Today was a good day of spending time with a group of folks that I didn't know. The week I moved into my apt., I came outside, on my way to work and met a lady (Alice)on her morning walk. I said hello and we struck up a conversation. Even though I was in a hurry to get to work ( I welcomed the friendly neighbor) because if I don't leave by 7:30, the traffic is maddening. She shared that her husband is a teacher on the island and she stays at home. This was there 2nd time living here. They were here years ago when the area that we live in now was just sugar cane fields.



Today, I called her to see if she knew where the farmers market. She didn't know. She was in a rush to meet some friends so our conversation was short. She called me right back and invited me to join them. They were showing the new superintendent of the school system in Asia around the area. She had only been here for 6 weeks and Alice thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me to see the area we live in and meet some people.




It was a good day of touring the area and discovering a part of Okinawa that I had never saw. I also was able to be introduced to some short cuts to the different bases. I have longed for short cuts because the traffic on route six is congested and full of lights, not to mention how slow folks drive. The speed limit is about 30-40 kilometers. That is slower than our 30-40 mph so imagine how crazy that makes me. Those of you who know me, know I like to drive pretty fast so I'm having a hard time. :-)



We got a chance to visit sites where they make salt, a cookie store that makes cookies on site, pottery shops as well as other interesting areas. All very close to where I live so I'm sure I will go back.


We ate at a cute little restaurant and the food was oh so good! It was a soup, I can't remember the name of it but it had pork and noodles in a broth. It was my first traditional Okinawan meal. I won't count the fast food Japanese restaurants (hoto motto and the curry house) that I've tried, which I must say are very good. I actually went to the Garlic House last night for dinner. It was the best tasting food I've had in a long time. Not sure if it is a traditional place or westernized but thumbs up on the food. The restaurant today offered some of the more traditional foods. It was served with a side of rice. I thought that was interesting, rice with a noodle dish but I think that rice is just a given with most meals, regardless of what you order. I have to get used to being served 2 starches in one meal. I'm putting my chopsticks into practice. I did pretty good eating rice with them. I'm usually pretty good at it if the food that I pick up is big (sushi). Rice is more of a challenge but I managed.




The group, all from the states were very welcoming and friendly and promised to include me on their next adventure. I'm looking forward to it. Enjoy the pictures of the sites and the new friends that I met.

What is it that you really do?

Many folks have asked me, what exactly is your job. For while before I arrived, I would pick up the job description and read it to them. I then memorized it. When I got here, I learned that a lot changes occurred with the position. I think for the good. The title changed from Area Director to Regional Manager. The reason for the change was to not confuse people in thinking that the job was the same. I have a lot of responsibility on this job and it is quite a challenge, one that I welcome. I'm in the enrollment management department which means we have to make sure that our enrollment of students continues to grow. Everything that deals with the University of Md University College, falls under my department. There is the Associate VP for Enrollment management and I report directly to him. I oversee what the military refers to as "voluntary education", basically, classes that the military personnel choose to take by their own accord to gain college degrees. My main responsibility is to provide classes (scheduling) on all of the military bases (army, navy, airforce, marines) that are on the island, about 7 or so. I oversee faculty and staff in this department. When I first started working, I would ask if I could do xyz and the answer would be, you're the boss, you can do whatever. No one would tell me what that meant. I got that response a lot the first week so I just stopped asking the question and just do whatever needs to be done. I now know that I'm the boss and don't have to be reminded any longer.

I really enjoy the people that I work with, they are very welcoming and we function well as a team. So far so good. My biggest personnel challenges I expect will be the faculty. They are an interesting group but I have mad respect for them. That comes from my 9 years working in Higher Education. Many of them have been here for years and are used to doing things their way. Some of that may have to change and that might be hard to take for them. My goal is to establish a good rapport but make sure they know that I'm not some young push over. The first week I had to address the faculty, I made sure they knew of my 19 years of work experience because I had a feeling they were thinking I was too young for the job and I guessed right. People were shocked that I'm so seasoned. :-)

There are some other schools here that offer classes/degrees, University of Phoenix, Troy University and Central Texas College. So many folks know of U of Phoenix but I'm here to tell you that you can take online classes with the University of Md University College as well so for those of you who are considering on line education, do consider us!

