Weekend Updates...

We enjoyed a beautiful and fairly eventful weekend! The cooler and less humid weather was a treat. On Saturday morning we had our internet and phone service hooked up at last. Then on Saturday afternoon we traveled to Kamakura to see the "great Buddha" - the largest statue of a Buddha in Japan (probably about 30 feet tall - plus it was built almost 800 years ago!). The town is filled with little craft shops and bakeries, so that was fun too. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to taste the local specialty - sweet potato ice cream - so we'll have to go back later for that tasty treat! From Kamakura we took the train back to Yokosuka so we could meet up at the Lighthouse for "gourmet pizza night." (The Lighthouse is a local Christian ministry that we're looking forward to being a part of - they have several Bible studies throughout the week, along with community meals, and other activities and events to be a part of too.)
On Sunday Josh woke up before the sun and met the aircraft carrier (USS Kittyhawk) for their friends and family day. Unfortunately, Josh wasn't able to bring his friends and family because they didn't tell us in time - but it was an eventful day at sea none-the-less. Several thousand people were on the boat and they filled the day with food, music, tours of the boat, and even an air show.
I was sad that I couldn't go along, but managed to have a pretty busy day myself. I met up with a group from Atsugi ( the local Naval air base) at an orphanage to play with children for the morning. The group was made up of people from the Officer's Christian Fellowship and they usually go once a month to share a church service and then play with the kids for a few hours. A little girl named Momue kind of "adopted me" and we had a fun time playing together even though we couldn't communicate very well with words. I loved it!
After that I went along to a "welcome tea" for spouses of doctors and got to make some nice connections with other women on base. I'm realizing more and more that Josh's job is very much an entity unto itself, so it's a little more work to meet people around base....but I will continue to persevere!
This week will bring the arrival of our household goods, the purchase of a second car, my second adventure with teaching English, and many more experiences in adult medicine for Josh! Hope you are well! Love, R and J