HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

To my amazing parents! 32 years and still going strong! Congratulations! I hope you guys have a wonderful anniversary! You deserve it!

Aside from that, Ive just been enjoying my vacation. I finished Twilight and am now just as much consumed in the 2nd book of the series as I was in the first one :) I have a hard time putting this one down also! The weather is getting a little chilly here. I cant wait for Justin to come home because we are going winter clothes shopping! He said the first weekend he is back he wants to go to Yokohama for the day and go shopping and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. Aww.. a man that loves to shop... and has great taste too, what more could a girl ask for? :) Justin pulls in to Guam tomorrow, which I am excited about because I get to see him on webcam! Tomorrow also means 3 weeks till he comes back, AND tomorrow is pay day for both Justin and I, which mean we are going to be rich! (ya right) But it does mean that I get to go shopping tomorrow and buy these boots that I have been eyeballing. Ill probably do that in the morning while Justin is waiting to get off of the boat. Then Ill come back and talk to him. On Saturday, Ill probably stay home and talk to him on the computer, Sunday Sanae and I are going on that bus tour, and Monday will most likely be spent recovering from Sunday. The bus tour leaves some station near Tokyo at 730am, which means I have to leave my station around 6ish. Then its an all day tour and we get back to the station around 730, and have to take the train home. Its going to be a long and tiring day, but hopefully a fun one! Thank goodness Monday is a holiday so I can relax and recover from Sundays activities. But dont you worry, every spare minute I have in the next few days will be spent reading New Moon :D

<3

Twilight

A while back one of my closest friends, Christina, recommened the book series Twilight to me. Apparently its a popular series back home that a lot of people are obsessed with and I had no idea about. Its even being made into a movie, coming out in theaters Nov 21. Anyways so since she had recommended it to me, I began looking for it at the NEX on base, and even at the library. Everytime I was at the NEX I found myself searching the book section, but could never find the book. Finally I added it to my birthday list my mom had asked for, in hopes that I would get it then. So yesterday Im at the NEX, and I decide to check out the book section to see if anything sounded interesting to me, and since I need something to keep me busy during my week off. Im slowly walking through the aisles, trying to see if anything sounded interesting enough to buy, and low and behold, there right in front of me was Twilight. I picked up the book and thumbed through it and noticed it was 500 pages. Perfect I thought, this will definitely keep me busy throughout the next week. Well, lets just say here I sit, less than 24 hours after starting the book and Im already 338 pages deep. I sat and read last night until 10 and decided it was time to go to bed. I had to call my mom though to share with her my excitment about the book (she loves to read). After hanging up with her, I crawled in to bed, and read for another hour! Then I forced myself to put the book down and close my eyes, but didnt fall asleep for about another hour because I wanted so badly to pick up the book and start reading some more! So today, I read the book on the train to work, while I was walking to work, during work (internet was down again so it gave me an excuse ;) ), and on the train home from work. So much for keeping me occupied during my time off. lets just say Ill probably be returing to the NEX tomorrow to buy the second book in the series. Im also excited because like I said, the movie comes out Nov 21 in the states (the day Justin comes home) so I am hoping that it will be playing in the theatre on base shortly after and we can go see it together! What perfect timing :) Justin promised to read the first chapter of the book, and I told him if he didnt like it then he didnt have to finish reading it. I, on the other hand, can not get enough of the book. Its so amazing!!

My little Mischief

So every once in a while my parents will show me Mischief on webcam. The first time they did it, I was talking to them over the computer, and we both had our cams going and Mischief was sleeping at my dads feet while he was laying on the couch. So my mom turned the computer so I could see her, and I started talking to her. I was just calling her name and stuff, and it was really funny because the second she heard me call her name, her head shot up and she began looking around. Her eyes got really big and she kind of looked freaked out. She got up from the couch and ran down the hall towards the front door. Its really funny because Mischief hates it whenever anyone comes through, or to the front door, but everynight when I used to come home from work, she would greet me at it. Had it been anyone else coming to the door, she would have been under the couch hiding. My parents always knew when I was home, even before they heard my car pull in the driveway because Mischief would let them know. I dont know how or at what point she would realize it was me coming to the door, but every night, without a doubt, never failed she was there waiting for me. Anyways so today I talked to Mischief on webcam again. Again, when she heard my voice she looked around for me, and her eyes got wide and I think she was a little freaked out that she could hear my voice but couldnt find me or didnt know where my voice was coming from. I would be freaked out too! Haha but I dont want her to forget me, or forget my voice because there are a select few people that Mischief actually likes in the world, and I would like to remain one of them! So Mischief came up to the computer and smelled it a few times, but I highly doubt she could see me on the webcam or comprehend what was happening, afterall her brain is the size of a pea. My parents said that after I was done talking to her, they found her in my closet. One thing you must know about Mischief is she NEVER goes in my room, except to eat and use her litter box. I dont know why but she has never liked my room much. I think she went in there to look for me. She is so funny, and so smart. I love her :) And I dont care what Justin says, he does too. They bonded when he was home and thankfully, he isnt on her shit list with the rest of the world :D ...oh my poor brother... Speaking of cats and Justin, when I told him I want to be the cat lady and carry treats in my purse, he called me disgusting. Haha all the more reason to do it now!! Jk babe.. ;)

Nothing fun or exciting going on with me. Today I have done absolutely nothing and have loved it. I figure I have all of next week to get my chores done, so why not just hang out and relax for a day?

less than 4 weeks till Justin comes home! Yay! :D

And the verdict is...

