The Coming Move

Has it truly been over three months?

We are 120ish days to DEROS. One would believe I would know this date better. I do but there is no reason others must know the exact date. ;-) We have our sponsor who assures us all will go well. They are sending information of child care, housing and employment opportunities for me.

The ship is still in dry dock and it is wearing on the hubby. I am hoping he uses this time to accustom himself to shore duty otherwise it will be harder for him after the pcs is complete and his time at sea is nil. Unfortunately, the ship will not be docked forever so he will have some time at sea before we leave.

We are debating an early return for Chao lei and me. I see the advantages of my earlier return. I will be the one who looks for our new house. The question for me is do I search for a position first or for a house? A position would help me choose a house that is convenient for both of us but it would limit my choices to certain areas.

• A side note... I will not have to answer thoughtless questions of my experience in living so near enlisted families. I choose to believe I am not the only person to believe this a silly question.

Of course, I will make no final decision without seeking the hubby's opinion. He must live there also.

A downside of the pcs is I must sell my car. :-( An upside is I will be able to choose a new car. :-) Perhaps I will get another truck so I can see hubby's confusion at why I would by such a thing.

I have also discovered there are stables near the base where I can hire a horse to ride or even board a horse. I will surely investigate this opportunity very soon after my arrival. I so miss riding Peevy.

8 Months and Appointments

Since the LCdr preceded me to Japan I was not a participant in my move there apart from some baggage picked up and my physical relocation. This is not the case now that we are returning to the U.S.

I am surprised by the number of appointments one must attend just to move to another place. At our first appointment with the PPSO, we were given a checklist to "ensure a successful move."  All these tasks are only what are required of the military.

I am required to accomplish several tasks at the university also if I am to leave with a good reputation. I must train another to take my place, return university property (especially keys), clear my office if I wish it to go back to the U.S. (the university has made it very clear they would be more than happy to accept my furniture as a donation) and I must declare my final term (which is this term). I suppose it is best that I end with this term. It will allow me to better see to the military requirements.

I am learning many new things. Mostly I am learning the Navy has an aversion to spelling real words so they utilize acronyms instead. I now know what PPSO, HHG and PCS mean. I know my husband is a LCDR as well as a SWO, is currently serving on a CG (67 to be exact) and I must remember his SSN (mine is irrelevant to the Navy).

Yes. This is much more different of a life than I was first led to believe but I do prefer it to a boring life. I suppose it will change again once we are back in the CONUS.

It Is Getting Busy Here

As we move closer to leaving Japan, our life is becoming full of appointments. I was once told orders are received one year prior to relocation but it seems this is not the case for us. It seems we will begin a new year with a new place to live.

I have sent inquiries to local schools of positions available. I have also written to my former employer of positions in companies he may know of.

I would once have told you of my preference to work in a business over a school but my experience here was very a positive one. I enjoyed the teaching environment very much. I would not be disappointed for a school to offer a position to me.

Here is my only reason for reluctance to work. I do not know of policies at a new school that would allow me as much time with Chao lei as I have been accustomed to. The university has been very generous in that regard.

I will miss my office though. There was much work invested to make it "me." It was comfortable and decidedly feminine compared to most other offices there. I often had visitors simply to rest their eyes from the high contrast decor Japan seems to be so fond of.  I believe I will wait as long as I am able before removing my things from my office. Perhaps even as late as the day before our HHG are picked up.

I suppose moving will be what it always is; an adventure. Whether good or bad remains to be seen. I pray I do not have that "nightmare" PCS everyone warns me of.

Happy Birthday to Me and Other things

To me. Chao lei is with me. The Cdr is not. He is underway. I suppose I have a new ship's captain to indirectly thank for that. (Welcome Capt. Aycock)

I plan to take Chao lei and myself to Seiyoken restaurant. It is a very nice place that specializes in beef tongue recipes. Before you say "yuck" you must first try it. This restaurant has many different styles to cook beef tongue. I would say that if you were not told it was beef tongue, you would not know it was beef tongue. The CDR was of a bad opinion opinion of beef tongue too until he ate it. It is so delicious. But if you insist to judge without trying, do not go to this restaurant. It is all that is on the menu. ;-)

Our PCS appointments begin in earnest soon. Already we have begun appointments to prepare Yuki to travel with us to our next home. Her transit will take one week in which she will be in her carrier among strangers. I do not wish to dwell on what will be in her mind as she is suddenly deprived of the only family she has known. It is enough to say it causes much weeping.

