OKINAWA!

OH, HOW WONDERFUL IT WAS TO BE WITH MARTIN AGAIN! WE HURRIED HOME TO OUR NEW APARTMENT WHICH WAS IN A CEMENT BUILDING ON THE SECOND FLOOR. THERE WERE TWO APARTMENTS UPSTAIRS, AND THE FIRST FLOOR WAS THE RESIDENCE OF THE PAPASAN (A NAME FOR AN OWNER OR A NAME OF RESPECT FOR A MAN IN JAPAN) AND HIS FAMILY. THE THIRD FLOOR WAS THE ROOF, A FLAT ROOF, WHERE WE HUNG OUT THE LAUNDRY TO DRY. THE HOUSE WAS ON A ROAD CALLED JAGAROO ROAD. LINING THE ROAD WAS A LITTLE RIVER, (REALLY A CREEK BECAUSE IT WAS SO SMALL) AND IT WAS CALLED THE BINJO RIVER. I ASSUME THIS WAS BECAUSE IT RAN INTO THE SEA FURTHER DOWN, AND PERHAPS SWEPT REFUSE AWAY WITH IT'S CURRENT. THE WORD BINJO MEANT BATHROOM. THE JOKE WAS IT WAS CALLED A BINJO, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO "BEND YO KNEES" TO USE IT. THE BATHROOMS IN OKINAWA WERE MEARLY TROUGHS WITH RUNNING WATER, AND YOU JUST BENT YOUR KNEES AND SQUAT OVER THE TROUGH AND LET IT ALL FLY. IN THE UPSTAIRS APARTMENTS, WE HAD REGULAR TOILETS, (THANK GOODNESS!) BUT EVERYWHERE IN PUBLIC, THEY SIMPLY HAD BINJOS. REMEMBER THIS WAS IN THE EARLY '70'S AND I AM SURE THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW, BUT IN ADDITION TO HAVING TO SQUAT OVER A TROUGH TO GO, THERE WERE NO MEN'S OR LADIES ROOM, JUST ONE ROOM AND YOU TOOK YOUR CHANCES WHEN YOU WENT- A MAN COULD WALK IN AT ANY TIME AND JUST GO TO TOWN. (IT WAS IMPOLITE TO STARE AT ANOTHER PERSON USING THE BINJO, ISN'T THAT NICE?) ANYWAY, I WAS SO AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WOULD COME BUSTING IN WHEN I WAS RELIEVING MYSELF THAT I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO USE A PUBLIC BINJO. OF COURSE, AS SOON AS I GOT IN A STORE, I HAD TO GO! I REALLY SUFFERED FOR MY PRUDISH ATTITUDE, BUT I GOT VERY GOOD AT "HOLDING IT" UNTIL I GOT BACK HOME. FUNNY THING THOUGH, IT STUCK WITH ME. TO THIS DAY, AS SOON AS I GET IN A STORE, I HAVE TO GO! I CAN TELL YOU THE LOCATION OF EVERY LADIES ROOM IN KEMAH AND SEABROOK, AND QUITE A FEW IN LA PORTE! BUT, I DIGRESS. THE LITTLE RIVER RAN ALONG THE SIDE OF A LARGE HILL, AND THE HILL WAS COVERED WITH TREES AND GREENERY. AT THE BASE OF THE HILL WAS THE STOCKADE (JAIL)FOR THE ARMY. THE HILL LOOKED JUST LIKE A HILL, BUT IT HOUSED A SECRET. INSIDE THE HILL WERE THE REMAINS OF A HOSPITAL THAT THE OKINAWANS BUILT DURING WORLD WAR 2. THE JAPANESE ARMY CAMOFLAGED THIS HOSPITAL LIKE THIS- AND IT WAS AMAZING THAT THEY HAD DONE SUCH A THING, AN ENTIRE HOSPITAL INSIDE A HILL. (THE HILL WAS QUITE LARGE AND TALL, THOSE OF US FROM TEXAS MIGHT EVEN CALL IT A MOUNTAIN!) WHEN I LEARNED THAT I WAS GOING TO LIVE ON AN ISLAND, I WAS SO EXCITED THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO FEEL THE ISLAND BREEZES AND LAY ON THE BEACHES. FORGET IT! OKINAWA IS ONE LONG ISLAND OF MOUNTAINS, HILLS AND CORAL BEACHES. THE WEATHER IS IDENTICAL TO HOUSTON'S WEATHER, HUMIDITY AND ALL. THE INSECTS WERE DIFFERENT THOUGH, THE DADGUM BUGGERS WERE MUCH LARGER! IF