Yoron Island

Below are excerpts from Jessica's journal about her experience at 6th grade camp.

Getting ready to leave for Yoron Island!

Our "Cruise Ship"

"Friday - After a four hour boat ride (I  only puked once) we arrived at the island. Once we checked in to our minchiku (host house) we got on our swimsuits and headed for the beach to build rafts out of bamboo. When we were done we went back to our minchiku and took showers. It was disgusting because only the Americans would wear swimsuits and the Japanese would go in naked - but we got used to it. After dinner we went outside and did evening exercises. Then our host family gave us a welcoming party, and we finally went to bed about 1:00 am!"

"Saturday - The leaders would come and wake us up by slapping our bootees. They would wake us up promptly at 6:00 am.  After breakfast and morning exercises we went down to the beach and rode in the rafts that we made the day before. After a long day of racing rafts we finally went back to the minchiku, and took showers and got on our pj's, ate dinner, did evening exercises, and went straight to bed we were so tired."

"Sunday - We went to a sugarcane field and got to make cane juice. . . We took a small hike up to a shrine and hung out with our friends from other groups. We also got to go shopping at a souvenir shop and bought a few things for my family.  After going back to the minchiku for dinner, showers and evening exercises, we played a prank on the boys.  Once all the boy's went to sleep we snuck into their room, stole their underwear and hid it in the girls bathroom.  It was so fun but all the japanese thought we were crazy!! That was the most un-sunday I have had in my whole life!!"

"Monday - As always we woke up bright and early, then went to the beach and raced hare boats. In the afternoon we built two huge fires and all the Japanese and Americans stood around them trying to get warm after being in the water all day.  There were 408 students trying to get warm by the fire!!  Later that night, two girls went in the attic and tried to walk around. There was so much weight that the ceiling collapsed.  It was right over my bed so my bed had a bunch of stuff all over it."


"Tuesday - After breakfast we went straight back upstairs to start cleaning. We had to clean everything! Then we got all our bags and went down to the port to wait for the boat - and compare "body art." We FINALLY got on the boat and started our journey back home to the main island of Okinawa.  Because of delays we didn't get back to the school until almost 8pm.  My dad took me out to get dinner because I had not eaten since breakfast."

Spring Break

We spent a good part of spring break last week at Tokashiki Island.  What an amazing experience!!  It's about a 70 minute ferry ride from Naha (at Tomari Wharf).  We stayed at the Okinawan Youth Friendship Center. That was very interesting. It's kind of like a dormitory, except each family had their own room. The rooms were bare, except for a tatami mat on the floor. The closet was full of futons and pillows that we'd put away each day. I started out with one futon, and ended up with three by the last night. Each morning and evening we were required to attend the flag raising ceremony, as well as the morning exercise. The kids got to help out with the flag raising and had a ball. The exercising was hilarious, but felt really good after basically sleeping on the floor all night. For meals (we ate breakfast and dinner there), they had cafeteria trays with the food already on them waiting for us. Along whatever they had cooked, there was plenty of rice and miso soup to go along with each meal. Mmmm. . . We also had access to their gym (the kids had a great time playing in there one night), and tennis courts. We went with 5 other families and were the only ones using the facility. However they had a group of 300 arriving on the day we left. The water there is, as usual in Okinawa, stunning. Pictures just can't capture the beauty. The Friendship Center where we stayed owns one of the beaches and let us use their kayaks, snorkeling floats, and their dragon boat. That was very fun to paddle around in. It took 15 of us to do it, but was a fun experience. We had fabulous weather and made many lasting memories. Take a look at some of the pictures we took . . .

After a day at home, doing laundry and getting settled again, we decided we had time for one more adventure before spring break ended. We'd been wanting to make a fire at the beach and roast marshmallows, so I called Torii beach (a marine base north of us), to see if they had any cabins available. That way we could play at the beach, have a fire, and then just stay the night and be able to walk out to the beach again first thing in the morning. Finding an available cabin on such short notice, especially during the break, was a huge surprise and a great blessing. We had a great time! The perfect ending to a fabulous spring break!! As you can see in the pictures, the cabins appear to be very small, but the space is well utilized. There is a double futon, two bunk beds, and a loft with a double mattress, with room for some sleeping bags. There is also a refrigerator, microwave and a TV/DVD player.