Full week off, paid, not being counted against my vacation days. Woohoo!!! I know that it will probably be a boring week, but hey, Id rather be bored at home and be able to do whatever I want, than be bored at work with nothing to do, stuck in front of a computer for 8 hours. At least this way, I dont have to wake up at 530, I can sleep in, lounge around, do as I please, and still get paid as if I were at work staring at the darn computer. Dont get me wrong, I love my job, when I have actual classes though, and students to meet with and people to talk to and stuff to do! So I will go to work on Monday, and shall not return until the following Tuesday. Maybe I will explore Oppama, or go to Yokohama for a day. One thing I do know I am doing is going shopping the day I get paid! Exciting!! Anyways, I didnt see my little friend today. Hes probably hiding under a car trying to stay dry. Its still raining, but I think it supposed to clear up over the weekend. I hope its not raining during my week off, that would suck! Alright well thats it with me, just wanted to share my exciting news! Yay! :D

Its raining cats and dogs

Well my days of abundant sunshine are offically over. Its pouring down rain outside. I just got home from Sanae's house and had to walk home in it. It wasnt too bad, but I think I left her house right as it started to come down hard. What perfect timing...

Anyways so next week I only have classes on Monday. Tuesday-Friday the students are testing, which means I will have no classes, and pretty much nothing to do except "lesson plan." Fun. So today, the teacher that makes my weekly schedule and emails it to the company I work for says to me "For Tuesday-Friday, do you want me to put down that you are lesson planning and you come to work? Or do you want me to leave it blank and you dont have to come to work?" Gee... let me think about that one. Go to work and doing absolutely nothing for 8 hours, or stay at home and still get paid for not going to work and have a full week off (because the following Monday is a holiday) and not have this counted as my vacation time because the school told me not to come. Tough decision. So I told him to leave it blank, but that I needed to call my company to tell them that my school was telling me not to come to work next week, and comfirm that that will be okay. Because I work for Interac, and not the school itself, everything has to be approved by them if I want to get paid. So I called and explained what was going on and the lady I spoke with said she just needed to call my school to verify that they dont need me next week. She also said that the Vice Prinicipal is the one that should tell me whether or not I need to come to work, and not one of my teachers, so she was going to call him and ask and then get back to me. She called me back about an hour later and said that she tried callng him, but he was not in his office at the time so she will try back tomorrow and let me know then. So by tomorrow it will either be approved or denied that I get a full weeks paid vacation. I just wish Justin were here so that we could go on a mini vacation or something. It sucks that I have had so many holidays and days off when hes not home, and watch the second he gets back there wont be any holidays, or irregular class schedules like this one that might give me a free week. Im not really sure what I would do with my time though. I dont really want to explore much of Japan because I want to wait and do that when Justin is here so we can do that together. Oh well, I have to wait and see if it gets approved first before I start thinking about that.

I dont know if Ive mentioned it before, but I always see a lot of stray cats on my walk home. If you know anything about me, you know that I love animals, especially cats. I have told my parents before that I want to bring all these cats I see back to my apartment, but they told me no. Haha. Most of the cats are afraid of me, like most stray animals are. Everytime I see one I just want to pet it, I miss petting Mischief... but when I kneel down, or put my hand out they get scared and run away. Maybe its because I dont talk to them in Japanese that they dont like me. After all, they are Japanese cats, so the must speak Japanese. Well there is this one cat, hes (just assuming its a boy) a tiny little thing, probably still a kitten and he is the cutest thing in the world. He is white and gray. Tonight as I was walking to the train station to go to Sanaes, I was just about to go down the stairs and this cat came up to me. He just ran right up to me like he knew who I was. So I knelt down and let him smell my hand, he didnt seem too impressed but he sat there and meowed at me. It took him a while to let me pet him, but I was so excited that I got to pet the cat!! He got bored of me after a few minutes, and ran back to all the other cats that were sitting there with their eyes glued on him almost as if to make sure I wasnt going to do anything bad to this cat, and if I did then they would attack me. Anyways, I have decided that I want to be "The cat person." You know how you see in the movies those bird people? The ones that sit in the parks and feed the birds? Well thats going to be me, only with cats. Ill be the cat lady. I will carry cat treats in my purse, and whenever I see a cat Ill feed it. In time I think they will begin to like me, or maybe they will just use me for my food, who knows. Anyways its late and Im rambling so I better go to bed. Have to get up at 530. Yuck!

