A Foreign Experience

In my family we have 3 generations of Air Force.  I've been to more Air Force Academy football games than I could count, and even wore their cheerleading uniform.  It was destiny that my older brother, Blair, would attend the academy and then become a pilot.  While I was in high school, Blair and his wife, Holly, were stationed in Yokota, Japan, which is about an hour train ride outside of Tokyo.  I was fortunate enough to be able to go visit them the summer before my senior year of high school.  It was one of the best vacations I have ever been on, and coming from a daughter of a United pilot, that says a lot.

Once my parents and I arrived in Seattle, waiting to board our flight to Tokyo, I noticed a culture change.  First, half of the plane was Japanese or Asian.  As I walked around, I was hearing languages that did not sound remotely like English or even Spanish, which I studied in high school.  On the plane (which is 10 hours!) I was offered sushi for a meal.  I definitely knew I was no longer in Colorado.  Walking the streets of Tokyo, I stuck out like a sore thumb with my bright blond hair and blue eyes.  It seemed like everyone looked the same and were all heading in some important direction.  Tokyo was such a blast, yet I constantly would have people staring at me, wondering why in the world I was there and in their way.

Once we met up with my brother and sister-in-law,we headed out towards Yokota.  One of the places my brother took us to was a Saki factory.  Being 17, I had no idea what Saki was.  Sitting at the table while my parents tasted the various types of Saki, I was absorbing the atmosphere.  Japan is such a lush country and they take so much care with their gardening.  As I was sitting there, some older Japanese men (who were clearly drunk) came up to me and started rambling in Japanese and patted my head.  To be honest, I was freaked out.  Looking back on it, I find it quite humorous and know that they were probably shocked to see American there.  Overall, my trip to Japan was a eye-opening experience.  I saw how different cultures are and lived outside my comfort zone.