The Flight to Japan

I'm posting this information, even though I have been here for a month. I know it is kind of late but for those of you who said they want to visit, I thought it would be good information to share. Also, for those of you who dread the 13-14 hour flight, this would be good info. for you.

I was so not looking forward to the flight, in fact, I did dread it but to my surprise, it was not bad at all. I flew continental, the carrier I mostly fly, outside of southwest. You can bank some serious miles too btw. I left Cleveland and connected in NJ. The plane was huge and very comfortable. I fortunately changed my seat and chose to sit in an exit aisle. That was great because the one I chose had no seats in front of me and had a pretty nice space to stretch my legs, stand up and put my stuff down. The strange thing, because of the time change, we never saw darkness. I did sit in the row with a guy from Baltimore who had been living in Japan for about 7 years. He was really informative and helpful. He even made sure that I got through customs and baggage without a hitch. During the flight, we had personal video monitors so I watched Something New (for the 3rd time, I love that movie), listened to music and ate. They constantly fed us and the food was good. I have always liked airplane food. :-) I did a lot of writing about the experience of moving to Japan and wrote a lot of thank you notes. (I still have to email those off). Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of sleep. I have always had a problem with that but I managed to close my eyes here and there.

The one thing that everyone warned me about when I landed in Japan was not to fall asleep or I would be sorry. I had to get my body clock on Japan time. I stayed awake, well kinda, until about 11:00 p.m. I was taken dinner with my new boss, his boss, Chris, my boss's assistant and new faculty. I literally fell asleep at the dinner table between trying to talk to them and eating. Of course they all laughed at me.

When you come to visit, you will go to Tokyo first. I believe but not sure if you have to go to another airport to get to Okinawa or not. That is what I did. I then took another carrier. I tell you, that airport was amazing. The women that worked there were all in the same uniforms and they were beautiful, like china dolls, well I guess I should say Japan dolls. :-) The one thing that struck me was that everything there was so efficient, they were so friendly and the customer service was top notch, something we Americans should learn from.

I must leave you with this in closing. During my plane ride ironically I had my O magazine. It lead me to the live your best life page and Dorothy Allison wrote, women lose their lives not knowing they can do something different.... This journey is allowing me to claim myself and remake myself. If this venture is not doing just that, I don't know what is. I am a stronger woman for being courageous enough to take this step solo. I took the leap from others inspiring me (thanks San), networking (thanks Traci and Sue), the job loss (thanks INROADS) and last but not least, my faith (thank you Lord).

It has been 1 month since I landed on Japan's soil. Before I begin sharing my journey, I hope that you oblige me and allow me to share my testimony again (for those who haven't heard it) or as I say, the divine intervention.

As many of you know, I was affected by the economy and was downsized from INROADS in May 2009. The day before I lost my job, I listened to Joel Osteen preach, if you step up, God will show up. He also talked about stretching my faith in God. The loss of my job made me do what God wanted me to do long ago. As a result of the job loss I stepped up and strengthened my faith in Him and became proactive in my career search.

A lot went through my mind at the time and I prayed constantly and turned it over to God. I stayed steadfast with a positive attitude because I knew that God had a plan for me. I didn't know what but I knew that God moved me from INROADS because I wouldn't move myself. That gave me comfort, courage and faith because He was responsible for closing the door. He had a plan and would open up another one.

During a casual conversation with my best friend Traci, I told her that I would love to just pack my bags and leave the country. During several email exchanges with her aunt Sue, I was told about an opportunity in Japan with the University of Maryland. My resume was forwarded to the Associate Vice President and I was ask to apply immediately. Within a matter of weeks, I submitted my documents, interviewed on 7/13 and received the offer on 7/14. GOD IS GOOD!

From the moment beginning with the interview and being offered the job, it was so surreal. The weeks to follow were stressful, crazy and overwhelming but through prayer, support from family and friends and a come to Jesus talk from Traci, I got everything together in a matter of 3 weeks and moved to Okinawa, Japan as the Regional Manager (with the department of Enrollment Management)for the University.

From surreal to real, I have officially been in Japan for 1 month. What a step in the next chapter of my life.

I hope you enjoy sharing this experience with me. Your prayers, love, encouragement, excitement and enthusiasm have been the driving force for me to make it here in Japan!