--AFN (Armed Forces Network), the ONLY English radio station on the island, plays the most random mix of music. In one hour last week, between running errands, I heard something by Guns'n'Roses, the Macarena, some country song, My Girl (by The Temptations?), and Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani). Best of all, one of its tags is (you've got to imagine this being said in the cheesy radio announcer voice to get the full effect): AFN-your alternative to silence.
(Sidenote: the Japanese, apparently, aren't big radio fans as there are also very few Japanese stations available and all of those are 90% talk. Ugh!)
--The colors of this island are unbelievably brilliant. There are days when the sky is so blue it practically hurts your eyes. The clouds are almost always bright white and fluffy, like they were painted by an elementary school student. The bushes and trees an intense green, accented with dots of flower-color, the most common being the exquisite coral-red of the hibiscus. You know those ads for the allergy medicine where they lift the film/haze off the picture? It feels like that, like someone lifted the film off and now, here, everything is clear.
--My husband is enjoyed his job again for the first time in a LONG time. I can't begin to explain how nice this is . . . And, as an extra bonus, he gets to come home for lunch most days!
--The Japanese have a wonderful appreciation for French pastries! (Can you see me smiling?) There is the most delicious little patisserie just across the road from the corner of the base--Jake and I picked something up as we were walking home from the beach the other day and decided that we need to make a point of trying one of everything while we are here. When you come to visit, we'll let you know which ones are our favorites!
--One of the things that I have always loved about the military community is that people (generally) are so much more welcoming, friendly, and helpful than in the "real world". Several of our neighbors have brought us baked goods and I've obtained a wealth of information from people I've met while out walking in the mornings. There's a sense of community among strangers . . . hard to explain if you haven't experienced it.
--Bad English translations! You see English on clothing frequently (and French too!) and it's usually a random smattering of loosely related words--very comical to read. But this sign from Araha Beach is the absolute best:
Got that? No leonfires and keep your pets in cluin!--NOT one of my favorite things: TEETHING!!!
Hope you're having a great day! Leave me a comment so that I know you love me :)
I love you! And yes, teething sucks. And no more ice chunks for teething toddler: slurpee tumors and frostbitten throats are hard to explain to a 1 year-old.
ReplyDeleteOf course we love you! And we love hearing about your adventures and even the mundane. Maybe after this you can help us decifer the owners manuals of all of our electronic devices. They seem to be interestingly translated as well.
ReplyDeleteI love you, and not just because you called before 11pm this time. Can't wait to hop across the pond and share a pastry with you on the way back from your beach.
ReplyDeleteI love you too...and that picture totally made me laugh! It actually reminds me of one of the essays in David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day. If you've read it, it's the one where he talks about trying to explain Easter in French and ends up arguing with his teacher about whether it's a bunny or a bell that brings candy.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'll be able to afford a trip across the pond, but I love hearing about it!