3.11 Personal Experience

It was a normal Friday afternoon. I was in my last period of the day (4B), PE, and we were out on the field playing Wacko-Ball. All of a sudden, the world started shaking. The field was moving about, the window panes in the cafeteria building were rattling, and all I could hear was my PE teacher yelling, "Get down! It's an earthquake." So we ducked and covered, but there was no seriousness in the exercise. We had no idea that the earthquake we had just experienced, devastated the lives of many in Tohoku. Being outside, without any dangers of lamps, books, desks falling on me, the extreme nature of the earthquake was lost. All I remember is being in my T-shirt and shorts, freezing. Looking back now, my selfishness shames me. There were so many in Tohoku who had lost their families, homes, friends, and were freezing. Yet, here I was, complaining of being a little cold. We took the bus home, a "grueling" 8 hour bus ride that seemed to take forever. Yet, once again, we didn't know the context and entirety of 3.11. We didn't understand that what was happening to us was the smallest of inconveniences. The next week was a blur. My mother and father looked like they had no sleep. My grandmother from Hawaii was just visiting during 3.11 and she looked pale and nervous. My sister, living in the States, called us crying and worried. We took minimal showers, turned off the lights and heat to save electricity. We stayed glued to the TV, looking for updates on the Fukushima situation. Life was tense. Eventually, we evacuated from Tokyo like other "fly-jins" and brought my grandmother back to Hawaii. My father stayed to work. We came back to Japan after two weeks. Life was not the same. Life was tense. Even today, my heart goes out to all still in evacuation centers. I wonder if life will ever go back to before 3.11. The 2020 Olympics may not be the best choice for Japan when there is still a lot that the Japanese government must do for their people. I hope for the best. But it is hard.