Now I must prepare things for our hhg shipment. We have not accumulate much beside the furniture so it is only to decide what we will need soon after arriving at our new home. The larger concern is our new home since we do not have one yet. It is good the CDR's parents are looking for a temporary house for us. We will not live on the streets upon arrival. lol

In spite of the coming hectic schedule, I look forward to returning to the US. There is so much more of it I wish to explore.

Happy Independance Day!

I wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day!

Orders!

The Cdr's orders have arrived. He is not happy for them as I am.

We will go to Florida where the Cdr will become a teacher. At the least it is what I assume since he is to be in the Naval Education and Training Command. He is not pleased with his new assignment. It is shore duty. He will be forced to live with me day after day with no escape to sea. ;-)

It will be interesting to see how we are when there are no periods of absence as there have been. I have been told that a change to shore duty can be difficult because of this. I believe we will do well. I was careful of my choice of husband as he was careful of his wife.

Now there are appointments to be set and preparations to be made. We have eight months before we leave. He will be ashore for most of it. It will be good practice for him. lol

Adjusting... again.

It always surprises me when the Cdr returns from a cruise. It seems he expects me to forget everything I know unless he does not know it. :-) Even at those times he behaves as if he is failing in some way.

I have come to understand that I must defer to him when he first arrives home.  He must assume all of the traditional men things on his return. I find it challenging to even put gas in my car since he watches my gauge closer than I do at first. I believe he is thinking he has not been doing "his job" as my husband. It does not matter how often I reassure him that is not the case but I understand he must arrive at that conclusion with no help from me. Fortunately, this does not last long since he comes to his senses very quickly and allows the logic of our life to come to him. Until that happens, I sit and smile and tell Chao lei how much I love his father.

Speaking of Chao lei; his father's return was not as in the past. This cruise there was not much opportunity for us to video chat and when he was able, Chao lei was asleep. Because of this lack of seeing his father the greeting at the dock was not as energetic as in the past. At the beginning, Chao lei was not sure of the man approaching us. You could see only a little recognition in his face. It was a "I think I know who this is but I am not sure" moment. Only when he heard his father speak did his face brighten and he reached out for him.

As for our relocation, there have been whispers of Europe. (insert confused face here) I was not aware of any US Naval bases in Europe. I do not wish to go to Europe. I know many Navy wives wish to see the world. I wish to go home to my country. There is much of it I wish to explore. I would be excited for Norfolk or Mayport.

ah well. I suppose I will make the best of where ever they send us. It is how it is done in the navy.

Finished

I am now a full doctor. Not a medical one but a computer science one. :-) Unfortunately, the Commander was not here to see it. :-( He promises we will celebrate when he returns. At the least, Chao lei was there. This was because Dorothy and Tammy were able to accompany me to the ceremony.

I suppose all that is left for me to do is continue teaching until the time arrives that we leave Japan.

What Can You Do?

I sit here smiling since there is nothing else to do. Husband's parent sit at home constantly rescheduling their visit for the time the Cdr returns from patrol. They now see a view of my daily life. I sympathize with them. It is frustrating to make plans only to change them over and over again. They ask me when he will return so they are able to better plan but do not understand when I tell them I do not have any knowledge of the time or even a window of time.

Meanwhile, I wait for news of the ship returning, graduation, continue teaching and play with Chao lei.

Learning and Patience

I have done the work and it has been reviewed. It was not so horrible but it was not so easy either. Upon return of my dissertation I found substantial challenges to it that I was required to rebut.

The advantage of the first submission is waiting for review is a short time. They must only read it and identify their objections or questions. Perhaps there was a grammatical error that did not fully explain my thesis or perhaps there was a misconception of theory from me. In any case, there is a schedule to be maintained even for the program board.

The rebuttal stage is not so easy as the first. Here I must overcome objections of board members. I will admit that much of my work was based in unproven technologies that are only now emerging. I have my own theories of them and it is these I must defend.

I have completed my rebuttal and it is submitted again to the board. Now is the difficult part for me. Many people assume that if one goes to school, one will acquire a degree of some sort. This is usually true. It is a doctorate where this is not necessarily true. Work must be submitted for review to program directors and board members (at the least in my case) for them to reward or withhold the award of a doctorate.

This is my place now. I wait for the decision of the board. It is an anxious time. They need only make their decision by the end of May. I am told it is rare they do so before the deadline.

