what i want.

Next phrase to add to the list:

Kore o kudasai

Core-eh oh koo-dah-sah-ee

Means : This, please

Used a lot when buying something or while pointing at an item on a menu to order in a restaurant. 

Slowly adding to my list of knowledge and trying to work up the courage to use my poor Japanese in public... thankfully, Japanese people are way too polite to openly laugh at me!

almost home.

 Here are some pictures of my soon-to-be Japanese apartment! It is not too big, but plenty for just me. I will have a bedroom, office, living room, and a tatami room that I am thinking will be a dining room. It is not far from base and overlooks Tokyo Bay.

 Below is the best part.... TWO walkin closets... my shoes are relieved they will have a sufficient home!

 The catch I am quickly learning with these apartments is that size of doorways and hallways. You have to be super mindful of the size of furniture because lots of times it won't fit into the apartment. Below is the entryway... that cabinet is filled with little shelves to hold your shoes. Japanese people take off their shoes when entering a home... even while looking at empty apartments, we took our shoes off.... very cold feet!

Bathrooms are pretty crazy.... there is a toilet room and a shower room. The toilet room has nothing but a toilet in it. The toilet even has a heated toilet seat.... Japanese apparently put a lot of care into where they sit their booty! The shower room is a room with a shower head on the all and drain on the floor. This is where you bathe and then soak in the tub to relax. The tub has a special heater attached, so you can't use soap or bubble bath. The sinks I understand... just like ours!

I will post more in a few weeks when I finally move in and get some furniture!

fish grills.

What in the world is the point of a fish grill?? Japanese apartments do not have ovens. It is the strangest thing ever.... they have these really tiny oven things that could fit maybe a single chicken breast...see below.

This awkward appliance sits below the stove top and is the reason that I will live for the next year and a half -ish without an oven. Since I am no Betty Crocker, I suppose I will survive. Maybe I will venture to trying to use the weird thing...

jetlag is for real.

So I never really understood the concept of jetlag nor really believed this was an excuse to whine about how tired you are when traveling. I figured you get a night's sleep the first day or so and then you are fine and all caught up..... wrong. so very wrong. It is for real, and it will kick you in the butt.

I have survived my first full day in Japan: checking in on the ship, finding my way around, and taking a taxi ride with my only Japanese-speaking driver.

This is what all the taxis on base are like.... and their drivers' English mimics my Japanese, makes for fun car convos!

fear.

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

                        - Eleanor Roosevelt

Moving to the other side of the world, taking on a job that I am not at all sure of, doing something I never planned on = The.Most.Terrifying.Thing.I.Have.Ever.Done. Period. 

I am sitting in the airport, waiting to leave the US, wondering how in the world I got myself into this mess. But, then I remember that the scariest things I have done are the ones that have been the most worthwhile in my life. I never thought I would make it this far, so why stop now?

This may just be the next great thing in my story. And I will be back before I know it. 

i'm leaving on a jet plane.

Leaving is not so bad when you know that you have someone at home waiting patiently for your return...

yes, no.

Hai: Yes

Pronunciation : its similar to the greeting ‘hi’

Hear it : In response to a yes/no question; when you get someone’s attention; all the time from shopkeepers; peppered throughout a conversation while the other person is talking. 

Say it : In response to a yes/no question; if you understand enough of what someone said that you want to agree to them.

iie: No

Pronunciation : spell ‘eat’, but stop before the ‘t’. Like the letter ‘E’ followed by the letter ‘A’.

Hear it : Not that often, the Japanese are seldom direct enough to say this a lot.

Say it : If someone seems to be offering you something you don’t want. Any situation in which you want to say ‘no’. It would usually be a good idea to follow this with ‘sumimasen’.

Good thing I am up to 4 words in preparation for the big move!

i get by with a little help from my friends.

 

Love them. So much.

japanese lessons.

When I tell someone that I am moving to Japan, they immediately spew out a list of questions following their look of shock...

1. Do you speak Japanese? No
2. Do you know where you will live? No
3. Do you know anyone there? No
4. Do you know what your job will be? Not really
5. Aren't you scared? Yes, thanks for reminding me

While I do hear these questions a lot, I don't mind too much. I suppose I would be asking someone else all the same things...though now I may reconsider knowing how clueless I feel. I have no real plan except the Navy's plan, and that currently seems to be a day-by-day process.

I have so much to learn about my new home. My sister previously shared some of her research with me, so at least I have this as a starting point! And, I am quite certain that each day will bring me a new challenge and a new lesson in learning to live in a new place with an entirely different culture. With great anxiousness and anticipation, I am ready to take on this new adventure!

 

T-minus 2 days until leaving for my new home...

war eagle goodbyes.

As I am leaving Auburn for an indefinite amount of time, I know that my heart will never go far...

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work. 

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully. 

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.
-George Petrie (1945)

Auburn is where I came to get a degree, but I am leaving with so much more. Auburn is where I found my best friends, mentors, instructors, and most importantly.. myself. It is here that I was taught to go out and not be afraid, to take on whatever lies ahead with the utmost confidence. Auburn became my home, and though I am moving on, I will always be better for having become a part of the Auburn Family. I will miss The Plains terribly, but I know that it is time for me to go out and take on new challenges...to define the next chapter in my life. As CAPT Fox told me this morning, I am ready to go out and be bold...

excuse me.

