Kyoto

Without making this post too wordy, Kyoto was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It has a bit of everything: traditional Japanese culture and history, amazing mountainous landscape, and friendly people coupled with a modern vibe. My mom has always told me that my Grandma's family came from Kyoto, so I have always been intrigued to visit. Although our trip started off a bit rocky (delayed flight, missed train, paying extra for hotels, etc.), the memories and laughable moments will last a lifetime. Plus, Turf and I are learning more about how to effectively travel with each other! I'll let the photos do the talking for Kyoto, because I simply do not have the words to describe how beautiful this place is. I encourage everyone to visit!

 Nanzen-Ji Temple, Sanmon Gate

 Philosopher's Path

 Ginkakuji Silver Pavillion Temple

 Silver Pavillion

 Kiyomizu Temple

 Gion- Geisha District

 Kyoto Tower

 Arashiyama- One of the most beautiful towns I have ever visited

 Kinkakuju Golden Temple

Traditional Japanese Bath House

New and Improved (maybe!)

I feel as if it's time for my little ole' blog here to be re-vamped. My goal is to blog each Sunday, more for myself to look back on upon leaving Japan than for anyone else, although hopefully someone is still checking in every so often and will benefit :)
I'm also going to focus on the traveling aspect of my life (sort of!) and leave out the history. Anyone can use Google to research the places I am talking about or ask questions, but I'd like to focus more on the adventure and feeling than the history behind the locations.
So cheers to a brand new year and *hopefully* a more exciting blog!

First Stop: Granny Kim's (HA!) visit for Christmas!

How amazing it was to have a guest from home! After feeling a bit homesick for the last several months, it was wonderful to see Kim's familiar, smiling face at the airport. She was here for Christmas and for Turf's Birthday, and we really tried to show her the Hot Spots on Okinawa.

We visited the Peace Prayer Park again. Turf and I had been before, but it was a rainy day and we didn't get a great chance to walk around. We saw much more of the park this time, and the weather was gorgeous.
The park itself is set upon these enormous cliffs, which are often referred to as the suicide cliffs. Once the war broke out in Okinawa, many Okinawans were terrified of being captured and tortured, and in women and children's cases, raped. Rather than allowing themselves to be captured, they threw themselves from the cliffs. The park is a humbling reminder of the price of war, and is overflowing with memorial walls and tombs.
We were also able to visit the museum this time. It is so incredibly interesting to see history from the perspective of the Japanese. A lot of the information in the museum did not paint a pretty picture of Americans, as most of it involved invasion and death. There was also some very strong statements about the military presence in Okinawa and it's effect on the local's way of life. Some of the more emotional information was that of the Okinawan testimonies and memoirs of the war. Talk about heavy-duty stuff!

 Memorial Walls at the Peace Prayer Park

 Fountain overlooking the ocean at Peace Prayer Park

We, of course, also took Kim to Shuri Castle. Although Turf and I had been to the castle grounds before, we had not experienced the tea room. The tea room is set in a garden within the castle, and is where the king would meet with visitors and for informal meetings. We were given some delicious Jasmine tea, along with several Okinawa "sweets". I believe most were made with a popular bean paste, and none were overly sweet. 

 Kim sampling some Okinawan cookies

We made a trip to the Aquarium again as well. This place was just as amazing as it was the first time we visited, and is most definitely one of the most impressive aquariums I have been to. Particularly, the Whale Shark tank blows me away. It is full of schools of fish, sting rays, and most importantly, these mammoth Whale Sharks. The size of these suckers is just unbelievable, and it's amazing to think of them swimming around in the ocean so close to the island. 

 Whale Shark tank

One of the places we took Kim which was also a first for us was the Nakijin Castle ruins. Turf was not thrilled about seeing yet another castle ruins ("if you've seen one pile of rocks, you've seen them all", he says), but we were both surprised at the beauty of this place. It quickly took the Nakagusuku Castle's place as our favorite ruins on island. The rock walls of the castle were set in the hills and surrounded by jungle, and of course, overlooked the ocean. The landscape was well manicured and enveloped by cherry blossom trees, although they were not yet in bloom. I felt a definite sense of peace and tranquility as I was walking these grounds.

 Nakijin Castle

Our next stop was Cape Zanpa. Something about standing at the edge of these cliffs with the wind in your face is just soothing. 

 Cape Zanpa

One of my goals this year was to visit Futenma Shrine on New Years Day. The Japanese go all out for New Years Day and flock to the local temples to pray for the new year. Essentially, there is a festival that goes on for the first week of January. There are local food booths (YUM!), toys, prayer scrolls, etc. The smells of fried foods, the chitter-chatter of the crowds, and the general positive vibe of the new year was truly exciting!

