Orientation Day One

Ok so obviously I have changed my mind and am posting about orientation. I do promise you I will get back to the first two weeks of our life here in Japan because they have been very eventful. Truly the reason I am posting about orientation is because I believe it may be a shorter post than the trip over here. I don't want to get too far behind the adventures just keep coming.

To stay with the theme of my day I am going to do a lot of bullet points. Today was full of mini briefing from numerous different services here on base. My favorite part by far was the introduction and welcome to Yokosuka by the Admiral. He is very charismatic. You all know I love my pictures and he won my attention with the constant slide show of pictures he and his wife have taken while stationed here in Japan. I pray I can get half as many wonderful ones.

* There are 5 thousand Japanese Nationals that work along side of us here on base (when I say base I am referring to main base Yokosuka)

* Ships - I was sad to learn but do understand the reasoning, that the ships stationed here in the 7th Fleet are out of port and deployed more than they are home. He guesstimated for us that the GW will be gone 70% of each year. The other ships will be gone 50% of the time. He said that because we are forward deployed the ships have to be on a higher level of readiness Navy talk for they have to be ready to head out in a moments notice. Praise the Lord we only have a year. A year can be a splendid adventure any longer would prolong the torture of being without my honey. A couple reasons our sailors have to be ready - maybe I shouldn't say not sure if I should or not. So how about think about our geography and who some of our wonderful neighbors are.

* There are 6 U.S. Military bases in Japan. Now think of California that is the size of Japan but with 128 million people (2007 population report)

* I remember having mentioned to numerous people that Japan does not have a military which is the result of their attack on us in WWII. I found out that I am correct except they are allowed to have self defense units, but nothing that could be offensive. We are here to provide protection and offensive action if need be. Here is an example of a title of someone working in the Japanese Self Defense "Japanese Maritime Chief of Self Defense" He does exist and works across the bay from us.

* The city of Yokosuka has around 4 hundred thousand people we make up 30 thousand of that number

Being S.O.F.A. (Status of Forces Agreement) sponsored as soon as I step off the base I am 100% in Japanese jurisdiction

* One of my favorite presentations was by the fire department. As you will find out later we are good friends at this point:) The speaker was a Japanese national. Come to find out all the firemen are Japanese. He was so cute (as in accent, small stature, trying to be funny) NOT ATTRACTIVE. He read his whole briefing in English. As he was reading he would read out the jokes and fail to pause or stop at the punchline. I laughed anyways because his delivery or lack there of was Hilarius and the jokes were kind of funny

* 10% of the worlds earthquakes occur in Japan

*Yokosuka main base is susceptible to Tsunamis. At the briefing we were told the towers (I live in one) were built to with stand the force of the wave.

*Cyclone season lasts from June to November. Generally 10 strikes on mainland Japan each typhoon season. I will be able to tell you more about how that warning system works as well when I go back to tell you about my first few days here.

I hope you haven't been too bored. I guess if you were you never made it to this point:) Just think you only got the interesting facts I listened to briefings from 7:45am to 4pm.

The big news is ......... I bought tickets for Dylan and I to enjoy our Labor Day (9-1) at Mount Fuji. I can't wait to go and then share the experience with you all.

Good Night another long day ahead of me