Good morning, first off we do not move until 2012 probably January.  But do to circumstances beyond my family's control, we chose to home school the girls (ages 13 and 15).  To add complications, when they came home I tested them for grade level and they were in the wrong grade levels.  I have now corrected this by having DD1 (15) do 9th and 10th grade curriculums and working with DD2 on the 9th grade curriculum.   My question is how do I enter the girls in Kings HS?  I plan on calling over there in the next couple of weeks to find out what hoops I will need to jump through to have DD1 start as sophomore.   We have decided to leave our fourlegged children with my parents while we leave.  Am I making a mistake? 

Now on to the trivial questions.  I just got a Keurig coffee maker can I get K-cups at the Commisary?  How active is the Teen Program? We currently live on an Army Post and they have been very active in the MST programs.  Is there a PWOC (Protestant Woman of the Chapel) Program  I see there is one at one of the other bases.   I am very active with the one on this Post.  What about driving?  I am thinking that we can get by without a car.  We only have one stateside and no public transport.  Is there cheerleading at the High school?  How is the high school band? Does anyone have a Nook?  Does it work out there? 

I know I am asking a lot of questions but this my nature to build bridges before I discover the river.  Thank you for any information you can provide.

As a non-pet owner, but having observed many owners, I would say you are wise to leave your 4-legged members behind for the time being & send for them later. There are so many complications in traveling with pets, and particularly in house-hunting in a pet-friendly manner, that you will greatly simplify your life if you leave them behind for now.

I'm sure others will violently disagree with me. Can't help you with the rest of your questions, except to say Sasebo is a very cool city & you will enjoy it immensely. How in the world do you know your orders so far in advance? Most people these days are only getting like 2-3 months notice. You are very lucky.

We do not have orders but a confirmation from the ship that hubby is going there and the school is scheduled. These were hotfill orders but it seems they are willing to wait until our current orders are done. The Detailer sought DH out for these orders during his first opportunity to look at orders. Not really understanding how it works I can not offer more than that.

Ok, so we aren't in Sasebo yet, but we will be in July.. Here's what I know so far.. yes there are keurig coffee cups at the commissary, I asked a friend of mine who confirmed they are there. I also bought two 80 packs of cups to send over with our HHG shipment, as I am guessing they may not be a huge selection over there.
As for driving, you cannot bring your vehicles and cannot drive until you take the drivers class during your orientation brief and pass your drivers test. At that point you can buy a car and register it. From what I understand you can ride buses and trains most places. Hario housing area is located about 20-30 minutes from Main Base, so if you live at Hario and need to get to Main Base, you may want a car, however I can't imagine there isn't a bus that could take you. Also, from what I've been told, there are a lot of kids that live in Hario and that is the place to be for housing. I know my husband will work at Main Base, but I'd like to live where more families are and where my kids can make friends quickly.
As for our dogs, we too are leaving them with my in laws. They can't fly over during the summer anyway, with it being too hot and we won't know where we are living until after we get there and get assigned a home, which could take up to 2 months. So we'll be living in the lodge until then! Also, unless you get a townhouse, you can't have your dogs anyway.
We also have been talking to friends who live in Yokosuka and Atsugi and they got Nooks for christmas. They do not work in Japan. Unfortunately, we also have nooks and aren't sure what to do with them. I guess we'll bring them and see if Barnes and Noble figures out a way to make it work for those of us overseas. Apparently the issue is something to do with the IP address being overseas and they only have the rights to sell books in the US.
As for churches, I know there is the chapel on base and also a few other churches around the area. I found one on facebook called Lighthouse Baptist Church.. you should check them out. Please feel free to PM me if you want more info.. We are leaving to head out there next month. Good Luck

On the Nooks I have done some research and found an answer that I am trying to verify or disprove.  I heard that it would work as long as the email addy was a .mil.  However I still have my doubts and wonder if it will work.

Pets. -- As I understand it, it's harder to bring in pets after the fact just because of the run around at narita. (If you fly in with your animal you just pick them up, but if they fly seperate you have to visit several different offices @ Narita to get all the paperwork completed) Since you all are going to be down south, I'm not even sure how that would work, if the country clearance would still be @ narita or down south) but I would *STRONGLY* suggest you ask around as much as possible. Finding some one that's been though it is your best bet.

Nook - Don't know for sure as I have a Sony eReader, but I *believe* there are work arounds to this.