 Futenma Shrine on New Year's Day

Finally, we celebrated our first Christmas in Japan. I have to admit, I did not have the spirit of Christmas this year. It may have been, in part, because we were a day ahead of all of our family and friends, or perhaps because it was not super cold yet on Okinawa. I felt a bit like Cindy Lou Who searching for the Christmas feeling. I was happy to have Kim there with us, but the entire day came and went too quickly.

Of course, just a few days later we celebrated Turf's 26th Birthday with some apple crisp, our very own Birthday plate (Kim even brought the birthday pillow case all the way from Oregon!), and a REAL candle :) I felt so lucky, again, to have Kim around to bring a piece of "home" to Turf's special Day. Thank you, Kim, for visiting and for all you brought with you! It was truly a special trip for us :)

Missing in Action

Ha! I really should be careful of what I choose to title my blog posts once Turf deploys ;)
Greetings! I apologize for my BLOG being MIA. I have no excuse other than laziness.

We have been a little less active these last 2 months, and I am already starting to feel my travel itch creep back in. Our friends Kendall and Trevor are spending Thanksgiving in Kyoto and I am SO super jealous. I've always wanted to go! As most of you know, due to Turf's upcoming deployment we had to cancel our cruise plans :( This puts an even bigger dent in my traveling. I have such a long list and I just feel our time running out! Time to get a move on it :)
Turf is currently in California for pre-deployment training. His blood must be used to this warm Okinawa weather (currently still in the 70's...in November!) because he his freezing his hiney off! We celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of weeks early before he left, and I spent the real holiday with a few friends. Black Friday shopping is a bit anti-climatic this year, so I am rushing to finish all my shopping online!

Here's a brief run-down of what we've been up to since my last post!

In September we took a snorkeling tour to the Kerama Islands, which are off the coast of Okinawa, with some friends. The snorkeling was beautiful with tons of interesting sea life to see and explore. We saw fish of every color, sea cucumbers, sea snakes, etc. It was a warm relaxing day, and Turf's first trip snorkeling since arriving on island!

 We boared a charter boat along with a big group and the boat took us to about 3 different spots. This was an all day excursion, so by the end of it we were wiped out, but it was definitely something I think we'll do again next year :)

Next came our little adventure to visit a few more of the World Heritage sites here on Okinawa. On this little outing we made it to Katsuren Castle first. Katsuren Castle is a bit further North on the island and offers beautiful views of the ocean. Katsuren's most famous "golden years" date back to the 15th century, under the rule of Lord Amawari. It is said that Amawari pushed the 9th lord off one of the castle walls, thereby taking control of the castle. He was the last powerful Lord to rule over Katsuren Castle.

 It's so odd and interesting to think of the way of life these people led way back then. To imagine so many rulers and so many castles is just insane!

 A photo we took after climing to the top of Katsuren Castle.

Turf also took me to visit the ferris wheel this day! This is only something I've been wanting to do since we got here! There is nothing super spectacular or historic about this thing, but it does offer great views of the island from the top!

We also visited a fun little annual event- the Naha Tug of War! If you ever come to Okinawa, this is a must see! Each year there is a parade followed by a giant tug-of-war contest. The history of this event dates back to the 17th century and is a battle between the East and West teams. The tug of war correlates to the competition held between the old rulers of Naha.

 The whole Naha section of Highway 58 is closed off to make room for this massive rope. Both sides are laid out and eventually connected together with a giant crane. Each huge rope has hundreds of smaller ropes connected, where people pile in, grab ahold, and pull! The rope itself weighs 40 metric tons, and has gone down in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest tug of war!

The last stop we made was to Yara Castle. This is probably my least favorite of the castle ruins we have visited, because it was all overgrown....full of huge Banana spiders and other creepy crawlies!

 We didn't stay long this particular time, so here is some information! We did later go back as part of a Haunted Sites tour we took right before Halloween. Upon going back we walked back further to the "park" area, which was nicer, but still spooky (especially after learning of some of the legends and tales of the castle and it's surroundings).

 Finally, we got dolled up to go to the Marine Corps Ball (which, for those of you who don't know, is held in celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday!). This year the Marines celebrated their 236th birthday- oohrah!

this link

Click on  to view the beautiful message that was played at this year's ball.

Finally, FINALLY, I also wanted to send an update on Boomer. He is still crazy but a sweet little cuddle bug. Here is a picture of him with his favorite toy :)

Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters, Okinawa World, and a Brand New School Year!

