zach brannon turned 23 in 2010. i just picked up a degree in history from a college in indiana, no idea what to do next. and then he saw an offer for a job in japan, a two-year stint teaching english to elementary school kids, no japanese language skills required. >> why japan of all places? >> i don't think there's any rhyme or reason to it. i think it was just offered to me and i jumped on it. >> the town they sent him to in japan called kuji, a long way from his hometown of nashville, nashville, indiana. on sundays he skyped with his parents john and terry. john is a musician and terry a school guidance counselor. >> how did he seem to be doing? >> it was rough at first, the language thing was the big thing. >> you were a stranger in a strange land. >> yes, yes. >> was it a lonely feeling? >> yeah, it was. but it was made better by the fact that there were other foreign teachers in town. >> along with the teachers, there was one other person, a volunteer who helped the foreign teachers adjust, a local english spe