Well I guess I better update this thing since the last time I posted was about the bad day that I had. Yesterday was better and today was good too. Ive still been enjoying the nice sunny weather, but I think the rain starts again tomorrow. Not looking forward to that. Justin will be home in less than a month and I absolutely can not wait. He pulls in to Guam on the 31st, so it will be really nice to be able to talk to him on webcam and stuff, and on a phone that I can actually hear him on rather than the stupid ships phone that has all that noise in the background. Then on the 2nd, Sanae and I are taking that bus tour so that should be fun, and before I know it Justin will be pulling in again. Im just trying to keep busy and time goes by faster. Sanae invited me over for dinner tomorrow night. She is going to make Japanese home made curry. It will be a new experience for me, and hopefully a good one! Everything at work is the same. My students are awesome, and have been very excited that I have been wearing my hair down this week. They all have to comment on it. Its really funny and kind of cute. David still gets on my nerves and doesnt really do much to help me lesson plan, except ask me 20 minutes before class starts if there is anything he can do, or if I need copies made. No thanks buddy Im good. The other day he said to me "Sorry I couldnt help you plan the lessons." I just looked at him and thought "couldnt?" Do you need to sit in on one of my classes because Im pretty sure the word could implies the abilitiy to do something, and you are perfectly capable of helping me plan a lesson. Wouldnt, or didnt is the word that he should have used. Anyways thats about all thats going on here. Talk to you all soon!

What the crappy day

Well I guess its about time one of those good ol' crappy days comes along. I guess you could say it started when I woke up this morning and saw that the Chargers lost. Its a damn good thing I didnt wake up at 2am to watch the game or Im sure Id be even more irked right now, seeing that its 7:30 and I just got home and am finally eating dinner.

So I get to work this morning and I sit down at my desk and try logging on to the internet. It wouldnt connect. So I left it alone for a little bit, even went to one of my classes, came back and it still wouldnt connect. Then the teacher sitting next to me says "The interent isnt working today, they are doing maintenence." Really people??? You have the fastest train in the world, and have train times so exact and down to the T, yet you havent figured out that shutting the flippen internet down for a day to do maintenence in the middle of a flippen work day is a little inconvenient?? Why couldnt the maintenence have been done after school hours, or on a Saturday, let alone on a Monday when school is in session. So I was stuck, without internet all day. Didnt get to talk to my parents on Gmail, didnt get to email Justin, couldnt get the number to PSD so I could try and get information about a Mac flight to Guam, couldnt print out important papers that needed to be faxed to Justin, nothing.

So I survived that, and got off work and headed to base. I had a list of things that needed to get done, for example exchange cash into yen, pay rent, pick up Justins uniforms, go to the library to print and fax Justin the paperwork (because I couldnt do it at school today), pay the Gas bill, go to the cell phone store... I mean the list just dragged on. I go to exchange the money so I could pay rent, exchange rate changed so I didnt have enough money to cover rent. Good thing its due in a few days otherwise I would have been screwed. But then that just tacked on another chore to my list, go to the ATM to take out more money, and now that just means Ill have to go back down there tomorrow when I get off of work to stop by Sanae's office to pay her. Whatever so Ill deal with that. Then I start on my looooong walk to the library, on the complete opposite side of base. Get everything done there. Then as Im walking off of base, I look down at my phone and what do ya know, 5 missed calls. 5!!!!! Justin had tried calling me 5 times and I didnt hear it because my stupid phone was in my pocket on silent. Ughhh!! What a great way to end a crappy day.

Hopefully tomorrow is better, Ill let you know.

Abundant Sunshine

So the other morning I checked the weather forecast on yahoo, like I do every morning before leaving the house because like I have said a thousand times before, just because its sunny one minute doesnt mean it will be sunny the next. Come to my surprise the forecast said Abundant Sunshine! I was sooo excited! That had to have been sometime at the beginning of the week, and now here it is Sunday here and it still hasnt rained! Woohoo! Almost a week with no rain! Its pretty exciting dontcha know.

Anyways nothing new with me. On November 2nd Sanae and I are going on a one day trip. Its a bus tour that will take us to (some of the websites are in Japanese so I feel your pain, just bare with me)
Tokyo bay Aqua Line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Bay_Aqua-Line

Umihotaru Parking Lot
http://www.umihotaru.com/pa/introduction.asp

Kamogawa Sea World
http://www.kamogawa-seaworld.jp/english/index.html

Mother Farm
http://www.motherfarm.co.jp/en/

It sounds like a fun day... but... I might have to cancel on her. Justin pulls into Guam Oct 31- Nov 4. I guess he heard something about this guys wife got a free Mac flight from Japan to Guam to visit them while they are in port there. I looked at my school schedule for those few days and Oct 31 is a friday, and I dont have any classes that day, the students will be testing. Then its the weekend, and that Monday is a holiday. So I am going to see if I can find out more info about this Mac flight and who knows, I might be going to Guam for free! That would be sooo awesome!

Alright well its time to get back to my Sunday chores of cleaning the house. Oh and Sam, the reason why my husband has been looking like a tard wearing his regular shoes with his uniform is because he had an ingrown toenail. Haha sounds gross but its gotten him off of work for a few days! But thanks for lettin me know cuz I didnt know he was doing that haha! Now I can make fun of him lol!

