Japanese School Closures

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DODD Teachers Chatboard

Japanese School Closures

by Shamoont

Feb 27, 2020

I just read all schools will close for a month due to virus. When things like this happen, does the DODEA comply with the public as well? Will DODEA schools in Japan close for a month also?

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haha Good question. We're waiting to find out ourselves. There haven't really been things exactly like this before (at least not in recent memory) so it should be interesting. Some DoDEA schools have closed when local schools have in other countries, but necessarily for this length of time.

Feb 27, 2020

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Icanread It is a topic of conversation for sure! We are in Okinawa and so far, it hasn't really affected us (only 3 confirmed cases on the island). I know they are taking precautions without having to cancel school yet.

Feb 27, 2020

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IbeforeE a little bit of a side question but I am hoping for (and have been for 3 years) to be picked up for a job in Jp (Oki specifically) @Icanread or anyone else assigned in Oki - can you give me some idea of quality of life, activities for children and overall impressions? TIA

Feb 28, 2020

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Icanread Pros - I love that my children (ages 10 and 12) can come and go without me worrying about their safety. My husband works back in the states, and I have no safety concerns with being alone here (even at night). Everything you need is here. Plenty of shopping, restaurants, malls, activities, sports for the kids, meetup groups for adults (hiking, runn...See MorePros - I love that my children (ages 10 and 12) can come and go without me worrying about their safety. My husband works back in the states, and I have no safety concerns with being alone here (even at night). Everything you need is here. Plenty of shopping, restaurants, malls, activities, sports for the kids, meetup groups for adults (hiking, running, etc). There are always events on base and in the community - for single people or families. The Japanese are very polite drivers (no honking here!). LQA more than covers a nice place - Plenty of houses and apartments. It's a small community. You see people you know everywhere you go (which I like). The beach is beautiful! Winters are SO nice. It doesn't really get cold here. The humidity has been so wonderful for my son's eczema. You get Post Allowance which fluctuates but generally covers more than half of our grocery bill each month.

Cons - Fruit is outrageously expensive. You will not be buying watermelon, mangoes, or peaches here. I miss $5 packages of Costco strawberries. Here you get 12 strawberries for $7 (though they are the BEST ones you'll ever taste!). Traffic in Okinawa is terrible - it's congested and SLOW and streets are often tiny (buy the smallest car you can). There is also a lot of tourism here which contributes to the traffic. Okinawa has apparently passed Hawaii for the number of tourists each year. Housing is expensive! We pay $3000 a month for a 3 bed-2 bath house. LQA covers it all but you will need about $6000-8000 for move in fees in cash (if you don't have the money, you can get a pay advance) - security deposit (your own money that's not reimbursed), first month's rent, and the realtor fee. Getting a house takes a lot of foot work, talking to real estate agents, and hearing about available houses through the grapevine; none of the housing agents keep their websites updated. Summers are HUMID and hot, and typhoons (hurricanes) can be scary. We lost power for a week our first year here when Typhoon Trami hit (worst typhoon in 6 years). Travel to the US is loooong. You have to go to Seoul or Tokyo to get back to the US, which adds extra time to your travel.... But it's all worth it to live here :)

You're an SLP, right? I know ours is retiring in December. Keep your application updated and re-upload all our documents monthly (to trigger referrals). I think she plans to put her retirement paperwork in once the new school year starts. At that time, the principal can pull a referral list. I'm not sure of other SLP positions right now. Other government depts also need SLPs so keep an eye on USAJobs. There are jobs called "Early Childhood Special Educator" listed right now that I think you may qualify for.

Feb 28, 2020

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IbeforeE @Icanread - that was so helpful, esp the option for ECSE which I did not realize. Crossing fingers one day my fam and I can join you in Oki!

Feb 29, 2020

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