This week went by really quickly. (Do I say that every week??) On Monday, Jackeline said she needed to go shopping in Naha, and due to the fact that we got lost and couldn't find anything the day prior, we obliged to go with her. She took us to this really fancy mall filled with stores like Coach, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Michael Kors, etc. So we browsed and laughed at all of the outrageous prices, and then went to the one place in the mall that we could afford: Godiva. MMM. We all got chocolate milkshakes that were delicious. We sipped them as we went on to a mall down the street that was way more affordable. It had tons of cute clothes and it was pretty crazy and busy with Christmas approaching.
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| FANCY mall. |
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| I may be super happy because I'm getting chocolate. MAYBE. Jackeline is the one in pink! |
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| Naha, Okinawa |
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| The second mall we went to in Naha |
The next day was such a nice day, so we took advantage of the sun and got lunch together at the Tee House on base. It has an incredible view, and the food was yummy too!
Our initial plan was that we would buy one car until mid January when we would move into our apartment because we would both need one around that time. BUT when Arthur found a car listed for $800, we just couldn't pass up the offer. So now we both have cars and they are both AWESOME. Driving on the left side has gotten way easier and it seems more natural now. However, after getting lunch the other day I was about to turn and was waiting for a guy to turn before I could pull out. I was wondering why he wasn't pulling in, and then I realized I was on the wrong side of the road. Awkward.... I drove away quickly and covered my face as I did so. And the day after that, Arthur got into his car and sat down so he could drive somewhere... and then realized he got into the passenger side of his car so he jumped out quickly and ran to the other side of the car and drove away...fast. Other than that we have been doing really well!! :)
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| My car! |
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| Arthur's car! |
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| Only $800!!! |
Tuesday afternoon was spent searching for Farmer's Markets that would sell cheaper and fresher produce than the commissary. I found one that sold cheap vegetables, giant zucchini, huge potatoes, dried fish in bags, pears for $1.00 EACH, and little meals in plastic containers that had noodles, eggs, giant fish heads (ew), and so on. Once Arthur got off work, we drove around to look for dinner and found this cute place in American village. We got a hibiscus smoothie (SO GOOD), salad rolls with avo and cream cheese, spicy burritos, and some fish. (Obviously we were hungry).
The Japanese really get into the Christmas spirit over here.... (see picture below). Everything is covered in Christmas lights or wreaths, there are Christmas trees everywhere, and tons of signs wishing us a "Happy Merry Christmas!".
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| Santa, is that you!? |
On Wednesday, I drove around looking for cafes and nail salons that I saw on yelp and other blogs. The cafe I went to took me forever to find, but I FINALLY did. It was quaint, adorable, and quiet. I was expecting a menu so it took me a while to figure out that the waiter was asking me "Hot or Ice?". I needed him to repeat himself like 4 times before I finally, embarrassingly said "Hot". He brought me an americano with some cream and sugar and I smiled a bunch so he would know that I was sorry for coming to his country without knowing any Japanese. I bought a small booklet of notecards on a ring, so I made flashcards to make it easier for Arthur and I to study Japanese. So I sat there making the cards and enjoying my coffee. When I was done, I asked "How much?' in Japanese and pointed to my drink. The waiter said 500 Yen which is about $5.00... for an americano?! Not sure if I was being ripped off or if it was truly that much. I wouldn't know the difference. But to give credit where credit is due, the coffee was REALLY tasty.
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| The little cafe I went to! |
I also found a small little beach so of course I had to run to it and take pictures. The water is so blue and pretty.
