Edit

So… two of my pictures from the last post didn’t show up so here they are. The capoeira. Martial arts/dance

And the Habu Sake made with snake venom.

On the Town

I have the pictures you’ve been waiting for! Yesterday was an amazing day, and also our first full day on the island. I went with Melanie to buy some groceries and she showed me around some, and then her husband Victor showed us around some more. A little later in the day we got to hang out with the Ways, Sandra and Steve. They took us around off base in the area called “American Village” . They have this humongous Coke Ferris wheel, it’s pretty awesome.

 

We went into the Jusco which is kind of like a mall in the US but not really. They have a lot of really random things like laundry detergent, bikes, and fancy makeup. It’s kind of set up into store/booths but sometimes you can’t tell at all. We also tried a drink, the actual name is escaping us at the moment. It was close to a chocolate milk, but it had these odd tapioca balls in it. They were essentially flavorless gummies. Neither of us were really ready to jump on that bandwagon. I also picked up my first souvenir, a bracelets with my name in Japanese, hopefully he wrote it correctly it’s Sha-ah-nah, I think.

     

We went to the top floor where they had an arcade with some super awesome games. They had a taiko drum game, just like all of the other rhythm games that have become such a hit. They also had the small children’s rides but they were more awesome.

They also had a lot of restaurants and food stands at the Jusco I found one plate that definitely looked appealing  =) Also a kids toy machine I thought was really fun. 

Next, we walked a bit over to the Sunabe sea wall which I found to be pretty awesome. They allow people to paint/graffiti it and there are some really awesome things on it! Also a lot of fun stenciling.

It’s super true what they say about the Japanese and their  vending machines they are everywhere out here! Mainly drink machines, at least that’s all we’ve seen so far.  

We also went by a Japanese theater that shows American movies. Here are movie posters for Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man.

We also watched some capoeira perform. They do a style of fighting-dance which is really interesting to watch. Steve told us that it originated with slaves not being allowed to learn how to fight, and so they made it into a dance. There is little to no contact involved, at least in what we watched. The other picture is a Sake with a snake in it, it has a name but I don’t know they name of it.

At the end of the night we went to a sushi-go-round. They have some in the states, if you like sushi you may have gone to one before. It was pretty fun but they didn’t have very many rolls there and that’s mainly what we like to eat. Also a picture of me with Hello Kitty, just for fun =) she was in the arcade. 

Hope you enjoyed it! I know we sure did. I am so thankful for new friends!

A little help

A clock of the time here in Okinawa. We are 13 hours ahead.

Just so you know

We have arrived in Okinawa! 5 flights later and we've finally made it. They weren't too bad but from Seattle to Yokota AFB was a 10 hour flight! That alone was way longer than I ever wanted to spend on a plane. Our sponsor, Victor, met us at the airport and took us to our temporary lodging. He was really awesome and way prepared! We arrived on Kadena AFB and drove through town for a bit and ended up on Camp Foster. I must say, the drive through town couldn't have been more than 15 minutes but I was completely in awe! Not to mention I knew that the driving here was opposite than the US but I never pieced together that left turns are now easier than right turns. weird. I can't wait to take pictures so that ya'll can see it, and so that I can explore. It has rained since we got into town rather heavily so we dont have much of a chance to walk anywhere. Its already 7pm on friday here which completely amazes me, where did the time go? I think I might turn in a little early tonight, I think maybe I've earned that. Dont forget to email me at shaunacm7@yahoo.com if you want to keep in touch.

Hello Seattle.

Pardon me if I’m harsh at all, but I just wrote a blog entry that my computer froze up on and deleted. So we arrived in Seattle, we got our baggage, and our Lily and now we have nothing to do for 14 hours. Apparently the USO is not pet friendly, so we will not be allowed to go in with her. Silly. This airport is way different than any airport I’ve been in. They have a large open area with two airplanes hanging from it, AND there are several birds in here. I don’t know if their presence is intentional but I must say that I’m enjoying them. We went from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago O’hare, changed planes, and then came to Seattle-Tacoma. So now here we are until our flight to Japan. Also I think the airport code we were confused about being South Korea or Russia is actually Iwakuni, Japan. Which makes since, but IWA is not the international airport for it obviously. Josh is off scavenging for food so I’m just enjoying the sounds of the birds and watching my Lou sleep. Maybe I’ll get around to updating later, but I’m really not sure I have sooooo many things to do! =P

                          

A big 7 years old

             

Okay, so maybe before Seattle. Just wanted to make a quick post for Jesse. Happy Birthday Monkmonk! I love you lots!

Almost time!

I can’t believe May 4th is finally here! Time has gone by so quickly and people have been fussing because I’m a lazy updater =) We’ve been in SC for approximately two weeks and our traveling begins tonight/the morning. At midnight we are leaving to drive to Raleigh for our 8:40 flight to Seattle. It’s only a four hour drive, but just in case we get lost or have doggy issues we are preparing for the worst. We’ve done a lot of fun things on this vacation. In Tennessee we went to the Ripley’s Aquarium and The Lost Sea. The Lost Sea was really neat because it’s an underground lake, it’s amazing really. In SC two of my New Bernian friends came down to visit. We went to Carowinds and Jessica and I rode “The Intimidator”. It was by far the most amazing roller coaster I have been on, climbing 23 stories high and 80-something degree drop, and no shoulder restraint. Given there were no loops or corkscrews it still felt like something you  needed more safety restraints for. The next day we took a trip to the zoo which was also great because Jess had never been to the zoo. We take advantage of such simple things when they are presented to us often, and it’s always a joy to see someone in a fun new situation. We’ve hung out with a lot of great friends all over the place, and great family too. Today is my little brother Jesse’s birthday, and I can’t even say how happy I am to be here to see him turn 7. I need to head on over there for cake, ice cream, and presents. See you in Seattle (if I can find wi-fi)!

                         

ps: ignore my friend’s finger in this picture =)