I finally have a job!! Yay!!

So after 3 months, I am finally emploed here on the Island! Yay!!

So I just got hired on at the Okinawa Veterinary Treatment Facility as one of the new Vet Techs! This is kind of a big deal for me considering I've wanted this job since before we even left the states! As of today I have been there for a week and a half and I LOVE it. Who wouldn't like being around animals all day, right!

So as a Tech, I am pretty much responsible for everything except dispensing medications on the medical side, and cutting on the surgical side. We run 1-week rotations. For one week you work the medical side which includes the sick pet appointments, vaccinations, pre-surgical blood work, pharmacy, all lab work, and any drop-off type appointment like for heartwork treatments or other various things. On the surgical side you do everything from getting the animal asleep, prep for surgery, blood draws, surgical monitoring, post-op care, sterilizations, etc. I mean, as a Tech here on island with one clinic for over 15,000 animals and only 3 doctors, you do as much as you can so the doc has time to see everyone. It's awesome and I am learning a lot. I hope to be able to take some classes here so when I go back to the states I can apply for vet school!

So the pics up above include one of the 4 medical treatment rooms. They all pretty much look the same. The ugly baby blue is just for a little longer until they do renovations next spring, thank goodness.

Next is the surgical area. No worries though, the pic is not of a dog being operated on, it's just a Yorkie getting his leg wrapped by our Ortho doctor!

The pic with the long table in the center is the main treatment back area. That's where you animal gets dragged off to if we need to put them into a headlock and we don't want you to see it happen. That's only for really bad kiddies and the drop-off kids.

The last two are the lab and the outside of the clinic. The lab is actually huge and has all the testing equipment back there. We do ear swabs, skin scraps, tape impressions, fecal testing, blood work, serums, urinalysis, etc. back there. I was stuck there for a week until they let me out of the "poop cave" and I finally got to start stabbin' puppies and kittens today, woo hoo.

But yeah, it's not a whole lot to look at, but it's always super busy with something to do and you get to learn a lot, so I really like it a lot. Hopefully I don't screw up and I get to stay here for a while. :-)

I'll have the Pancakes and Potato Salad, please!

So I know I post a lot about food on this blog, and I have to apologize because we really don't eat out that often. It's just that when we do go out and eat, it's so amazing I feel I really need to share it.

So this place, Coffee Casa, has sorta become a weekend thing for us and the Gregory family lately. It's just a short walk up from the Sea Wall near their house. Obviously from the pics, you can tell they have a cute little outside deck, which is all great and dandy when it's not 93 degrees with 100% humidity like the day I took this pic. Thank goodness it was cool inside.

So anyway, if you read my other post and saw the pic of the HUGE iced banana mocha, this place is where it came from. They have superb coffee drinks, homemade pastries and breads, lunch items, etc. I've had b-fast and lunch here, and it's awesome! A little pricey, but totally worth it.

The plate I got last time we went was the banana pancakes, and if you look real closely, you will see the top pancake is cut out like a heart... but I think they only do the girls' food like that because Mike never gets hearts and I always do :-)

Anywho, the reason for the name of this post is because on their breakfast plates with the works, you also get this little tiny blob of the most fantastic potato salad I think I have ever had, minus Sandy's Deli, of course! But it really is quite good... just an odd addition to b-fast, right?

Random pic of Mike included on the top with his... "I was at Air Force Jamboree all week eating MRE's... give me FOOD!!" face.... haha.

Another must visit place on the island, for sure!

Gettin' Curry'd Away!!

So let me just say this, who'd a thought that the Japanese would not only rock at Sushi, but they have completely taken the gold as far as their Curry goes as well!!

There is a place here called Coco Ichibanas, and I am convinced that it means "Crack-infused Curry" because once you eat here the first time, you're addicted.

The place is pretty cool. It has a very Waffle House type of atmosphere, but all the people speak Japanese, not Southern twang, and I'm pretty sure they all have a full set of teeth. And yes, I am allowed to say that because I devoted two and a half years of my life to living amongst the southerners of Mississippi and I know for a fact that this stereotype is 100% true... but I digress.

So yeah, when you walk into this place, much like the waffle house, they scream "Irrishimasen" which means "Welcome!!!" You sit at a diner-type booth or the counter, and to mplace your order you have to press a little bell on your table-top that chimes through the whole resturant and they all start yelling again, which I guess is to let you know they heard you and will be right over.

This place has a random smattering of all kinds of foods from salads, fried items, Naan bread, curries, etc. There's somethign for everyone! You can pick your hotness level on a Mild (0) level all the way to 10! I can't even eat a one without breaking a sweat, and Mike can just now do a level 3. It's intense, but oh so yummy.

The plate up top is what I usually get. It's a chicken cutlet (fried chicken patty) mild with spinach. It's so good that just looking at it makes me want to get into my car and drive there for dinner. OH MY GOD!!