Hi Amy,

Thanks for the information.  It sounds like from the responses that leaving my furbabies with the grandparents was the right choice.  They have agreed that for three years that the dogs will be treated like their own (like royalty). The only real risks are losing the dogs to my mom (ultimate dog lover) or ending up with really spoiled dogs.  Thank you for the information on waiting to bring the furbabies.

HAHA FISH!! That's my worry too! My in laws LOVE their dogs and treat them like humans! I know my dogs will be taken wonderful care of and I'm worried she won't want to give them back!

I am glad I am not the only one with these worries.  Now if only that would be true if I left the teenagers. LOL.   The teenagers are really pretty good but can drive you nuts.

More questions? How is temperature control in the housing units?  Still looking for someone who is using their Nook with a .mil email address?  Also does anyone have High Schoolers and can tell me if there is a cheer squad at the school?  I need to work on keeping the girls in tip top shape if there is one.    What about Youth Services? 

I'm going to make a new post about Nooks and see if anyone can give us an answer..

Thanks

Silly questions. What is the weather like? We are so dry where we are it is not even funny. How big or small is the exchange/ commissary? What are the fruit and veggies like? What do you do for fun there?

Bump

I have some of the random questions also, as well as, knowing the answers that Fish just asked. This one is completly random. Does anyone know if the NEX sells Bath and Body Works products like the soaps or lotions?

I cant guarantee that this will work for your Nook, as I dont personally own one, but one way of getting around the "US IP only" issue is to use the onbase internet. Websites, such as Hulu/NBC/Fox, do not stream their videos to people without US IP addresses. These websites do not work for me when I am at home, since I live offbase, but they all work just fine when I am using the ships wifi. Thats because the onbase internet uses US IP addresses.

As for the rest of the questions in this thread, sorry, no help from this guy. I am a Yoko based type...

Hello. I have been here in Sasebo about a week. Here's what I can tell you. Hario has new two bedroom tower apartments open. Since your kids are both girls, you'll get a two bedroom. Everything is brand new and whirlpool. Hario is kinda far from the Main Base. I would suggest a car. My husband and I thought we could do without as well, he'd been stationed here on the Essex before we were married. Now he has shore duty. If you live on Main Base or in a Cho, you can walk anywhere and be fine. But getting from Hario to town or back can get expensive. The shuttle is $3 a person one way. The weather is kinda humid right now, and it's been raining since I got here. And from what I've heard, it'll be for a while. Hello rainy season. The commissary on base is really small, like county store small. And the NEX is divided into the Uniform and furniture store and everything else. It DOES have bath and body works products, I saw them yesterday. The Commissary on Hario is pretty big, the size of a normal grocery store and roughly the size of the Norfolk one. I haven't seen the NEX on Hario yet, but I was told it was small. The fruits and veggies are kinda slim because of the recent disaster. Right now, we're staying in the Gateway Inn with our 3 month old daughter. However, within the next week we should be in Hario in the Sakura Tower. We were told by someone already living in there that they are about 2000 square feet, including the storage.

Hope this helps.

2 bedroom with 3 dependents? I was told when I talked to the housing office that we qualify for a 3 bedroom with 2 children and myself being the dependents. Both of my children are girls, but they told me that with two children we get a 3 bedroom. Each child gets their own room, however we could take a 2 bedroom if we wanted it. Interesting.. I guess we'll see when we get there in June. I'm praying for the 3 bedroom, cause we've always had one having two children in Military housing..
It's nice to see you getting into a house so soon.. I'm hoping we get the same deal. I'd love not to stay in the lodge for that long. We're excited to get there!

Thank you Jstorm! I know that was a random question, but now I know I don't have to stock up See ya all soon!

well, you might. I just know that's what we were told. But with all the new units open and with all the people pcs'ing, you probably could. The master bedroom in Sakura are 12 by 12 feet, the 2nd is 12 by 10 feet. So, if you had to, I'm sure both girls could fit comfortably in there.

