36 Days

Our unaccompanied baggage is gone. We are now living out of our suitcases.

The anticipation of the move is intense now that there are only 36 days until we board the plane and depart Japan for the final time. Even the children are excited about what is to come even though they do not fully understand the permanency of this departure.

Well, Chao lei does. He has done this before. For Jun, this is a first. I believe the hardest time for her will be after we arrive in Spain and set up our house. Now, she has flown away to see her grandparents and has always returned to Japan. This time will be different. I suspect leaving her Sobo behind will be more upsetting for her since she has known her for her whole life and has always thought of her as a grandmother. I wish, for her sake, there was an easier way for her to face this.

Jared and I have decided it will be easiest to move into the Navy Lodge at the end of this month. We believe it easier for us and our landlord. To get the loaner furniture picked up and to avoid prorating the rent for only one week, I can survive the stay in the lodge. We will be veery crowded but it is only for a week. I will only have to make sure electronics are always charged. Lol

I know I was disappointed to return to Japan this last tour, but I will miss it after all. I had wonderful neighbors and friends. The FRG was a tight-knit family. I had the best neighbors one could hope for that treated us like family.  I was honored to be called Obasan (Aunt) by many of the neighborhood children. There was Sobo who cared for us as her children. I realized during this tour that friends can change the character of the tour. I also realized that some families are not by blood but are chosen.

I will miss Japan because of the friends and those that became my family because they chose to. I did not have this from our last tour. I believe that is because we lived on base. We have lived at one base and did on-base, then off-base. I will prefer to live off-base wherever we are stationed from now on. Immersing into a culture makes a better tour, I think.