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Greetings once again from northern Japan!
CHRISTOPHER UPDATE
I can't believe we've already been here for three months - one quarter of a year! We are all doing well and Christopher is growing and changing by the day. As of 5 April he is 33 1/2 inches tall and he weighs in at 28 pounds. His hair is becoming a bit more prominent but he is in no danger of a getting a haircut anytime soon. Christopher and Patti began a "Mommy & Me" swim class this month which takes place twice each week. Patti is glad for any opportunity to jump in a pool and Christopher is beginning to take to the water again as well. Christopher also had his first meeting with the Easter Bunny this month and he went on his first egg hunt. Christopher enjoys meeting his friends every week in an organized playgroup and he also plays with other kids each Tuesday when he stays with a day-care provider. I am trying to schedule the occasional Tuesday away from work so Patti and I can do some exploring in the local area.
HOOKY
I took the day off (Tuesday the 13th) to goof off with Patti and Christopher. It has been a good day all the way around. We took Christopher to swim class this morning - then to the babysitters while Patti and I went ice skating (that wasn't a pretty sight). Then we stopped off for lunch at a hole in the wall to have Yakisoba (stir-fry noodle) and fried rice. We were planning to do some local sight seeing but the rain moved in so we are just lounging at home trying to get caught up on some chores - like finishing our monthly newsletter.
OFF-BASE CHALLENGES
We already enjoyed one trip to a seaport called Hachinohe which is south of Misawa and we are planning another day trip for early May - destination unknown as of yet - perhaps to Towada Lake to the east. We enjoy life off-base - but everything off-base seems to present a challenge. Perhaps it seems like that just because we are new to the area - but we can already draw very distinct differences comparing our experiences in Okinawa to those in northern Japan (besides the weather). The two primary distinctions are the cost of living and the language barrier. When we were in Okinawa, the yen rate was at historic highs and the dollar went a long way in purchasing goods off base. In addition, the U.S. military represented a large percentage of the purchasing power on Okinawa - so naturally Okinawan businesses catered to Americans (signs and menus in English, and most retailers spoke english very well). Our experience in Misawa City thus far is at polar opposites of those experiences: though the yen rate has improved recently most goods off base are still prohibitively expensive; and therefore American purchasing power off base barely registers as a blip on the Misawa retail radar screen. So - there is little-to-no motivation for them to spend any money to attract U.S. business from the base (few English signs and menus). And at the risk of sounding like an arrogant mono-linguistic American, very few retailers in Misawa City and elsewhere in northern Japan speak english well enough to assist with even basic inquiries about retail exchanges. But - like I said initially - these are challenges - not problems. We are beginning to learn basic Japanese phrases and have picked up a bit of Japanese Katakana (the syllabic characters used to represent foreign-adopted words). I hope to sign-up for the next college-level language program as well. As for the cost-of-living - we have discovered numerous casual restaurants that have reasonably priced (not cheap) menus. However, despite numerous hours of window-shopping - we have yet to purchase any items beyond basic household goods (utensils, bowls) off-base. Fortunately the on-base commisary and the Base Exchange (military version of WalMart) have broad selections at affordable - or at least comparable to US - prices.
FLY THE FRIENDLY SKYS
I continue to put in alot of hours in the office - though I think I am beginning to reach the point where I can reduce those hours now that I am gaining some level of comfort in my job. I have two business trips lined up over the next month or so. I'll be heading to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa next week; and I'll be heading back to Fort Meade, Maryland for two weeks beginning 15 May. On my way back from Maryland I'll be stopping off in Iowa for my 20th year high school reunion (a note for Dad - get the Mustang washed, waxed, and gas it up). I'm not looking forward to the time away from Patti and Christopher - but I am looking forward to seeing Okinawa again after nearly 16 years (oh - my - God -- has it really been that long ago?) and I have a growing list of people to see, things to do, places to eat, and things to buy when I visit Maryland. I try not to talk much about my planning for these trips since Patti thinks I am doing nothing more than going on a big vacation. Of course the fact that I plan to take my golf clubs along doesn't do much to deter that theory. For my trip to Maryland I am serving as the head of delegation for about 15 people from my organization. Think of it as serving as an planner, sponsor, and escort for a high school roadtrip.
ALL SHOOK UP
Finally we felt our first earthquakes - it was only a matter of time. We felt our first earthquake on the evening of 18 March - just a slight brief tremor - but noticable nonetheless. That night another stronger earthquake woke us up and shook the house for a minute or so. No damage from either quake - both of which were epicentered off the east coast of northern Japan. The next noticeable tremor came recently on 8 April. Though that earthquake was epicentered in Northeastern China along the Russian border it was strong enough (at 7.2 richter) to shake, rattle, and roll our little house in northern Japan. You can visit my web page for thorough information on recent regional earthquakes (http://members.aol.com/Terry94/).
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW .....
The snow continues to fall (as of late last week). So far this winter - about 180 inches worth (about 60 inches above average). 120 inches of snow has fallen since we arrived in January. As recently as 7 April we had 10 inches of snow - and two days later we had a high temp near 70 degrees. The snow really has not presented the challenges I thought it would - though we are glad for the four-wheel drive vehicles. First of all - it seems to snow mostly on the weekends - don't ask me why. Secondly the snow usually melts down to bare earth within hours after the sun comes up. I understand last winter was different here - the snow came, stayed, and accumulated snowfall after snowfall. One aspect of snow that I didn't expect was the noise it makes sliding off the roof of the house. The roofs are metal which discourages snow from accumulating more than a few inches at a time. When the snow accumulates to about four inches or so it all comes sliding off the roof - all at once. The noise produced during this miniature avalanche approximates that of a train chugging through the middle of our house.
WIRED
We have enjoyed talking with my sister Bonnie and her family over the INTERNET using Microsoft NETMEETING software. We even chatted with my Father a couple weeks ago (over Bonnie's computer) but the process is not entirely reliable and the voice quality is not what it is over a telephone line - but the price is right. We continue to upload pictures to our FAMILY POINT web site and we encourage you all to visit. If you haven't been given access yet - just email me and let me know.
AND IN CONCLUSION ...
We hope you are all doing well and we trust you had a enjoyable Easter. We miss our family and friends in the U.S. a great deal but we are enjoying making new friends as well. Take care, write when you can - and make sure to visit our web pages and family point picture site to keep up on the latest happenings in northern Japan.
Terry, Patti, and Christopher
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