School's Out!

School is out for the summer. I just finished my term with the University of Maryland. Now I have about a month before I start classes again. Sheesh....

~Chrissy

Battle of Okinawa Tour

With Kev gone, Mom & Dad Miller and I went on a MCCS tour of some of the sites from the Battle of Okinawa (from World War II). On the tour, we visited the Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters and Peace Memorial Park. Here are a few photos from our trip.





"This is a photo of "Senbazuru", 1000 origami cranes. They are said to symbolize peace. According to Wikipedia, the Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II."














"Cicada!"








~Chrissy

You joined a what?!?!?!

Yep, that's me. I'm now a member of a *gasp* book club. Before you start making assumptions, let me just say that this book club is not your ordinary book club. This club meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Foster Library at Camp Foster. The women involved are of all ages, mostly women my age, and a few women a little older. It is NOT a group of old ladies and spinsters. The best part of this group is that they ask the members to bring a dish to share. This dish is usually based on the "theme" of the book that we are reading. This month we read a Russian book, so people brought pierogies and such. Next month's book is a collection of short stories titled "The Laws of Evening." It's a collection of stories about the influence of Western culture here in Japan. Should be an interesting read....So what does that mean? Do I bring a Japanese or Western dish?

Okay, so go ahead and laugh...but at least I'm well-read.... :)

~Chrissy

Kevin is in California

Well, Kev is away again, this time for a week. He's in California on a job related trip. Kev is a civil engineer working for the U.S. Marine Corps. While in California, he will be meeting up with his best friend from college, Ray Kung. Since Kev and I will be going to Hong Kong for a week in September and Ray's family is from Hong Kong, Kev is on a mission to get a list of all the good "dim sum" restaurants to visit.

Can't wait for that trip.

More later,

Chrissy

Japanese TV Commercials....

Every now and then I come across something here in Japan that I feel I have to tell all you State side folks about. Everyone hates TV commercials, even back in the States, every 20 minutes of our 1 hour long programs are eaten up with commercials. The same holds true here in Japan. The only difference? Japanese TV commercials are actually pretty FUNNY. Here's just one example. Softbank, which is a Japanese cellular phone company, has a series of TV ads with a talking dog. Sound strange?

Just wait, it gets better.

The dog not only talks, but he also happens to be the "patriarch" or father of a Japanese human family. For some reason or another, "otosan" as he is called, is a white Shiba Inu. The human family consists of a mother, a daughter, and for yet another strange reason, the Japanese "son" has been interchanged with an African American man. Even if you don't understand the language, you can't help but chuckle. It's almost cute....

It's too difficult to explain, so take a look at the Youtube videos to the right.

If I have to watch commercials, I hope that they are all Japanese, at least then, they are FUNNY.

Enjoy.



~Chrissy

Mom and Dad Miller Experience Yakiniku

My in laws John and Donna Miller are here to visit us for 5 weeks! They recently celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary so Kev and I decided to take them to experience "yakiniku."

What fun!









Happy 34th Mom and Dad Miller!

Love ya, Chrissy :)

Courtney's Wedding

As promised, here are some photos from Courtney's wedding in Maine. Enjoy!

I'm back....it's been awhile

After a whirlwind tour in the U.S. I have returned to my lovely island home of Okinawa. My best friend Courtney's wedding was a lot of fun and I promise to post photos just as soon as I unpack my suitcase, do my laundry, clean the house, you get the idea. Right now, I'm in the midst of finishing up my term for school at University of Maryland so I'm might be out of pocket for awhile.

To add to all the craziness, my inlaws are here. John and Donna Miller from Schwenksville, PA. Of course, at the moment, they are trying their hardest to get over their awful jetlag. Last night, we celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary with a "yakiniku" dinner...Yum. Nothing like grilling up vegetables and beef on your very own tabletop grill.

Anyway, I promise to post photos soon. Right now, it's back to studying and back to work.

Love, Chrissy