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On Christmas Eve night, we found a church off base that was having three Christmas Eve services. The church was really nice, and pretty big too! There was around 400 people at the service we went to, mostly American families. We then went to dinner at this French/Spanish restaurant about 30 minutes from base. It was small and cute inside, and there was only one person working. There were two other Japanese couples there almost finishing up. They had a set menu that night which consisted of an 8 course meal that was 5,500 Yen (about $50), "for two people". I have never had an eight course meal... and after that, I never intend to have another. Don't get me wrong, the food was all delicious! It was just that after about the third course, Arthur and I were already full. Considering that we were two of six people there, we thought we would offend the waiter/chef if we didn't eat everything. So we ate. And ate some more. And even when we couldn't eat anymore, we ate some more. I thought I might explode. Luckily, the seventh course was black coffee, and as for the eighth, we still aren't sure what it was. It said "Pain" on the menu, so we assumed that it was either the PAIN of eating that much, or the PAIN of seeing our check and realizing that it was $50 each, not for two people. After rolling out of the restaurant, we went home and went straight to bed because SANTA was coming that night!!!
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| Missing a couple of the courses... but 6/8 of our 8 course meal |
Thursday was CHRISTMAS! It was so fun!! We slept in, cuddled a lot, I made breakfast to really get us in the spirit, we ate and opened gifts, skyped my family and Arthur's family, then ran off to find a beach Arthur heard about. The weather was so nice on Christmas. We got to the beach and explored and took lots of cool pictures. We also slid down this slide for children (on Christmas, can we be children too?), and enjoyed the sun. We then headed home to finally shower for the day and head over to Amanada and her husband Matt's house on base. They invited us over for a Christmas dinner with about 10 of their friends. We had a TON of good food and played Cards against Humanity.
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| Santa Pancakes!! |
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| MERRY CHRISTMAS |
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| WEEEEEE! |
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| WOOOOOOO |
Arthur worked a short day on Saturday and so we were able to do what we do best, explore. We drove to the East side of the island where there are a few nice resorts, which means nice beaches!! We also went to this restaurant called "Transit Cafe" that my Aunt Pam told me about. It's only a two minute walk from where our new apartment is and its right on the seawall. The food was delicious!! Below are the drinks we got. MMMM!
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| Amaretto Latte |
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| Mango Peach Soda |
Sunday funday was GREAT this week, even though it was gray and rainy. It was nothing that would stop two Oregonians from going out and playing! We started the day by planning on going to this church I found online. It was easy to find it online but finding it in person? Fail. We couldn't find it and we don't have GPS on our flip phones (what?!?) and so we ended up just heading south. We followed the outermost roads on Okinawa which are actually mostly a bunch of dirt roads. By the way... I do have a GPS in my car-which has proven to be awesome! Except for the minor detail that it is Japanese and can't be changed into English. But a map in Japanese looks basically the same as English so it has been very helpful. So we took a bunch of dirt roads all around... to rainy towns, to monuments, to "white sand" beaches, to parks, to more monuments, and to rocky beaches. At night we drove back to Naha and had dinner at this really fancy restaurant and it was really good!
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| Off roading in China. She's a trooper! |
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| Path down to the beach |
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| View of one of the little cities in Southern Okinawa |
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| Arthur became one with nature. |
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| City Night Lights/ Working on my photography skills |
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| My handsome husband <3 |
New years is approaching fast and I am excited. I like New Years because its a new beginning to another year. A chance to start fresh and a new year full of new adventures and memories. Looking back on this past year and everything that has happened, I am just so utterly thankful and I feel so blessed for what the year has brought. I graduated from college, got engaged and married, started a job (and sadly ended it due to the next point...), and moved to Japan. All in one year. That's crazy!! It's been amazing and I am so thankful for everything. I am thankful to everyone who helped make this year one I will always remember. I made a few resolutions, as I do every year. (I haven't made the list too vast considering I would like to actually keep them... :)
1. Learn Japanese
2. Develop a healthier lifestyle (as in, stop being addicted to sugar!! It's a REAL problem people!!)
3. Read the Bible in a year
4. Cook more. Lots more!!
...that's all I have for now. But it's a start!!!
I also found out that Taylor Swift is starting her tour in Tokyo, Japan. SOOOO EXCITED! I really hope I can get tickets. The crowd will be a bunch of 16 year old Asians and then Arthur and I. Whatever.. I still love her.
Anyways, we miss everyone at home and hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and we wish everyone a Happy New Year!! We love you all!!!
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