Over the last four years while living abroad, I have made my comparisons of what it was like living in Japan versus the United States. However, as time wore on, I became more and more desensitized over the differences as I got used to the people and customs in Japan. Being thrown back into the States refreshed so many of these nuances that I really wanted to write down the things I noticed so I wouldn't forget this time around. They aren't in favor of either country; I love different things between the two, and some things I will dearly miss about the Japanese people. What I can say, though, is that it is good to be back home :)
- Americans are fat. Yes, we all know this, but I sort of forgot how many are fat and just how big people get (not that I'm Little-Miss-Petite or anything…)! After being in a country of smaller sized people, and being stationed on a military base where the personnel are held to fitness standards, the percentage of larger people are drastically smaller in comparison.
- The Japanese are so much more respectful. They are brought up differently than Americans, and no matter where you go, whether at a business establishment or a McDonalds, the people will bow to you and are extremely courteous at all times.
- Americans are ruder. Lots of people have bad attitudes here, as we all know. Its sickening, especially since I'm one of those obsessive smilers and I think dealing with people with a good attitude goes a long way. One of the things that caught my attention when we first moved to Japan is that I thought that all Japanese were somewhat rude; they don't acknowledge you when you sit next to him (no head nod, no smile), there is minimal eye contact, and they don't hold the doors open for you. I have learned since that its not that they are rude, but that is their way of staying in their own "personal bubble." The Japanese aren't afforded the luxury of American's wide arch of a personal space that others try not to intrude upon; when they are in a crowded train, or walking down a bustling street, they are elbow to elbow with several others, all day long. They internalize their "personal space," and what I perceived as their "rudeness" was actually their way of being in their own space, and keeping out of yours.
- On that same note, Americans are genuinely kinder and sweeter as well! It was so refreshing when the kids and I ate at Denny's the other day (MMMM!!!), and our waitress Tammy was jam-packed full of that sweet Southern charm!! She must have thought I had the hots for her for as crazily I kept smiling after her, but it was so comforting to have someone with that brilliant, happy attitude, and she was infecting. I really missed that about my people :)
- I missed the country! Seventy percent of Japan is mountainous and nearly uninhabitable, and so the extremely large Japanese population is crammed into the small amount of available space. Also, it seems as if so much of Japan was built haphazardly; as if when Western influence finally infected Japan, they were in such a rush to build it up that it was without design, and buildings and roads were thrown up wherever there was an open spot, and not where it made logistical sense. I miss being able to drive from a metropolis area, be in the suburbs where houses have lawns, gardens, and trees; then drive a little further and be in a long stretch of country. I miss driving down the interstates during my many, many road trips and being lost in a sea of trees. Its so breathtaking seeing how beautiful nature really is.
- Japanese are more stylish (in their own sense). Lance and I realized early on that there are two types of Japanese people; those who dress up every day, or those who just wear whatever they pick out with their eyes closed and just don't care. But for the most part, most Japanese people are heavily fashion based and dress up for everything. The women are always in their cute short skirts, their super high heels, their leggings and boots with their funky jackets, you name it. Men have their own styles as well, lots more metro dressed men, or the guys who style their hair to look like Final Fantasy characters. Its rare to see a women wearing just plain old jeans and a t-shirt like Americans tend to, and the men even are slightly dressier in their casual wear. I have never realized how "American" and casual denim is, but whatever. I love my jeans and Converse :)
- Everything is bigger in America. And I mean everything… the cars, the food portions, the houses, the available land, the width of the roads, the interstate lanes, the space between buildings, the stores, the furniture, everything!! Its good being back here in the good ole' US of A, but boy! Do I feel spoiled with how abundant everything is!!
- The Japanese watch the entire movie at theaters… and I mean the entire movie! I think our first movie off base was Avatar at an iMax theater. The people were much quieter leading up to the previews at the start of the movie, but that didn't really surprise me much since the Japanese tend to be quieter anyhow. What did surprise me, however, is when the credits started rolling and I got up to put my jacket on, that the family and I were the only ones doing it! The lights were still out, and people were as silent and attentive as if it was the climax of the movie. We sat back down and pretended were weren't "that guy" making a fool out of themselves… and we were ready for the following movies we watched off base. Regardless, that was strange!
