1976: The Oriental Way of Life

I can hardly believe our stay in Japan is over a year old. It has been an interesting year - one of adjusting to the oriental way of life. You live differently, drive very differently, shop differently, must talk differently - combination simple English, simple Japanese, and lots of sign language!! (Getting truly fluent in Japanese takes years, although the children astound me how easily they seem to be understood. I always try to take one along when I go shopping.)

It has been a year of travel for all seven of us - especially Beth with twelve Pacific crossings under her belt. We did make it to California, New York, Vermont, this summer, and some of us to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta.(Yes, we made it for the 4th of July and the Bicentennial celebrations)

Dick is still enjoying the flying and especially his route, which has taken him as far as Saudi Arabia, but mostly to Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Karachi, and Bombay.

The children have all switched schools this year - except Beth who is still enjoying the University of the Pacific. Scott and Tim now attend St. Mary's International School in Tokyo, and Ann and Megan go to St. Maur's International School in Yokohama. They are still struggling with the more varied and intensive studies, but seem to be making the grade. (I find it staggering what they have to know, but what an education!! ---- if we all survive!)

We all wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and a truly marvelous 1977!

1975: Konnichiwa from 70 Mameguchi-dai, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan

I can hardly believe it myself, but here we are residents of the Orient. Dick started working for Japan Air Lines february first, beginning with a training program which lasted six months. When this training was over, Dick returned to Walnut Creek to help pack and get us moved.

We left Walnut Creek early in September, spent about four days at Stanford Court in San Francisco doing last minute shopping, sightseeing, and gourmet dining. We left on Flight 1 for Tokyo on September sixth.

Our first assignment was to find a house and get the children squared away in school. We found a "western-style" house on a bluff overlooking Tokyo Bay in Yokohama. It's a far cry from our Walnut Creek "digs", but it's not bad - 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room with a balcony, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and a small Japanese garden.

Dick is flying as a Captain on the "silk route" and loving it. He gets to Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Karachi, Tehran, and Ceylon. He finds it exciting and enjoys the sightseeing and shopping as well. We all look forward to getting to see all these places. He's away about half the month, and the rest of the time he's free. We are still trying to get settled - having drapes made here, woven hades made in Manila, rattan furniture made in Hong Kong - and I have a list yards long of things for Dick to make, extra shelves, etc.

The children are going to the Yokohama International School, which is a member of the Geneva International School Association, and are finding it a bit rigid. There are only about 350 children in 12 grades. They're in with a really competitive bright group and hopefully they'll inspire our gang. Our Beth is back in the States going to the University of the Pacific. We miss her a lot, but she'll be here for Christmas, and we should like to have a get-together in Hawaii at Eastertime.

We had a sad time in September shortly after we arrived here. (We had been in the house two days.) My mother died. She had been ill for some time, but it still was a shock. We all returned to Nevada for the funeral and returned here October first to start our residence in Japan.

Each day is an adventure. You never know what might occur. It certainly is proving to be an education for us all, and I'm certain there are many more...