catching up

I had every intention of starting a blog about our life in Japan. Really, I did. I kept meaning to blog about my flight over here, my first go round at sushi, the absolute HORROR of seeing bats flying around, and exploring this beautiful, strange new place that’s going to be home for the next few years.

   Almost two months into it, I’ve yet to write a single entry. Pitiful, right? So, I figured I’d start by answering some questions that everyone’s been asking and then go from there. I’ll try and make each blog about a topic. I plan on going back and covering: the flight here, our new crib, some cool things we’ve seen/done, Thanksgiving, and my adventures in driving. Now, onto the FAQs…

1.      Where do you live?

     Douglas and I have a cozy three bedroom apartment on one of the bases here. It’s all linoleum floor and bare walls right now, but that’ll all be changing once our shipment arrives! (Carpets! Queen sized bed!) Luckily, we’ve scored some temporary furniture and have our express shipment. So, we’re making do for now. :)

2.       Did you bring your pets?

     No. We can’t have any pets in the housing we live in. Also, the thought of dragging them on that flight then kenneling them just broke our hearts. We’ve been very lucky and our parents have offered to keep them for us while we’re here.

3.       Did you bring your cars?

     No. My car was sold (Enjoy, Emi!) and Douglas’ truck is in Georgia. We have a Toyota Surf and Daihatsu Pyzar right now. Nothing too fancy, but they get us from here to there and are small enough to get into the teeny Japanese parking lots.

4.       Can I send you mail?

     Yes, of course! There’s no extra cost affiliated with sending regular mail to us. It DOES take longer to get here. Plan for 1 ½ to 2 weeks for things to get here. Should you feel like sending us a package, the easiest thing to do is ask for the Military Flat Rate boxes at your post office. Shipping on those packages is around $14. If you’d like our home address, please send me a private message/email/carrier pigeon and I’ll give it to you.

5.       Can I call you?

     You could, but it’d be very expensive for the both of us! We have a vonage number that we use to call out occasionally, but the easiest (and cheapest! Free!) way of keeping in touch is Skype. There’s always your standard email and facebook messages too. Both of our normal cell phones are ‘suspended’, so we won’t get any calls or texts you might send.

6.       Can I text you?

     Actually, yes! We’ve been lucky enough to snag a good deal on iPhones! (It’s ruined all other phones for me. So awesome!) There’s a great app called TextNow that lets us text CONUS numbers at no charge at all! If you’re interested in texting either of us, please send me a private message and I’ll be happy to arrange it!

7.       Have you hit anyone with your car yet?

     Ahem. I actually have gotten this question from a few people. (I’m beginning to think I have a reputation as a bad driver or something…) NO. I have not hit anyone. I have hit a few curbs, though. More on that later!

Let me know if there’re any other questions I didn’t answer!