Those are just some comparisons that I can think of at the moment. Obviously there are much more, but being as overwhelmed as I have been lately, thats all my brain wants to spit out at me. I'll add any other interesting ones down the road that I can think of, both for your reading pleasure and for my gentle nudge in remembering these :)
We are back home! Home sweet home! After four days of traveling (which included two Thursdays), we have made it to my moms house and have been soaking up all the American-ness around us! Its Monday morning Tuesday night already (woops! Been so exhausted I never came back to this post), and I realized I'm far, far behind on my posts, so here's a recap!
We ended up leaving Thursday afternoon in quite a hurry. I really didn't anticipate leaving that soon because of our dogs and how slow the flights out had been, but it turned out that once the momentum built up, they sure weren't messing around getting people out! I had been mostly packed for days, but being the procrastinator I am, I wasn't truly ready to leave on Thursday… but oh well!
We ended up leaving Thursday afternoon in quite a hurry. I really didn't anticipate leaving that soon because of our dogs and how slow the flights out had been, but it turned out that once the momentum built up, they sure weren't messing around getting people out! I had been mostly packed for days, but being the procrastinator I am, I wasn't truly ready to leave on Thursday… but oh well!
Here's the kiddos posing in front of our glorious base housing. It was really strange leaving the house since we won't be going back! I have been ready to move, but it was weird leaving so suddenly the way we did.
Alex wanted to help pull the luggage to our meeting point...
but quickly delegated the job to Lance
The chitlins (as daddy and I like to call them…or sometimes shitlins) posing with the doggies before their flight!
We all had to meet up at the movie theater to initially check in and make sure we had the appropriate paperwork, then head over to another meeting point to talk to many departments and officially check in, and FINALLY head over to the hangar and sit around and wait for our flight. We had to wait a few hours since they were a little backed up from the previous flight, but despite how incredibly cold it got in those few hours, the base really did a great job putting all of this together.
(Forgive the yellow-ness of the pics… its the lighting of the hangar). They had areas set up for the kids to play, cots set up to rest on, snacks set up, and we could even meet up with our dogs one more time for a final walking.
Which… in hindsight I regret doing. As it turns out, walking your dog in the dark where lots of other dogs were just walking leaves a plethora of land mines. Which means that when you sit on your cot Indian style (oooo… how un-PC of me), smear dog poopoo on your jeans, and not realize that the atrocious smell is actually you. Right before you board an international flight. With nowhere to clean yourself up because all they have there are portapotties and Purel. Crap.
Lance had a blast on these mats intended for the movie viewing area, which ended up being the 2nd-4th grade boys' wrestling ring.
He sorta got his butt kicked.
A lot.
Poor Alex had been sick for days, and just when I thought she was starting to get over it, being stuck in the cold for hours just reignited her terrible cough.
The kids were so excited to get going! The kids realized that this was the last time they would be standing on Japanese soil for possibly the rest of their lives, and we all had our "wow…" moment.
Chizu!
Our flight was long, but pretty uneventful. Initially we thought we were flying to Seattle, but it turned out we landed in Anchorage to refuel, then flew straight to Travis Air Force Base for our stateside processing. It was really cool to see the "welcome" sign… what a way to come back home!
I honestly cannot say enough good things about how the amazing people at Travis handled us. They went way, way above and beyond their duties and I am still speechless over how wonderful they all were. We arrived at about 7pm, and they had nearly as many volunteers there as there were of us. They had tons of food, play areas for kids, toiletries, calling cards, and any other comforts or conveniences we could use while we waited. We had to do a whole 'nother round of processing (geez!), but I understand that the military needs to keep track of its people and all of the things that goes along with it (such as our housing, medical benefits, etc.)
