laugh at how your tax dollars are being spent. And then cry, just one tear.

Araha beach...I think I love you.

I was talking to Josh on the phone and heard some noise from the main room. This is what I discovered. He's in denial that he's been caught.


Once he could tell I wasn't going to make him get down and put the chair back he was quite happy.

"Hey ma, these dishes are dirty. How about you wash and I dry?"



So we did just that. I love the kid. He throws a fit if I use my broom without letting him use one too.


Anyway, Josh got home earlyish from work today, around 4 o clock. So we decided to check out Araha beach. It's about 5 minutes away from our house and gets good reviews for being a family beach. It's also known as pirate ship beach because they have an entire playground in a pirate ship. I wanted to play! Josh was itching to do the zipline but the sign said children only. So sad.

This is how the Japanese dress for the beach. You see women wearing these Darth Vador looking visors, and carrying umbrellas on clear days...they really don't dig the sun here.

Here is the pirate ship playground. Thomas is still a little small for this one, but there is a toddler version too.


Hello beach. I love you. I love you for accessibility. I love you for your jellyfish double netting. I love you for your calm and gentle waves. I love you for not cutting my feet.


Right after I took this picture I heard a horrified gasp. It came from an older Japanese lady. Josh forgot the no tattoo rule. So I'm sure she thought we were gang members.


Here is a picture of Josh and Thomas, almost out to the buoys making friends. That little girl waited patiently for Thomas to not be shy around her. So cute.


This is the proof I was there too. We're coming back, with bells on, and swimsuits. Oh and sunscreen. The sun at 5pm was INTENSE.



I don't know if you could tell but I think we'll be spending a lot of time here. It's perfect for Thomas. He can walk in the water without Josh or I freaking out about waves knocking him over. It was a perfect toes in the water kind of beach. It's so calm that you can rent a little raft and just float along. That sounds pretty damn perfect to me.
What also stood out to me about this beach was how easy it would be for handicapped people to enjoy. There is a beautiful paved pathway, lined with palm trees from the parking lot to the swimming area and from there they have a wheelchair ramp down to the sand. It's probably 20 feet from the water. It made me want my grandma here. I'm sure she would have loved to wade in some clear calm East China sea waters, where the current isn't even strong enough to take her cords out to sea.
Quite possibly the perfect family beach.

The only two bummers were that the food stands smelled really really good. But it sucked. I think didn't order the right thing. Our yakitori and rice was microwaved. Blech. And the sand, which I was excited for some real sand, wasn't sand at all, but teeny tiny pieces of coral. At least it wasn't sharp.


ETA: As we were walking back to the car four teenage Japanese girls spotted Thomas and started giggling and saying kawaii, which I knew meant cute. Thomas tried to hide behind Josh but when he left him he asked to be picked up. At this point the girls were saying aww. So I told Thomas to say hi and wave...and when he did...you would have thought he was passing out kisses or something. And when we had passed them and he waved goodbye....oh lord. They sell a shirt on base for toddlers that translates to looking for a Japanese girlfriend. I think he needs that shirt. My little studmuffin.

My big boy

The past few weeks it seems that Thomas went from baby to big boy.

He will say Thank you without being prompted.
He will go get a diaper and wipes for me, lay down nicely, and then throw it away when I'm done.
He has to help me clean. We got him his own broom and he loves it.
He can open all the doors. (scary!)
He brings me his shoes to go outside.


I guess it's just that he went from being in attendance to being a participant. He's starting to be an active family member, a real person. I'm a big fan. Except of course when being a real person means he doesn't agree with my rules.

Don't run headlong into the ocean.
Don't run into streets.
Don't run in parking lots.
Just stop running unless we're at the park.
Hold my hand. Hold my hand. Do you want me to pick you up? Then hold my hand.
Car seats are mandatory.
Candy is not an acceptable meal.

