Are you prepared?

March 11 marks the 4^th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake. It's hard to believe that day was four years ago. I remember it all like it was just a few weeks ago, not years. My son had just come home from school and was telling his brother about his day. I was on the couch reading a book when I felt the first vibrations. The boys didn't believe me when I said there was an earthquake. Unlike other earthquakes though, this one didn't stop. Instead it kept picking up, getting stronger and stronger. We had already been living in Japan a couple of years and are from California, we’re familiar with earthquakes. This was SO different. The power went out and cell service was out. We stayed inside and rode out the aftershocks. Several minutes after, my husband finally came home—he had just left work when the shaking began. Meeting the neighbors outside, we heard the tsunami sirens. Such a scary time, but at least we were all together. The following days were full of unknown, rolling blackouts, and mass confusion.  Would we stay in Japan? Evacuate somewhere? A couple weeks later, we found ourselves on a plane to the US.

Are you prepared for an emergency situation? Japan is home to not just the earthquakes, but also typhoons. Last winter was unseasonable cold and we had a couple rather large snowstorms--one of which shut down nearly all transportation. There were some people walking miles in the snow!

Living overseas, we are a community that travels often. Our children probably have more airport experience than most adults. Odd hour flights, long layovers, delays. How do you spend your time in airports? We then find ourselves in countries where we don't know the language.

Last week I was talking to a friend and fellow homeschool mom. We somehow got on the subject of being prepared, and I was so impressed with what she does that I thought it needed to be shared. It just made sense! (And I'm sorry to say, even after our experiences, we haven't changed anything.) Each of her children have backpacks with a ziplock that contains contact information along with personal hygiene items and small snacks.

When flying they include an additional ziplock with changes of clothes should there be delays or lost luggage—that would have helped when our baggage took a side trip to a different airport from us.
List of Bag Contents

All of this seems so simple and easy. It's something to get our children in the practice now. I do carry a small bag with me wherever I go that contains medications, lotion, and sunscreen, but I never thought to make sure my kids carry something similar should they find themselves in need. That will be changing.

How have you prepared your family? What things do you do when you travel? PCS season and summer travel is approaching, please prepare.  

House Hunting in Yokosuka

It's that time of year again, PCS season! One of the first thoughts one has when moving is “where am I going to live?”  When you’re cramped in the Navy Lodge, it’s also one of the first things you want to take care of.  Last year, CFAY changed their housing policy and made it mandatory for all military to live on base, unless quarters were not available.  Civilians no longer have the option of getting base housing or living “out in town;” civilians are automatically out in town.  It’s also become mandatory for civilians currently living on base to move off base, once they've been in base housing for five years.

So how does the process of finding your Japanese house work? First, unlike the US, you are not faithful to just one realtor.  Here, houses are only assigned to one agency.  This means you’re better off working with several different realtors in order to see as much out there as you can. The housing office has books of listings, but it really is much easier to go and find someone to show you what they have available and meet your needs, rather than hunting through pages of what looks like a foreign language.  Have a list of your wants, must-haves, and go from there. Ask your friends, or KPHS, for realtor recommendations. Many of our members live out in town, or have lived out in town. As for fining the agents, just walk out either of the gates, you can't miss them! Look at the houses they have posted and see if any interest you.

What do you want? This is where it gets tricky.  What you consider “normal” in an American home, is often completely unheard of here.  Master baths?  Probably not going to happen.  Dishwashers, few and far between. Large rooms and living spaces, maybe.  To be honest, the houses you look at may not even have ovens.  But there’s always the exception and it seems most agents and landlords are willing to work with you.  Don’t be afraid to ask, as it could be negotiated into the lease.  Houses here do tend to be much smaller by American standards, but layout and hidden storage can make all the difference. Just remember, this will be your home for the next few years.

In the past few years there has been an increase in Western-style homes.  These tend to have better equipped kitchens and hardwood floors.  In the more traditional homes, the Japanese don’t sleep in beds, but on futons on the tatami floor. These are bed rolls that are folded up during the day and stored—not American futons that you’re used to seeing. Thus closets are also very different.  Some older houses have been “westernized” and have had the tatami replaced with hardwood or even carpet, but the odd-sized closets are still there.  This is something you’ll want to pay attention to.  Some houses may have one or two tatami rooms, others may be entirely tatami.  These need to be treated carefully as you’ll be responsible for any damage.  Many just put carpets over them.  Also be aware if you have serious grass allergies, as this could be a problem. When talking to the agents, they’ll talk to you about room size in number “tatami mats,” even if there is no tatami.

Japanese futons on tatami floors

Location, location, location.  How do you even know where you want to live when you have no idea where anything is? Where are the good areas?  Where are the bad?  Even if you don’t plan on using the trains, keep public transit in mind.  You may have friends who want to visit, but no extra parking. Your house may only have one parking space, making you a one-car family, or that parking space may be very small. Using the trains here is so easy and convenient, you probably want to be close to a train station or at least bus stop. How far is the walk to your nearest station?  Is it straight uphill?  Downhill? (There is very little flat land here.) What kind of shops do you have nearby?  Restaurants?  Will bicycling be a mode of transportation?  How will that ride be?  Again, ask around.  There are some heavily American communities close to base.  Further away, you may find yourself the only gaijin in the area.