The other pics are the outside of the resturant, some funny English translation (Granted vs. Grated), and a pic of the menu that's all in Kanjo so you can see how crazy trying to read their menu is.

I know I say this a lot in my posts, but if you come ot visit, you WILL be going here with us! So yummy!!!

Scuba at Maeda Point

Ok, not too much to report about this... We went to Maeda Point (pronounced My-duh) and the class did their last Scuba dives to get advanced certified. I was "grounded" or stuck above water because the night before during our night dives, my ears got pretty funky and I had a hard time equalizing pressure and I got a pretty bad case of swimmers ear that hurt for a good 4 days after... they are still cracking this morning. But anyway, the crew went to do their two deep dives today and that left me to hang out on the surface and wander around the point.

As you can tell from the pictures, Meada Point is really a beautiful place. The coast is made up of volcanic rock and coral, so the entrance can be a little tricky into the water and it's not really made for leisurely swimming, but it's beautiful under the surface and full of very nifty things to see.

Since I was stuck on shore, I went for a walk down this pretty extensive path system they have along the shore, took some pretty pics, and worked on my tan. I got pretty crispy this day, so I didn't consider the day a loss.

The only rough thing about Meada is that there are over 80ish steps to get down to the volcanic rock shore and into the water. It's all fun and good when you have lots of energy and you're going down, but once you've been snorkeling across the current back to the shore, you're pretty tuckered out and then have to carry like 60+ pounds of gear back up those steps all the while in a hot black wetsuit... makes for a rough hike up. At the half way mark they built a little rest area for the scuba people to stop and catch their breath because it can be pretty rough getting back up for some. Luckily I only had to carry a camer, so I was able to help Dave get his hang tank and some equipment up the stairs after their second dive of the day. I think having to tote one more tank up the steps woulda killed him.

So yeah, Meada is beautiful. It's also FULL of Japanese people trying to snorkel in groups, and the novice diver attempting to dive for the first time EVER. It makes for a busy entrance/exit area, but really fun. I have to laugh because the Americans get a bad rap for over-running some areas of the island, but every time I have gone diving there seems to be just about as many, if not more, Japanese people there too...

On a final note, I finally broke down and used a squatty potty here... but only because I had no choice, it was all that was available. Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad...

Come Back Su-Su-Soon, Ya Hear!!

Ah, for all of you that really know me, you know I really like sushi! Well, I have died and gone to sushi heaven because I was introduced to quite possibly the best sushi I have ever had. When we first came to the island, about a week after we arrived, our friends took us to a little place called Su-Su-Soon. It's a little tiny kind of mom and pop-style dinner place where the presentation is beautiful, the atmosphere is casual and relaxed, and the food is out of this world good.

It's hard to tell from the pic I took inside the resturant because we were in the back room and my pic is full of Sam's kneecap, but the place is like sitting in someone's cozy little dining room while you look into their tiny kitchen while they are making your food. It's fantastic. When you walk in the door you put your shoes in the big white cubby and they give you these Moroccan leather slippers to wear. Very cools!!

We sat in the back at a traditional Japanese dining table, which means is basically like sitting at a huge coffee table and you sit on little coushins. Poor Mike can't sit and physically cross his legs to fit under the table like the rest of us, so we had to stick him on the end where he could put his poor legs out straight under the table, and he was sticking out from two sides and looked so uncomfortable, but once the food arrives you are in such bliss you could be sitting on nails and really wouldn't care.

The first plate was mine, I had a "big" shrimp tempura roll and a "BLT" roll. Yeah that's right, there was actually bacon, lettuce, and tomato in my roll. The crazy thing is they use cooked salt pork for their bacon. It sounds gross, but it's like melt in your mouth good. The other roll I had was called big because literally its like as big around as a tube of cookie dough, maybe even bigger. A-MAZ-ING! They give you this water too that has herbs in it, so there's lemon grass knots and mint, and it just gives the water a hint of yummy-ness, and they even make their own ginger-ale. It's very ginger-ish, but so yummy.

Mike plate was next. He had a small cucumber roll, a spicey tuna roll, and an Arare roll, which is the one that had the crispy looking little bits on the outside of it. It had squid, octopus, and shrimp in it so I wasn't a total fan, but once I dissected it and just left the shrimp in it, it was quite delicious.

I promise if anyone comes to visit me, this is definately going to be one of the places you go because if you don't, you're missing out on one of the best sushi experiences on the island. Plus, they do have other things besides sushi...

Japan-a-random

Yay for random pictures! I know this post really has no point, but I have some fun pics and I wanted to share them...

First up is quite possibly the best coffee on the island. Down by the Sea Wall there is this little place Coffee Casa where the food and the coffee are out of this world. This is an iced banana mocha and it's rediculous. They make their own whipped cream and it's like cool-whip tasting but thick enough to morter a house with. Freakin' fabulous! They also make all their own breakfast/lunch menu from scratch every day. This one place is more than enough of a reason to come visit the island.