Is it only to me it seems odd that I know the date of the awards but do not know if I will awarded?

Back to School

Today I return to school. I sent the Cdr back to sea with a kiss. The break seemed too short.

A question presented itself to me. What will I do with this education I am acquiring? I know what my plan is when we are again stateside. It is while we remain here that I am curious. There is not a large amount of positions requiring a DCS on base. I suppose I could seek a position at Tokyo University but would that be fair to them knowing I am temporary? Of course, it has occurred to me that I will be temporary anywhere I am until the Cdr retires.

Wow. That is a sobering thought. I suppose it may require a new plan.

Break Time!

It is spring break time here for me. I have two weeks of nothing to do at school. Better still, I have my hubby for two whole weeks. He has taken block leave for the time I am away from school.

Unlike our last holiday, We will go no place in particular. We will do what we have not done since our arrival. We will thoroughly explore the areas around the base. We three will spend much time together, sometimes even going nowhere. I have pledged to do as I am able to not see this as much as possible. It is beautiful  but I would prefer to see only the darkness of the inside of my eyelids for the time I am not going to the university every day. It seems habits are not so easy broken though. I will redouble my efforts tomorrow.

 I will prefer doing this all the day when we are not going to some new place. I enjoy flying my dragon kite. Living at the ocean side make it much easier to fly. I did not say easy, mind you; only easier.

Who would wish to fly an easily flown kite? Would that not become boring very quickly? After all, what does it take to fly a triangle kite? Let the wind take it and give it string to go high. Then what?

Some find that kind of kite flying relaxing. I am happy for them. I, however, enjoy something more robust. A dragon kite has as many sections as the flyer is skilled to fly. I have seen one that was of 125 sections. Mine is only 30. I believe I could not have more unless I wish to fly as high as the kite will take me.


We still wait for an idea of what the Navy will do with us. I am in no hurry to leave as I have said but it would be good to know of something.

Chao lei says Ni hao!                                    

Last Minute

I have never been one to wait for the last moment to do anything. If I know a deadline approaches I will prepare everything I need.

There is to be a move soon. We do not yet know when it is to be, only that it is. It is not traditionally thought of as a deadline when there is no schedule. There is no RNLT date or even a HHG pick up scheduled.

I spite of none of these dates I find myself packing. I excuse this as simply not waiting for the inevitable.  The problem is that my house is becoming bare. I have been carefully packing away those small things that tend to get broken easily resulting in empty shelves. Now that the shelves are empty, I find it difficult to refrain from packing them away too. After all, there is nothing occupying them.

My prized pictures from before Kat became a known photographer have been removed from the walls. I miss them. You can see her beautiful photos here: http://www.haphazard-photography.com/ You will see why I miss them so. Bare walls are too ugly.

The Navy must decide soon where I am to go even if they decide I will stay here. I am someone who must prepare. I hate for last minutes.

I am Becoming Anxious

There are at least two things that have me anxious. The first is my dissertation being before the committee. I wonder of how much I will have to defend of it. I do not pretend it will go unchallenged. I will say I am adept at my subject matter but I am far from perfect knowledge of it. I also hope they will hurry but not too much. It would be wonderful to walk with the others who are being awarded their doctorate but I do not wish for them to challenge me less or more than I should be.

Another thing that causes me anxiety is our soon coming move. We are completing four years in Japan. I have been told four years is not a limit for this tour but is a minimum. The Commander says if we are to leave there should be orders by May but we should not count on that given recent events in the Navy. In any case, I will not be unhappy to remain in Japan for more time. I only wish to know what we can expect.

I have returned

After a short break in blogging, I have returned.

I thought it would also help me keep track of important things concerning the upcoming move. It is not that we know anything of it because we do not. It seems the Navy has chosen to keep this secret to themselves for the moment.I have discovered we are not the only family is such a predicament. There are three others I know of.

There have been rumors of what is the cause but they are only rumors. Of course, if one of the rumors proves true it would be very good news for the Commander. Alas, rumors are almost always contain only small kernels of truth so I will place no confidence in any of them.

Good news from me. My dissertation is written and submitted. I wait for the committee to do its work. If all is well then I may add D.S.C. to my official signature after graduation. I believe this time is more difficult than the actual writing of the dissertation. I do not do well in waiting. At the least, the Commander will (should) be home at graduation.

"Stay tuned" for more updates.

Chao lei says "hello" and Yuki says Meow"