Remember 3.11
It's the day of the great tsunami and earthquake of 2011. A day for rememberance and unity.
On that fateful day I was not in Northern Japan and my home was not swallowed up by the sea. Nor did I lose my children or my husband. My heart goes out to those that did lose one or more of these and who still try to deal with it every day as if it were yesterday.
I, Audrey and hubby were all watching TV in the bedroom. Audrey was 3 years old and we were getting ready to put her into daycare or kindergarten. The two boys were at elementary school. Suddenly the room began to shake. We are used to earthquakes here, but this one was different. Hubby jumped up and ran to open the front door and grab the liquid thermometer so it didn't fall. I grabbed Audrey and ran to the doorway of the bedroom which was right next to the front door, and we crouched there in fear and waited it out.
Julian was in an elevator and was stuck there for a few minutes. When he got home the electricity was out.
Alex was in English class at school and they all acted according to protocol - first going under their desks with their head padding on, then when the earthquake calmed, they all went to the courtyard to wait for the parents to come and pick them up. Hubby found out that we had to go pick him up from a neighbor, and they came home together.
Although in some of the lower level condos some TVs and Kitchen dishes crashed to the ground, the only damage at our home was some books falling out of the bookcase in the kids room. I went to the classroom to do class soon after.
We saw all the damage in Northern Japan and Chiba (where some gas storage tanks blew up) later on. We had friends in Northern Japan, one family in Fukushima, whose children could not play outside for a long time because of the nuclear accident due to the earthquake and tsunami. The only way we were affected was that goods transport from Northern Japan were stopped. We had a very hard time finding milk and I remember buying powdered milk to make do. Gas was also scarce and we ended up not being able to take Audrey to her kindergarden viewing because of it and chose daycare instead. But many people from Fukushima had to leave and try to make a living in other parts of the country. Many were discriminated against because of the nuclear accident on top of all they had lost.
But many people have gone to volunteer and help the victims and still remember and mourn with them. We will not forget what you have been through.
A song I introduced previously was written by the choir music composer Ko Matsushita and poet Keishi Itoh for the victims of 3.11. I'm sharing the one I wrote out the translation for again. The recording is not that great and no picture, but I thought the words would be more important today.
Also some pictures from Pinterest.
On that fateful day I was not in Northern Japan and my home was not swallowed up by the sea. Nor did I lose my children or my husband. My heart goes out to those that did lose one or more of these and who still try to deal with it every day as if it were yesterday.
I, Audrey and hubby were all watching TV in the bedroom. Audrey was 3 years old and we were getting ready to put her into daycare or kindergarten. The two boys were at elementary school. Suddenly the room began to shake. We are used to earthquakes here, but this one was different. Hubby jumped up and ran to open the front door and grab the liquid thermometer so it didn't fall. I grabbed Audrey and ran to the doorway of the bedroom which was right next to the front door, and we crouched there in fear and waited it out.
Julian was in an elevator and was stuck there for a few minutes. When he got home the electricity was out.
Alex was in English class at school and they all acted according to protocol - first going under their desks with their head padding on, then when the earthquake calmed, they all went to the courtyard to wait for the parents to come and pick them up. Hubby found out that we had to go pick him up from a neighbor, and they came home together.
Although in some of the lower level condos some TVs and Kitchen dishes crashed to the ground, the only damage at our home was some books falling out of the bookcase in the kids room. I went to the classroom to do class soon after.
We saw all the damage in Northern Japan and Chiba (where some gas storage tanks blew up) later on. We had friends in Northern Japan, one family in Fukushima, whose children could not play outside for a long time because of the nuclear accident due to the earthquake and tsunami. The only way we were affected was that goods transport from Northern Japan were stopped. We had a very hard time finding milk and I remember buying powdered milk to make do. Gas was also scarce and we ended up not being able to take Audrey to her kindergarden viewing because of it and chose daycare instead. But many people from Fukushima had to leave and try to make a living in other parts of the country. Many were discriminated against because of the nuclear accident on top of all they had lost.
But many people have gone to volunteer and help the victims and still remember and mourn with them. We will not forget what you have been through.
A song I introduced previously was written by the choir music composer Ko Matsushita and poet Keishi Itoh for the victims of 3.11. I'm sharing the one I wrote out the translation for again. The recording is not that great and no picture, but I thought the words would be more important today.
Click to viewAlso some pictures from Pinterest.