Seems as though we are getting different answers to the same question. I talked with my sponsor last night and she called the housing office and was told that we would get a 3 bedroom with 2 children. That's usually what we get when we live in housing. I guess we will see when we get there for sure. I seem to recall reading that the regs state if a child is over a certain age (I don't remember the age, but I think it's 10 or 12) they qualify for their own bedroom. So since Fish has 2 teenaged daughters she would qualify for a 3 bedroom based on their age, if not because she has 2 children. Who knows though.. everything seems to be a bit different overseas. We are just happy to have housing on base! Our sponsor was also told that the wait wasn't too long, and that the new towers would be opening soon, so hopefully we'll score one of those as well.
I'm wondering if it's rank or rate dependent? It shouldn't be, cause even if you are an E-1 and you have 2 or 3 children, you still need a house that fits them all.. Then again, I think there are a lot of regulations the navy has that are a little crazy.. )

If you're e7 or above, you automatically get a 3 bedroom. It works the same with officer rank as well. I was just going off what PSD told us about housing. I go to the briefing on Thursday, so I can tell you for def then.

Ok, well then that would make sense, cause my husband is an 0-3 about to make 0-4. I am curious about the briefing, so please post when you are done. Are you bringing your daughter with you? I'm curious if it's OK to bring our girls with us or do I need to sign them up at the youth center for that day. They are old enough to sit in the back and watch a movie on the dvd player with headphones or play their DS's quietly, if it's allowed. Thanks!

That right there is probably the reason. I'm going off enlisted info. Officers do get different entitlements, earned in my opinion. I took her to the indoc class, even though a bunch of men were upset. I can't help that babies cry or get restless, no more than I can help that she was too young to be at CDC that long. I asked today, and they said to please keep her with me at the housing brief. It shouldn't be too long. For indoc, you may want to let them hang out at the youth center. Until the field trip, then bring them with you. They'll like that. I liked it.

According to OPNAV INSTRUCTION 11101.13J This is how it is supposed to work.

"5. Bedroom Eligibility. The HA will apply the following bedroom
eligibility standards in order to provide equitable availability
of housing to all families. Unless otherwise specified below,
families will not be required to accept assignment to housing
that is less than the following minimum standards:
a. Bedroom Eligibility Based on Grade. Bedroom eligibility
based on paygrade is as follows:
(1) Senior officers (0-6 and above) are eligible for a
minimum of four bedrooms where available.
(2) Field grade officers (0-4 and 0-5) are eligible for
a minimum of three bedrooms where available.
(3) Chief Warrant Officers (W1-W4) and senior enlisted
personnel (E-7 through E-9) may be eligible for assignment to a
three bedroom unit regardless of family size. The HA has
discretion (depending on inventory and local conditions) to
establish a three bedroom minimum assignment policy for these
personnel.
b. Bedroom Eligibility Based on Family Composition. The
number of bedrooms for which a service member or civilian is
eligible is based on the following rationale:
(1) No parent(s) should have to share a bedroom with a
child.
(2) No more than two children should have to share any
bedroom.
(3) A child 6 years of age or older should not have to
share a bedroom with a child of opposite sex.
(4) A child 10 years of age or older is eligible for a
separate bedroom.
4
OPNAVINST 11101.13J
Enclosure (1)
(5) Married dependent parents will be assigned 1
bedroom. If the dependent parents are not married they will each
be assigned a bedroom.
c. Assignment to Units Lesser or Greater than Bedroom
Eligibility
(1) Families with a one or two-bedroom requirement will
be afforded equal opportunity regarding assignment to two-bedroom
units. When a one-bedroom unit becomes vacant, it will be offered
to the family with a one-bedroom requirement that is highest on
the two-bedroom list (see enclosure (3), paragraph 1).
(2) Any assignments to units with more bedrooms than
eligibility allows will not be made unless necessary to achieve
higher utilization. When the waiting list for a bedroom category
is exhausted, the HA will offer the next available unit in that
bedroom category to the member (with the same priority for
assignment) at the top of the next higher bedroom waiting list.
When that list is exhausted the HA will offer the unit to the
next lower bedroom waiting list.
(3) Members must agree in writing to accept a smaller
unit than their bedroom requirement and that once assigned they
will not be eligible for a larger unit. Documentation of
assignment to a lesser or greater bedroom requirement than that
for which the member is eligible must be retained on file for the
duration of the assignment.
(4) Upon confirmation of pregnancy which would increase
a member's bedroom requirement, the applicant's name will be
placed on the waiting list for the higher bedroom requirement.
(5) When a live-in aide is approved by the HA, the
bedroom eligibility may be increased by 1 bedroom.
(6) Sponsors who share custody of dependents must
provide proof of legal custody (final decree documents)
specifically stating that sponsor is entitled to custody for at
least 9 consecutive months a year in order to have dependents
considered for bedroom eligibility. A person not qualifying as a
dependent, such as a foster child, foreign exchange student,
etc., will not be considered when assigning MFH either with
regard to overall house size or the number of bedrooms.
(7) At locations lacking community housing (Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; Keflavik, Iceland; Adak, Alaska; Bermuda) personnel
may be freely assigned to units beyond their requirement in the
absence of government units equal to their requirement."


