Behind the wheel...

Is crazy here in Okinawa! Driving on the left side of the road does not feel natural in any way. I assume it is because in the States and nearly every other country other than those under British rule we drive this way. I backed out in our new Challenger and thought I was doing SUCH a good job staying on my side of the road, scoffing Jared in my head for having difficulty. My husband then sweetly reminds me to drive on the LEFT side of the road, not the RIGHT like I was doing. Ah, a piece of humble pie. The directionals, which I suppose are a fancy schmancy term for turn signal, and windshield wiper wand are reversed here making it v. easy to turn on the wipers when you just want to signal your intent for a right turn (which are AWFUL here compared to home!). I remember my Grandma Goldie telling me when I was a little girl she'd rather make three right turns to avoid one left turn. Well, I know would rather make three left turns to avoid a right! It just doesn't feel natural, but I've only been driving one round trip to the BX (base exchange, like a department store) and back. We needed key chains as we have no reason for one yet so I picked up some Shisas dogs. The are Okinawan symbols that symbolize not letting evil spirits in (the dog/lion with the closed mouth) and letting good spirits in (the open mouth lion/dog). They are EVERYWHERE in Okinawa, even in my school! They are a big thing locally, so of course I had to get a Shisa dog keychain! More about the Shisa dogs at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa

Now that we have wheels and aren't dependent on overpriced taxis or our feet, we are happier. There is something about being able to go where you want to go, when you want. It's terrifying to drive there, but we now have the means! Jared is a happier boy, as evidenced by his smiling face.

We had dinner at a place called the Tee House on the Banyan Golf Course here on Kadena. The view is absolutely, positively GORGEOUS. I forgot to take pictures. It is situated on a hill above where the planes take off and land and you can see the shoreline against the East China Sea (Or is it South China Sea?Some China Sea). It as absolutely beautiful. We saw a naval looking ship in the distance. Also, this neat thing happened while I was walking home from school today and then again when I went to the O Club to cash the biggest check I've ever written. I saw a big huge airplane that looked straight out of a spy movie, and it was the loudest concentrated sound I've ever heard. On Monday Jared and I were walking somewhere and two fighter jets were in the air right above us hotdogging. We stopped and stared. I looked around and no one else was phased. They are so jaded! It is so neat to me, a landlocked Midwesterner, to see hotdogs up in the air turning fighter jets on to their sides! What an awesome experience we are having over here.