They really are. It's a lot to take in at once, even if it's only little things. The lack of a monetary unit, the lack of anything familiar, the ocean being so close...

[Wait, Marine? What's a Marine? Ack! Unfamiliar terminology!]

I'm a Colonel and State Alchemist in my country's military, though it usually means I sit behind a desk and process paperwork while everyone else gets to be out on the field.