Oh and Justin will be home in a month and 2 days! Can you believe it?? I cant believe these words are about to come out of my mouth but, time sure does fly!!

And just a side note, Justin said he hopes the man that opened my can for me never sees him with me because I am an embarassment. Hey I got my green beans didnt I???

And the pressures on

Sometimes it still hits me that Im in Japan. I dont think I have fully grasped the concept that I live here yet, because I have been sooo busy since the second I arrived. I mean the day after I arrived was spent apartment hunting, then training began and right out of training I started working, then Justin came home, and now its like Im already settled in to my way of life here that I never had a moment to stop and think holy crap Im living in Japan! I mean its not like I wake up everymorning and say to myself Woohoo Im in Japan!! I pretty much go about my business here as if I were in the states. I get up, go to work, come home, make dinner (which is new to me), clean (another new concept to me) and my weekends are spent doing laundry and grocery shopping (both new concepts to me). Every now and again, like for example the other night, it will occur to me that Im in Japan and at that moment, the thought seems larger than life. Like the other night, I was sitting out on my balcony enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, staring into the distance at the city lights of Yokohama and the thought hit me. Its an awesome feeling, and I cant really describe it, other than the fact that it puts a huge smile on my face. Today was another day that this realization set in, but this one wasnt in such a good way. In all of my classes, at the end of each lesson the students have a speaking check in which I ask them questions related to the topic we covered, and evaluate their answers based on how well they grapsed the concept, and are able to speak the target expressions we covered in the lesson. Today was a speaking check day for my Speaking and Listening class. Nothing hard, I just asked them to give me 5 simple sentences about the natural disaster that they had been researching. Everything was going fine until half way through one of my students speaking check, she completely burst into tears. I felt so bad and didnt know what to do or say. I gave her a few minutes to calm down and pull her self together, but what I really wanted to do was give her a big hug and assure her that everything was gong to be ok. Thats when it hit me how much pressure is put on these Japanse students in school. She kept saying to me "My english is bad, my english is bad." I felt horrible because here I am, grading her on her english speaking skills, and there is so much pressure on her that she cant even make it through 5 sentences without crying. She ended up finishing her speaking check, but it made me feel like a mean or intimidating teacher when she cant even talk to me without crying. As if that wasnt enough for me for the day, I had been asked to sit in on an interview of 3 students who are interviewing to study abroad in Australia. Out of the 3 students they were only going to send two. I had been asked to come up with a few questions to ask the students so we could determine the best candidates to go. Half way through the interview, 2 of the girls burst in to tears. Again I just wanted to run and hug them and tell them that everything was going to be ok, but I followed along as the other teachers were doing and just sat and stared at them. I should also mention that you could cut the tension in that room with a knife! Im glad I was on the side that I was on, and not one of the girls being interviewed otherwise I probably would have cried too! Anyways today was a complete reality check for me and just a reminder that I am in Japan.

Aside from that I just got a phone call from my company saying that she just spoke with the director from the board of education for my school, and the director spoke with my school and they said they just love me and are really pleased with me. She also said "I understand you work with a JET (david) and the director of the board of education said your school said he pretty much copies what you do." Haha Im glad they realize that cuz lately Ive been doing ALL the lesson planning while god knows what he does. Its alot of work but I dont mind it though. Keeps me busy and at least I get to do lessons my way. :D

Green beans and a can opener

Oh man do I have a funny story. Well I find it funny at least and hope that you all can share in my humor. So awhile back I bought a can opener. They didnt have any at the store on base so I bought it out in town thinking a can opener is a can opener right? Wrong. The first time I went to use the can opener was after Justin had left and I had no clue how the darn thing worked. I did however, know that it worked because Justin had opened a can of corn or something for dinner one night. This can opener is different than the one I was used to using at home. So Im screwing around with this can opener, and even have my mom on the phone at 4am her time trying to help me with this thing (I had called her for other reasons than the can opener but while we were on the phone the situation came up). Anyways so after becoming completely frustrated with the stupid thing, I gave up and decided to open the can with a knife (which Justin and my mom both yelled at me for). So the next time I talked to Justin I explained to him my situation and after minutes of laughing and making fun of me he decided to try and explain to me over the phone how to use it, but by then I was pissed that he made fun of me so didnt really feel like listening. I told him I didnt want to hear it, that I wasnt going to try, I wouldnt learn how to use it over the phone, he was just going to have to show me and I just wouldnt open a can until he got back.

