***ATTENTION***Tsunami Warning for the Sasebo Region***Move to Higher Ground***

Week 7

This week was marked by the natural disasters in Northern Japan.  I am very grateful to be in a southern city where there was never any real threat of impact, but my heart goes out to the people who were much closer and who are still dealing with the fall out from the events on March 11^th.  It is this week especially that I appreciate the fact that I am supporting the military and therefore am part of something “bigger” than myself.  Although life went on as normal (for the most part) during the weekend, ships were deployed and families did have to say goodbye to loved ones.  Although there is nothing I can do to directly support recovery in the affected areas, being in Sasebo as a member of the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department, I am able to help make sure that the families on my base are healthy and happy so that, hopefully, the sailors at sea can focus on the mission at hand.  Making sure youth sports basketball games went on as scheduled may not seem like much, but maintaining normalcy in a time of deployment is a huge stress-reliever for the families impacted directly or indirectly by this tragedy.  I pray that the worst is over, and recovery is swift and complete.

Let me transition back to Monday, before any of this happened.  What I learned at work this week: Youth Sports are fun!  And yes, you do not need to remind me that I am not athletic.  Even with that consideration I still enjoyed youth sports.  I will always be appreciative of the fact that my parents supported my LIMITED athletic ability by giving me the chance to experience any sport I wanted.  I know the lessons I learned about winning and losing gave me a very healthy sense of competition and a desire to push myself to be the best I can be, and this week I enjoyed seeing that instilled in the children who came to our events. 

On the Hario Shuttle Bus,
headed to work.

My first day was a short day, as all I dealt with today was the paperwork side of youth sports.  I really do enjoy my administrative duties because they often give me the best insight into how the programs are REALLY run, and what is TRUELY required.  After getting to learn a bunch about NAYS, RecTrack, sport scheduling, and other programs used in youth sports specifically I had the opportunity to create the FAQs for Youth Sports Soccer (Yes, I am now something of an expert in youth soccer, but do not ask me to recite the rules of the game).  I also edited the Youth Sports Parent’s Manual that Taeko had compiled.  Again, this was not just about making sure all of the grammar was correct, but really getting to know what information is being presented to our parents.  I spent my night baking in my little apartment, making a yummy King Cake (see next post).

Ashes

On Tuesday I worked with Ms. Jackie (the Youth Sports Director) to create all of the records for the volunteer coaches and decide on thank-you gifts for them.    Wednesday, following the directors morning meeting, I helped with orientation for the new Youth Sports Baseball Coaches.  I also sat in on an interview to fill the Hario SAC Lead Position.  This was really informative for me, because it gave me a chance to see what the staff members are looking for in new employees as well as typical interview questions.  The rest of my night was spent helping with basketball game practices (and Mass).

I ended up spending all of Thursday in CPR training and did not have time to do uniform inventory.  The Hario T&C suggested that I get certified to teach CPR…maybe I’ll look into that one day.  My discussions with Taeko on the drive back to Main Base provided a lot of information about what a possible GS position furlough would entail.

Fridays are becoming one of my favorite days because for the last few weeks I have worked late on Fridays, which has freed me up for adventures during the day.  Today I went to a Velodrome (bike) race and explored a Pier with Sherri (fellow CYP staff member).  (I'll post photos with my weekend post)

I was actually talking to a friend back at home when the earthquake occurred, and she was the first one to mention it to me.  At that time I had no idea about how much destruction it would include.  That night I worked the Main Base basketball games, and was actually helping with those when a two-foot tsunami hit Sasebo.  Tsunami warnings were issued for us on the news, but nothing was said to the individuals on base due to how far above tide we already are.  I was surprised just how little most of the people on base really new about the disaster, and the lack of a 24-hour news system in English really impacts how I have been able to stay on top of this tragedy.  In order for me to best cope and adjust to any change or tragedy I seek information.  I have always been that way.  Not having all of the information readily available to me has been an adjustment for sure.

The Saturday Youth Sports basketball games at Hario went smoothly.  I had forgotten how much I really do love youth basketball, and I have decided that all of my (future) children will be given the opportunity (and encouragement) to try basketball.  I know it was hard for some of the families to be on the court today because they had just said goodbye to their loved one who was deployed to help with the disaster relief.  I appreciated being able to help support normalcy in the midst of uncertainty.  Looking forward to what the next few weeks hold following the current turmoil on base...