We were one of the last families called, and it actually worked out in our favor. They had been working long before our arrival to have our connecting commercial flights booked for us, as well as our hotels according to which airport we would be going to. Remembering what a gigantic ordeal it was getting Zeus (the Great Dane) TO Japan, I knew I had to talk to the travel people regarding out tickets. I had listed that I wanted to go back to Virginia Beach (therefore the Norfolk airport), however they do not have planes at that airport big enough to accommodate Zeus's crate. To get Zeus to Japan, my mother had to drive 3.5 hours up to D.C. to get him on a flight at Dulles. I was sure I would encounter this same problem.
The travel agent worked her tail off trying to figure out if we could in fact fly into Norfolk, avoiding going to D.C. and having to drive myself down to my mom's. After lots of trial and error, she finally got our flight, but no luck on Norfolk. The entire time, a slew of people kept an eye on the kids, offering us snacks and drinks, helped the kids to the restrooms (since I was busy with paperwork stuff), and just being so sympathetic and helpful in every regard. Zeus's flight hassle ended up taking so long that every family had already been bussed to their respective hotels, and we were the only ones left. So what happened? They had our own special bus with a handicap lift (for the huge crate), as well as a 4 airmen escort, all the way to my hotel which was an hour and a half away! We were being flown out of San Francisco, and so those awesome Air Force members drove us that long way, walked our dogs at the hotel, then brought all of our luggage and crates up to our sixth floor room!! Talk about first class service! I felt so honored that these guys were so gracious, generous, and sincere about their caring for what they were doing.
By the time we were in our room and settled, it was 2am and we pretty much crashed right away (after my 15 minute panic attack where I thought I left my folder with every shred of importance and identity on the bus…turns out I brilliantly tucked it in Alex's backpack.)
The next day I waited for the airport shuttle early (in the event that there was a problem with getting Zeus there), and guess who happened to be there? One of the guys from the night before who helped me with Zeus! He was escorting another bus of new arrivals to the hotel, and he remembered me and rushed over and helped load him in the shuttle!! That really made my day.
Our flight from San Francisco to D.C. was overnight, and we arrived on the east coast at 6am… and I didn't sleep a wink. I had to rent a big ole' vehicle that would hopefully fit Zeus's crate and our luggage, and since it didn't, I just ditched his crate. I was too tired and didn't care (plus it was slightly damaged, so I didn't feel as guilty). I got to relearn how to drive in the States with a rental on the interstate in D.C. with a giant dog trying to give me kisses from behind my seat. Yes, you could say I was slightly nervous. It actually was a great way to get back on the road because the traffic wasn't bad, and all I had to do was drive straight on, so after three hours of driving, I felt confident enough to get on smaller streets. Before we made the bulk of the trip, however, I had to stop and get breakfast at Chik-Fil-A! Oh, boy was it glorious!! There is so much food that I have been missing, and that was definitely high on my list.
We drove to my mom's house and have been hanging out since! It was great to see the people I have seen so far, but its so strange to see how much people have changed! Its easy for the years to slip by, and sometimes I think that four years isn't that long. It really is though… its been nearly half a decade since I've seen my family and been here in the States. Alex just finished kindergarten when we moved, and now she's almost ten years old. Lance Jr still wore diapers at night, and now he has almost all of his front permanent teeth. If I see how much the people I love have changed, I can only imagine what is running through their minds when they see me, but especially my kids.
I have really enjoyed my time in Japan, but it was time for our family to finally come home after all these years. We are waiting for Lance to be reunited with us in a few short months, and in the meantime, the kids and I will enjoy our time with the grandparents before we move on to Washington state. Once Lance is back home in our arms, we are going to soak up every moment we can with him, after these rough couple of years of having him away so much. I'm excited to start this new adventure in our lives, and it will be interesting to reflect three years from now, when we transfer again (not evacuate!!), how much has changed in those quick few years.
Today was a bummer, but I knew it was coming. We finally had to say goodbye to Lance for real this time, and now he is off serving our country out of harm's way. For what he does, there was no logistical need for his command to be on the base in light of what is going on. In order to clear up the runways, as well as to keep our sailors safe, most of them not involved in Operation Tomodachi have been moved elsewhere.
