JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Sometimes people just have one of those weeks. This happens to be one of them! First, the island is just missed by a super typhoon. The next day my computer gets hit by a trojan. The following day, someone tries to poison one of my dogs. Two days later, we get word another super typhoon is on its way. The next day, my water heater breaks down; etc, etc. The only good thing about these kind of weeks is just that, it`s just another week. This one will pass and the next one will come full of its own challenges and surprises. And so as Friday begins, I am well aware that the week is almost over, and another one bites the dust….

Recently, I had a visit at Live Music Bar JET from Mike, one of the Traveling Poets Society’s “Eat-Write Café” members. It was a pleasant reminder of several years ago when Bar JET hosted the group every other Saturday. As he filled me in with the current whereabouts and going-ons of the society, I received the exciting news that one of the members, David Allen, had just released a published collection of his works. If anyone were deserving of this honor, it is David. If you are interested in this type of thing, this talented man’s insights are a must read. Check-out some of his writings here: The David Allen Poetry Page

Ah, the joys of learning how to set up the various aspects of a web site from scratch. To many people, computers can be a frustrating experience. I, however, tend to enjoy the challenges associated with learning a “new” creative activity. Although personal computers have been around for a while now, most of the people of my age on Okinawa really aren’t that experienced with the intricacies of the various aspects of setting-up an original web site. As a complete novice, learning the written computer language has been fairly simple. If you have been following this site for the past three months, you are very aware of the numerous changes that have been incorporated. The one aspect I still seem to have some difficulty with is the web mail set-up. One day the mail system works the next it doesn’t. Just trying to implement the system is, for some reason, a confusing mixture of user names and passwords. Yet, I look at this challenge with an anticipation of gaining a better understanding how computers systems work.

It’s mid-August. As summer draws to an end, the 2 to 3 a.m. calm is over taken by the annual onslaught of typhoons that “hit” Okinawa. Although typhoon season officially begins in May, rarely are we seriously affected by a large amount of major storms until the end of summer. Then we are hit with a barrage of medium to large systems until November. Yesterday we jumped from the “normal condition” watch to “it’s beginning to hit us” within a matter of minutes. The local weather bureau wasn’t even expecting any affect from the current system at all. For newbies, it can be a little daunting. But for the old timers, howling winds and dancing trees are just another part of life on Okinawa.

The other day the local satellite station was airing “Cocktail” and one of the characters, Brian, said something that reminded me of a question I’ve had for a long time. What Brian says is, “There are two types of people, scammers and workers. Scammers never work and workers never scam.” The question that this brings to mind is would there be such a thing as stinginess without greed? Usually a person is accused of being ungenerous when others persons are expecting something for nothing or more than what they have actually earned. If people only expected what they actually worked for and earned would there be greed? And without greed, would there be a lack of generosity or stinginess?

One of the best things I ever did for my self was getting my first computer five years ago. Life on a sub-tropical island can become pretty monotonous. It was as if a whole new world opened before my very eyes. One problem though was the lack of English language system support on the island. Somehow, my husband and I were able to stumble through all the novice mistakes without too much chaos. With the beginner’s bug at me, I decided to try my hand at a website. Now, with the help of the internet, I am finally beginning to learn html, css, and a virtual cornucopia of new terminology and techniques. I don’t know how I ever lived without a computer all those years!!!

One of my favorite times of the year is Okinawa in the middle of the night during summer. We are lucky enough to live on a hill with a decent view of the ocean from our balcony. In the middle of the night, at about 2 or 3 in the morning, there is usually a light breeze blowing away the heaviness of the humidity. A few cars are still rushing by the house, but not so many that the smell of gas fumes becomes obnoxious (which happens in the daytime). Every once in a while a fruit bat glides past a nearby tree. The lights from across the bay gleam and the stars in the sky twinkle. It is a very peaceful, but not dead quiet, time when a person can sit and let all of their thoughts just wander undisturbed. This is the time of year that Okinawan island life is at its best.

It’s July on Okinawa, which means it’s Summer Cold time! The humidity reaches such a high level that you literally need baby powder just to keep your clothes from sticking to you. Anyone from the Carolinas would feel perfectly at home here. In order to beat the heat/humidity combo, air conditioners are going at full capacity. Running in and out of the overly-temperate air conditioned buildings and contrasting that with the 90 plus heat always leads to the summer cold. Usually, I’m lucky enough to beat that dreaded illness until late in the season. But not this year, I got wiped out first round and have been spending the last few days putting lots of pocket money in the tissue companies’ owners’ pockets. The only thing good about it is that I know I won’t have to worry about catching it next month, when the heat/humidity reaches close to 100 degrees. So for now, I’ll keep my handy tissue box and trash can close at hand.

Question: How do you know you’ve probably lived somewhere a little too long?
Answer: You were there before McDonald’s!!!

It’s true; I was on Okinawa before McDonald’s, literally. I remember the first McD to hit island. It was in 1975 and located in Makimimato, or as it was known at that time Machinato. Back then, Okinawa was mainly a staging area for Vietnam and there weren’t that many dependents. However, both my father and uncle, along with his family, were stationed here. The yen rate was 365 to the dollar, most bases had limited recreational facilities, and the majority of people went off base for entertainment. There were no fast food chains on base, at that time. So when McDonald’s came to the island, all of us (father, uncle and families) headed for the Golden Arches. The parking lot was a sea of Americans. There was a half-hour wait, at the very least, just to get in the doors. Everyone wanted to get a little taste of home!!!