Harvard Workshop ASIJ

My experience as a fourth grader in Tokyo during 3.11 I was in the library, listening to my librarian read a book when the building started to shake. At first, we didn't think it was a big deal, but the shaking didn't stop. Books fell off the shelves, and carts full of books rolled across the room. We ran under the tables, and I grabbed onto the legs of the desk. Our tiny bodies were crammed. We knew it was an earthquake, but didn't quite understand what was going on. Once the quake subsided, we all evacuated to the gym. As we were walking out of the library, I saw a television monitor that showed a map of Japan with the eastern coast highlighted--the tsunami warning. Luckily, my mom was able to come pick me and my brother up quickly, and we rode the car home (stuck in heavy traffic). I remember freaking out, thinking (incorrectly) that the tsunami was going to come to our house. Thankfully, my family and I were safe.