It was pretty sad saying bye to him this time for several reasons. For one thing, I feel like every time that man leaves the house I tell myself and the kids "its ok, this will be one of the last time daddy has to go away for a loooong time," but it never ends up being true! In 2009, I was excited that it was Lance's last cruise for this sea tour, but we ended up extending for another year. Which meant a 2010 cruise. All of 2010, I reminded us all "this is daddy's last cruise and detachments… we are almost done!" This year brought unsuspecting detachments and now THIS! Ah well, I have to suck it up and be thankful that we are safe and we are separated for good reasons. (I just noticed how much I've written about being thankful lately! Dang redundancy again!)
Also, it was strange leaving the house with him today, knowing that this was the last time we would be in this home together. It was a thought that hadn't crossed my mind until we were almost ready to leave, and then it just made me stop in my tracks and it caught me off guard. Don't get me wrong, I've had a blast here in Japan, but I'm very ready to leave at this point, and yet the thought of us rushing out of here as a segregated family felt unnatural.
More families flew out today, and we are starting to notice a momentum building up with getting people out of Japan. One plane left Monday, one today, and two are scheduled to leave tomorrow, so thats a step in the right direction. Perhaps by this weekend the kids and I will get a flight out.
Radiation levels are consistently being tested at bases across Japan, and with continued damage at nuclear plants, radiation still poses a serious potential threat. The levels in my area were slightly elevated today, but apparently it is no more exposure than one would normally experience in our modern day-to-day life. Trace amounts are still found in water, and the official announcement is quite vague, stating that "at normal rates of water consumption, this would pose no health risk"… "those concerned about drinking water, bottled water is recommended." Ambiguous, much? To recap: kids are still under house arrest, heaters are turned off, and now we will start drinking bottled water exclusively. I know that the levels tested are said to not pose any threat to health, but if being a little overcautious with my kids can potentially prevent them from developing thyroid cancer down the road, then consider all other successes in my life meaningless compared to this one.
For those who are interested, this site is updated with regional radiation levels. We are in the Kanagawa prefecture.
My day has consisted of somewhat sorting/organizing the house for our "move" (lol), and researching what the heck I'm going to do once we get stateside. I'm researching hotel/efficiency/furnished apartment options, and trying to figure out how in the world my Great Dane fits into all of this. I love him to death, but boy! does my life really revolve around that big boy!
Also, this evening has been particularly active as far as earthquakes and aftershocks go! I swear my whole night has revolved staring at my own personal Richter Scale, as seen below. Since I don't have space for a computer desk in this teensy house, I put my computer on the kitchen table when I'm using it, and so my Richter Scale dangles right over my head, reminding me of its purpose and taunting about the quakes. That stupid thing has been rocking and rolling all night!
Another interesting link I can share with you details earthquakes in Japan, starting right before the March 11th quake. Watch the screen while it loads, its quite interesting to see the progression of the quakes and the magnitudes. After the screen loads to the most recent quake, you can then hover over the past information and see a representation of how large it was. Pretty nifty, if you are into that sort of thing :)
School was back open today, but the kids didn't go because they weren't feeling well. Alex has been sick for the past 3 days with a fever and a persistent sore throat, but as the day progressed today, she seemed to have been getting significantly better. Lance… well, he's my hypochondriac/actor (deadly combo for moms), and since he felt a little warmer this morning, I didn't feel like fighting him. Kids are getting booted out of the house tomorrow no matter what so I can try and be Super Woman and tackle my incredibly neglected to-do list (I hate that I work better under pressure and a deadline - who wants that for themselves?!).
And with that, it is time to retire to bed finally…in my cold bedroom, without my husband's radiating warmth.
It was pretty sad saying bye to him this time for several reasons. For one thing, I feel like every time that man leaves the house I tell myself and the kids "its ok, this will be one of the last time daddy has to go away for a loooong time," but it never ends up being true! In 2009, I was excited that it was Lance's last cruise for this sea tour, but we ended up extending for another year. Which meant a 2010 cruise. All of 2010, I reminded us all "this is daddy's last cruise and detachments… we are almost done!" This year brought unsuspecting detachments and now THIS! Ah well, I have to suck it up and be thankful that we are safe and we are separated for good reasons. (I just noticed how much I've written about being thankful lately! Dang redundancy again!)