These are the things we struggle with. I'm picking my battles. It's generally a health/safety issue. But somedays it feels like all we do is go from one tantrum to the next.

I was quite frustrated yesterday when we got home from the grocery store. That's probably why I put a can of soup in a precarious position on a top shelf. It fell. Splattered everywhere. Josh and I cleaned it up and when I was putting the last of it in the trash we looked over to see Thomas with a washcloth wiping the floor.


Frustration gone.

All of those tantrums are just proof that he is healthy and normal and thriving. And also that I need to figure out how to let him have his big emotions and give him opportunities to make decisions, while also managing to buy milk and follow carseat laws.


And speaking of groceries. It's so expensive here. I guess baked potatoes are now in the luxury section of my grocery list.

A simple night out.

Our kitchen is looking pretty empty so we decided to look for dinner elsewhere last night. We set off walking and found Sunabe Gyros. Gyros?? Here?? Obviously we needed to check this out. I'm glad we walked because parking tickets are $150 dollars here. It's nice to know that they'll keep an eye out for the fuzz though.




We ordered and then went up to the rooftop terrace. Thomas ran around and since we were the only people there we didn't have to worry about him bugging anyone.


The gyros were not so good though. There was no lamb in sight and that sauce was not the kind they use back home. It was also the cheapest meal we've had on island so far though so I guess it's a good option for a cheap dinner out.

They are really close to the seawall, so close in fact that you can hear the waves crashing and smell the salt while you're eating. I love that.

After the meal we walked the seawall to get home. A storm was coming in so the waves were the biggest we've seen so far. The water was packed with surfers. I think that's the first time I've ever seen people stand up on a board. Thomas loved waiting for the big ones to crash and splash us. He even held onto the side of the stroller and walked most of the way home by himself. I was so proud that he actually listened and held on.

Also, while we were walking I spotted an orange and blue block of seawall. Illinois is represented here! Woo! I had to look it up but it was the Illini symbol, and the Chicago bears symbol and the actual state painted on it. It made me happy, made me think of my dad, and felt like a little piece of home. Of course someone had written "sucks" over it in black paint but that's to be expected.

This is a video from earlier in the day. Thomas is very big into hiding from me now. He's not what I would call stealthy.

A much better day.

My foot is feeling almost normal today. Woohoo! It's so annoying to have foot issues, it makes it painful to do anything. But now that it's healing I managed to clean up the house (which always makes me feel better).
Thomas was so cute, helping me clean. He swept, and wiped down cabinets and threw things away. He was very proud of himself for helping me as well, clapping and smiling as he finished each task. I'm really glad I decided to splurge on the swiffer wetjet...that thing is wonderful and the cleaner smells good. I'm so used to carpet where you can slack for a while on vacuuming. That's not going to fly with this hardwood floored apartment.

I also managed to call the childcare center to ask about Parent's night out. They have a free few hours of babysitting, once a month and because T did so well when we went to our Newcomer's brief we want to take advantage of this and have some time to ourselves every once in awhile. They are calling me back on what I need to give them as far as his vaccine exemption goes, but the lady seemed like this isn't the first time they have dealt with this. Thanks to whoever fought this fight already! I guess Parent's night fills up QUICKLY, she told me to be at the CDC at 5am the Monday beforehand because you might not get a spot if you wait too long.

Thomas also laid down for his nap without me today. He's growing up so fast. Once his bed gets here we're going to put it in our room and see how he handles sleeping in his own space. If that goes well then he's moving to his room at night. I'm in no rush, but if he's ready then he's ready. I know Josh wouldn't mind having our room back to ourselves again.

*Banging head on keyboard*

It's not all sunshine and rainbows. I'm tired today so I'm sure that's making me a bit more irritable, but the horrid cell phone service is driving me nuts. Okinawans treat red lights as a suggestion, not a rule. We live right by the flightline...it's loud and it scares Thomas. We don't have shopping options...it's just a bunch of little annoyances that build up and get under your skin.

