Last Day on Zama

It's hard to believe that just over a week ago, Andrew and I were still in Japan.

Sigh.

So back to our last day. We snuck in one last breakfast at the golf club. Rather than bore you with more pictures of the food, I just had Andrew take a picture of me enjoying the golf club's "famous" lemonade:


Through a lucky coincidence in timing, we were able to catch the opening day of the quarterly Oriental Bazaar before catching our 1 p.m. bus to the airport. The bazaar brings vendors from all over Asia to sell souvenirs, traditional Japanese dishware and furniture:


When I lived on Zama, it was held in the old gym on base but it has since moved to the Cultural Center and now the parking lot of the Community Club to give enough room to all the vendors. You better believe that we picked up a few Christmas gifts here and ended up heading back to my parents place (the high rise you see in the background) to fit it all into our suitcases:

Also on a lucky break, the club had set up a booth selling food, including one of my favorites - Yakisoba (noodle dish with vegetables) - so we grabbed some to eat on the bus as our lunch:


Close up shot of yakisoba - it was as good as I remembered and I know I will have some of my readers craving it after seeing these pictures!

It was just the thing to put us in a good mood for the 3 hour bus ride to Narita airport and the 13 hour flight back to the US.

See You On The Flip Side...

I'm so excited!

First off, I have a wedding dress!! I spent the day visiting two bridal salons with Amy, Charlotte and the rest of the fam and I found "THE DRESS"! I never thought I would be a two dress bride but now I've got to offload the dress I bought at Running of the Brides.

Secondly, Andrew and I are heading to Zama, Japan tomorrow.


I can't wait to show him my "hometown."

Zama High School

Turns out it was a good thing that it was too dark to take pictures last night.

When we stepped out for our morning walk today, we were greeted by a crisp, clear day. Not only could we see the mountains that border Zama, but they were also topped by snow for the first time this year.

Here's a wide shot of the high school - the middle building is where our classes were held. To the right is the gym and to the left is a new building that was built since I graduated so I have no idea what it's being used for. It's weird to look at that building because in my mind, I still picture the student parking lot we used to walk through.

Golf Course Lemonade

When CR and I were in high school, one of the cool places to go eat lunch was the golf club.

I know what you're thinking, a golf club in the states would be an elite, members-only place.

On Zama, it was just another place to grab lunch, open to everyone and very casual. It was one step up from a Burger King.

One of the things that the golf club was renowned for was their lemonade.

My dad took me to lunch there yesterday, and sure enough, we had a table full of high schoolers next to us (in case you're wondering, egads, the hipster trend has hit Zama). Naturally, I ordered the lemonade.

It seemed to taste so great in my memories but in reality, it was very watery and unsweet. The best part about it was the cherry garnish and that is something that was added since we graduated. It's always disappointing to find things aren't the way you remembered them.

Off to Japan!

My flight leaves in three hours!

The next time I blog, it'll be from Camp Zama - don't worry, I've got my camera ready to capture the trip.

See you on the flip side!