So tonight Im making dinner, grilled chicken and rice, and decided I needed something else to go with it. A vegetable. Too bad all of my vegetables are in cans in the pantry. I grabbed a can of green beans and thought to myself ok Kristen, youre smarter than the can opener. Was I? No. I twisted and turned and tried it every which way and just couldnt get it to open the can! I was determined though, I wanted those green beans and was going to do anything to have them. So what did I do? I resorted to the hallway of my apartment complex, can opener, green beans and all. I figured someones got to be coming to or leaving their apartment right now and maybe if I "bump" into them they will help me. So I step foot into the hallway and what do I hear? Silence. Not a single person was in the complex. So I roamed my floor for a little bit thinking come on someones got to be coming or going soon. I hung out mostly by the elevator, watching for any sign that someone might be using it. I even went down to the first floor where all the mail boxes are hoping that someone might be down their checking the mail. Well after a good 15 minutes I returned home and decided to try the can opener again. No such luck with the thing, so I resorted back to the hallway. I kept my eyes glued on that elevator and before I knew it, it started to move. Someone was coming up! I hoped and prayed that the elevator was going to stop on the 2nd floor so that I didnt have to jump in the other elevator and chase the person with my can opener screaming open my can!!! Haha not that I would do that, but anyways, the elevator stopped on the second floor and I was in luck! A man stepped out. The second he did he saw me and I said "Sumimasen" (excuse me) and showed him my can. He put down his things and started talking to me in Japanese and I, having no idea what he was saying, showed him the can again. He took the can from me, and the opener, and began opening the can! Just like that! What do ya know, the one way that I didnt try to use can opener was the way that it worked! I was so thankful, but also so embarassed! I thanked him for opening my can and walked back to my apartment. He probably thought stupid American girl doesnt even know how to use a can opener. Haha oh well, hopefully I dont see him on my floor again, he will probably remember me as the idiot with the green beans. Ha!!

Just one of those days

Do you have ever one of those days where at the end of the day you wonder how you function? Today was one of those days for me. My day in itself was fine, I kept myself busy at work, lesson planning for next week and such. I decided that I was going to go see another movie on base tonight. Well actually Bonnie and Justin told me that I should go because I had nothing better to do, ha! I was indecisive because I googled reviews on the movie and they werent very good reviews (I should really stop doing that). Anyways so I got off work and I headed to base. I went through the normal procedure of getting on base, which Ive done a thousand times where I hand the MA my ID card and he scans it, only this time I didnt hand him my ID card, I handed him my Suica card (my train card). I was wondering why he was giving me such a funny look and after realizing what an idiot I was, I fished through my backpack for my ID. Then Im at the movie theater paying for my $3 movie, and I handed the guy a 20. He gives me my change and I began to walk away. I realized he had given me too much money (or so I thought). Thinking I was being a good citizen I turned around and gave him a dollar back and said "You gave me too much change." He seemed so surprised that someone would be so honest as to return a dollar and thanked me. As I walked away this time, I counted my money again and only had 16 dollars. Haha I scare myself sometimes and really wonder how I am able to make it in a foriegn country alone, but cant count change or even use the right card to get on base.

Aside from that, I have decided that Japanese people are only nice until they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, or even a bicycle for that matter! When they are behind anything that moves its like they are out to get you! I swear they think they own the road, and they dont care if you are in the way or not. Its the worst when its raining. I think they see me and think "Oh poor little American girl walking in the pouring rain, how about we speed past her right as she is walking next to that huge puddle!" Okay so its really not that bad, but pedestrians definitely do not have the right away here, hardly even when its your turn to cross the street! Even then, cars that are waiting to make a turn while you are crossing the street, when its your to to cross for crying out loud will inch closer and closer to you, practically pushing you across the road and out of their way so they can complete their turn. Whats even better is I constantly have to remind myself where Im at, am I on base or am I out in town? I swear when it comes to driving they are 2 completely different worlds. On base, you can be approaching the end of a side walk and cars will begin to slow down and stop before you are even near stepping foot into the cross walk. They also have these cross walks that you push a button and they light up so cars know that you are crossing the road in the dark. In Yokosuka, you're lucky if you can cross the road if the little green man is telling you to.

I've also decided that the weather here changes faster than a pregnant womans mood swings. I feel like everytime I leave the house, I should prepare for every possible weather situation known to man. I should probably start packing a bathing suit, a light sweater, rainboots, an umbrella, a scarf, a heavy jacket and uggs just so Im prepared. I swear one minute its a beautiful day outside, with a cool breeze and the sun shining and the next minute its pouring down rain. Whenever Im talking to my Dad he often asks me if its raining out (because 99% of the time it is!), and if it just so happens not to be, my response is "Not right now but that doesnt mean it wont be in an hour." I shouldnt complain though, cuz I did have a dream the other night that I came back home to the states and was really depressed. I didnt get to say bye to my students, I went back to working at stupid Olive Garden, and I didnt have a car because we sold it and public transportation sucks compared to here in Japan. I hope Im not like that when its really time to leave!! Oh well, only time will tell! :)

One week down

One week ago today the GW left Yokosuka, Im one week down, but technically have a little more than 6 weeks to go. They pull back in on a friday, so as of friday I can say only 6 weeks left. Yay!

