I’ve been a bit homesick lately, as the golden hues of autumn spread over most of the United States. Despite all my wonderful adventures here in Asia, I find myself longing to join my friends and family on their foliage-rich hikes, visits to the pumpkin patch, ventures into haunted woods, revelry at costumed Halloween parties, and savoring of the omnipresent pumpkin spice latte. Continue reading
A friend and I tried a sweet little restaurant in Uruma today, called Soupcon Seaside Cafe. Like many of the restaurants around here, it was tiny and tucked away, but it had great food and the loveliest ocean view… we enjoyed a delightful stroll on the beach afterwards. It is a definite keeper!
I apologize for all the “outfit of the day” selfies… they generally aren’t my style. But all the summer wear that I ordered months ago finally got here, so I’m having what fun I can with it in late October 🙂
In the week leading up to Typhoon Vongfong, Na Yung came to visit from the Middle East! Mother Nature must be in quite the mood these days, because there was actually another typhoon whipping our coast the weekend she arrived. It was not nearly as bad as this one, but it still put quite the kink in our plans – particularly anything to do with the beach.
Still, we managed to have a great time. We at least saw the beach once:
So many mini-adventures in the month of September! Since it’s been a while since I last blogged, I’m going to give an abbreviated version of the month’s highlights. Then at least I can be all caught up and start afresh when I leave for CHINA at the end of next week 🙂
1. Miyagi Island & the “Hidden Beach”
I had heard a lot about this little spot about 20 minutes and a bridge away from where we live. For me, it fell short of expectations. Granted it was low tide, but the large-pebbled sand was unusually harsh on our feet and the water was mostly seaweed and murk. It’s too bad we don’t have our snorkel gear and special ocean shoes yet, because that’s what I hear Miyagi is truly known for. Still, it was by no means a wasted trip. There were some lovely views, interesting rock formations, and the ride down was an adventure in and of itself.
2. Southeast Botanical Gardens
Not a very exciting name – and nothing of particular note to share about it – but a pretty place, nonetheless. The gardens are expansive and lush. Chuck kept commenting how he felt like he was in Jurassic Park! Highlights included feeding the capybara, giggling with the spider monkeys, and having zen moments in the lotus garden 🙂 The giant spiders lurking at random corners though… not so much!
3. Okinawa World
Okinawa World is one of those places that’s mostly gimmicky cultural theme park, but with some really cool surprises – like canoodling with the “lucky” white python above. We hung out with pythons, habus, and boas, and lived to tell the tale. I even tried habu sake, albeit inadvertently (I thought it was some fruity plum wine!) Chuck tried the much safer sugar cane juice. We also toured the 300,000+ year-old Gyokusendo Caves, which were truly awe-inspiring. The low point was touring the “zoo” of sorts, especially when I saw the mongoose. Poor guy was going nuts in captivity.
4. Ziplining at Forest Adventure Park
I don’t think much needs to be said, except that I faced my fear of heights with admirable gusto (if you ask me.) Just watch the video…
5. CATS – as always 🙂
New babies at Uken Beach means both joy and sadness for this girl. I’m pleased to say that more have survived this month that I originally thought, though a couple are missing… I like to think there are more survivors than usual because of my high-protein visits!
And then there’s my own precious little fur babies, loving each other hard – as you can see in this pic. They are endlessly entertaining. So far, there hasn’t been any blood. I think they both secretly love it!
My first week of grad school was off to an awkward start when our internet – which has been working just fine since we originally hooked it up – decided to completely and totally crash. It took me 3 days to figure out that I could just detach the modem’s cord from the splitter and plug it directly into the wall, but until that point, I was pretty stressed trying to keep up with my assignments during spare time at work (which also has an intermittent, unreliable internet connection.) Luckily, I had copied down some readings into my trusty Lilly agenda in the weeks prior, so I could at least keep up the old fashioned way – studying theory in my textbooks!
