Okinawa through a kid's eyes...Mia, Age 8

"Kids...we're moving to Okinawa."





My son wasn't even born when we moved to Okinawa, so figuring out how to tell him we'd be moving to another country wasn't an issue for our family. As a military brat though, I was on the receiving end of this kind of news countless times. I was always excited to be moving to another country. It was a mystery. An adventure. But, I was a strange child. Your kid may (understandably) not be that thrilled to be leaving all he/she knows and loves behind to move to the other side of the world. And you as a grown-up might not be either. So what do you tell your child about a place that you may not know much about yourself. How do you prepare them for that move?

I thought I'd start out here by adding a weekly feature to the blog that may help out. A mini interview with kids who are either currently living in Okinawa or have recently moved. I've gotten a couple of interview responses emailed to me and LOVE them. They're short and sweet and honest and can lead you and your young ones on a little internet research adventure of your own to figure out what the heck they are talking about. So without further ado, let's meet...


Meet Mia, Age 8.


Photo by Aviva Photography


1. Where did you live before you got to Okinawa?
San Diego, California.

2. Do you live on base or off base now?
Off base.

3. What is your favorite thing about living in Japan?
Teppanyaki (where they cook in front of you), Round 1, and snorkeling.

4. What is your favorite Japanese food?
Kappa maki (cucumber rolls)

5. What is something difficult about living in Okinawa?
Being far away from relatives. And having friends move away.

6. What is something you have done in Okinawa that you never did in the US?
Snorkeling, eating onigiri, and learning to speak Japanese.

7. Where do you like to go (off base)...why?
I like to go to Round 1 because there are a lot of fun games there. Parks with roller slides and zip lines. Restaurants with good food (because in Japan they have a lot of good food!).

8. What advice do you have for kids who are moving to Okinawa?
You probably think there’s just boring parent stuff, but there’s actually a lot of kid stuff here. (There might be a little bit more kid things than parent things.)
Be adventurous!


***Thanks Mia!***

If you'd like to submit your child's interview answers, just shoot them to me in an email and I'll post them up. kelly@shisastory.com