YOU THINK OUR TREE ROACHES ARE BIG, THEY ARE PUNY IN COMPARISON TO THE ONES ON OKINAWA. EEEWWW- AND THEY HAVE BROWN CIRCLES AROUND THEIR EYES! THERE ARE MILLIONS OF THEM, AND PEOPLE ALLOW LIZARDS INTO THIER HOUSES TO KEEP THE ROACHES UNDER CONTROL. (I LOVE LIZARDS!) BUT THEN YOU HAD TO SLEEP WITH A NET OVER YOUR BED, BECAUSE THE SWEET LITTLE LIZARDS COULD FALL ON YOU FROM THE CELING AND YOU COULD CHOKE ON ONE IF IT FELL INTO YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU WERE SLEEPING. (I AM NOT SURE, BUT I THINK I WOULD WAKE UP TO AN EVENT LIKE THAT!) NONE THE LESS, WE HAD OUR NET TOO, AND ONE OVER JESSICA'S CRIB. OH, AND THEN THERE WERE THE SPIDERS THAT LIVED IN THE DRAINS. THESE ARE HARMLESS SPIDERS, NEVER MIND THAT THEY COULD GET UP TO 4 INCHES ACROSS! THIS SOUNDS WORSE THAN IT WAS THOUGH, ACTUALLY THESE WERE GIANT DADDY LONG LEGS SPIDERS. THEY HAD A VERY SMALL BODY AND VERY LONG LEGS. THE PROBLEM WAS THOUGH, THAT IF YOU STEPPED OVER A DRAIN IN THE FLOOR, THEY WOULD RUN UP YOUR LEG IF THEY GOT THE CHANCE. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT IT WILL ONLY HAPPEN ONCE, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET THE FEELING OF A SPIDER RUNNING UP YOUR BELL BOTTOM JEANS AS FAR AS IT CAN GO! I ALMOST BEAT MYSELF TO DEATH THE ONE TIME IT HAPPENED TO ME, I JUST STARTED SCREAMING AND BEATING MY LEG, TRYING TO KILL IT. I LOOKED LIKE A CONTORTIONIST, TWISTING, JUMPING, SQUEALING AND SWATTING. IT SCARED THE JIMENY CRICKET OUT OF MARTIN, HE THOUGHT I HAD LOST MY MIND! FINALLY, I JUST GAVE UP AND SHUCKED MY JEANS RIGHT IN THE LAUNDROMAT. GUESS, WHAT? AFTER ALL THE ACTION, I MISSED THE LITTLE MONSTER, AND HE RAN ACROSS THE FLOOR AS SOON AM MY JEANS WERE IN A PUDDLE AT MY FEET! NON OF THE OKINAWANS THAT WERE IN THE LAUNDROMAT SEEMED TO BE IMPRESSED AT MY SHOW, IT SEEMS THAT THEY TOO, AT ONE TIME IN THIER LIVES HAVE UNDRESSED WITHOUT MODESTY FOR THE SAKE OF RIDDING THEMSELVES OF SUCH A SPIDER. SO, YES, THERE WERE THINGS TO GET USED TO IN OUR NEW COUNTRY. ONE MEMORY I HAVE IS OF A BIRD. WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL IN INDIANA, I JOINED THE AUDOBON SOCIETY CHAPTER AT THE SCHOOL. WE TOOK BIRDWATCHING TRIPS ON THE WEEKENDS, CHARTING BIRDS THAT WE SAW, AND MAKING NOTES OF THE MORE RARE SPECIES. IT WAS QUITE A COUP TO SPOT A REALLY RARE BIRD, AND WE WERE ALL EXCITED WHEN SUCH A THING HAPPENED. NOW, IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS VERY RARE TO SEE A BIRD KNOWN AS A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER. IT HAD A LONG TWO PART TAIL AND WAS ABOUT MEDIUM SIZED FOR A BIRD. NONE OF US EVER SAW ONE, BUT PERHAPS ONE DAY I WOULD HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SEEING ONE IN THE WILD AT LEAST ONCE IN MY LIFE. ANYWAY, ONE DAY, WHEN I WAS HANGING OUT THE LAUNDRY, JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER MY ARRIVAL, TO MY IMMENSE SURPRISE, A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER LANDED