But dealing with the military is worse. Feel free to skip the next paragraph..the basic point is that our pay has been screwed up at every turn and I don't think we'll be leaving the house much for the next two weeks.



So moving to a foreign country is expensive. Hotels, buying a new car, starting a lease, starting from scratch to set up a kitchen etc. The military has allowances and advances in place to help you out...but in our experience it's screwed up every.single.time. It's like dealing with the dmv everyday. I'm amazed I still have any hair on my head.
We should have had one month of advance pay, along with our dislocation allowance before we even left for Japan. We were told it was all set up and ready to go, so when nothing showed up in our bank account Josh had to talk to them. He was told we weren't even in the system and it had to be done all over again. It didn't hit until we were already in Japan!
We also get a temporary lodging allowance, to pay for our hotel. We're also supposed to get per diem, to help pay for food expenses when you don't have a kitchen. We were supposed to get that as an advance...it was never put through. And I had read the regulations that you could take your bill to IPAC (the money people) and they would pay your bill for you. When Josh asked about it, he was told that they don't do that. Okay, so we pay our 14 day hotel bill with a credit card, realizing we will eventually get reimbursed. Josh went today to check on being reimbursed for that and they won't pay us the full 14 days because there was a day overlap of when we signed our lease and when we left the hotel. That overlap happened because we had to borrow government furniture, and you can't have any of your belongings in the apartment when they deliver it. Perhaps if they allowed us to bring more than 2500lbs of our belongings we wouldn't need government furniture.
We're also supposed to get two different MIHA allowances, one to pay the almost $1000 agency fee for finding us an apartment, and another smaller one to help with utility deposits. We still don't have it. We're supposed to get OHA (overseas housing allowance) but they can only put that in the system two days out of the month, and we were one day late! So not only have we shelled out the money for the entire hotel stay, bought a car, paid first and last months rent, an agency fee and somehow managed to feed ourselves and have some fun, but now we have to pay another $2000 on the first for our rent. It will be backpaid, we will be reimbursed....but goodness! This shouldn't be so difficult.

Josh might have gotten a little loud at the IPAC office today. He had four workers helping him and he found out that we actually could have had our hotel bill paid at IPAC...but the person he spoke to didn't know that. No one seemed to care that this has been horribly stressful financially.



And then as I finish my rant, my Thomas grabs a pack of diapers, uses it like a bed and pretends to snore. Cuter than a button I tell ya.

I didn't know an aboretum could be so cool.

This isn't such a bad view on a long car trip eh?



So we got to Ocean Expo park and for a minute thought we were in the wrong place, but we checked out a map and realized that we had parked at the south gate, which was the arboretum and the aquarium was at the north gate. I wasn't too excited about an arboretum but the thought of putting Thomas back in his carseat wasn't too thrilling either.

So let's check out the plants!


We got about 5 minutes in when the butterflies started. Every shape, size, color you can imagine. They were practically swarming. It was beautiful!


There were quite a few lookout points on the way. This is Josh, being stupid. I love him.

At some point I spotted this turtle in the road before Josh. That's a major feat. I'm not known for my eagle eyes.

Josh tried to lure him back into the grass...it worked. But our little homeboy couldn't get over the curb so Josh helped him.



At some point we got to the Tropical Dream Center. I wish I had my other lens with me because this picture does not do it justice. You walk in and it's just a huge stained glass spiral.

There was a trail around the Dream Center full of exotic plants and fruits.


My beautiful boy and some stunning orchids...what else could I need?


There was a scavenger hunt for kids with little stamping stations. Thomas was quite happy to do the stamping.


This was some sort of tourist attraction. Put your kid on a fake lily pad and take their picture...ok.


Who wants a jackfruit? Anybody? It's as big as a newborn! What the heck is a jackfruit anyway?

Thomas would have gladly fed these fishies all day. They were brutal with each other.


