I've said this before and I'll say it again.  Personally, once we got past the shock of, "JAPAN?  Seriously?  We asked for the EAST coast, not the FAR EAST coast!", we saw this for what it really is.  A tremendous opportunity for our family.  Not many young American families can say that they've had the chance to stay in a foreign country, expenses paid.  How cool is that?  And it's beautiful here.  And the local community is very welcoming and sincere.

Sure, you miss certain stupid little things (I'd love a Target or a Wal Mart...  And there are a couple of choice fast food places that would really hit the spot once in a while) and being away from your family of origin is a bit of a bummer, but military families, of all people, should realize that the time here is so SHORT!  You get to stay for 3 years at a time.  3 years!  That's all!  Soak up whatever you can in those 3 years because honestly they'll fly by and be over with before you know it.

As with any duty station, CONUS or OCONUS, Okinawa is what you make of it.  It's what you want it to be.  Had my attitude been a little better in Texas, I might have enjoyed it more.  Though a lot of my issues with San Angelo were more than skin-deep and personal.  When Mark wasn't at work, I was content there.  I was stoked to take in whatever experiences I could.  San Antonio, Houston, whatever.  Aspects of Texas were manageable and I think for only having been there 6 months, we did alright.

It drives me nuts every time I encounter someone with a negative attitude about this place.  There is nothing wrong with Okinawa.  The food here is wonderful, the scenery is incredible, there is always SOMETHING worth doing.  What's to complain about, honestly?  Boo-hoo, I miss my family?  Woe-is-me, McDonalds is not the same in Japan as it is in America?  Waaaaahhh I'm bored and can't get off my butt and make new friends?

Pathetic.  Occupy your time.  Do a little research.  Get out of your base housing.  I saw a commercial on AFN the other day that showed a photo of a father with his kids having a backyard BBQ, and it said - I'm paraphrasing - "If you can't tell the difference in photos you've taken in Texas from photos you've taken in Rammstein, you need to GET OFF YOUR INSTALLATION!"

I couldn't have said it better myself.  In 3 years, you'll leave this place and you will probably never have to come back.  So for now, why not just deal with it and do whatever you can?

You'll regret this defeatist attitude later on.  I promise.

Beyond these issues with the American community in Okinawa, it also seems like the bulk of the people you encounter here are just plain out weird.  Everybody is starring in their own 24-hour drama worthy of it's own TV spot.  I mean, these people could be making a fortune if personality flaws paid..  It's totally rare and exciting to stumble upon someone who feels just like you do.

Whatever, I think this place is really cool and I'm not going to waste my time here being pissy about stupid trivial little things that can't be changed anyways.  If you're going to be here, you may as well do what you can to avoid being miserable.