Day 3 of AOB/ICR: Finally a Friend!

Today was day three of the Area Orientation Brief/ Intercultural Relations Course (AOB/ICR). The Navy requires everyone who arrives in Sasebo to attend AOB/ICR within the first month of their arrival, but you know me: I signed up the second day I was here, and registered for the course that started on the 7th day that I was in Sasebo!

I'm not gonna lie- The first two days were brutal. I felt overwhelmed with the number of acronyms being thrown my way. I had no clue what applied to me, what I needed to ignore as a dependent, and I came into the course with my hopes high for meeting fellow spouses who were new to the area. Unfortunately for me, this course consisted of 19 and 20 year old guys who just arrived and were waiting to join their ships....

Coffee was the only thing getting me through the first two days

BUT everything changed today during the ICR course with Eriko! Eriko has lived her entire life in Sasebo, and her spunky and energetic attitude had me smiling the entire class! Eriko gave a quick overview of Japanese history and the area, and then she taught us basic Japanese phrases to get us started! She called it "Japanese Phrases for Busy People" but I interpreted that as "Basic Phrases so you don't look like a Dumb American." Either way, I was ecstatic to be learning something that actually applied to me and my new life in Sasebo!

During today's class I met Diana! She was the only other spouse in the class, and her husband works as a DOD contractor, so she arrived in Sasebo with a similar background to me. After talking during our breaks and learning that Diana already has picked up a lot of the language, she invited me to join her on an afternoon adventure outside the gates, and you know I wasn't turning that down! Diana's husband drove us to the Ginza, an outdoor mall not too far from base, where I got to experience my first ever 100 Yen shop (kinda like the Dollar General of Japan), walk through some local shops, and we ate lunch at Gyuemon, a legit Japanese restaurant!

Gyuemon is located on the second story of one of the buildings in the Ginza. Once inside, we took off our shoes before stepping foot on the tatami mats, and then we were led to our Chabudai table. There were cushions for us to sit on, but the Chabudai tables sit very low to the ground, making it easy to sit criss-cross and enjoy your meal close to the floor! Luckily the menu had large pictures along with the Japanese descriptions of the food, making it easy to point and say, "Kore Kudasai" (this please!) I wasn't 100% sure what I ordered, but google translate says it was "steak that is perfect for eating and made with a special sweet and spicy sauce, with coleslaw salad, miso soup and pickles." I will say, it was delicious! Diana was so good to me, she even let me try her eel (which I will never order for myself. NOT my favorite!) and her Tempura, which had shrimp and different veggies coated in a batter and deep fried (so good!) She even taught me how to use chopsticks! I know...I arrived to Japan without this knowledge, but when push came to shove, I picked up this new skill pretty quickly!

Each table had a button to ring if you needed anything during your meal. The servers don't stop by your table and check in with you periodically, like in the states. Instead, if you needed more water, you simply rang the bell and then asked the server "Mizu Kudasai!" (water please.) It was such a cool experience and I was so happy to do it with someone who could teach me as we went!

The front of the restaurant

Chabudai Table

Looking Over the Menu

What I ordered

My "steak for eating"

Sticky Rice w/ Nori (Seaweed)

Diana's Eel & Tempura Meal

My first REAL Japanese Meal!

Our Desserts!

After eating lunch, we headed back out to the Ginza to continue shopping and eventually made our way to the Gobangai Mall. This is the same mall where I found myself during my first outing last week, so I knew where I was for this part of the adventure and now I know the name of it! After walking around there for a few minutes, Diana's husband picked us up and took me back to the Navy Lodge! It was such an amazing afternoon and I couldn't be more thankful for Diana's guidance and friendship!

Spotted Jellyfish in the Port

Toy Store w/ all types ofCandy

Once I checked in on the pups, I headed back out to Nimitz Park, just off base, to take a one-hour photography seminar through the USO. I signed up for this course yesterday with the sole intention of getting out and meeting people, with the added bonus of learning how to use my Cannon Camera a little better! The seminar consisted of just three other people, and I learned some of the basics for taking pictures using the manual mode, but I definitely need to go to their next month's session to build on what Greg taught me! During this session, I met Joyce, who teaches English to locals who want to work on the base. She was kind enough to offer me a ride home, saving me from another long mile walk back to the hotel!

Peep some of my well-below average photos that I playfully took while learning about the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture of my camera. These photos pretty much sum up where I stand with my talent for using the manual settings on the camera! Pictured is Jeff, the instructor for the class. I promise he was better than my pictures show!

Today was one of the good days. After Monday and Tuesday, I needed a pick-me-up, and I thank God for putting Diana and Joyce in my path! Things are looking up and I can't wait to see what else is in store! Now I'm off to study some of those sayings that Diana and Eriko taught me! Wish me luck!

Sayonara (goodbye) for now!

Katie