Orders to Okinawa, report in January

[purplemama]

I am thrilled about the opportunity to spend two years in a foreign culture. Wondering if any of the other military members of the forum have been stationed there and can give any ideas of how your homeschooling went while there. I am concerned about the space restraints and how I am going to 1) get the materials I need in a timely manner and 2) where I am going to store it all! I have serious space issues already and our house will 100% sure be smaller there. I need to get in touch with the education people on post here to find out what I can about homeschooling in a foreign country, but if anyone can offer any tips/advice on dealing with my above issues, or any other words of wisdom, I would appreciate it!

[Lily_Grace]

You'll be fine. :)

 

You're going to fall under DOD rules, which take a hands off approach to homeschooling. In the USAFE bases we've been at, homeschoolers are welcomed as part time students, if they choose, but that's the extent of the school's hand. You do not follow Japan's hs'ing laws.

 

We hs'ed in a very small place at our last base. Island, middle of the ocean, with a furnished 800 square foot apt. Oh, and we were allowed to bring 500lbs of stuff. We ended up using companies for our homeschooling that had everything included (like Noeo science) or used living books/ones that could be reused over time. Every piece of equipment was mentally weighed to see how much use we'd get out of it. While it wasn't so hard to get things from the states (APO takes about 2 weeks, usually), it was hard to be able to have certain things handy - like 2 liter bottles when soda was only sold in cans.

 

Congrats on the new adventure! Your kids will have a blast!

[mumto2]

Get kindles or other readers. That will cut down on what you have to carry. I would look at ambleside and other downloadable curriculums.

 

You will be fine. What an adventure! When we first came to the UK we were in a really small flat. Maybe 800 square feet. It worked but we really needed to keep the stuff down.

[BugsMama]

We're in Germany, not japan- But-

If I can't get it from amazon, I don't get it- they are the fastest, most reliable company to get me school supplies. Some companies are great if you call them, and will ship you your stuff priority over their normal methods. Priority takes a week or two. Anything sent media mail or standard mail will come "SAM" which means it gets on the plane when there is space available for it on the plane. Which means you wait 6-8 weeks generally.

 

Small spaces- I have a fold down table from Ikea that fits behind my couch when I am not using it. Computer based curriculum is awesome, the military library loan system is fantastic- Japan has many bases and I was told almost any book you want is available there (hsing friend just came from there) so don't worry about living books, you'll be fine with those.

[mommytobees]

OH!! I wanna come! Can I sneak into one of your boxes?!?!?

 

We left Japan last year after being there for 3 years and I'd go back in a split second!! We loved it!!!

 

We were in Yokosuka area, Navy just south of Tokyo, so a bit different area, but still.............!!

 

You'll have more space than you expect to, but still pack on the lighter side of things. I kid you not, more than 1/2 of our stuff was kid toys and homeschool stuff when we went.

 

GO with an open mind. Remember this is NOT a Christian country and things are so very different there. But, in a good way!

 

Go out and DO things. Make school apart of your exploration of the area. Get to know your area and then branch out. OH!! Can I come!! I'd only take up a box!!!

 

Kris, who can't WAIT to return to Japan

[dm379]

My little cousin is there and loves it! And I've heard nothing but good things about it from a friend. One thing about being overseas is that doddes almost always allows them go to school part time if you're interested in that. We had wonderful experiences in Korea with the kids going just for Spanish.

[trlt]

I am so jealous! We lived in Japan for two years. We didn't live in Okinawa, we lived in Sasebo. I agree with the pp about trying to buy things on Amazon. We homeschooled but brought most of our curriculum with us or had family purchase and send things to us. Try not to bring too much with you. We put a lot of our stuff in storage and I actually wish we put more in storage. We just didn't use or need everything I thought we would!

 

Enjoy the opportunity! We spent every opportunity we could out enjoying the activities and culture. I made some very good Japanese friends while I was there that I treasure to this day. They made living there such a terrific experience! I really don't know much about Okinawa but I hope that you have a great experience!

[Mom in High Heels]

We're in Germany, but have loads of friends who have been stationed in Okinawa and they all loved it. My dad was stationed there a million years ago (before I was born) and always said it was his favorite of all the places he was stationed.

 

If you don't know, spouses are not allowed a certain amount of weight that counts as professional gear and doesn't count against your unaccompanied baggage weight. The unaccompanied baggage arrives much quicker than everything else, so I shipped all our hsing stuff in that. We got it within 2 weeks of arriving in country.

 

Amazon, Amazon, Amazon! Some things I order arrive within 3-4 days of placing the order. I don't know how they do that. Most stuff takes a week or so though. Amazon Prime can be your BFF and worth every penny.

 

Your housing might be smaller than what you're used to, but it should still be big enough to hold what you really need. We pared down a lot when we got orders to Germany again because we knew we'd be living in 500-700sqft less than we had in the States. Our current apt is 1400sqft, which is fine.

We have friends who lived on the same post as us last time we were in Germany (he was James Bond's CO) and they're here again with us. They put most of their stuff in storage because they thought they'd be in an apartment again and ended up living off post in a 3500sqft house that is almost empty. :D

 

In case you don't know, the military will store stuff for you free of charge for the duration of your assignment. We have 3 crates in storage with mostly tools, garage stuff, and the 2 extra queen beds we had. It's been in storage now for 4 years and I'm questioning if we really need it when we get back to the States. If we've lived without it this long, I don't see why we can't just let it go. James Bond does not feel the same. :glare:

[RoundAbout]

Okinawa is great. There were actually a lot of homeschoolers when we lived there (2005-2008) and the library at Camp Foster even had homeschool activities. Hopefully its still the same.

 

Amazon always shipped fast to us - often arriving in 7-10 days so that will cover a lot of your needs. If there's something you absolutely need from somewhere that doesn't ship to an FPO you can always have it sent to a friend, reboxed and forwarded via USPS Priority.

 

One thing I always recommend it to bring good bicycles if you are at all inclined. Its something you can't get through the mail and your only choices once there are cheapo low quality ones at the PX or expensive pro ones out on town. We had nice REI bikes and were constantly stopped by other military folk to ask where we bought them.

 

Have fun. It's a beautiful island and there are a TON of things to do - both on your own and tours through ITT. The Churaumi Aquarium is not to be missed. Okinawa Living Magazine is published on base and is a great resource. I'm not sure if you can find issues online but they have a facebook page here.

[purplemama]

Thanks, everyone! I have already planned on bringing bikes--we all need new ones, so we will purchase before hand, and definitely will check out REI. And, I had not thought about professional gear as an option. This is our first PCS since we didn't have to move when hubby became a chaplain. I am going to learn a lot through this process. I will adapt to the space, and I have already given my kids orders to sift through their stuff and figure out what they could live without so we can have a yard sale at the end of the month--that will be the first wave of paring down! I already have a Nook, but wonder if we should also get a kindle. not sure if there is an advantage to one over the other. We got the Nook for free when my mom upgraded to Nook color. And, I am glad to hear about the library loan systems. I rely heavily on our library here and would rather not have to purchase EVERY book. We also have plans already to do as much traveling as my hubby's assignment will allow!

 

I am really excited! I just like to have my ducks in a row before I take a plunge. Winging it has never been my thing, especially when moving to the opposite side of the globe!