I have lots to update y'all on! First, we'll start with getting back from Tokyo to find that Turf was sponsoring two "old guys" who were here for an exercise. Great- I thought- I get to hang out with these dudes all week?! They turned out to be a lot of fun and really nice guys! We showed them around the island, and in the process saw some things we haven't seen yet. I took them to Nakagusuku and the Naritasan Temple that Turf and I visited when we first arrived, and we also made a creepy journey to the "haunted hotel" that lies just above the Nakagusuku ruines. This place was incredible (although off-limits to SOFA personnel...shhhh!) and was decorated with all kinds of intricate graffiti. Click on the link to the haunted hotel to read the story about it and see some of the creepy photos this guy snapped. We didn't experience anything strange, aside from the dozens of large, disgusting Banana Spiders we saw, but the hotel definitely did feel a bit ominous.
I also took the "old guys" farther north to the Zanpa Lighthouse and we saw some of the infamous suicide cliffs. My plan is to take Turf back here another weekend, so I didn't take photos of this yet! :)
The weekend rolled around and Turf and I decided to venture South to visit the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. This place is full of history, mostly sad. As we were walking around among donzens of Okinawan and Japanese people, I wondered if they thought it strange that we were there. Afterall, it the Japanese Navy's headquarters during the war. Its kind of like Japanese people visiting Pearl Harbor...which I'm sure happens....I just wonder if it ever strikes a chord.
Anyway, here are some photos!

 A tomb outside the headquarters

Once the war seemed hopeless, many Japanese soldiers committed suicide in the tunnels of the headquarters. This tunnel is covered in shrapnel from a handgrade that was used in a suicide.

 Okay, so its a bit strange taking a smiling picture in a place like this, but we weren't sure what else to do.

 The walls of the tunnels were chiseled by hand with pickaxe.

We then decided to move on to something happier: Okinawa World. Here you can see traditional dance shows, a snake show, underground caves with stalactites and stalagmites, the Habu Sake factory, and tons of food, artwork and crafts.

 I just love this caption on the bottle of a Habu Sake. I didn't realize the Habu's had such style!

 Yum? Actually, I did take a shot of Habu Sake once, and it wasn't all that bad!

 Apparently the "old guys" thought it was terrible!

 In the underground caves. Very cool. The last time we were here we saw bat eggs in the water!

 Inside the cave

And finally, I have started my first official year teaching on my own! I love my first graders, although I do have a few challenging little sweetie pies. These kids are SO well behaved in comparison to the kids I had met in Pensacola. I'm having lots of fun getting to know them, but the beginning of the year is starting really slowly. Teaching procedures. Modeling Procedures. Practicing procedures. Re-teaching procedures. Modeling again. Practicing more. We won't be able to start reading centers until about October because we are spending a lot of time learning how to work in each center (rather, I am training them...but that makes it sound a bit like they are animals!). I am modeling my reading program after Daily 5 and will be doing a guided reading group each day while the kiddos are in Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, or Word Work.
Some new things I discovered that I absolutely am in LOVE with: Focus Walls. These are ah-mazing. My reading focus wall is basically my lesson plan for the week. It shows all the skills, strategies, and concepts we are working on, the spelling words and phonics, and even writing topics. Its a great tool for administrators to see when they walk into the room. I am also developing a Math focus wall with the standards listed, concepts, and skills.

 Here is my focus wall for the 2nd week of school. Pretty snazzy if I do say so myself!

 Our class rules. We brainstormed together and I had the kids sign. We reference the list daily...part of the whole practicing thing :)

 Star Manners. We did this the first week of school and the kids had a lot of fun. They also look super cute hanging around the room.

 Writing Center. LOVE this. Its new for me this year so it is still a work in progress. My goals for the year are to really develop my math and writing programs! This will house differentiated journal choices in the little black trays. Next week we will also be brainstorming things we can write about and that anchor chart will go here as well. I "borrowed" the Writer's Eye posters from one of the sweet 1st grade blogs I follow, and they basically remind the honeys to use punctuation, finger spacing, capital letters at the beginning, and lower case letters throughout.

 My bucket board. The kids LOVE this! We read the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today and talked about using kind words and actions to fill each other's buckets. I have little sheets they can fill out with nice things to say (although I can't really READ what they are trying to say yet...handwriting and sentences are still in development!). The thought is what counts, and they love filling each other's buckets at snack time. On Fridays we empty our buckets and read all the nice things our friends have to say to us!

 My Bravo window. I ran out of bulletin board space, so a windo will suffice. These are construction papers attached to the windows with clips on the top so I can easily change out student work. Right now they hold our Chika Chika Boom Boom activity we did the first week. Precious!

 And a little preview of the room. I changed a few things, but it does look pretty similar to last year. What can I say, Mrs. Casey had a great set up!

Alright, friends, I hope everyone has a great week, weekend! I will be back soon with more Okinawan adventures, with maybe a sprinkle of teaching fun!

Sayounara!