So today I experienced my first Japanese earthquake!! (Bonnie it was literally right after we said bye to each other on gmail.) It was a baby of all quakes. Im used to real So Cal earthquakes, this one didnt even compare. So Im sitting at my desk and I noticed that all of my Japanese English Teachers get really quite (not that it was noisy or anything but they all stopped typing and working) and I see them all look out the window. Im thinking great, what bug flew in here now that is going to send me flying out of the room the second it comes near me. Then they all look at each other and one says "earthquake." I sat really still for a moment and felt the slightest, smallest shift. It really just felt like I was dizzy if anything. The only thing I noticed was the clock on the wall shaking, and thats about it. I googled it to see where it occured and how big it was. It was a 4.6 magnitude in Tokyo. So now Ive been through a Japanese typhoon and earthquake!! Again, I had no one to share the excitement with seeing that Justin was out exploring Korea so I couldnt get a hold of him, and it was around 11 back in the states so my parents we aleady in bed. So I emailed (text messaged) my brother :)

Justin got off the boat today and did a little shopping and exploring in Korea. The shopping was for my birthday present(s) of course :D I am super excited to see what he got me!! I bet its good. He has good taste you know. Hes always nervous that Im not going to like what he buys me, but I end up loving it! Right now he is at some banquet dinner function thing on the boat. Had to get all dressed up in his dress blues and everything. All you can eat and all you can drink for free? Hey why not!

So this weekend is another 3 day weekend for me, which I am SUUUUPER excited about having monday off!!! 2 reasons and these are not listed by order of priority. Number 1. I get to watch the Chargers game on webcam!!! WOOHOOO! They play Sunday night around 5pm back home, which is Monday 9am here. Dad will set up the webcam and point it at the TV! We did this one other time and it worked perfectly! Needless to say, we are going to get our asses handed to us by the Patriots, but hey, should be a good game! Reason number 2. My BFFE Mrs. Bonnie Wallace's husband comes home from his 7 month deployment on Monday!!!! (sunday for you all). I am so super excited that I get to be around for her to text me on yahoo messenger and call me and share the excitement with me! It will be just like I am in the states and she can text me with the excitement! Speaking of excitement I know one 2 year who is super excited about his daddy coming home. The other day Bonnie asked AJ "Who's coming home in a few days?" and AJ said "Daddy! Wooohooo!!" Haha I love that kid, and he loves me too, even if I did break his leg. I will always be his "Dinen."

Anyways talking to Justin now so Im gonna get off of this. Ttyl!

Just some facts

Nothing really exciting has been going on with me, so rather than write a random paragraph about random stuff I thought I’d just post some facts instead.

Justin was able to call this morning, so my day started off good :P They pull in to their port tonight and as I quote from a News article “A U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in South Korean waters on Monday for a visit likely to upset prickly North Korea, which has said it sees such events as military provocations that undermine nuclear disarmament talks” (www.reuters.com).

I saw the movie Nights in Rodanthe. Loved the book, hated the movie. I’m not sure if it was because I expected the movie to be exactly like the book, or if I had expectations of The Notebook, because both books are by the same author. Throughout the movie I found myself more focused on the changes made from the book than the actual movie itself. Thank god the movie was only $3.

Slowly but surely I am learning Japanese. I can count to ten, say good morning, nice to meet you, my name is Kristen, excuse me, Im sorry, lets eat, please, thank you and probably a few other words here and there. Its coming along :)

I recently realized my phone has an email address which you can email. Justin emails me when he knows Im not at home or work, and am not near a computer and surprisingly it works quite fast. The email address is kristenbruce0108@ezweb.ne.jp Try it sometime and we can chat!

Justin is getting off the boat tonight after the pull in. They are pulling in late so he said hes just going to get off and grab some dinner. Then the next few days they are in port he said hes gonna do some birthday shopping for me! It better be good!!

I made dinner last night for the first time by myself! I was so proud, but had no one to share the excitement with. It was the first time that neither Justin wasnt here to help me, nor did I have to call my mom at 4 in the morning with a cooking question. :P

Thats pretty much about it. Oh except, dont read Samanthas blog while eating. Just to warn you.

"Sarushima" or Monkey Island

Today I went to Sarushima, or Monkey Island as it translates in English. No they arent any actual monkeys on the island. It used to be used for the military or something like that. I went with my realtor Sanae, her Korean friend Mikyoung and a lieutenant who works at the Naval hospital on base. Sanae said that the island used to have cannons and stuff on it when the military used it. Now people just use it as an island to have BBQ's and beach parties. Its a very small island with not much to do on it, except like I said, BBQ. We didnt do that today though. You have to take a 10 minute ferry ride to get to the island. The island is really close to base, you can actually see it from some parts of base. When we got there we just explored the island and followed along on some trails. I dont have my camera with me, Justin took it with him on his underway, so all the pictures were taken from Sanae's camera and she emailed me a few which I will post on here. After we visited Monkey Island, Sanae and her friend wanted to go on base and go shopping at the NEX. So we grabbed some lunch, did a little shopping and wrapped up our day. It wasnt an exciting and eventful day, but it was a new experience, and now Im one day closer to Justin coming home! Yay! He hasnt been able to call for the past few days because the phones have been down on the ship. They were pretty much turned off the day after they left Yoko, because they are really close to the next port they are pulling in to, which is tomorrow I think. Anyways, Justin said they are at alert 5, and to keep it vague and simple everything on the ship is loaded and ready to go. I hope when they pull into port tomorrow that he can find an internet cafe, or at least be able to use his cell phone! We have been able to email which has been good, but its just not the same as hearing his voice. Oh well, anyways here are some pics from today.