Also, it was strange leaving the house with him today, knowing that this was the last time we would be in this home together. It was a thought that hadn't crossed my mind until we were almost ready to leave, and then it just made me stop in my tracks and it caught me off guard. Don't get me wrong, I've had a blast here in Japan, but I'm very ready to leave at this point, and yet the thought of us rushing out of here as a segregated family felt unnatural.
More families flew out today, and we are starting to notice a momentum building up with getting people out of Japan. One plane left Monday, one today, and two are scheduled to leave tomorrow, so thats a step in the right direction. Perhaps by this weekend the kids and I will get a flight out.
Radiation levels are consistently being tested at bases across Japan, and with continued damage at nuclear plants, radiation still poses a serious potential threat. The levels in my area were slightly elevated today, but apparently it is no more exposure than one would normally experience in our modern day-to-day life. Trace amounts are still found in water, and the official announcement is quite vague, stating that "at normal rates of water consumption, this would pose no health risk"… "those concerned about drinking water, bottled water is recommended." Ambiguous, much? To recap: kids are still under house arrest, heaters are turned off, and now we will start drinking bottled water exclusively. I know that the levels tested are said to not pose any threat to health, but if being a little overcautious with my kids can potentially prevent them from developing thyroid cancer down the road, then consider all other successes in my life meaningless compared to this one.
For those who are interested, this site is updated with regional radiation levels. We are in the Kanagawa prefecture.
My day has consisted of somewhat sorting/organizing the house for our "move" (lol), and researching what the heck I'm going to do once we get stateside. I'm researching hotel/efficiency/furnished apartment options, and trying to figure out how in the world my Great Dane fits into all of this. I love him to death, but boy! does my life really revolve around that big boy!
Also, this evening has been particularly active as far as earthquakes and aftershocks go! I swear my whole night has revolved staring at my own personal Richter Scale, as seen below. Since I don't have space for a computer desk in this teensy house, I put my computer on the kitchen table when I'm using it, and so my Richter Scale dangles right over my head, reminding me of its purpose and taunting about the quakes. That stupid thing has been rocking and rolling all night!
Another interesting link I can share with you details earthquakes in Japan, starting right before the March 11th quake. Watch the screen while it loads, its quite interesting to see the progression of the quakes and the magnitudes. After the screen loads to the most recent quake, you can then hover over the past information and see a representation of how large it was. Pretty nifty, if you are into that sort of thing :)
School was back open today, but the kids didn't go because they weren't feeling well. Alex has been sick for the past 3 days with a fever and a persistent sore throat, but as the day progressed today, she seemed to have been getting significantly better. Lance… well, he's my hypochondriac/actor (deadly combo for moms), and since he felt a little warmer this morning, I didn't feel like fighting him. Kids are getting booted out of the house tomorrow no matter what so I can try and be Super Woman and tackle my incredibly neglected to-do list (I hate that I work better under pressure and a deadline - who wants that for themselves?!).
And with that, it is time to retire to bed finally…in my cold bedroom, without my husband's radiating warmth.
In an effort to stray time to time from the crisis we are dealing with, here is another silly post for you, highlighting the fact that we are still living our lives as normal as possible.
Are you curious what the heck "normal" and "toe bread" have in common? Ya… nothing is ever quite normal in our family, but I'll bet my remaining yen that your family has a few wacko moments also!
I stopped by the store to pick up a few incidentals earlier, including a loaf of bread. Lesson for the day: take care of your squishy food right away, especially if you have a super duper jumbo dog!
Case in point! My poor loaf of bread, which was on the hallway floor still in the grocery bag, waiting to be put away. Zeus, as crazy as he always is, decided it was the perfect resting spot for his delicate foot, and he destroyed my sandwich staple!! See the perfect outline of his ginormous foot in my bread??
And the kicker… you can even see the indentation from his toe! The kids got a kick out of this, and hearing their hysterical laughter over who was going to eat the "peanut butter and toe bread sandwich" definitely released a little bit of this stress I've been bogged down with.
These little moments in life are what matter and are precious to me.
Are you curious what the heck "normal" and "toe bread" have in common? Ya… nothing is ever quite normal in our family, but I'll bet my remaining yen that your family has a few wacko moments also!