ON THE CLOTHESLINE! THERE HE WAS, SCISSOR-TAIL AND ALL! JUST SITTING ON THE CLOTHESLINE. I WAS IN SHOCK- AND QUIETLY CREPT DOWN THE STAIRS TO THE APARTMENT TO GET THE CAMERA. BOY, I WAS GOING TO BE FAMOUS, TO ACTUALLY GET A PICTURE OF A SCISSOR TAILED FLYCATCHER! BACK UP THE STAIRS I CREPT, SO VERY QUIET, SO VERY EXCITED- AND WHEN I GOT TO THE ROOF, INSTEAD OF THE LOVELY THING HAVING DESERTED ME, SEVERAL OF HIS BUDDIES CAME TO VISIT HIM! BY NOW, THERE WERE AT LEAST 6 SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS ON THE ROOF. WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? I NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE ONE, BUT SIX? OH, AND LOOK AT THE TREE- ANOTHER COUPLE IN THE TREE! WELL, IT SEEMS THAT ON OKINAWA, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS ARE AS COMMON AS ROBINS ARE HERE! SO, MY ELATION TOOK A HUGE DIVE, AND I TOOK A FEW PICTURES OF THE BIRD AND HIS FRIENDS, AND WENT BACK TO HANGING OUT THE LAUNDRY. ONE THING THOUGH, I FOREVER GOT A THRILL EACH AND EVERYTIME I SAW ONE OF THESE BIRDS THERE, BECAUSE I KNEW I WOULD NOT SEE THEM ONCE I WAS STATESIDE AGAIN. THE BEACH WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE APARTMENT, BUT ONCE AGAIN, I HAD TO ADJUST TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT. INSTEAD OF DANCING ACROSS SILKY SAND, IT WAS JUST SHARP CORAL THAT WOULD CUT YOUR FEET TO RIBBONS. YOU HAD TO WEAR SHOES, AND IF YOU WANTED TO SWIM, YOU HAD TO WALK OUT QUITE A WAYS TO THE DROP-OFF WHERE THE CORAL DROPPED AWAY FROM THE TOP OF THE WATER. AND, YOU HAD TO BE REALLY CAREFUL, BECAUSE YOU COULD SCRAPE YOURSELF ON THE EDGE OF THE CORAL THAT DID NOT DROP OFF SHARPLY, BUT HAD LOTS OF LITTLE EXTENSIONS UNDER WATER THAT YOU COULD NOT SEE FROM THE TOP. THERE WERE MILLIONS OF TINY STARFISH TOO. LAYING EVERYWHERE, JUST MILLIONS OF THEM. I HATED STEPPING ON THEM, BUT YOU COULD NOT HELP IT. THEY MADE UP THE BEACH AS WELL AS THE CORAL. ONE THING THOUGH, THERE WERE LOTS OF LITTLE LAGOONS, TINY REALLY, SOME AS SMALL AS EIGHT FEET ACROSS, THAT HAD GEORGEOUS TROPICAL FISH SWIMMING IN THEM. NEON GREEN, ELECTRIC BLUE, PINK, RED, VIBRANT YELLOW, THEY WERE THICK IN THESE LITTLE LAGOONS. EVEN ANGELFISH! OH, BUT GUESS WHAT? THOSE LITTLE LAGOONS WERE VERY DEEP- AND IF YOU DID NOT KNOW BETTER AND REACHED IN TO TOUCH THE FISH, YOU WOULD FIND YOURSELF HINEY OVER ELBOWS IN THE WATER BECAUSE YOU REACHED TO FAR AND FELL RIGHT IN. YOU SEE, THE FISH LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE SWIMMING NEAR THE TOP, BUT THE WATER WAS SO CLEAR, IT WAS DECEPTIVE. THOSE LOVELY FISH COULD BE EIGHT FEET BELOW, AND LOOK LIKE THEY WERE EIGHT INCHES BELOW. REMEMBER THE SHARP CORAL? PLENTY ON THE SIDES OF THE LAGOONS TOO. USUALLY ONLY TOOK ONE MISHAP LIKE THAT TO MAKE YOU VERY CAUTIOUS BEFORE REACHING TOO FAR OVER THE LAGOONS. WELL, I AM NOT TOO MUCH OF A DUMMY, AND I ADAPTED QUICKLY AND BEGAN TO ENJOY LIFE ON THE ISLAND. MORE ABOUT THAT TOMORROW! LOVE, NANASEE