Angela, Sanae and I on the ferry ride over to Monkey Island


Angela, Mikyoung and I on the ferry ride over to the Island


Angela and I on one of the paths




An interesting lizard on the Island


Sanae, Mikyoung, Me and Angela

Justin

So I haven’t posted in a while, mainly because Justin was here for such a short period of time and I wanted to spend the few days we had together hanging out rather than in front of the computer. I know many of you are wondering what Justin thought about the apartment, and our walk home and stuff, so I thought Id post not only about our week spent together, but also about my amazing husband.

His ship pulled in on Thursday around 10 am and I was stuck at work!! I knew that his ship pulling in was going to be a big event on base, not only because of the Homecoming, but also because this is the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier to ever be stationed overseas. Not only was it a big event on base, it was a big event out in town with huge protests going on. Justin said as they were pulling in that there were about 12 helicopters overhead, both news helicopters and also for security purposes. He said that there were boats out in the water with people screaming “No CVN73! You bombed Hiroshima! You killed our people! Go home George Washington!” During the week I had seen several signs outside of base saying “No CVN73, NO WAR.” I guess what they don’t understand is that the ship is nuclear powered, and they associate the word nuclear with nuclear war. They are also concerned with a nuclear powered ship being so close to such a huge city like Tokyo, that if something were to happen to one of the nuclear reactors, a lot of people would be hurt. I understand their concern, but my husband lives on those nuclear reactors, so I don’t want to hear them complaining!!! Anyways, Thursday was a long day at work to say the least. I was going crazy, counting down the hours until I would finally be with Justin again! The day dragged on, and when I say dragged I mean draaaaaagged and finally when 4:30 came around I ran to that train station faster than I have ever run in my life. When I got there, Justin was there waiting for me. It was so good to finally be with him again. So we hopped on the next train and headed to our home, together at last. I have to admit, it was kind of funny knowing that Justin has lived in Japan for 2 years, but had no idea where we were going or how to get home. We exited at our station and started on our walk towards home. As we were walking down the road I was pointing out the various stores to Justin such as the flower shop (hint, hint) ;), the 100yen store (which is like the dollar store), the Lawson store (which is a convenience store) and the 711. When we got to the street we turn up to go home, I pointed out a few points of reference so Justin would remember which street it is that we turn at. Right as we rounded the corner, those dreadful stairs came into view. At the sight of the stairs, Justin began to walk a little slower, as if pacing himself for what was about to come. We began up the first set of stairs, and Justin did surprisingly well! He was a lot quicker up the stairs than I thought he was going to be, seabag and all! I think I was the slow poke between the 2 of us, and I’ve been walking those stairs for 5 weeks now! Let me also mention that they aren’t your normal set of stairs, its all up hill, and its not a gradual up hill, its straight up 204 stairs up hill. We finished the first set of stairs and I said to Justin “Tired yet, cuz that was only 100 of em.” He just looked at me like are you freaking serious????, but carried on and only complained a few times. I think he said something along the lines of I picked an apartment in the worst place possible or something like that. Haha anyways, so we finally made it home and Justin dropped his things and took a quick tour of the apartment, checking to see what was behind each door. When he was done he said to me “You made it look a lot bigger in the pictures.” I was surprised he said that!! For a place in Japan, our apartment is huge, and for just the two of us I think it’s just the right size. I mean we have a second bedroom that we have no idea what to do with! Anyways, after Justin had seen our place, and knew how to get home, we decided to go out to dinner in Yokosuka and also get him a cell phone. We did the cell phone first and while we were in the store there were huge protests going on outside. There were tons of police, and the roads were blocked off, and there were more people crowding the streets than cars. People were holding signs and banners and waving flags, and were following a car that was screaming into a megaphone. Everything was in Japanese, so I’m not sure what they were saying or what their signs said, but I know it wasn’t anything good about CVN73. After we finished at the cell phone place we decided to go to TGI Fridays for dinner, and after that stopped by The Honch (a street with a bunch of bars and restaurants) to see if any of his friends were out. We headed back home pretty early because Justin was tired, and I had to work the next day.