Next is just a random guy who was on a motorcycle next to my car. Through my window I could see the back of his helmet said "Pansy" and it was too funny not to take a picture of. In this US, this guy woulda got made fun of so bad for being a "tough motorcycyle rider" with a helmet that called him a sissy, haha!

So the next pic is Sarah and Derek's new baby pug. Her name is still being debated, but she goes as "Bean" for now. She's freakin' adorable and a little menace. She's in the "I want to eat everything" phase... totally adorable.

Next is this random cut-out in front of an ice cream place out at Maeda Point's little rest area place. I thought it was funny because this little cut out can't be any more that about 3 feet high and the poor little cow looks like it's all boobs!! Ah, yet another reason I love the Japanese.

Last, something you don't get to see every day in the states. There was this little flat-bed truck, unfortunately in front of me, and it had two cars stacked one on the other. These cars were barely hanging onto the ends of the truck and the "rope" holding them on wasn't even tight. It was amazing. I was a little nervous being behind them on the hills!! The car on top was leaning back and forth on the bottom car. It was nuts!!

Ok, so that's all I have for now. I know they are stupid pics, but I thought I was share for the fun of it. Plus, who doesn't like pics of cute puppies, right??

Life is Scuba-dooba-tastic!!

Ah, life in Oki is fantastic, on land AND under the sea. As you all know, Mike and I finally finished our two Scuba courses... sorta. Last Sunday we completed our Basic Open Water course which allows us to, I guess you can say legally, Scuba up to a depth of 60 feet!! Yay for that. It took almost 10 hours in the pool practicing skills, about 15 class hours and 6 tests, and 5 open water ocean dives over the cours of two days, but we passed with flying colors!

We liked Scuba so much and had such an awesome time with our Instructors Dave and Tim, we immediately signed up to take the advanced class with them. Basic class ended Sunday at 2ish, then we went for a quick dive off the sea wall with time at the Bird Cage, then we went back to the Marina to start our advanced class with Dave that afternoon! Yeah, it's addictive. We'd only been in the ocean one day when we dropped like 3K into all of our own gear. It costed us a small fortune, but we have all of our own very very nice gear so we don't have to rent the crappy stuff from the Scuba Locker. Mike is all pink and black, haha. Mike went with the red, black and neon yellow stuff. He's very easy to pick out under water, needless to say, with all that neon yellow!!

Ok, so first picture up for discussion is our poor shower room, or the "Scuba Room" as it's been named at our house. We hang our wetsuits in there, our regulator hoses, snorkels, masks, fins, boots, gloves, BCD (bouyancy vests), all our weights are hanging out on the edge of the tub, along with our rash guards. They are those nifty red and white looking shirts in there. They have the protection of wearing SPF 50, so you can stay cool but keep out of the sun during your surface breaks. It's amazing how burned you get here even after an hour in the haze. Poor Mike got fried Memorial weekend when he wasn't wearing one, and I got crispy last weekend when I was cold and took mine off to warm up... oops!

Next pic is Mike, obviously. Sorry the pic is on it's side, I couldn't figure out how to rotate it. This was on the last day of our open water dive. Mike, myself and 4 others out of the 12 of us had finished all our skills the previous day, so this day we got to swim and fart around and take pics with the instructor assistant Tim! It was a ton of fun, minus the huge sea snake that took an interest in our group! They are super poisonous and very curious about divers, but hardly ever bite... thank GOD!

Next is Mike and I at the North Steps on our last day of class. It's hard to time pics underwater so that bubbles don't get in your face... the biggest and most important rule about diving is your not supposed to hold your breath, even for pictures because it can cause lung damage, or so we were told, so neither of us dared to tempt fate on our second dive...

Next is Mike and I at the "Bird Cage." Under water this structure looks like a gazeebo that is left with just a metal frame or something, making it looks like a huge bird cage under water, but in reality it was a structure left behind from the old water treatment plant in Oki. The site we were diving was right across the street from the new water treatment facility, but the cage was left behind from the old one. Apparently, it was some type of structure that held a huge pipe that either did water intake or an outlet... I'm not sure, but it was quite impressive under water and you could swim all around and through it. Very entertaining for newbies like us! Oh yeah, note all the bubbles in my face from Mike below me... silly boy hogging all the spotlight!!

Last pic up is me! It looks like I have my hands up in a "Stop, don't come any closer" pose, but in reality I was giving peace signs with both of my hands. The Japanese are very big in posing for all their pictures giving the peace sign... I dunno. I just did it to be cool, I guess.

So yeah, that's it for underwater pics so far. I think I may invest in a new case for my sony camera some time this week so I can snap some pics of mike and I and all the awesome fish we get to see. It's a couple hundred buck and I am too impatient to see if Santa will bring me one. Plus, it will provide endless posts for all you hard-core fans (yeah, that shout out goes to Debbie and all her awesome co-workers, and Sarah R. for being such avid readers and making me feel like this blog provides some purpose!).

More to come soon!!