FAQ

Thought we'd share some of the most popular questions people have been asking us. Here's the Top Ten, in no particular order.


1. Why are we in jackets in all of our pics? Although Misawa is a mild climate, this July has been one of the chilliest in the past several years. Since we've been here, the highs have been generally ranging in the high 60's and low 70's. We had packed expecting a warmer July so we've been wearing the same couple pairs of jeans, pants, sweatshirts and jackets. Compared to the 90 plus degrees that it sounds like the midwest and east coast are experiencing, we aren't complaining about the weather here.


2. What is the time difference? We are 13 hours AHEAD of EDT.

3. How is it driving on the "wrong" side of the road? That has not proven to be a major issue thus far. Do take into consideration though that the maximum speed on Base is no more than 45 miles per hour...so it's not like we're driving thru major intersections at great speeds. Even off Base, the speed limits are much slower. It's the little things that confuse us...like trying to get into the wrong side of the car or turning on your windshield wipers instead of your turn signal (lucky for us it was raining the first few days we were acclimating ourselves to the driving so we weren't as conspicuous with windshield wipers on at intersections!)


4. Are you having trouble communicating with the Japanese? The majority of the Japanese people we have interacted with, speak at least a little English. We are getting better with our phrases and vocabulary and have a couple books and multiple cheat sheets. The Base also offers a Japanese language course that we will most likely take as we get settled in.

5. How big is Misawa? The town of Misawa has a population of 41,000. The Base population is approx 12,000 Active Duty and Dependents. (Assume that half of those are female and you're looking at Jason's patient population.) It's a very small community here. I don't know many people yet, and Jason hasn't started seeing patients, and yet we already bump into multipule people at the commissary (grocery store). I can't imagine what it will be like the longer we live here.

6. What is the food like? Well, that depends on where you're eating. The restaurants on Base are American food. There is a Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Deli and Grill, Cinnabon, a Mexican Restaurant, etc. Off Base, there are many wonderful options. The Japanese diet consists mainly of rice and seafood so there are great sushi places, Japanese restaurants serving all types of fish, lean meats, veggis and rice. Misawa also has great Italian (apparently the Japanese love their Italian food!), Chinese, Thai, Indian and American restaurants. There is even a McDonalds in Misawa. Misawa also has several grocery stores to buy all the components to make your own Japanese dishes.

7. Do we use Yen? The Japanese currency is the Yen. The value of the Dollar against the Yen changes daily, but since we've been here...it's been anywhere between 119-130 Yen per Dollar. The Base accepts both Yen and the Dollar and the Base has several ATM machines that you can get both American and Japanese currency from. Off Base, you can only use Yen. Japan is also a very cash orientated society so one hardly uses a credit card when off Base.

8. What time does the sun rise and set? Right now the sun comes up 4:00am and sets approx 7:45pm. This was one reason it was difficult to recover from jet lag. Both of us woke up around 4:30am the first several mornings, and you couldn't help but get up because it was already light outside! Even now, if you wake up at 6:00am, you feel like you slept in since the sun has been peaking thru the windows for a couple hours already. In the winter, the sun comes up around 7:30am and sets around 4:30ish pm.


9. When will Jason start working? Jason does not officially start taking call or seeing his own patients until this Tuesday, July 24. However, he has been very busy the past two weeks not only In-Processing, but completing official business and paperwork at the hospital so he will be logicistically ready to care for patients. Now that he has received his Hospital credentials, has his pager, has his temporary office set up, he has navigated thru a new computer system, seen a couple patients and scrubbed into a hysterectomy and is familiar with the Labor and Delivery and Operating Rooms...he is ready for take off!

10. Is it what you expected/are you having fun?
So far everything has been better than we had expected! We've been settling in so nicely that it's hard to believe that we have been here for less than 2 weeks. We hope that the next 3 years are as smooth and exciting as the past 12 days!