Okinawa Parks/Roller Slides!

Even though we don't have kids (yet), my girlfriends and I like to go out and explore the island once in a while to try out new parks, restaurants, beaches, shopping spots, etc. But I have to say that the parks in Okinawa are a lot of fun, even for the grown ups too! They have a countless number of "rollerslide" parks here with little picnic areas, paths, etc. Lots of fun, but next time we'll definitely have to bring a piece of cardboard with us because your bum feels like it's on fire after you finish sliding down, haha! If you squat down and hold your knees and go down using your feet, it solves the problem, but adds a lot of speed :) This picture is from Tobaru Koen Park, one of the largest rollerslides on the island.













These last few pictures were taken at a park/community center just a few blocks from our house. The rollerslide is smaller, but there are a lot of walking paths and picnic areas here. Nice place to relax, take a jog, or watch the cute Okinawa elderly play "gateball" a croquet like game that is common here.

Jobs & Projects... Part 2

Wow, long time no blog... oops! Took a break from blogging for awhile due to crazy schedules and also because we spent almost 3 months in the states earlier this year (Jan-March). But, we're back to our routine in Okinawa and things have been going well for us the past few months.

In addition to flying for the 961st AACS squadron, Schan now has a new job... flight commander of AFE for the 18th Operational Support squadron at Kadena. A lot of new responsibilities in addition to flying, but it's great experience for him. When he's not working at the base, he's busy working at home to obtain his master's degree in Homeland Security. If all goes as planned, he should be finished with that late this summer, just in time for his promotion board at the end of this year. He has a lot to be proud of lately, even though I'm sure he'd like to have a little more free time :)

As for me, the book I illustrated is finished and available for purchase (well, it will be again in June). It's been so great to hear positive feedback about the book and even better when you get to see kids flip through the pages and smile. Whew! The hard work was worth it! The book, "Takako and the Great Typhoon" is a children's picture book set in Okinawa about two shisa (lion-dogs) who go on a little adventure. Along with this book, I've been trying to work on the business side of things for my artwork... selling prints, signing up for booths at art bazaars, looking for shops to sell my pieces/prints, working on my website, etc. I still have a lot to do, but I hope to have things running more smoothly by mid-summer. Below are links to the book's website, my artist's website, and an article OkinawaHai.com wrote about me not too long ago.

Oh yeah... Schan's squadron (the 961st AACS) has a new mascot, the Dragons, and they chose my design to use as their mascot logo. Yay!! I can't wait to see this dragon on tshirts, patches, and other squadron "stuff" that may come about. Go 961st!





http://www.shisastory.com/

http://www.carmen-daniel..com/

www.okinawahai.com/my_weblog/2009/04/carmen-works-to-draw-our-island-experience.html

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)

American Village

Wow, I have not posted anything in over a month! I've been a little busier than usual lately, but I'll try to do a better job keeping everyone updated on things. So what should I blog about.... hmmm. Schan has been busy with work and classes for his masters degree and I've been keeping myself occupied with a big art project, so unfortunately we have not had time to do any sight-seeing lately. We have been trying out some new restaurants on the weekends though, which is always fun!

Anyway, I think I'm going to write about "American Village" since I don't think I have posted any pictures of that yet. American Village is a popular hangout for many military members/families living on Okinawa. It's located in Chatan Town, which is near Kadena Air Base (the west side & opposite of where we live), Camp Lester (the Navy Hospital) and Camp Foster (a Marine base). It sort of gives visitors a mix of American and Japanese culture.... food, shopping, etc. The main landmark for the area is the large Ferris wheel, which sits on top of a small shopping area filled with restaurants and retail stores. We did try the Thai restaurant there (Jai Thai) but we weren't really impressed with it. The atmosphere was neat, but the food... ehh, not so much. But if we want an American-style meal, they have a Tony Romas steak house there and it was actually pretty good. In addition to the restaurants, there is a mall within walking distance, a Starbucks, and many shops/bars near the beach. Also, the square outside the Ferris wheel usually has different types of music, local bands, groups of dancers or street performers that come out to show their talents, especially on the weekends. Some are really fun to watch.... others just interesting ;)

Picture info: 1.) View of American Village and the East China Sea... the Naval Hospital is the bldg on the lower left 2.) American village square 3.) The Ferris Wheel 4.) Groups of Okinawan girls performing their hip-hop skills on the square... fun times :)

The Great Tug-of-War!