After questioning KPHS members here are some things they suggested you keep in mind:

• Is the house close to public transit?  Just don't take the word of the agent or what is listed, actually walk to the perspective house from the nearest train station.
• What shops do you have near-by? Check them out, buy some goods. 
• How long is your commute to/from base? A ten minute drive at one hour, can be much longer during commute times.
• Don't jump at the first house you see.  This can be very tempting when you want to get out of that lodge and start really getting settled.  Go back and look again. Take time to make sure it's really what you want.
• Make sure you understand your agent and they understand you.
• How old is the house? Does it have adequate cooling and heating? Do you smell any mold? Feel any drafts around closed windows?
• Any allergies that may affect your comfort? If you have grass allergies, living with tatami or up against a bamboo forest may have its issues.
• Is there space for you to set up your homeschool? Where would you school?
• If you see other Y-plates, go talk to your potential neighbors about their experiences.
• Drop pins in Google Maps so you know where you were.

Part 2 will follow with more specifics on housing features and appliances.

Literature Adventure

The KPHS Yokosuka Literature Adventure will be concluding another year shortly. Our reading list this year has been quite varied, and the kids have really enjoyed it. We met with dragons in Dealing with Dragons, the first of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. We discussed if we'd want to live forever, and at what age, after reading Tuck Everlasting. We discussed the classics and mythology with the Aeneid, only to find that the kids much prefer Homer over Virgil. After the New Year, we read a book that really pertains to us as Americans living overseas, Homesick, by Jean Fritz, the fictionalized story of the author's life in China and her move to the US in the 1920s. As a companion work, the parents were encouraged to read Third Culture Kids by David Pollock and Ruth E Van Reken.

This has been a very eye-opening book and thoughtful read. I had so many ah-ha moments while reading it. For this lesson, we put out a small, informal survey to get an idea of how our group compares with others, particularly those at home in the US. We didn't get as many entries as we would have liked, but the information made the kids think. Some of them realized that growing up overseas makes them different, others didn't see the big deal. Pollock and Van Reken define a Third Culture Kid as someone who "spend(s) a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture." I think the biggest impact will occur when these kids move back to the US. I have always found that the reverse culture shock, is so much more difficult to deal with than the initial move. As Ms. Van Reken states in the book:

". . .disappointment was greater because they had always presumed if they could make it 'home,' they would no longer feel so different from others. . . . Friends, relatives, and classmates are shocked at the TCK's ignorance at the most common practices necessary for everyday living. If they were true immigrants, no one would expect them to know all of these things." Pages 227-228

Being in the military world, moving often is common place and moves overseas always a possibility. Summer is approaching and that means PCS season.  Van Reken's comment about being sure to unpack and "plant trees" upon arriving really resonated with me. One can't relax or enjoy life, if you're always looking for that next move. Yes, it can sometimes come faster than expected, but it may not happen for some time either. When I think it about it, we planted our first garden only three years ago. Prior to that, there had always been the thought of why bother, we're just going to move. So yes, she really says to plant trees! Plant something and watch it grow while you're here. Take advantage of all that your host culture has to offer. and perhaps someday you'll be able to return to see the fruits of that tree.  

Do you have any suggestions or advice for a move overseas?  Something you did to help make the transition easier?  What about the "re-entry," how did you deal with those stresses? We'd love to see your comments.

Our Survey Results:

Where to Put the Homeschool Stuff

We had a homeschool space challenge a few weeks back. Mommy To Bees was sweet enough to post some photos of her dining room to show how she's arranged homeschooling stuff in their Ikego home.

She also has some cool pics of the homeschooling files and their contents.

Anyone else have photos they're willing to show off of how you keep homeschool stuff in your home, either military housing or Japanese homes?

Yokosuka Youth Programs

Wondering what sort of programs for kids you will find at Yokosuka? Check out the new Yokosuka Youth Programs brochure. It has information on all sorts of groups from school clubs to youth sports to chapel youth groups. (Go ahead and accept the certificate. This is a quirk of some military sites.)

H/T: Our ever helpful Yokosuka School Liaison Officer (Thank you)

Your Turn: What Would You Pack

OK Yokosuka Homeschoolers, now I'd like some help from you. Remember back when you had first arrived on base? Maybe it was in the middle of a hot humid summer or right before a typhoon lockdown. Maybe it was in the middle of a rainy winter or just before the holidays. You might have gone right into housing or had to stay in the lodge for months or settled into a Japanese house out in town.

So looking back at those days and being familiar now with what is available on base, what would you suggest someone pack or ship in their unaccompanied baggage? What homeschooling materials got you through the first weeks or months? Or did you concentrate on getting settled and let school wait for a few weeks? What did you make use of in base facilities rather than loading yourself down? If you could do it again, what would you do differently?