Week 8 (quite a bit late!)

Week 8

I have always been someone who wants to be in the loop.  Doesn’t matter if it is a conversation about the new CDC regulations being developed or the intricate care of a critical ill child, I always look forward to participating in these conversations.  Even if what is covered does not impact me now, I know I might be able to use this information in the future.  Hum, maybe this is why I am currently obsessed with the “West Wing” – since it gives me an “in” to what is being discussed in the White House.  (And yes, my obsession has grown to the point that all the library staffers know what I am looking for when I enter.)  This week I was graced with the opportunity to see a lot of the decision making process in response to the disasters in Northern Japan.  I sat in on face-to-face meetings and conference calls, one after another, about MWR and CYP’s responses to the disaster, and the process of voluntary evacuations from the Yokosuka area.  Information is changing on a daily basis, and while sometimes I feel as though I am experiencing information overload, I can now say I know way more about NEO Packets, essential personal, voluntary evacuations, and even fuel rations after the adventures of this week.  It is an experience that I hope is never replicated, but one I feel I am now better prepared for if required.

What keys look like over here!

Monday was a VERY full day!  I sat in on a finance meeting for all of CYP to see if we could reduce the budget.  I am happy to say that I really did understand everything that was being discussed.  I also helped to plan the summer opportunities for teens and pre-teens.  They have some really great things in the works, and I wish I could be here to see everything implemented.  If Monday was full, Tuesday was just as full and even longer.  I experienced a 12-hour workday due to an after hours CDA meeting out at Hario.  Although only a few ladies showed up to the meeting, at least they seem committed and eager to go through this process.  Wednesday I got locked out of my own building.  That was fun.  And the Internet did not work when I got in.  Oh I think fondly of the days where I had Internet I could count on…(melodramatic I know).  The big adventure of the day was girl scouts, which I led due to all of the other staff members being occupied by meetings and trainings (today everyone received a crash course on the requirements of being a GS employee overseas).

Thursday I attended a MWR mangers meeting where we discussed budge cut ideas and our reaction to the disaster.  I appreciate the fact that MWR is committed to not just cutting programs in order to deal with the budget crisis, but also focusing on getting people through the doors with quality programing.  Working for a program that is NOT supposed to make money is quite different from many of the other MWR programs that are tasked with making a profit.  I was amazed at just how much everything is subsidized, but that is even more proof of the services we provide.

We also talked about the directives being sent down from CNFJ (Commander Naval Forces Japan) regarding our activities following the devastation in Northern Japan.  There is the possibility of cancelling many activities, and we are also being tasked with completing daily roster checks, and it is vitally important that we know where all government employees are since the President is asking.  With all of that information, and a voluntary evacuation in place for the Yokosuka Naval base and other bases in the north, life just seemed tense on base today.  Many of the teens’ conversations today surrounded the devastation in the north.  We are constantly being reminded that we ARE safe, but the situation is fluid, and things could impact us here even more in the weeks to come.  The teens also had their before and after school activities suspended, and the extra buses cut to conserve fuel.  Out night ended with something fun for the teens and pre-teens, and we had a huge turn-out to our St. Patrick’s Day Dinner consisting of Patty Melts and “Irish Coffee” (Hot Chocolate with green whipped cream).  It was a huge success, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

My Friday was very full.  My morning consisted of weighing my options regarding going home or finishing out my internship here.  CNIC offered me the chance to leave Japan at any time and continue my internship stateside, or even roll into a summer internship at another base.  I was grateful for the options, but I decided to stick it out.  I also sat in on a MWR mangers conference call regarding the disaster situation. Currently there is no real danger to the families who choose to stay in Yokosuka – the amount of radiation they are being exposed to has been compared to eating a banana – but due to the hype surrounding the situation the higher-ups feel it is just safer to help send everyone home who wants to go.  At Sasebo, all trips and tours through March have been cancelled (that includes three of my trips – I won’t ever get to see my Japanese baseball game), and this is both due to the desire to avoid looking like we are celebrating and also a directive to keep government vehicles close and gassed up incase they are needed to help with evacuations from Northern Japan or relief efforts.   Every base in Japan has radiation detectors that the Japanese Government put in place to monitor our nuclear subs and the like, and there has been no detection of radiation down here.  The issue will be when our ships return to port – will they bring radiation with them?  I will be long gone by then, but it is still something to think about.

Town Hall Meeting

I left work on time today so that I could watch the Town Hall on AFN at the Harbor View Café with Lauren, and I learned that they were starting to “ration” bottled water and rice at the commissary.  Later that night I helped Lauren clean her house and after I got home I signed up for the Child Life Conference in May in Chicago…already making plans for when I get home.  Because all of my activities for the weekend had been cancelled, Saturday I helped Lauren with her house and had a pretty relaxing day.  Sunday I went to mass, went to brunch at the harbor view, tried out my new running shoes, and then ate some home cooked fried chicken at Alisha’s house.  Not how I had expected to spend my weekend but still a success in my book – and it gave me an opportunity to get caught up on all of my “Yes, I’m alive” messages.  I look forward to seeing what information comes out this week about our response to the disaster.  2/3 of my way done with my internship!

Rationing...if you want to call it that.