On Sunday afternoon, I went with some friends down to Naha for the Tug-of-War Festival! And although it's a very interesting event, I'm just going to copy and paste the local news story about it to avoid messing up the actual facts :)

Take a 44-ton rope and wrap 25,000 pair of hands around it, and what happens? Answer: A tug-of-war Sunday afternoon that will attract tens of thousands of spectators wanting to see if the Guinness Book of World Records feat can be topped. The event takes place at Kumoji Crossing in downtown Naha, the centerpiece of the 38th annual Ryukyu Kingdom Festival Tsunahiki. For many who make the annual trek to the tug-of-war, the event is simply the Naha Festival tug-of-war.

This tug-of-war has been ongoing since 1600, when the Ryukyu Kingdom was in its prime, a festival for farmers in the countryside to give thanks for plentiful harvests, and for city dwellers to do likewise for successful international trade. After nearly four centuries of festivities, the tug-of-war was stopped in 1935, then revived by Naha City in 1971 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Since then, it’s never stopped.

The great tug-of-war grew each year, with the city in 1995 putting together a huge rope that qualified for the Guinness Book of World Records. Festival organizers made it bigger in 1997, and the record jumped. This weekend, they hope to do it again, as eight teams representing Okinawa’s east and another eight standing for the west will lead the tug-of-war. The war pits the east against the west, the two 300-foot-long sections of rope being brought together and pinned with a massive 10-foot wooden peg. Kings symbolizing the supremacy of the two dynasties in Naha centuries ago approach each other atop the rope, each with their royal courts, and issue challenges to one another.

Cries of ‘yoishi’, ‘O Shoi’ and ‘Hai-ya’, meaning heave ho or pull harder, fill the air, motivating stronger efforts from participants. Once the tug-of-war is ended, with or without a winner, it’s all friendship. The best record was in 2004, when the west, in a lightning fast move, hauled the rope the five meters in only six minutes-26 seconds, a new record. Knives come out as everybody begins to relax, cutting away pieces of the tug ropes for souvenirs (to bring good luck for the year).

In the above picture of Cindi and me standing on the rope, I obviously forgot that making the peace sign in photos is the "cool thing" to do here in Okinawa, haha. I was just happy that I got my piece of the rope! And below is a video I took of the "actual" tug-of-war. Our side won!

For more photos of the tug-of war, go to....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27905094@N06/sets/72157607956112706/

Snorkeling...

This post is a little overdue, but we finally bought our own snorkeling gear in late July and went snorkeling for the first time in early August. These photos are from Maeda Point, which is one of the most popular snorkeling sites on the island. The water was so gorgeous and we were able to see so many different types of fish and sea life that day. We even saw a few tiny seahorses, so that was very cool :) Got a little close to one small jellyfish, but managed to avoid it thank goodness! We're definitely looking forward to putting our new snorkeling gear to use again soon.

Cats...

Gotta love pets... especially our cat, Darby. She is actually more like a dog than a cat, which is great because some cats are well, not very entertaining. We do have another cat, Sam, who isn't as playful or active probably because she weighs about 22 lbs, ughh! She's sweet, but skittish and sometimes hisses at you for no reason at all. And she really only wanders downstairs at night or if she's desperate for food to curb her big ol appetite. Anyway, most of the time Sam hides upstairs, but not Darby. While Schan is at work, Darby will follow me around the house like a shadow. I walk outside to get something out of the car and there she is waiting at the door for me to get back. I make dinner and she's always right by my feet, staring up at me as though she's waiting for food to fall on the floor. She never eats it though, unless it happens to be tuna. And I cannot even go to the bathroom or take a shower without hearing her meow and paw at the door, haha! Crazy cat. Anyway, she loves to play fetch with my hair bands and with her little rabbits foot toy. Sometimes she's good at bringing it back to you and sometimes she isn't. I think she's camera shy, so she didn't do as well when I was taping her this time. Still funny though :)




And here's another... of both Darby and Sam. If you have the volume up at the end, you can hear Sam get irritated and hiss at Darby. Who knows why, it's just what she does, LOL!