Those who don't know me think I'm quiet, those who do wish I were.

Those of you who have spent any sort of quality time with me know that my thoughts can be random and seemingly unconnected. I will participate in a conversation and all of a sudden pop off with a question that is off topic. I feel like a humming bird with the way my brain goes from one thing to the next. In these moments of scatter brained-ness I think of some pretty awesome questions. Ones that I intend to research everyday, but end up forgetting in the long run. My dad can tell you some funny stories about my youth and the questions I ask.
>"What country does Spanish come from? And is Spain Spanish and Mexico Spanish different?" To me this was a valid question. Americans don't speak the same kind of English that the British do, some of our slang and spelling are different. My dad only remembers the first part of the question though. :-)
>"Where is the steel?" (While inspecting my older brother's steel toe boot.) Again, I thought it was a valid question! I have seen steel toed boots with the steel on the outside, but I didn't see that on these boots, so I reached my hand inside(at my own peril) and I couldn't feel the cold steel, so I was wondering where it was. I now know that it was placed between the two layers of leather. I was you, give me some credit!

Those are the zingers my dad often told to strangers and potential boyfriends.

Now a days my questions are a bit more philosophical.

>If the Aryan Nation hates all Jews, how can they worship Jesus?
>If worshiping another idol is blasphemy, why do I see bumper stickers saying "Lord is God" or "Jesus is God". As far as I am concerned they are two separate entities. I understand praying to Jesus, and he would deliver the message to God (after all, hasn't he been our middle man for centuries?)
I am not trying to alienate people, or make fun of beliefs, it is an honest question out of curiosity, not derision.

>Who honestly thinks being as orange as an Orangutan is beautiful? Other than on monkey of course. But really, those who's spray tan is so horrible you want to adjust the hue and saturation on your TV, I honestly don't get it. In my very diluted mixed race status, my skin turns a copper color when I tan. I have compared my skin to a brand new penny, and it was hard to tell the difference. I even had a friend my freshman year suggest I use a new tanning lotion because mine looked fake. I have never used tanning lotion. My point is, I am naturally an awkward color, why would you want to do that intentionally? ugh.

>Is the world really getting dumber? Or are we just noticing it more because the idiots now have a public, world wide forum to post their genius on?

>How can someone be educated and close minded? Did they just wake up one day and decide "That's it, no more new ideas for this guy (or girl). Nope. My brain has closed down shop. Any more new information is wrong and made up by the (Democrats, Republicans, hippies, gays, US government, CIA, nazis, Chinese, illegal immigrants, etc...Insert the hated group here) solely to wreak havoc and cause chaos world wide."

>Who was the first person to look at a cow's udders and thought "I will consume what comes out of THOSE!"

>Why is education so low on the US's priority list? I hope by this point in history, intelligence would be revered and looks would be back. Our youth wants to make money and be rich, but in a consumer culture, they don't have much of a chance. Not saying its impossible, but our consumer culture makes it much more difficult to find a career.

Memorial Day

       As I mentioned before, my husband is a US Marine, and my dad is a retired US Marine. Needless to say Memorial day hits home every year. Every year we hear of more young men and women dying in war and conflict. I admit, I cry every time I see "Welcome Home" or 'I can't wait to meet my daddy!" signs.

 As a little girl, I remember when dad was gone for long periods of time. I still have a letter my dad wrote to me from Okinawa. I remember we went to a sign making party and my brothers and I each made a sign for my dad.  It was sunny, slightly windy and we painted them on foam boards. Another time, close to Christmas, my mom dropped all three of us off at a family friend's house while she got my dad. We had no idea until she picked us up, we went home and there he was, sitting on the couch!

As a woman, I remember my husband leaving for Iraq, hearing stories of fallen Marines and going into a panic every time they went into "river city" (the level of security that happens when there is a casualty, outside communication is banned until family members are notified). I remember I actually cried after an unexpected knock on the door turned out to be a salesman. They lost over 20 men in his unit that tour. They were there for 8 months. Not a year later, Ryan left for Afghanistan. That one was worse and better all at the same time. Better because I was working nights and going to school during the day. It was worse because they were in "river city" more often. Again, they lost over 20 men.
    As an amateur photographer, I did quite a few homecoming photo shoots. I posted a few so you can have a glimpse into what its like to see your loved one for the first time in months.

