Ask and you shall receive

When you reach your wits' end is when God opens a window and shines sunshine on you.

As you read recently I was feeling frustrated and discouraged with finding a place to live here in Okinawa. But with Benny as my encouragement coach by my side, we made an appointment with another housing agent for Thursday.

This woman listened to our needs and desires. She showed us homes that have already been inspected and cleaned. If we found one we liked, we could move in immediately. That's a first in this house-hunting experience.

The first house she showed us was amazing. It had that feel and character I was talking about in the last posting. But it was way too large for only Benny and I. We would need to have three children before we could move in. Plus we would have to bring a U.S. sized refrigerator from the base for the kitchen.

In our minds we've already made the decision to stick with Japanese appliances, so we can lower our electric costs, learn to live with less and reduce our carbon footprint.

The major no-no for this house was the location. If we lived there, it would have been a long daily commute for Benny and me too if I succeeded in landing a job on base.

In a way I was disappointed about that house because I really, really wanted it. My heart was attached to it. But my mind wasn't thinking about the daily stresses of it. A larger house means more to clean, Benny kindly reminded me.

After passing on that house, the agent told us she had a duplex that she thought we would like, but is smaller. The positive with this two-story condo is that it is located in a great neighborhood. So we went and looked it and this time, we both fell in love with it.



Basically it's a Japanese version of the Yuma townhouse that Fran and Rebecca and Benny and I lived in. Jeremy and Andrea currently live there and they are still searching for a Navy couple to take over the home when they leave Arizona.

This duplex is nothing fancy, but it's a perfect fit for our needs. It's three- bedroom, one-and-half bath, so we will probably end up using the bedroom with super dark wood paneling as a storage room. Yes, I've decided to ignore my distaste for wood paneling for the three years we live in Oki.

The kitchen is compact, but still larger than our California kitchen at the beach bungalow. It has Japanese appliances and enough patio space for my hammock and a small grill. We can park two cars there, but we still need to figure out where we are going to park our bicycles.

The best part is that it's walking distance to the seawall and a beach where people go snorkeling at. The park where the festivals are held at is also walking distance away. Many shops and restaurants, yet it is quiet. Most the neighbors are Japanese, not American. And it's super close to Benny's work -- only a nine-minute drive to the base's closest entrance.

So we went ahead and signed a lease on Friday afternoon. Benny is planning to meet with the housing office on Monday, April 21, to finalize the paperwork while the movers deliver our giant crate of stuff that day.

We have a move-in day: April 21. Hooray! Mark your calendars. That's the day we move into our home in Mizugama, Kadena-Cho.

My second favorite option

We also really like this house. It's a one bedroom, one-bath two story house located in Yomintan.



We would be the first renters, since the old couple who own the house sectioned it off for renting. They still live in the other part of the house.

This house has a lot of character and Benny and I refer to it as the Killian house of Okinawa.




It has a huge balcony on the second story of the house. Plenty of storage, including in the kitchen.



Again it's Japanese appliances. But it has a Japanese yard that I adore.



The drive isn't bad for Benny. The neighborhood seems quiet. This area is growing. Everyone says it will be the next boom area for military housing.

The only problem I have with it is there isn't much for restaurants, shops or parks nearby. And I feel a bit uncomfortable with sharing a wall with the current homeowners/landlord.

Any thoughts on this one?

My favorite house in Okinawa

On Friday we found the house I want to move into. It's a two-story house located in a residential area of Okinawa City.



It's a bit of a drive for Benny to get to work (at least 15 minutes to the gate for Kadena, and then he has to drive another 10 minutes on base until he gets to his office), but it's near a park, shopping and restaurants. The neighborhood is mostly Japanese, but there are a few Americans. The last tenant was an American airman.

The house is two bedroom, one and a half bath. It is a Japanese style house with the Japanese appliances. Still no oven, but it does come with a convection oven that everyone here calls an Easy Bake oven. Benny is planning to barbecue our entrees and we will get Thanksgiving at someone else's house.



The washer and dryer are both small and Japanese style.

This is a major setback for most military families. But Benny and I are small people with no children, so we don't do a lot of laundry. And I think that Japanese appliances will mean the appliances are more efficient compared with a USA fridge, washer and dryer. With high energy costs on the island, a small electric washer and fridge may be in our pocketbook's favor.

There is tons of storage space inside the house and there is also a two-car garage.

We've called the housing agent to let her know that I want to take a second look at the house. I need to finalize the dimensions in my head. I'm not sure if our queen size mattress will fit in the master bedroom. That could be a problem.

Otherwise I think it is a go.