Home is Where the Coffee is

My expectations of living on Okinawa have been shattered. Here I was thinking that living here would be difficult; not the case! Don't get me wrong, it has its challenges; however, I can only think of how incredibly blessed I am in my environment.

Housing:
I am on campus at OCSI (my new school) and have to walk less than 100 meters to my classroom. Laziness is knocking at my door, screaming that the alarm clock can be ignored, and wrapping the sheets more tightly around my legs, but I can't listen because I have to run. There is a .5 mile track just across the soccer field from my front door. It is GORGEOUS! Due to the .1 mile downhill and .4 mile uphill, my long runs are becoming easier and easier. Speaking of long runs, I can run to the beach in five different directions with five different mileage options ranging from 2 to 13 mile round-trips.

Roommates:
I have two wonderful ladies sharing the apartment. One is a built-in translator and the other is a laid-back adventurer. In one week, I have seen three military parks, visited new friends twice, gone shopping for food and clothing, sang karaoke, and been to the beach. They have made me feel at home so much that they even look for coffee in the vending machines for me. By the way, vending machines are located on nearly every street for rock-bottom prices and coffee galore!

Food:
I have never had such good food in my life. Purple sweet potatoes rock my world, goya is an awesome bitter fruit, shaved ice is piled mile high in bowls, every snack I try quickly becomes my new favorite, and traditional Okinawa Soba is best described as a bowl of yum.

Manners:
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE is very polite. We bow, nod, wave, say good morning, say good night, and paste smiles to our faces for so long that it almost hurts. I heard that Okinawa is the happiest and healthiest place on Earth, but I didn't believe it till I observed it. As out of place as I feel, the Okinawans are quick to make you feel comfortable.

Out of Place:
NOT! Because of the large American and international presence on Okinawa, it is not strange to pass by multiple groups of bahanas (white people in Hopi). It shocked me at first, but I'm beginning to realize that my overall ease of acceptance has very much to do with the sheer number of foreigners.

Language:
I'm working on it. It's still pretty slow going, but I think I can say good morning, good evening, and introduce myself without severe mishap.

This week was new teacher training, so a lot of information has flown in and out of my ears. I will keep you updated with pictures as soon as I can get around to it. For now, I will keep waking up early, running, and making a good cup of coffee on the best island around.