Orientation Weekend

Last Saturday was our first day with our rental car, and our first day on our own, so we decided to figure out how to drive on the left side of the road by driving North on the main North/South drag on the Western side of Okinawa.  Driving on the left isn't so bad until you need to turn on your blinker, at which time you will inevitably turn on your windshield wipers.  You can bet that if there is a sunny day in Okinawa and you see a car with its windshield wipers on, there is an American behind the wheel. We made it about an hour North to the city of Nago where a Blue Seal Ice Cream store magically appeared.  They served the ice cream in crepes.  Yum!

Our kids eat vegetables sometimes too.  But they are cuter when they eat ice cream.

On Sunday, our first adventure was trying out the restaurant at the bottom of the road that leads to OIST, the Mermaid Cafe.  There was a chalkboard in front with some words in English and a drawing of pancakes so we figured it was a safe bet. 

The pancakes were made from scratch to order (the price reflected this) and were delicious.  Not a weekly breakfast joint because it was a bit pricey for the 4 of us, but the fresh whipped cream, local cane syrup, and purple yam ice cream make it worth a trip when the grandparents visit!

With our full bellies, we drove South to American Village, a large shopping and restaurant complex in Chatan.  The girls had in their minds that they wanted to buy some doll house furniture that would fit their Calico Critters. Their Calico Critters and some furniture were among the few play items that made it in their suitcases. Lo and behold, one department store had a toy section with "Sylvanian Families" which is the same line as Calico Critters.  The girls were thrilled and they each bought a small item.  (I went to Japan and bought more of the same stuff I can get in America! Yay!)

One main attraction in American Village is a large Ferris Wheel. It is an incredibly slow-moving Ferris Wheel, so slow that sometimes it doesn't appear to be moving.  Combine that with the sauna-like heat of the day, and it can make one feel a bit delusional.  Or maybe that's just me. The girls were unfazed and were happy to see Okinawa from on high. 

("Girls, please look like you are having fun." This is Zoe's 'having fun' face; it's still a little bit mad.)

We went home and I cooked our first dinner in our apartment - spaghetti!  Baby steps, people, baby steps.  So the first weekend was a success, and prepared me to be on my own with the girls in this new land. Stay tuned!