 A wounded warrior was there to welcome his brothers home. He lost both his legs.

 This permanent memorial is set up outside the 3/1 Battalion building.

 3/1 had a very hard deployment recently. Many, many men were lost. I did 2 photo shoots for returning 3/1 Marines.

 That white bus can be the most beautiful thing you ever see.

 This Marine is holding his daughter for the first time.

 He was crying.

Remember those who have fallen, and those who still carry on

My heart breaks for all the men, women, and children who never get to see their loved ones step off that bus and run into their arms.

Ah, yes.... Differences in culture. Part Duex. 

The People

  Hipsters. You would think you were in Seattle with how many locales dress in the "hipster" style. Don't get me wrong, it works. But walking around in public where young adults frequent, is very interesting. Lots of slouchie beanies, leggings, peasant tops, faux glasses, bright colored accents and large bags. 

 Old people. We all know that the Japanese have long life spans. This is often attributed to their diet and their low-stress way of life. They work well into what we refer to as our retirement years, and that includes farming and other manual labors. Five times as many Okinawans reach 100 years than the rest of Japan. There are 34.7 centenarians for every 100,000 person on island, which is the highest percentage IN THE WORLD. They have a great sense of community and are very spiritual. There are many religions on island, the main ones are Christianity and Buddhism. But many still follow old Ryukyu beliefs, worship of ones ancestors and their symbiotic relationship between the living, the dead, the gods and the spirits of the natural world.

  

Okinawans preferred to be called Okinawans, not Japanese. Kinda in the same way Hawaiians prefer to be called Hawaiians, not Americans. After all Okinawa is the Hawaii of Japan. Though the majority of the dialect is the same, they do have their on colloquialisms. like the difference between coke, pop, soda etc.

Recycling

 On an island only 876.95sq mi there are about 1.4 million people. That's about 1570 people per square mile. Recycling is mandatory. Everywhere. They recycle all cardboard products, all glass, all wood, all metal, all appliances etc. They even come by once a week to pick it up. Imagine if they didn't recycle, the trash heap would be bigger than the island itself!

My plastic bag bags are a big hit here. I take the grocery bags I get from the commissary and cut them up, link them together and crochet a reusable shopping bag out of it. It is my own personal way of showing my respect for the locals (that I respect their home) and the earth in general. To think how wasteful the US is on a whole (compared to this island) is just amazing. I still recycled in the states, heck we even got cash back for recycling, but I didn't realize all the things that could be recycled! Cutting our 2-3 trash bags a week down to one! It really is amazing.

Not to sound too hippy-ish or anything, but I really do hope the US starts to recycle a lot more, we only have one planet and it really would be a shame to see it overrun by trash.

Well, its time for me to go be a mommy. You all stay safe, and hey... recycle, reduce, reuse!

Good Morning or Ohaiyo Gozaimasu

Many of you are wondering what some of the differences between American culture and Okinawan culture are.

Okinawan's love and respect their children.
    Now I am not saying Americans don't love their children, but there is a staggering difference in the ways we raise our children. I often see 4-5 year old children walking to or from school or a friends house... alone. No older sibling tagging along, no parents leading the child along on a leash like a pet. Everyone watches out for everyone else's children. Children aren't seen as a burden to the general public. Crying babies get hugs and smiles, not glares and grimaces.  Recently I had to mail out a legal document, so I went to the mail center on Kadena Air Base. My son was sleeping in my arms and the nice elderly woman (a local) working the counter insisted on holding my 30lb son while I sign the paperwork.
   They even have a holiday dedicated to their children. Around the beginning of May, windsocks that look like koi are strung up all around the island.

Driving is different. Way different. Many of the vehicles are small, the roads are narrow and the speed limits are low. We drive on the left side of the road and the right side of the car. The signal lever and the windshield lever switch sides. A few times I went to signal that I was going to turn left, but I turned my wipers on full power.

