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mycole2000
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Name: Michael
Interests: Reading, sleeping and eating...and the occasional jog, swim, rollerblade or bike ride :-) I love to travel which is why I am currently in Okinawa. I also like learning about WW II especially anything regarding the Pacific Theater.
Expertise: keeping my nose buried in a book ;-)
Occupation: Military Nurse
Industry: Medical
Message: message me
Member Since:
2/5/2005
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| Grandpa AugsburgerMy Grandpa Augsburger passed away Oct 29th. God allowed my parents to be there during his final moments. Though I did not have the opportunity to see my grandparents much growing up, I thank God for all the time I was able to spend with grandpa the years I was at Cedarville. I will cherish the many memories I have of watching TV with him or eating Taco Bell after church on Sunday nights. Of watching him work in his upholstery shop or grilling hamburgers and making ice cream for family reunions. Yes, Grandpa will be missed by those he left behind, but he is finally
praising his Savior face to face...something he has looked forward to
for many years. And I know I will see him again some day.
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| Whale WatchingToday I went on a military sponsored whale watching tour near the Kerama Islands. Of course there were no guarantees that we'd actually see any whales and I was a little worried cuz it's the end of the season so I was afraid they'd be gone. I guess they are only around here a couple months a year. But after almost 1 1/2 hours on the boat we finally found a pod...well, they said it was a pod. But I think I only saw 2 at the same time so who knows how many were actually there. It was quite fun when we finally found them though. There were about 9 boats all chasing the whales. I tried to take pictures but they whales weren't very good at posing. And the water was pretty choppy so it was hard to see their backs above water. However, I did get some relatively decent video of them. Maybe decent is too generous. The video is, of course, very jerky cuz I was on a boat (get those puke bags ready!), and noisy cuz it was windy. But here, for your viewing pleasure, is my Hunt for Humpback Whales...
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| Rain...Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!! It has finally started getting warmer here (highs in the 70's instead of low 60's) but it seems to rain every day that I am off! So I haven't done anything too exciting in quite awhile.
The last two weeks of February all military related personnel here on Okinawa were restricted to base or our off-base homes due to some misbehaving Marines. Though I don't always spend a lot of time out in town it grew old quickly because I couldn't bike around town or even go out for dinner. It was a day of celebration when the restrictions were lifted and we could enjoy starbucks and japanese curry again!  I spent some of the long hours stuck at home working on a 1000 piece puzzle...I am such a nerd! We currently have a curfew from 10pm-5am during which time we may not be out in town (except at our homes). We're also banned from drinking any alcohol off base. So pretty much I am free again! But like I said, haven't done anything fun due to the rain...and it's not even rainy season yet!
Otherwise things have been going well. I am still enjoying Labor and Delivery for the most part. It is definitely a rewarding job to see the miracle of life every day I work. No matter how many times I see it, birth is still an amazing thing.
In May I have the opportunity to visit the island of Iwo Jima. As most know, this was the site of major fighting between American and Japanese troops towards the end of WWII and is best known for the famous flag raising picture (which was made into a memorial in DC). Getting to visit the island is an exciting opportunity for me and I look forward to the trip! And then at the end of May my plan is to visit my parents in Bangkok before they leave for furlough in the US. Could be a busy summer!
Hope you're all staying warm!
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| Happy New Year!!January 1st found me sound asleep in bed. Sounds exciting doesn't it? I had worked Dec 30th and 31st and had to go back to work New Year's Day so there just wasn't any chance I was staying up till midnight. I thought I might get woken up at midnight but either things were very quiet around my house or I was very sound asleep. I did wake up at 2am when my neighbors got loud. I couldn't shut them up but my earplugs helped me get back to sleep!
It's hard to believe that I've been on Okinawa more than 2 months already! I started letting you all know about what was happening but never kept up with things so here we go...
December 16th was my first day off orientation and on my own on the Labor Deck. Yikes! I was very nervous that day but things went well and I was able to hold my own. Things are continued to go well at work and I have been enjoying myself. Though I never imagined I'd end up as a labor nurse I enjoy going to work most of the time. It's a whole lot of fun celebrating the miracle of life when at work! I still have a TON to learn and I am still nervous when I go to work. But my co-workers are awesome and help me out as needed.
December 18th my parents and Katie arrived! Yay!! This visit was totally a highlight of the year. I was able to borrow a mini-van from a coworker so we didn't have to squeeze into my car all week. This was fortunate because we did a whole lot more driving than I expected. During their visit we were able to go up to Ocean Expo Park (in Nago) and check out the Churaumi Aquarium. The weather was horrible that day so we didn't get to enjoy the whole park as much I'd have liked but the aquarium was awesome. They have 3 huge whale sharks that made the whole trip worth it. Driving up to Nago also gave us a chance to see more of Okinawa. Another day we went down to Naha and Shurijo Castle. The castle remains are from the Ryukyuan dynasty and they have recreated what the castle building were like (most of the buildings were totally destroyed during WWII). This day was beautiful and we enjoyed walking through the castle complex. Another well done tourist site. I think the highlight of the visit for my parents and Katie was going on Kadena and getting to visit the base exchange (think walmart) and the commissary (groceries). Being in Asia for so long makes them appreciate almost anything American! I had to work 1 of the days my family was here but otherwise I was able to enjoy their company at home playing games, making cookies and enjoying mom's delicious home cooking! On the 23rd we went out to dinner at a wonderful Italian place and then to a light show at the Botanical Gardens with some of my friends. We celebrated Christmas on the 24th because my family had to fly out on the 25th (the only available flight). It was great having them around and was sad to see them go. The house is definitely empty without them. Anyone else want to come visit?
I guess those are the big highlights. I spend my days off doing random things like biking, shopping or reading. I'd like to do more biking and have been fixing up my bike. But the weather has turned really cold (ok...I've already adjusted to Asia and so 50's is cold for me especially without heat in my house) and the sun doesn't like to shine much. Definitely much colder here than I expected.
Hope you're all having a wonderful 2008!
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