I am really liking the class so far. I was skeptical about what an online degree would be like, but I am impressed with the availability and involvement of the professor and the facilitator, the interactivity with other students, and the quality of the feedback. The assignments are very real-world (I feel I would actually use the skills in any number of job settings), while the reading is mostly academic and theoretical. It is more work than I anticipated it would be, but it probably seems that way because I was scrambling to maintain an internet connection the whole time. I’m sure that once I settle into a routine and get more familiar with the format, it will be easier. In the meantime, I still feel up to the challenge, and I am grateful that my job has turned out so flexible, for the most part. I also have an advantage in being a day ahead of everyone else. Much harder to miss deadlines that way 🙂
On a random side note – it’s kinda cool to be taking this class while Chuck and I watch the West Wing. I keep finding myself relating what I’m learning to what I watch Toby, Josh, C.J., and Sam do in the Oval Office!
Introducing Momoko, my new kitten 🙂
I actually met her on the streets near Uken Beach over a month ago. She was one of 3 irresistible kittens who – though they were among the posse I visit regularly – appeared motherless. I promptly named them Gilbert Blythe, Diana Barry, and Anne Shirley after the lovable characters in one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables.
I couldn’t take them all home of course, so I contented myself with visiting daily and making sure their little bellies were full. They seemed happy enough, and the other cats watched over them. Over the course of time, however, both Gilbert and Diana disappeared. I can only hope some kind Japanese family thought they were adorable and took them into their homes, and that they didn’t meet some tragic fate…
By that time, I had developed quite the attachment to little Anne Shirley in particular. She was spritely. Clean. Bright-eyed. She would eat her tuna and then we would play hide-and-seek and peekaboo among the shrines (creepy, I know.) Our bond grew stronger once her siblings vanished, and I started to fret about what may befall her if I left her down there.
I spoke with Chuck about the possibility of taking her in, if the vet determined her reasonably healthy. My Annie Bean’s health is #1 priority of course, so I wasn’t willing to jeopardize that, even if it was for an adorable homeless kitten. Anyway, Chuck agreed, and later that week I went to go scoop her up. She was nowhere to be found. For two days, I worried about what had happened, and convinced myself I was jinxed when it comes to Japanese kittens.
One morning, I decided to drive down to the beach on a whim, just to check and see who was there. Frolicking with a new kitten (a Gilbert look-a-like, in fact) was my darling Anne Shirley!! I scooped her up and whisked her away, and scheduled a vet exam for that evening.
The rest is history! Of course, we couldn’t have an Annie and an Anne, so she became Momoko, which is a Japanese name meaning “little peach” (check out her cute peachy little head!) Momo was deemed completely healthy at the vet, where they determined she is about 8 weeks old and just 1.1 kilogram, but she does have some ringworm on her ear and her foot. While this isn’t a serious health issue, it is contagious – especially from cat to cat – so we have to keep her isolated in one room for a whole month!!
She’s doing okay with it for now, but all I want to do is snuggle her and take her to bed. As she gets healthier and stronger, she is increasingly anxious to explore and get out of that room, so I feel like isolation is only going to get harder.
Besides… I can’t wait to truly get her introduced to Annie, and take her from second class citizen to official member of the family 🙂 In the meantime, she loves playing soccer with her bright yellow yarn balls, watching with bewildered amusement when I scoop her litterbox, attacking her own tail, and playing peekaboo… This time without the shrines.
And for anyone who is wondering… I still go visit the rest in the posse, to include Gilbert 2.0. I so wish I could take him in, too!
Latest pedi 🙂
I always intend to go in for something totally bold and different, but I keep returning to my trusty beachy hues and pastels…
I sincerely don’t mean to be obnoxious, but I really love my new shoes 🙂 They fit my feet perfectly and I feel like a million bucks when I wear them (probably because that’s practically what they cost me…)
The view from my 5th floor balcony: Crazy skies over the village of Uruma
I have such mixed feelings about Okinawa.
It is beautiful and exotic, but heavily peppered with ugly and distracting architecture.
The skies are striking and waver between extremes at the blink of an eye, but the congested island itself simmers and festers in its own oppressively hot and sticky steam… featuring smells you can’t quite eliminate from your walls, linens, and furniture.
You step outside and even if you are perfectly still, you will quite literally melt within 30 seconds – glistening wet on every square inch of your surface. It’s unlike any humidity I experienced in the American south, and there’s simply no escaping it…
… But the water is blue, placid, and refreshing. There’s always, always that 🙂
Courtney Beach
Wildflowers & Whimsy 