Jobs and projects...

When we're not enjoying that pretty ocean view, sight-seeing, or eating sushi here in Okinawa, we are definitely staying busy lately with our jobs. For those who only know that Schan is a pilot in the USAF, but don't really know what he does, here's a quick summary. Schan is an aircraft commander for the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron at Kadena Air Base. The AC is the pilot in command who has overall responsibility for the safety of the aircraft and its crew. The plane he flies is the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS. In general, this aircraft gives a real-time picture of the battle space. The crew manage tactical situations and ensure that all threats are targeted by the appropriate aircraft, all surface targets are destroyed, aircraft are refueled on time and that operations are maintained safely. Along with spending time in his office on the ground and in the sky, Schan is also working on getting his masters degree in Homeland Security. Wow, important stuff!! And Capt. Daniel, please correct me if I'm wrong about the AWACs stuff, haha. Last week, he gave me a quick tour of the E-3 and I was able to sit up in the cockpit and look at all of the gadgets. Very cool!












Okay, no full-time job for me right now, but I'm keeping myself busy juggling 3 different part-time "jobs". I was hired on by the Dept of Defense Dependent Schools in August to be a substitute school nurse and/or teacher for the Kadena school system. If needed, I can also work at the neighboring military schools as well. I did substitute for one of the high school nurses for a few weeks last month, but other than that, I haven't been called into work as much as I expected. It's decent money, but I have to report to work by 0710 and sometimes you don't get called until 0630... and its a 1/2 hour drive from where I live. Short notice! But the hours are flexible and I love working with the kids, so I'm happy that I decided to do this part time.

I'm trying to keep my experience up in nursing, so I volunteered with the Red Cross. I decided to volunteer a few hours/week at the Navy Hospital here. What a long process this has become, haha! After my initial orientation with the Red Cross, I was assigned to finish my training with the coordinator at the hospital. The paperwork started in August and I'm still not done. Computer training, 50 hrs of clinical skills testing (with the Navy corpsmen), team-building activities, background checks, blood titers drawn, etc. It's so much more work to volunteer here than it was for me to get an actual job back in the states. And honestly, due to the lack of communication I'm getting from the hospital about when I can come in for my training on the unit, I'm debating as to whether it's worth the hassle or not.

So my last (and most fun!) job is the art project I'm working on. I had some good networking luck this summer and was contacted about illustrating a children's book. I've been wanting to get some sort of art business going for several years, but never had the time, so I jumped at this opportunity. The author is American and she and I have been working together for the past month or so on the book. The book is in English (not Japanese) but the story is set in Okinawa and is about a shisa dog and her "adventures". All of the sketches are complete and I've finished 4 of the final color illustrations so far. The author is hoping to publish in early January, but we're still figuring out a few design aspects, so it may be later. I'll keep everyone updated!

(The picture above is a Shisa dog... they usually come in pairs and many place them on their rooftops or doorsteps to keep various evils away, according to Okinawa mythology)