So if it does not I am not sure what we can do.  But we can chose to accept housing that is below our requirements.  So that may be what people are doing.   I have seen it done in another housing (State Side).    Just depends on how big the places are and if we could make it work.  I do know that once you accept a smaller place you are stuck until you get pregnant, something that in my case would never happen.  I am too old.  My girls are 13 and 15 so based on the reg we will get a 3 bedroom.

Fish

jstorm-
I have them signed up for the youth center during the week of indoc.. they are excited to meet new friends and go on the field trip. Truthfully I think I'm probably more nervous about making friends than they are!

Indoc was so boring for me. I can't imagine making anyone that didn't have to go through be there. The field trip, however, was so much fun. I wish it wasn't raining. They did a brief tour of the base, went to a Shrine, and then to the pier. At the pier there is an aquarium, and a pirate ship. Then we went over to Hario, then to AEON. AEON is a giant superstore. It's like a mall without separate stores. I can't really explain it. We didn't really go to many places, but it was really cool.

Sounds like normal indoc. Not looking forward to it but maybe it will be easier than finding my way around with out the official information.

Fish

That's what I was thinking too. It might be kind of boring, but I'm eager to learn all the info about the base and some Japanese things that I might not know. And lets not forget maybe even make a few friends!

One more random question.... Do you know if there is a CoCo's Curry house somewhere in Sasebo? That is my husbands favorite place from Okinawa and would be in love if there was one here too.

To be completely honestly, I've learned more from walking the base myself than from the indoc tour. You learn a little bit of Japanese, I suggest getting some kind of book or software to help you learn the alphabet. There is some English, but mostly it's Hiragana or Katakana. And Kanji. They give you lots of handouts. The Japanese lady that does the Cultural portion is not a normal Japanese person. Most are much more quiet and reserved. Eriko is very different...for lack of a better word. And she does this very funny okay. You'll see.

As for the the Coco's, I'm not sure. I'll check next time we go to the Ginza. That should be tomorrow, friday at the latest. I do know there are several Curry and Indian places.

I guess she needs to be a bit entertaining after the long boring indoc. But at least it is something to look forward to. can not wait to get there and meet you all.

There is a CoCo's in the LaLa shopping center complex on the other side of the Pearl Sea Resort from the base.

Thank you!!!

Keep the random questions coming.  I got some of my answers from an other thread on the school paperwork.  But now I would love to see peoples pictures of their homes in Sasebo.  Not the generic ones that are posted on One Stop.  We just got our first rain in 118 days and I am hoping that I will see more rain in Sasebo.  Are the winters wet and cold?  Or is the winter the dry season and the summer the wet season or is it always wet?   Weather has become a big deal to me now.  I have lived near Seattle for five years and now have lived land locked in the desert for three.  I seem to be getting the extremes.  

We're going to Hario this tomorrow and back on the ginza this weekend as well. I'll post more pictures of Sasebo on my facebook. You guys can add me if you want. www.facebook.com/jstormlala

Sweet I can't wait to see pictures!

Fish, the rainy season is about to start. It should rain for basically all of June, nonstop. July and August will be very hot and humid. There isn't much of a dry season in Sasebo, actually!

I'm so glad I love the rain!!!! Carolie, how cold does it get in the winter time and is there actual seasons? Like does it cool off in fall and are there any trees that change their colors? I heard it snowed this past winter, but does did it snow all the years you were there?

There are actual seasons -- it gets below freezing for a couple of weeks at night in the winter, and older homes with little to no insulation can be COLD. I didn't mind it though, and our utilities were higher in the summer, for the AC! It snowed once the first winter we were there, not at all for the next two winters, and twice during our fourth winter -- very little accumulation though! Trees change color, but because of the rainy season, there isn't much autumn color in Sasebo. For really amazing autumn color, take the bullet train to Kyoto for a long weekend!

