Moving on Up!

Ta Da! Here I am getting ready to hand over more cash than I have ever held in my lifetime. It takes so much money just to move in and sign a lease off base that it about made me sick. Well, it did...in fact, I had a meltdown at the desk on the day of my lease signing. My first big emotion since being over here. I had been out of town for training for a couple of days and I was fighting people about my allowances and time off and lots of other important things. The yen rate dropped while I was out of town, so I was a couple hundred dollars short of the required amount and was going to have to reschedule the date of the signing. I was so stressed out about getting the money from my bank, turning it into yen at a good rate, getting to the signing on time, and getting to/from my house (since I haven't gotten a car yet), that I walked in to the housing office and started sobbing like a baby...tears and hiccups and everything else. I looked like a complete fool, but my agent was so kind and understanding that we went ahead with everything anyway. On a different note, I love my new house. I will living in it for at least two years, so I hope I still love it then. I live on the other side of the Muir peninsula from base, a little less than a block to the ocean. From my beach, you can see Mt. Fuji when it's super clear. I was honestly looking for a traditional Japanese home with Tatami mats and rice paper doors, but this came along after many other boring homes and I just knew that it was perfect. It has character and style and is in a quaint fishing neighborhood. The house doesn't have much of a yard, but none of them here do, but I have lots of outdoor space. There are two full bathrooms and one bedroom. The kitchen is a work in progress, because the Japanese don't have ovens, just small fish ovens smaller than a shoebox. I only have two burners for my stove, no dish washer, no drawers, no counter space. It's different. What I do have is a heated, electric, deodorizing, self cleaning, bidet style toilet that has all those features. Neato! I can't wait until all of you can visit and take it for a test drive.

Money...what money?!

This is the placard outside my home...right above the buzzer for me to let you in.

These are the stairs leading up to my door. They can be very dangerous.

Here is a view of the house from the ocean side.

Here is my entry way. No shoes allowed.

This is my living/dining room looking out to the lanai and ocean.

Here is another view of my living/dining room and the stairs leading to the bedroom.

This is my bedroom. Huge, but no closets...anywhere in the house.

This is my bathroom, upstairs.

This is a picture of one of the lanai's.

Oh, and the hidden gem...the rooftop terrace! Bam!

The view from the lanai of the ocean and the mountains on the other side of the water.