Walking around Chatan-cho, Okinawa

 

In less than 180 days, we'll be departing this beautiful island that we've called home for six years. It's been an interesting tour (or tours). We've been here longer than we've ever been stationed anywhere else. We came over in 2019...and while I knew retirement eligibility was getting really close, I didn't think that we'd stay for this long (but, you know...promotions, obligations, high-three...). We jumped on the opportunity to come here because there was no better option for getting closer to family in Thailand, and I figured if wifey'd followed me all over the states for years and years since moving stateside 20 years ago, we'd give it a go - and it might even help us get our base camp set up there in the Kingdom. So we came...and lots of things happened while stationed here. We (and for the sake of appeasing critics of foreign ownership in Thailand, we means my wife) bought a home in my wife's hometown...and even paid it off before retirement. Our son got accepted to college...he may end up begrudgingly coming with us to Thailand before returning to Japan for school. We also began tackling the requirements for my visa application/our marriage registry (many levels of authentication, fees, and mailings involved here...old rant). I've also began the process for checking out, separation, and all of the things that come with that (fellow aspiring military retirees - go to medical!).

So anyway, wife is back home for a bit to visit family and knock down some targets we established like picking up the chanote for the house and collecting all of our translated and Ministry of Foreign Affairs-approved legal documents. Lots of things are moving all at once with retirement around the corner. If you are nearing a retirement date or considering applying for it, make yourself a gooooood timeline, establish targets, and devise plans to accomplish crushing those items. I told my boss the other day that even having been planning our departure for 2+ years, it feels like a hustle here as we near the end zone. I've been keeping busy, though...I began the Thai Language Challenge and I've been trying to brush up on my language skills. I've had books and watched loads of videos over the years, but I really needed a more formal approach to maintain focus on my studies. It's going well.

Yesterday I went for a long walk/jog/run around our town and took my phone along for some snaps. Sometimes we take for granted how lucky we are to have gotten stationed here. Enjoy the walkabout and we'll catch up next time. Cheers, gang.

 

 

One of the Aeon malls...groceries, clothing, electronics, Mr. Donut. You know, the essentials.

 

American Village and Sunset Beach. A popular area and my longer runs sometimes take me through here.

 

I've seen sharks in these channels.

 

A well-balanced curriculum, I'd say.

 

A dude-in-a-hat crossing. Careful.

 

Brother and sister.

 

Slappy Slice has that good 'za.

 

Guardian shisa.

 

The "conbinis" in Japan. Convenience stores in every neighborhood. Eats, drinks, stationary. They probably have what you need.

 

Cold drinks. Hot drinks. One machine.

 

Cool tower with a roller slide in the distance.

 

 Give the kids a brake, would ya?

 

Local Buddhas and a water feature.

 

A hibiscus in a nearby park.