Dislocation Adjustments

   Every move has its frustrations. Moving halfway around the world is no exception. We’ve run into several differences in the Japanese and even military culture that take some getting used to. Some of these differences have been fun to learn and discover, while some are just downright maddening. Now, I’m not trying to whine (we’ve had an amazing first 2 weeks on the island)…which is why I’m calling these “adjustments” instead of “frustrations.” Here’s a little compare/contrast, if you will, of how we do things over in O-town:

• Driving on the other side of the road. Everything that has to do with driving is opposite. We drive on the left side of the road, the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car, even the blinker is on the other side of the steering wheel. (This has been a humorous adjustment. Both Zac and I have turned on our windshield wipers several times as we were trying to signal a turn.) Fortunately the gas/brake pedals are the same, or else we’d be in big trouble.
• Slurping. It is perfectly acceptable to slurp your noodles. It’s actually pretty necessary – Soba noodles (a noodle soup comparable to Ramen noodles, but much better) are eaten with chopsticks. Yes, they eat their soup with chopsticks. So it’s impossible to do the twirling we do with spaghetti and a fork. We like this adjustment. It makes life easier (although it might be hard to desist once we’re back in the states). And, if I do say so myself, we are becoming quite dexterous with our chopsticks.
• No room in the inn. Well, not literally. There was plenty of room at the Courtney Lodge (where we stayed for a week and a half before we got the apartment). However, today I went to set up our internet. Mind you, the place is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays (how can I get THAT job?). So I went in, thinking we’d sign up and I’d soon be connected to the World Wide Web once again. Come to find out, there’s no room for any more internet customers on the base. What? I didn’t know the internet could run out of room? We’re number 6 on the waiting list…which means 6 people have to cancel their service on base before we can get hooked up. I might be going door to door this weekend spreading nasty rumors about the internet company so people will cancel. Until then, we’ll still be stealing some unknowing neighbors (spotty) wireless. [Side note: this is more of a military “adjustment.” The company has a monopoly on base. Un-American…I think so. If we were off base, we’d be set up with fiber optic miracle internet. If you feel as passionate as I do, write your congressmen ;)]
•  Off white walls with peachy trim. To be changed ASAP, once the paint store’s mixing machine gets fixed.
• Time difference. It took us a while to adjust to our new time zone (stay up past 8:00pm). But it still never ceases to amaze me that I can enjoy my morning coffee and pumpkin cake on Friday as everyone in the states is watching Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday night. (It’s a 14 hour time difference from Central time to here…soon to be 15 hours after the US “falls back” for daylight savings time.)
• Online experience. Minus the fact that we don’t really have internet, our experience is quite different. Many websites, like Google/gmail and even this blog site, come up in Japanese. Eeek. It’s been quite a task to figure out which symbols mean “sign in” and “password.” Even the ads on the sidebar are in Kanji. (Sorry, sidebar ad, you won’t be getting my business… I can’t read you.) On that note, since the genius internet knows we’re coming from a Japanese location, we are unable to access a few sites. For example, we cannot watch online shows on any TV network’s website (ABC, NBC, FOX, hulu, etc.), not even Netflix, which we pay for. I would think that they could detect that we are on a military base (i.e. American soil), and allow us access. [If you believe in our right to view American masterpieces like Grey’s Anatomy and Glee online like the rest of our fellow citizens, write your congressmen] Se la vie.
• Microwave-less. This is more of a personal problem for us (that will probably be solved as soon as possible).  We don’t have a microwave. It’s not much of an issue, but it’s an adjustment. It brings us back to a more simple time where you bake in the oven and heat water on a stove. It’s enjoyable to get creative…like heating up some Chef Boyardee in a pot. Fun!

Well, that’s a wrap for now. I’ll probably be presenting some more “dislocation adjustments” in the future. It really is another world over here, and even though I make fun, we are really enjoying it here! I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks already!