Adventure post from US airforce base

Well I am in the middle of a food court on the base. Here is the update. Monday I took a ferry to the island of Miyajima. This is where the  Mayajima itsukushima shrine is. It is a large red shrine. Every year there is a festival where a boat passes under the shrine to wish good luck upon all the ships, there are fireworks and dancing at the fest too. We were there during the off season though.
The island holds many deer. The deer are used to people so they will let you walk up and pet them. But if you have any food they will try to take it from you haha. Most of the Asian girls were screaming and running around scared of the animals. They were very sweet though.
So I have gotten a request (ahemNicoleJ) to write more about feelings and thoughts rather than just where I have been going. So here it goes.
I am still pretty homesick. The first few days were the worst but it slowly is getting less painful. I try to keep myself distracted in order to stay happy. I am always running around or listening to audio books or journaling. It is irritating not knowing what the menu says or what people are saying. The only Americans i have seen are on base and they are very busy so I dont speak with anybody outside grandpa in person. Grandpa and I get along most of the time. Of course there are small disagreements but nothing too bad yet.
I leave for Thailand on China Air on the 8th of September. I am nervous that I wont be able to connect with the Internet there. I have been online a lot lately talking to friends. It makes me happy to know people read my blog or like my pictures.It feels like they are kind of on the adventure with me.
On a side note I have also decided that Asian men are not my type, at all.
Ok so I think that is all for now. If you like this blog please comment, I read everybodys comments (Thanks Brian, Nicole, Cassie, and Uncle Chris). I love and miss you all.
Nicole Bixby

Day 2 & 3

Day 2

Woke up at 5:30am local time. This morning we make our way to the US military base. I was told that it was a Japanese base at the time of Pearl Harbor. The building where the order to attack the harbor still stands there. After showering I feel 100% better. There are many Lotus and rice fields where I am staying in the mountains. I was cleared for the base, bought a ticket to Thailand for the 8th, went to my first temple, ate my first Japanese meal (fried prawns), and went to the beach. We brought a snack to the beach, deep fried bread balls with octopus inside (ick).

Day 3

Today we went to a Castle called Iwakuni. First we walked across a wavy bridge (I'm not sure how else to describe it). Below was a river with fly fishermen. After walking the bridge we went to get ice cream and visited a friend of grandpa's at her restaurant. The building it was in had been in her family for over 300 years. She gave me some sightseeing guide and a notebook. Very nice woman; very bad English. To communicate she used a computer translator to tell me that because I had Japanese blood I have the protection of the Gods and that I am her spiritual sister.

To get to Iwakuni castle you must take a cable car. The castle was very beautiful but the museum inside was boring. Lots of swords with inscription in Japanese. The view was worth the long hot hike though.

Arrival

Hey I am ok. Trip was long and exausting. Too long and exausting to bother with a discription. My bags were misplaced so i have nothing to wear for the next few days. Customs didn't take long at all, maybe fifteen minutes. I saw my grandpa right away, the airport was smaller in Hiroshima, and we took a shuttle bus to the millitary base around a hour away where his car was. I had to wait outside the base becasue I have not been cleared yet. Then he drove me another fifteen minutes to his house.
 It is crazy over here. All the cars drive like 30 over the posted speed limit and they have strange LED lights on them. Colors like purple, orange, green, and red. Everything is damp and stagnent feeling, like you can stur the air. I crashed as soon as i saw my bed.
There is no privacy, my bed is in an adjoining room to his, I'll send pictures later.Outside the house there is a forest filled with monkeys that make a very strange noise all night. I'm feeling a little homesick already but I think once I have my bags and settle down a little bit I'll be ok.

Today is the day...

Today is the day, the sun is shining and I am getting out of here! I am currently sitting in the airport terminal fighting for my right to an outlet in order to plug in my laptop. My friends and family saw me off in my home town this morning at five am. I am so lucky. I honestly have the best people surrounding me. I managed to keep my "cool" until I was out of their sight when a few tears escaped. CHEESY I know, I couldn't help it. I have walked around the entire Seatac terminal at least three times. I know spending 10 hours on my butt will not be fun. They should put gyms in airplanes... But then you would probably have to pay to use the gym and everything about flying is already overpriced anyway. Get this... THREE DOLLARS FOR A SMALL WATER!! THREE DOLLARS! These crazy people must think I'm made of money.
Right now I am just killing time until my flight starts to board in about 40 minutes. The flight out of town was wonderful this morning. The sun was just coming up when we took off so it lit up the cabin all pink and orange. My plane is currently being fuled outside the window and its bloody huge. They engines are the size of three of me standing up.
Ok well I am about to pack up for boarding. Wish me luck!

19 Days and counting

A few days ago my passport came in the mail. After getting over the initial excitement of finally receiving it and realizing that I will actually have to go through with this whole big trip... I noticed something. I look like a cooked lobster. No joke. My face is so red and shiny! I have no idea why, I was not burned or hot at the time. Stupid cameras.Oh well, I only have to use that ID for the next ten years. No big deal. Picture is to the left for your entertainment.

I have also been on a cleaning frenzy. Normally I let my room get pretty bad before I spend the whole day cleaning it out to where it looks decent. But I keep having the urge to clean more and more. First it was just the floor, a little vacuuming here and there to get rid of my friends the dust bunnys. But then I ventured under my bed where the monsters live. We are talking a jar of peanut butter... lord only knows how long that had been there. Gross. Then I got crazy and cleaned my closet! Now that I think about it, I suppose I'm cleaning so that if anybody in my family ventures in when I'm gone I don't want them to remember me as a slob. Which is crazy because they already know that I'm messy.

I went on a shopping spree. Not really but I remembered that I don't actually own a hairdryer among other things that I only share with my sister. Hopefully my paycheck comes in the mail so I can pay for more helpful things like lotion and product. I am kind of worried that none of my brands will be in Thailand and I'll have to use all sorts of strange things with names i cant pronounce. I can just imagine myself in the supermarket scratching my head over all the freaky bottles written in Thai (which i cant speak or read in the slightest). Or worse. I'll love the stuff and then get back home and never ever be able to use it again. I will be forever unsatisfied with my Aussie shampoo.

Speaking of buying things I was hoping to bring little gifts for the people that take care of my grandpa. I think there are three girls, 18, 14, and 7. I have no idea what to bring though. Ideas please?

Well that is all for now. Thanks for reading. Please comment!!!!