Apartment...Jobs...Road Trips

We finally moved into our apartment last Friday! We are "borrowing" government furniture for the next three years and luckily they were able to deliver everything the day we moved in. We have a couch and two chairs that are maroon with green and blue diamond shapes on them. Whoever thought that would ever look good? Our express shipment should be here by the middle of next week (hopefully) and our regular shipment may not get here until the end of September. It will be so nice to have our things and not live out of our suitcases anymore. Chile is loving being home and follows us around wherever we go. I'm pretty sure he is relieved to be out of that kennel after two whole weeks! So besides are smoke detector not working and our leaky toilet we are happy with our choice of apartment. Chile enjoys sitting in the sun and running on the balcony. In fact, last night I was out there running with him (I'm sure I looked real dumb to all the walkers down on the street) and I didn't see the step up to our balcony on the right and I totally wiped out. Chile thought it was really fun that he actually caught me for once, so I got kisses all over my face while lying on the ground.

I absolutely LOVE the location of our apartment. Right across the street is a park and beach. It gets pretty busy out there so it isn't always the quietest, but it is very fun to people watch and take walks over there (I'm still a little nervous about the snakes). We are a five minute walk from Nate and Laura, which is also great. This past weekend we all walked to meet at a restaurant in between our places and then walked to the base to go bowling! So we are close to the beach and close to the base for everything else we need! So wonderful!

The job thing. I'm not having fun looking for a job...not at all. Teachers went back to school today, so there goes my chances of getting a teaching job for the year. There were only two openings on all the bases, so my chances were not very good. The substitute application is RIDICULOUS! It is about 50 pages of paperwork (no exaggeration) and I have to do two different programs on the computer which one doesn't even work. Next I have to make an appointment with the school to sit down and get all 50 pages of paperwork logged into the computer...and then maybe I'll get a subbing job. Matt goes back to work on Friday and I was hoping to have some hopes of a job by then. I've applied for a supervisor position at the youth and teen center, but I'm not totally sure if my experience is what they need for that job. I spent five hours filling out the application so hopefully I'll at least get an interview! It sounds like it could be pretty fun though. Anyways, I'm getting really frustrated with the whole job thing!

Since Matt doesn't have to go to work until Friday, we decided to explore the island a little bit today. We drove up north to look at the base he will be working on and then drove down the other side of the island on the way back. We only got lost for a little while, but we found where the tropical, beautiful, naturey areas of Okinawa are. It was so beautiful. I really wish I had a working camera right now. We tried to go to this restaurant (more of a bar) called Coconut Moon. We walked in and the owner was sitting at a table and that was it. He told us they open at five, but to sit down anyway. It was funny. I was not about to wait an hour though. As Matt would tell you, I was just a tiny bit crabby since I was SO hungry. So we left for the day, but will definitely check it out another time. It looks like a very fun place. It's right on the water, no windows, live music, and apparently they have some pretty good tacos. :)

Anyways...still don't have internet and don't know when we will get it, don't know when we will get our tv satellite as they are all sold out right now, and we aren't really sure when our toilet will be fixed either. They said they would come on Monday! People don't exactly run on a set schedule here. Nothing is put on a calendar and no one seems to know if store bought items are or ever will be shipped.

I thought I would post our address since we know everyone wants to send us mail. :)

PSC 557 Box 1010
FPO AP 96379-1010

Since this address is on base, the postage costs the same as if you were mailing things within the United States and takes about a week to get here I think.

Hope things are well in the states!