Greetings from Yokosuka, Japan!

So here I am in JAPAN! It was a crazy long trip, and I'm just beginning to settle in here. Doesn't feel like I'm halfway across the world...

So as expected, out of the blue one day back at Corps school they told us all we were finally allowed to depart for our first duty stations. We scrambled to pack our gear in a flurry of excitement, and I was on the way to the airport with Bierer and Lopez by early afternoon. Our goodbyes at the airport were cut short, but I wish those two guys and the rest of dental strand 220-2 the best of luck. I already miss clowning around with Bierer and Lopez, and I hope they are settling in well to their new commands at the USS Pearl Harbor and USS Stennis, respectively. I spent last Thursday night at the USO in O'hare airport, taking advantage of their awesome hospitality, and sleeping on the floor until my flight the next day at 11:15am. Seriously, the USO is an amazing organization, and helps out us service members tremendously. Give to the USO! Ok, plug over. Burgos and I boarded our 13+ hour flight for Tokyo's Narita Aiport and were on our way. I slept almost the entire trip, except for when I was watching Due Date and Waiting for Superman. Once we got to Japan, it was 3:30pm on Saturday. We waited around until 7:30pm for the DoD bus to Naval Station Yokosuka, and arrived sometime around 9:30pm. I bid Burgos fairwell (he's doing shore duty at the hospital), and was escorted around base and finally to my new home, "the barge". Before I can join the crew of the ship, I have to complete 3 weeks of indoc training. This ensures I'm ready to handle life in Japan and aboard the ship (don't forget, if every marine is a rifleman, every sailor is a firefighter).

The barge is just that. A glorified tug boat next to the aircraft carrier. The carrier, btw, is an awesome sight to behold, and I never get tired of gazing upon it in awe. I can not WAIT to get aboard that baby! And probably get lost a million times. Anyway, when I arrived on the barge 10pm saturday night, I was pretty exhausted, and was told to find a rack and settle in. The racks are just barely big enough to lie down in, and I think boot camp had better accomadations! Well, it's not the greatest, but you get used to it after a while. And I suppose it does prepare you for the cramped life on board a sea going vessel. Humble roots indeed.

The base itself has a lot to offer. The galley is AMAZING, especially compared with that of Corps School. There's all kinds of american fast food joints to eat at too, a huge NEX, multiple gyms, and the single sailor center which is probably going to be my home away from ship most of the time. It's got free computer access, free phones to call back to the states, free movies all the time, and a dozen other ways to stay entertained. It's where I'm updating from right now.

Yesterday was my first time off base as well. The staff gave us a tour of "The Honch", the town in Yokosuka surrounding base. There's plenty of food/drink and entertainment options here, probably a good place to visit before I get my blue card. The blue card, which I get after 40 some trouble free days, allows me to stay out at night, instead of reporting back by 2130, which the policy is now. Yeah it sucks being restricted like I'm starting Corps School all over again, but they've had a few problems with sailors in the past creating international incidents (literally), so we have to live with the new stricter policies. It's sad that a few bad seeds can ruin it for the rest of us, but that's how it is. Anyway, all signs point toward me loving my time here in Japan. And I better, considering I'll be here for 3 years! It's exciting to think how much I'll have changed and developed by the time I leave here. I'll most likely be a 2nd class, with my Surface and Air warfare quals. Not to mention all the deployments!

Things are slow right now, still a lot of settling in and training to do, but I can't wait until I'm finally working on board the ship and fully experiencing all the amazing culture that Japan has to offer. Mt. Fuji, Tokyo, Yokohama, all the cuisine, Sumo wrestling, Karate, Kendo, learning the language, soccer and baseball games, castle tours, festivals, deployments around Asia and beyond, etc etc etc! So much is going to happen in the next 3 years. I just have to stay motivated and make the most of my time here. Let's get started!