So I guess I don't write much about our 'normal' routine. Chris' is probably pretty obvious: Eye doctor by day and runner/cyclist by night haha. j/k. We decided to just stick with one car for now too, so Chris rides his bike to work a lot! Or sometimes he'll take the car and I'll walk or bike to where I need to go. I have not been as fortunate to find any optom jobs...not surprising! haha. I do spend a little time 'volunteering' my optom keratoconus skills when needed (ie. Chris schedules all the tough patients and I show up to help do the GP fits haha). Hopefully I'll start doing this on a more regular basis (like one or two days a week)...although it seems like with all of the budget cuts that this will be 100% volunteer optometry! It will at least be legit through the Red Cross so that it can go on my resume as a 'regular' job.
I also started working part time at the Navy Fleet Gift Shop! I know...sounds strange right?? Well, it's really fun! It's not your 'typical' gift shop where you find only keychains and mugs...the shop is run by military spouses. We are all in our 20's-30's and have a variety of background studies! A couple of the full time employees travel to Vietnam, China, Thailand and the Philippines each twice a year and buy stuff like glassware, furniture, lanterns, dishes, etc... and have it shipped back here. It's like having Pottery Barn or Pier One at your doorstep...for 1/2 the cost! The shop is 100% non-profit and all of the proceeds (minus operating costs) go to charity. Last year the contribution from the gift shop was over $10,000!! The money goes to both Japanese organizations (ie last year they bought a kiln for a group of Okinawans so that they could continue their trade) and American families in the form of scholarships for high school seniors on their way to college. The girls I've met there are fantastic! We have a great time working together and hopefully we'll have some pics up soon of our fun times. So between optometry and the gift shop, I can usually fill about 3 days a week for now.
The other major thing I've been doing is learning Japanese!!! Back in January, I met a girl named Haruka. She's from here in Okinawa, fluent in English and currently learning Spanish! So we 'trade' languages. I teach her Spanish and she teaches me Japanese. It has been a GREAT experience. She's become one of my closest friends here on the island! We spend an average of 5 hrs a week studying and trading worksheets, etc... We even gave each other a test and have another one planned for the end of this month! We've cooked for each other and hung out on some fun Friday nights. She'll be headed back to the U.S. in August for a Master's, so we'll be hanging out as much as possible until then.
Workout time!! Well, Chris has been rocking them as usual. He's run some races and gotten into a great routine for staying in shape! He's been really supportive of helping me out too... I've started back to some smaller workouts and I'm actually enjoying swimming now since I can't run anymore. There's an outdoor pool about a mile away on a nearby base...and the hours are fantastic! I'm still a pokey swimmer, but it's been nice to have. I also found a great machine at the gym by the hospital where Chris works. I call it the 'crazy machine' b/c the only way I can use it is to stride out 100%...doesn't hurt my back at all, but holy moly it gets my heart rate up really fast b/c I have to work really hard to keep my posture correct...which means full out all the time! And last but not least, I've been able to get back on a bike a little bit! Chris rigged up the tandem so I can sit upright and we can still cruise... And I rigged up my mountain bike so that I can sit up a little bit better too. See later posts for more biking info & Chris' races! :)
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