頑張って日本 ...

Hi All,

It’s been a little over a week since the twin disaster. It doesn’t feel like a week, it’s been a perceptual month.

Last week took me on a roller coaster of anxiety, sadness, worry, scare and impatience maybe frustration too.

I am happy to inform you that I am still physical fine and well.

I have been reading the news like I haven’t ever before in my life. My daily routine includes reading the headlines of the United Nations, the website of the American Embassy in Japan, BBC and CNN. There you might throw in the occasional journal of some country and Wikipedia pages on Chernobyl and Nuclear plant designs and Nuclear power… then breakfast.

The devastation in Japan is massive, and they say that it may take up to 5 years for Japan to recover… with that, if you can please contribute to the efforts towards Japan. Japan as a nation is very humanitarian and right now it could use all the help in can get.

頑張って日本！信じて！

Mishima is still safe. We are still feeling minor tremors (though one gave us a big fright a few days ago). Super markets are a bit under-stocked. But the essentials can still be found. We have had the rolling blackouts but it hasn’t affected me personally in any big way. Though for the first time in my life I also have an emergency-bag packed.

We found out from the C.I.E.L.D office that in Japan the way to deal with these situations is to full-throttle try to continue life. They told us “Japan knows it can recover from disasters”, though one of this magnitude has never occurred before. She said people continue to go to work and try to go back to normal life. This was one of the reasons that I decided to stay despite recommendations of the U.S. embassy as well as the Study abroad and Student exchange office at SBU to leave.

I’m not in any immediate danger this far from Tokyo and more so from Fukushima. I want to believe. I want to be brave and patiently wait as my Japanese friends are, for everything to be resolve.

Later.

Little Did We Know...

Hi All,

As you may have heard, (or if you haven’t I am questioning you), that Japan was hit by its biggest Earthquake ever! Like in it’s history, top 5 greatest ever recorded world history o.0!

I am fine. Yay =)

This is not my first earthquake experience; my first was (guess where) when I visited Japan summer 2009 –Of course. Japan counts for 20% of the worlds recorded earthquake (yeah a whole 1/5).

The experience…

Was unlike anything I have ever felt before. At first I thought, “I must be going crazy! My whole building can’t be wobbling”. I rushed out to my balcony to check for signs of people leaving and evacuating. I tried to call my friend to no success. I got a message from my friend on Skype verifying it was an earthquake and warning me that more tremors were coming.

I went downstairs and stayed in this building’s administrative office with the landlady. As we stayed we felt the following tremors and evacuated for one of them. The phones were down, incoming information was limited.

Before 4pm EST we decided it was safe to return to our rooms. The afternoon ended with a few more tremors.

The feeling…

It’s crazy looking at pictures and watching the news. I see it and think “wow this is just kilometers from where I am” and I can’t believe.

I felt loved by my family and friends. I am lucky to have them call, text and Skype with me to make sure I was all right.

I love you!!! and I am grateful for everyone who took the time to check on me.

Once the lines were up I sent massive texts to my friends in Japan and made sure they were ok as well, specially those closer to the Tokyo region. Two of them were stuck in the train, one had to stay a night at a hotel. But everyone is safe.

A thought…

I was in NYC for 9/11 and now in Japan for the greatest earthquake to strike it in its long history. I don’t know what this means but it makes me appreciate the little things, like the sandwich I had right after the experience, and candy.

No pictures this time. You can understand why.

Later.