5 Days In (Written 7/17, Published 7/19)

It's hard to believe at this time last week we were getting ready to have lunch with Joslynn and her boys, and Margie with her girls.  Then we were to try for one last day at the lake...but weather and sickness intervened.  It seems so very long ago and so far away...not what I want to feel like.

It was incredibly difficult to leave.  I was an emotional basket case, and leaving each part and person of our life back home was every bit as hard as I knew it would be.  I am incredibly sentimental, and all the 'this is the last time here' or 'this is the last time with so and so' took its toll.

But now we are in Japan and I know I'll be fine.  Tommy, however, is asking how soon Ben is coming, Stanley longs for his cat and to catch frogs with Laura, Molly deems this library not nearly as wonderful, and little Audrey needs lots of extra hugs and kisses for Sha-pan ( as she calls it) is very too far away from her house.  They will adapt, but life is not even close to normal and they feel it.

Yokota Air Force Base is like a little America in Japan.  They have Burger King, Taco Bell, Baskin Robbins, Starbucks etc.  You would never know you were outside America, unless of course you venture beyond the gates.

Then it changes.  A lot!

Stanley could not understand where all the Japanese were, why we still heard English, and where was the oft spoken of bullet train?  So 2 days ago we ventured off base with our sponsors and he very quickly realized that we really did live in Japan after all.  We rode the train, discovered the Japanese wal-mart Seiju (much nicer than the American version) went to the market and thoroughly enjoyed our first look at this country.  The fish selection was AMAZING, any sea creature you thought of was there, and very fresh.  

The bicycles were everywhere, and I can understand why driving is not the best option for most travel.  We loved it though, and tonight we went back out for our first true Japanese culinary experience.  The children were very pleased to have to have to take off their shoes, eat at a low table, and use the chopsticks (which they have been practicing).  The food was delicious! 

We all enjoyed the experience.

Tomorrow we get our van!  Yay!  We move into our town house Tuesday, and we are very much looking fwd to establishing some sort of normalcy in our lives.

Looking forward to exploring this land of the rising sun and all it has to offer!

-Merri