I love this picture. That's the tropical dream center. Pretty neat-o right?

We wanted to see the view from the top...look at those muscles. I know I sure did.


We made it, stroller, limpy mom and all. No pictures of the view though. Sometimes you have to put the camera down and breathe in the moment.

Now we understand the lily pad photo op. These were massive.


SPIDER!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of many that we saw. Hell, this is a small one. It's a banana spider. Not poisonous but they will take a good chunk out of you if you mess with them. I guess there is another variety of banana spider in South America that is really dangerous...but these scary looking ones aren't so bad. That doesn't mean I got any closer than need be!


Tucked away they had a traditional Okinawan village...but to go in you had to take your shoes off, and due to my injuries (or having just seen a big spider) I declined. They had okinawan music piped in though and it was just beautiful.


After the very long, and most times uphill walk through the arboretum we made it the the aquarium! They had topiaries, tons of them. This is my favorite though. An owl, eating a lizard. Circle of life babe.

And a whale shark.


It was hot and Thomas had just chugged his juice so we let him out to cool off in the fountain. It was all going just fine...

and then he did this. He thought it was hilarious by the way. It left his hair in a very funny do for the rest of the day.

I may or may not have gotten teary eyed in an aquarium

We went to the Churaumi aquarium today. It is the second largest aquarium in the world. So needless to say I was excited. We had originally planned on a quiet day at home due to Josh's puking (we figured out it's his new vitamin) and sunblisters, and my coral mangled foot, but Josh said he felt fine and he ran to the store to get bandages and neosporin and once my foot was all wrapped up I could walk pretty well so off we went.
It took about two hours to get there even though we took the expressway...the fastest speed limit on the island is 80km, which is a whopping 50 mph. Most streets are between 20 to 40 km. It's a slow paced life here in Okinawa. The scenery on the way was stunning. I'll post some of those in the next post. We also saw signs to watch out for wild boar. It looked like Puumba from the Lion King on the sign. That made me giggle.

This aquarium was AMAZING. I've been to quite a few aquariums but there were so many fish here that I have never even heard of. Some of my favorite were the deep sea fish that actually give off light, but it was too dark for a picture to come out clearly in there.

Here are some sea snakes. Can you imagine running into these? I would scream like a little girl!




The main attraction however was the Kuroshio sea...a tank so big that it gets it's own sea name. The tank holds 7500 tons of water, which is pumped in from the ocean just outside the park. Only three tanks in the world are large enough for whale sharks (who can eat up to 1/4 of a ton of food per week). This window is the world's largest aquarium window and it is THICK. 60cm thick in fact.
It was just the most amazing sight to behold. I mean, look at that manta ray...and then look at the people. It's just massive.


I'm scared to scuba dive so this is probably as close as I'll get to that experience. I just got a little overwhelmed here. It's humbling to see something so large and you realize just how small you are. I was also so incredibly grateful that I was here, on this little speck of land looking at whale sharks. I did manage to keep in the tears though.


Thomas was flipping out. He was so cute. See! See! See! He was babbling and chattering away, telling us all about those fish. I wish I could understand what he was saying.

Hello sir, good day! I love this picture. I love my camera. Best purchase ever.

Thomas was pretty impressed with the shark tank.


We walked back through because there were divers in the tank. Josh was green with envy. There are actually dive programs here on island to go dive with whale sharks...I'm pretty sure Josh would sell his soul to the devil to do it.


You could even go in a tunnel and look at them from underneath. Thomas was quite impressed.


Once we got out of that area we stopped for some food. Thomas had his first corn dog. He's a fan.

Outside the main aquarium there were sea turtles, a la Crush from Nemo, killer whales, manatees, and dolphins. There was also a resort style beach. You could make this aquarium a long weekend getaway if you wanted.


Overall I don't think any other aquarium will ever be as good. This is a hands down, must visit spot if you visit me. The end.