-No left on red. (except on Kadena Air Base)  

-Park where you will... Narrow road? rush hour? Doesn't matter, switch on your hazards and go about your business.

-No one is really in a terrible rush. It is a very laid back society with little to no road rage

-The highest speed limit is on the express way, and it reaches a grand total of 80kph (Just under 50mph). But the most common speed limit sign I have seen is 40 kph (About 25 mph). Can you imaging driving 25 mph EVERYwhere you go? It is aggravating sometimes.

-Traffic gets pretty ridiculous too. Millions of people on a tiny island all getting off work at the same time.

Traffic... ugh.

An occasional American vehicle, and yes, he is in a handicap parking space...

Parking on the side of the road with hazards on.

Well, time to clean the house. Tomorrow I will be back with more cultural differences and maybe a few giggles for you. :-)

I started this blog on the suggestion of my late Aunt Patricia.  My immediate family has always been distant from our extended family. Not that we don't love them dearly, but we were states away and Dad was always gone. Since the popularity of facebook, however; we have been able to reconnect and I have to say that my aunt Patricia was a woman after my own heart. She was smart, opinionated and open minded. We joked with each other often and also had a few grown up discussions. Though our time together was limited, I believe we were kindred spirits. She always sent us books for Christmas, which most kids find a drag, but I loved. I still have the books she sent me, and they are ones I will have my children read.
 As a message to everyone who has let things come between your family and yourself, stop. Take time, reconnect, joke, laugh, and love. You will treasure the little time you have with your loved ones.
Rest in Peace Aunt Patricia

Let the lizards in, they'll eat the bugs.

 My husband is a US Marine. A mere two years after being stationed at Camp Pendleton, Ca he got orders for  Okinawa, Japan. He had two options; 2 years here unaccompanied, or 3 years accompanied. After a 5 minute discussion, we chose the latter. After many issues and mix ups we arrived on island 3 months after our original check in date.
  The second I stepped off the plane into the terminal, I was struggling to breath. "Please," I thought to myself, "please someone tell me they just steam mopped the floor, or they didn't shut the boiler room properly." As I was carrying my son, my husband stepped outside for a smoke, when he stepped back in I asked, "it's better out there, right?"
WRONG
 I was so humid at midnight that my skin was damp, and that was INSIDE, with the air conditioner ON! Now, coming from a town that sits on the border of the Mojave and Colorado desert, I have never experienced such a thing before. What do you mean the air is wet? Water falls to the ground and is sucked up by the sun. That's nature, right? The cycle of precipitation and evaporation? It doesn't just hang around in the air, looking to drown unsuspecting victims as they step off the plane.
WRONG AGAIN!
 Now, I did do my research. I know Okinawa is a sub-tropical island. I know the average annual rain fall is over 80in, but unless you have experienced it before, you are not prepared. I grew up in a place with a grand total of 4.5in of annual rain fall. For those of you in green parts of the country imagine 4.5in of rain in a whole YEAR. Is your mouth getting parched? I bet you get that in one storm, huh? So 80in to me was unfathomable. Now that I have been here through the last half of typhoon season and into spring, I believe it. I know now what 80in per year feels like, and it feels wet ALL the time!
 Anywho, after we arrived and got situated in our temporary housing in what is known as "transit barracks". Our "suite" was 2 barrack's rooms with a shared bathroom. One for a sleeping area and the other was for the tv/ eating area. one whole month there before we got our government housing. About 2 months after we arrived we finally got into a rhythm.
 My dad is a retired Marine. He did numerous tours out to Okinawa, and the first bit of advice he gave me was to "let the lizards in because they'll eat the bugs" The bugs out here are no joke. I guess to an entomologist they would be a joke and a good time, but not to me. In the summer and spring I get eaten alive. The spiders could eat the lizards I let into the house. There are no ROUS (rats of unusual size) because the spiders have likely eaten them all.
 In short, coming to this island was like being tossed into waters that are crystal clear and infested with spiders and snakes. So far I like it. the locals are nice enough, and they try to work with you if you don't know Japanese and they don't speak English.

 No regrets.