okinawa hai!

CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER GELORMINE Technology moves fast.  Lightning fast.  So quickly that the iPhone 4s that my husband and I got when we PCS’d back to the US last summer and which had just been released are now old news; a year later the iPhone 5 is almost here and my phone is now practically [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MEGAN H. Sooner or later, while living here on Okinawa, you will have to make phone calls into the DSN system.   Basically, there are local Okinawan numbers and there are DSN numbers, and the DSN numbers are like a private phone network that you either need to be a member of (ie, [...]

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I received a fun email from Brenda last week about a video her son directed and edited and had uploaded to YouTube.  In the last couple of days, the video seems to have gone "viral" on FaceBook as well!  Here's the story behind the video: CONTRIBUTED BY BRENDA JONES This is a music video featuring [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KANDY In a community, confusion and frustration is common during times of change.  A positive outcome of these feelings is unity in finding a common goal.  On April 1, 2009, the Kadena AFB phone service changed to Verizon.  The common goal during this change is learning the new system.  I’ve embedded the links [...]

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Heather N has stepped down as editor of the TO PARENT category. She did a great job and we'll miss her. Stepping into her shoes is our new Heather. Meet Heather Gelormine. Heather is an Army wife and stay-at-home mommy to her two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a 20-month-old son.  She and her family [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KANDY My parents flew into Okinawa from Seattle a couple of days ago and since, we’ve been meeting and greeting relatives.  One of my aunts asked me if I get lonely without my parents and sister around.  Of course I do.  But the sting of loneliness is easily relieved via my computer.  I [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KANDY Emergencies are inevitable and usually unexpected. (Like we’d actually plan them, right?)  Add in the foreign country or newbie factor, and emergencies can feel overwhelming.  But with the proper readiness, getting through an emergency will be a little less daunting. To reach emergency services from on base, just dial 911.  To reach [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KANDY For so many of us here on Okinawa, keeping up with the latest episodes of some must-see-TV helps to ease the twang of being thousands of miles away from home.   Is it that dreamy guy wearing the stethoscope that lights your candle?  Or does the sleuth in you yearn to solve the [...]

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Since most of us will probably be a little more housebound in the days or weeks, or, heaven forbid, months to come, let's take a pause from our normal restaurant review routine, shall we, and use this time to plot and scheme what places we will run to once we are freed from the confines [...]

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Here’s a puzzle I’m sure you all have pieces to: Jenn needs the team to huddle up for a moment and talk cell phones. So, after being here 2 years I am officially fed up with cell phones! When we arrived, we signed up for monthly plans at AU. The coverage was great, voicemail message [...]

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