Sasebo is about the same latitude as Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. It's hot and humid, with a long summer and a relatively mild winter. There are palm trees in Sasebo, if that gives you an idea of the climate. From late May through the beginning of July, it rains pretty much nonstop (I didn't mind, because it wasn't cold rain, and it kept it from being 100 degrees!) It's pretty rainy in November, too. Some people don't care for the climate in Sasebo, but I had enough spectacular spring days, sunny and clear July days and wonderful autumn and winter days that I didn't mind the really oppressive late July/all of August humidity and heat, nor did I mind the rain.

Are there any cherry trees? What is the vegetation like? I am looking forward to seeing gardens. I am living in the desert and garden is a bunch of rocks

Thank you so much for the details carolie! Pretty much all I heard before you came along was hot & humid summers and cold winters. I think I will like the weather

Fish: I live in the Mojave desert! I know 100% what you mean about rock gardens. Lol.

actnsweet I am stuck in White Sands Missile Range. Carolie Thanks again for the information. We all are getting excited about coming that direction although I am a long ways from going.

Just some more random silly questions about Sasebo. What do the young teens do for entertainment? Is there a skating rink? What about the base theater? How many shows a week? What kinds of sports are played? Is there a youth group? (church based) What are the programs that Youth Services offers? These are just a few of the recent questions from my girls (13 and 15)

Fish, Im not there yet, but I read that there is a theater and a bowling alley.. Also lots of sports and stuff for kids. I too am interested in Religious activities, as we are active church goers and my girls LOVE the church we attend now. I worked as the preschool and Nursery Coordinator at our church as well. I'm not expecting to find anything as large scale in Sasebo, but I'm hoping to find something that will be enjoyable for us all.. Let me know if you hear of anything.

I have a question regarding Sasebo as well. Is there a boat launch at Hario? After looking on Google maps it appears there is but I couldn't tell for sure.

No, sorry. There is not a boat launch here on Hario. We are not actually on the water.

There are TONS and TONS of cherry trees -- cherry blossom season is really beautiful (though brief!) Lots of flowers everywhere, and lots of vegetation. It's a very, very green country!

As for entertainment, there is a bowling alley, two movie theatres, a teen center, a pre-teen center and a really gorgeous new gym complex. There is also a traveling theatre group that comes and does a full theatrical production with the kids on base every year.

Your teens can also get involved in the community if they want -- it's a very, very, VERY safe country, and your teens could get involved with local students, walk to shopping, and enjoy classes and community activities in the local community if they are interested. I knew teens who took Japanese dance classes, flower arranging classes, calligraphy classes, etc. The local department stores also offer craft classes for teens and adults (I made my own parasol, did metal embossing, and made silver jewelry through the department store classes!)

There are several church youth groups, I believe, both on and off base, and lots of sports (soccer, softball, basketball, etc.) Check the MWR page for Sasebo at http://www.cnic.navy.mil/Sasebo/Fle.../index.htm and click on Navigator's Compass. Eventually, when they have the Showcase Magazine online again, that's the best way to see what's going on for teenagers.

We LOVED Sasebo, and hope to retire there someday!

You can read about some of the stuff I did while I was there at http://wordmagix.blogspot.com if you want.

I was just in Sasebo for 3yrs, hopefully I answer some of your questions. They have a Theater at both Main Base and Hario, but the bowling alley is only on Main Base. There are lots of sports for the kids, different teams for MB and Hario, they compete against each other. A couple times they'll play against the Japanese schools as well. Your right about not expecting anything on a large scale, but they do have Bible Study once a week in the afternoon and I believe also in the evening that the spouses attend. Also, I think you mentioned something about bringing your kids to the IOB class, they don't allow that, they suggest you put them in Child Care. When I went through it, a ladies son got sick and she missed half the class, well she had to make it up the next IOB class. You definitely want to be there for the driving portion, your test is on base, not to bad.. Also, housing, they do kind of have the ranks together, we were in a chief and Officer Tower which was really nice (brand new).. Its really what you make it.. If you have any other questions let me know!!

Thank you for your answers. I try to get on every once in a while to ask the random questions as they come up in my Family. Also to provide a place for us newbi's to ask more questions, so to keep this thread alive I will come in and bump it. The other forums seem to be more geared for Yokuska(SP). So this is more of a get ready to go to Sasebo thread. With specific information for Sasebo.