We have been in Japan for just over two weeks now, and the jet-lag is finally gone. Thank goodness! I thought I had experienced jet-lag before, but +13 hours is a mountain of change for our bodies. We have quickly become familiar with our immediate surroundings, but if we venture further than a 10 minute walk, we are still totally lost. It will just take time to grasp the enormous size of Tokyo.
Even in the largest city in the world, 7,000 miles from home, it really is "A small world, after all". To begin with, we met a colleague that grew-up in Duncan, SC and believe it or not, worked for a competitor of CFS in the vending industry many years ago before joining the foreign service. A few days later, while visiting an english-speaking church in Tokyo, we met a man from Greenville that works for Michelin and is TDY here in Japan. Just a day or so later, we met someone else that had a brother in grad school at Clemson! We just can't escape our southern roots, and honestly, I am so glad that is the case.
If there is one thing that really makes me feel great, it is a day-hike in a beautiful place with the people I love. In October, 2011 we took a trip to California and spent about 5 days touring around Yosemite NP and areas around Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra. This is a picture of a high mountain off of the Tioga Road. We enjoyed climbing around the domes that surround the high valleys. 
There are some things that you miss while in a foreign country. One of the things I miss the most here is the music. Although I enjoy many different varieties of music, to me country music reminds me of home the most. Most, but not all american radio stations do not allow international streaming of their music, so normally listening to an iPod is the best option.
