Burning Up the Roads

by Pa Rock
Cultural Explorer


With mobility comes a welcome sense of independence.

I am becoming  much more comfortable behind the wheel of my little car, and seldom find myself driving on the wrong side of the road anymore.  I can now make the three or four mile trip to work almost effortlessly, and have learned the major landmarks necessary in the successful navigation of that route.  Now I am slowly expanding the routes that I travel.

Today I drove to work, put in half a day there doing some computer training and filling out a necessary attendance report via computer.  Then I headed north to the Army base at Torii Station.  I had been to Torii twice in the past, but this was my first trip there on my own.   Several people gave me directions to my destination, each of them slightly different from the others, but I was able to amalgamate the information and get there successfully.

The first place I went was to the finance office (the Army pays my salary) and gave them some paperwork.  From there I drove down to Torii Beach where our unit was holding its annual "Splash Day." I grabbed a couple of quick hot dogs, chatted with a few friends, and got back in the car to head south.  Unfortunately I got lost on Torii as I was leaving - even though it is a very small base - and headed out the wrong gate.  I concentrated on landmarks and eventually found my way back to the main thoroughfare, Highway 58.

Heading south, I stopped by Camp Foster where the Marine Corps finished the registration process on my car.  I made a quick stop at Foster's quick stop for milk, and headed home.

Three military bases in one day - Air Force, Army, and Marine - and several miles of driving on the left-hand side of the road in a busy foreign country.  Yes, I am feeling very independent, and yes, I think I will be able to maintain here quite nicely for two years.

Sunday a friend and I are driving way north to visit a British Tea House.  I'm hoping to be the navigator on that trip, but, if push comes to shove, I can drive.  I'm that good!