On Friday I went to work and Justin hung out around the house and ran a few errands. While Justin was out, he decided to go grocery shopping, and I don’t think he thought about that walk home while he was doing his shopping. Silly boy. I called him on my break and he answered the phone completely out of breath and I didn’t even have to ask what he was doing, I already knew. He said he was carrying 12 grocery bags up the stairs. I couldn’t help but laugh because I thought of everything I’ve had to carry home before (*cough cough* a microwave). It was kind of cute to hear him struggling home. After all, this is going to be our life for the next 6 months so he better get used to it! Anyways, my school was having a party for me and David that night so I wasn’t going to be home until around 9pm. Justin decided to meet me at my school because I had nothing to do from 430 (when I got off work) until 6 (when the party started). He met me outside my school at 430 and I asked him if he wanted to see what my school looks like inside. He did, so I took him inside, and showed him where my office is. He met a few of my teachers. When I introduced him to one of my teachers she said something like “You know, I have work with 8 ALT’s (assistant language teachers = me) before, and Kristen is the best one I’ve ever worked with.” I was so surprised and shocked to hear that! It made me feel really good. When we left my school, Justin said “I wish I went to a high school that was as nice as that one.” So we hung around Kurihama for a few hours, and then I went to my party and Justin headed home to prepare some surprise he had planned for me. He had told me beforehand not to get full at my party, so I figured his surprise had something to do with cooking me dinner. My party was a lot of fun. It was at a Japanese restaurant in Kurihama. It was basically all you can eat and all you can drink. They started out by pouring everyone a glass of beer (I know weird right? We usually just drink from the bottle!) and I’m not even kidding you, the second you took a sip, or your glass looked the slightest bit empty they were right there filling it up for you again. The food was good, but I ate very little because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise Justin has planned. At the dinner they had asked David and I to give a speech. In my speech I told them how I’ve always known I’ve wanted to come back to Japan since the very first time I came to visit Justin here and I noticed how nice the people were. I told them that they have proved that to be even more true in the last few weeks working with them and their students and by having this party for us tonight. I also told them about the comment Justin made about how nice of a school they have and how he wished he went to a high school as nice as theirs, and I ended by saying how thankful I am to be at such a great school and am really looking forward to the school year. The party ended around 8 and I hurried to the station to get home for my surprise. When I got home, Justin opened the door for me and told me to close my eyes, when I opened them, I was standing in a living room full of roses and rose petals, lit only by candles. On the coffee table were two plates of chicken alfredo, salad and 2 glasses of wine. It was honestly the nicest and sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. My husband is truly amazing.

For the rest of the weekend we pretty much slept in and lounged around. We ran a few errands on base, and had a few of his friends over for dinner on Sunday. I got to go on the GW (george washington) for a short period of time because we went to pick up the awesome boxes of stuff my mom sent us! Nothing really exciting happened on Monday or Tuesday. Justin picked me up from school again on Monday, and this time had the pleasure of meeting David. On Tuesday Justin went back to work, only to find out that he had to sleep on the ship that night because they were pulling out again on Wednesday. I made Justin dinner that night, the only dinner I know how to make and was really nervous that he wasn’t going to like it. After all it’s not a manly meal of steak and potatoes, its seasoned ground turkey, white rice and corn. Justin loved it though, and even requested that I make it for dinner the first night when he gets back! When it was finally time for him to go, we took the train down to Yokosuka and I walked him to his ship. I couldnt believe that it was already time for them to leave again. It felt like he had just gotten here, I blinked my eyes and it was time for him to go again. I stood there in the pouring rain and watched him walk away until I couldn’t see him anymore. I have said goodbye to Justin several times before, and I’ve done my fair share of deployments, but one thing I’ve learned is it doesn’t matter how many deployments you’ve been through, or how short or long each one was, it never gets any easier. The longest I’ve ever been away from Justin is 5 months, and this deployment is only 7 weeks but never had I had to go back to our home alone. Every other time we have said goodbye was because I was here visiting on vacation, and was leaving to go back home to the states. Never have I had to return to our house, with our things, and his stuff and a place were in just a few short days we had created so many memories. It was definitely hard walking into our house and being completely alone again. I was okay before Justin had come because me being alone in the house was all I knew. For 5 weeks it was just me by myself, but in just those few days spent with him home, I had gotten so comfortable, and so used to him being there with me, that our house just doesn’t feel like a home without him there. Those were the first few days that Justin and I have ever spent actually living together, in our own home and let me tell you, they were the best days of my life. I know a lot of people think that we got married too soon, or too young, but I’ve always believed “When you know, you know.” You remember when you were a little kid, and you used to wonder what your husband (wife) was going to look like, or be like? You had this perfect vision of what you wanted him or her to be? I had that vision, and I saw that guy and let me tell you, Justin is not him. Justin is a thousand times better, and so much more than I ever expected “that guy” to be. I have never felt more cared about or loved (except for by my family). He does the littlest things and I bet doesn’t even realize how happy they make me. For example, when he went grocery shopping he bought me fruit cups, because I asked him to? No, because he looked in the pantry and realized I was almost out. He bought me green tea, because I asked him to? No, because he knows that’s my favorite drink and saw that we didn’t have any at home. My husband honestly is the most amazing person I have ever met, and deserves so much more credit than a stupid post on a blog, but I figured it’s the least I can do for him. I’m really not looking forward to the next 7 weeks, but I know what’s going to come after that will be so much worth the wait. I love you Justin and cant wait to have you home again.