I almost missed meeting Mr. Craig Schlesinger and his family on Sunday. I was late. We worked it out and I caught up with him, his wife, Karen and his two kids (Sidney 16 and Jay 13) and had a great day with them. But boy, did I feel horrible for almost blowing it…
We had brunch at the officers club which was delicious! And then a very thorough and informative tour of the base. Yokosuka is not so big it turns out. About 7 (or maybe just 5) miles around the perimeter. Camp Pendleton, where I was last summer, is 625 square miles and has its own area and zip codes.
After the tour (and a stop at the mini mart which is not so mini and has everything, including an extensive wine and alcohol selection…and some very interesting bourbons…)we went to the Chapel of Hope. I saw the room where we will be having services. It is a library lines with Torah books, the Talmud and other great books of Jewish learning. It is a warm space and will be packed with 35 people. Craig says we may pack it on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but then again, we may not.
Now this has created a great mental shift in my thinking about the holy days. My image was a bit bigger, a big more distance between the congregation and I, a larger room if not more people and this changes everything in my planning. I was imagining MIT which is comfortable at 40 and is at capacity at 130 or so. This is very very different. Now, I love small so this is a difference I am excited about, but is does mean that last night I rewrote my sermon for Erev Rosh Hashanah.
At the chapel, the Schelsingers and I, plus another mother-daughter (Joy and Amy who will be my new best friends in NY when they move to NJ this spring) team, came in to clean up the Chapel. We polished candles, talked Sea Stories about Craig’s time in Gitmo and other bases in the world (and how he came to be in Japan with his family). I also got to meet Chaplain Ross who gave me a very cool Yokosuka hat. It was wonderful to be part of the preparations for the community for this week.
Then we went to lunch at Sushi-go-round-where the sushi floats by on a conveyor belt and you take what you want. You then pay by the different colored plates. Yeah, I absolutely loved it. And I got to try out a little of my Japanese with the Sushi chef who seemed not to mind how much I butchered his gorgeous language.
After lunch, I returned to my room and pushed through the afternoon sleepies. I went to the commissary, orders in hand because I was told I needed my orders with me to be able to prove I had the right to shop there, and picked up my supplies for this trip. Hey, with a full kitchen, what else is a gilr like me to do? I met Anna, the only other woman here (it seems) and she lives next door. I also met Seth, a new DispO (dispersion officer) in the computer room. Just some very nice people. Everyone is super friendly and I feel very much at home.
The rest of the evening was full of some tv, some dinner and lots of ironing uniforms (ah, military life0every room is complete with ironing board and iron) and HiHos (My affectionate term for the high holy days)
I slept through the night again last night (thank you Melatonin!) and this morning I am off to officially check in and to spend the morning meeting Chaplain Ross (officially). I think I will receive my itinerary this morning which I am very excited about. I have heard runors of trips to Atsugi and Zoma (nearby bases) as well as visits to Tokyo and Disneyland. (I made my official request to not see American culture transported to Japan over just Japanese culture like Shrines (Buddhists) and Temples (…oh goodness, a different religion leaving my mind right now…) as well as some ship tours and the like. Tee hee.
In the Navy…I will sail the seven seas…
Off to the next adventure….
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