Sumimasen.　すみません

Pronunciation : soo-mii-mah-sen

From what I have read this is the most common phrase used for apologizing, saying excuse me. Apparently, this is a lot more prevalent in Japan than in the US. Shocking to think that another country may be better than us Americans at apologizing, taking responsibility for their actions, and not blaming others! Maybe there is a lesson to be learned here.

I expect that I will use this phrase many times a day in that I am not always great at being aware of my surroundings and frequently bump into things/people. Hopefully, with a little effort and a little time to adjust, I will get the hang of things! Until then, I will store this word as one of my most likely to be needed phrases upon arrival...

wedding bells.

To add to the number of engaged couples I know, my sister Amy got engaged this past weekend. I could not be happier for her! She has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and is always so considerate of everyone else's feelings. She deserves nothing short of her own happily ever after!

To make the event even more special, she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I am so honored and extremely excited about the upcoming nuptials! Even though the wedding is a ways off, tentatively set for May 2012, I am already having visions of what this wedding will be like...

konnichiwa.

konnichiwa (hiragana こんにちは)

1. こんにちは: hello, good afternoon

Getting excited about my new home...

forgiveness.

so easy to expect, yet difficult to give.

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” 

Catherine Ponder

a taste of home.

As I am driving away from home, for what may prove to be the longest time away yet, a little TX country helps remind me that no matter how far I go, a small piece of home is still just a click away...

hate goodbyes.

Today has been filled with multitude of sadness and tears.... having a hard time saying goodbye.

I have been so lucky to spend the holidays at home with my family. It is amazing to see with each passing holiday how much we have all grown, changed, and come to enjoy the time we spend together. The "blended family" has not always been easy for us all the time, but as we have gotten older time together has been great. I thoroughly enjoyed  all of my sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew this Christmas while home together. Each one is unique and adds something to the crazy dynamic of our family. I love them so much and will miss them terribly while I am gone. It it is times like that this that make it so clear to me that, even though we are not always all together, they each add so much to my life.

As I teared up saying goodbye to each person in my family, I was torn about moving so far away. I know that this will be a great thing for me and is a once in lifetime opportunity; it is just hard to think that I will miss major events. I will miss graduations, weddings, and my nephew will be so big by the time I get back.....it breaks my heart to think about these things, but I know that it is time to go after the big events in my own life. This is my chance to go out and stand on my own two feet and figure out who it is I am supposed to grow up to become.

Until I get back from this big this big adventure, I will settle for skype dates, photos, and phone calls to keep up with all the family craziness...

Christmas day with the family

ATX Sushi date

Graduation week at SkyBar

Sweet Aiden Daniel Hunt 

gameday.

War Eagle!! The game we have all been waiting for is finally here!

war eagle!

Headed to Glendale today for the BCS National Championship Game! Hoping to be celebrating one last victory tomorrow to bring an end to the most incredible season! One last hoorah before leaving home this week!

new year, new outlook.

"I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can't be helped."

 - Frederick Perls                               

mister roboto.

domo arigato.

First Japanese phrase of the year meaning: thank you very much! I learned the phrase on New Year's Eve with the aid of this song... being told that Mr. Roboto would help me to not forget it. So now everyone can everyone can remember it with me! enjoy. :)

new year's resolution.

Here's to 2011... something bigger and brighter... filled with new days and a fresh start!

To start the year off right, I opted for a list of goals for the year rather than just a single resolution.

1. See Auburn win a national championship!
2. Learn a new word/phrase in Japanese each week.
3. Visit at least 2 new countries this year. 
4. Keep a written account of all my Japanese blunders.
5. Learn to like my new job.
6. Find something to smile about every day!

Let's see how long I can make it without breaking these! Happy New Year's! Yay for 2011!

Finding direction.

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

I so frequently find myself wanting to know which way I am supposed to be going and what the next step along my path is going to be. I get so caught up in trying to learn the right steps that I often lose track of where it is that I am trying to get. 

Direction. You spend your whole life striving to reach a goal, to become whatever is it that you dreamed of as a kid. No one tells you then that dreams may not work out. And to learn that lesson at 22 is not a particularly pleasant experience. After the fallout of dream number one, comes the need for a development of dream number two. How do you redefine the direction of your life? Because if you don't know where you are headed, how does any of the rest matter?

After months of anxiety and limbo between school and employment, I finally stumbled my way into my plan B. Three weeks from now I will be boarding a plane headed for Japan. Despite my nervousness and anxiety, I could not be more excited. I will be in Japan for 18-ish months followed by 6-12 months in Charleston and whatever else the Navy has in store for me. My life once again has a direction... I at least have the semblance of a plan.... at least for the next 5 years.

After that, who knows? I have learned more than anything else this past year that plans must be flexible and that your direction can change in an instant. January 23 becomes my day 1 in a five year journey to figure out what it is exactly I am to do with the rest of my life. I hope at the end of these five years I can answer the question of where it is I am headed...