If You Want It, Bring It!

The best piece of advice I've gotten from friends who are already settled into life on Okinawa is that if you know you're going to want it, bring it with you.

I'm not exactly sure what this applies to specifically. Furniture? Electronics? Clothes? But that one sentence has been an incessant, tiny voice echoing in the depths of my brain every. single. time. we go to the store. Any store. It's like a last desperate attempt to hold onto American life. One friend I have is currently here in the states visiting her family and was super duper excited to go shop at Walmart. . .

I do a double gulp because clearly the ease and convenience of the one-stop-shop is going to be a thing of the past. Need a cheap end table fast? Too bad! Maybe some bathroom storage, and some groceries on the same day? Nope, that'll require at least 2 stops - commissary and PX.

The only thing that gives me pause to filling cart after cart with stuff I think we might probably need or want, is that we have to fit it in our suitcases. Clearly we have limited space since all of our household goods, and unaccompanied baggage are already on their way.

How about some rain boots, umbrellas, and slickers? No. Can't fit it. I've packed and repacked our suitcases at least 5 times apiece. We'll have what we have, and we'll just have to deal with the rest. However I take comfort in the fact that if we really, really, REALLY need something our families would be happy to pay an arm or a leg to get it to us.

In the mean time I am just making sure we have all of our passports, and carry on items in order. Sunday is coming up quick.