I stopped by the store to pick up a few incidentals earlier, including a loaf of bread. Lesson for the day: take care of your squishy food right away, especially if you have a super duper jumbo dog!
Case in point! My poor loaf of bread, which was on the hallway floor still in the grocery bag, waiting to be put away. Zeus, as crazy as he always is, decided it was the perfect resting spot for his delicate foot, and he destroyed my sandwich staple!! See the perfect outline of his ginormous foot in my bread??
And the kicker… you can even see the indentation from his toe! The kids got a kick out of this, and hearing their hysterical laughter over who was going to eat the "peanut butter and toe bread sandwich" definitely released a little bit of this stress I've been bogged down with.
These little moments in life are what matter and are precious to me.
Life in my house has been fairly uneventful the past couple of days (therefore no juicy update yesterday). Everyone is still waiting to be called for their turn for boarding the plane, but with our base's sized runway, we can only harbor smaller ones, which means smaller groups of people. Pregnant women, those with health issues, and very young children are the first ones selected to leave, so we are being patient, living life as ordinarily as we can.
Yesterday Lance got orders for the kids and I, which basically means we have official military paperwork stating that we are undergoing a voluntary evacuation, as well as our per diem rates for travel expenses. Just another thing to add to my ever growing "super important" accordion file I have to keep with me.
School was closed Friday and today, but it will reopen tomorrow for those who are still here. Teachers are not allowed to leave unless it is a mandatory evacuation, and the schools are hoping to instill some normalcy back into kids' lives. Sounds good to me!
Lance is still home, lucky for us. He was supposed to leave today, but some higher ups had him trade off with a single guy so he could hopefully be here to help me leave with our big dog (can you tell whoever made this decision has a giant dog as well? hehe). That worked in our favor, and I'm thankful for such consideration. I dread the thought of traveling with Zeus, but that is a road that had to be crossed anyhow. Time to suck it up!
My "reality check" for the day is that the military issued Potassium Iodide (KI) to all military personnel as well as dependents. Let me stress that this is strictly a precautionary measure; I don't want any family members to get worked up over that. However, if the time comes to where we need to take it, at least we all have it on hand and there will be no chaos rushing out and trying to get it frantically.
As I understand it, our thyroids absorb iodine naturally through food and vitamin sources. Once our thyroid reaches its iodine "capacity," it stops absorbing and uses the stores it has. By taking the KI pills, it will "fill up" our thyroids, therefore preventing our bodies from trying to absorb the radioactive iodine that is present during nuclear disasters.
Lovely, huh?
Anyways, I've been glued to the computer pretty much nonstop since all of this insanity has started, and my house is definitely reflecting that. I guess I should quit avoiding my normal responsibilities and get back to it.
After I check my FaceBook for updates really quick!
So, nothing really to write about, but I feel obligated to have a daily update since I have been pretty faithful about it lately. Plus I'm dang tired of my life revolving around this crazy mess, so ya. No real update for you today!
Instead, here is a teensy glimpse of what its like at my house currently, lol. I'm being slightly overprotective and keeping the kids in the house, which they don't really mind because they are playing way more video games than they normally are allowed to!
This afternoon I ended up taking a nap, and I woke up to find this passed out, strung out on the recliner upside down. What the heck did he do when I was sleeping?? (and yes, he sometimes sleeps with his eyes partially open *shudder*)
Instead, here is a teensy glimpse of what its like at my house currently, lol. I'm being slightly overprotective and keeping the kids in the house, which they don't really mind because they are playing way more video games than they normally are allowed to!
This afternoon I ended up taking a nap, and I woke up to find this passed out, strung out on the recliner upside down. What the heck did he do when I was sleeping?? (and yes, he sometimes sleeps with his eyes partially open *shudder*)
Earthquake/tsunami/radiation issues are still the foremost topic in my life, so forgive the redundancy in my posts.
The voluntary evacuations are still in place, but I suppose getting enough planes here, while keeping Operation Tomodachi the number 1 priority, is a bit of a challenge. Pretty much all we are doing is the hurry up-and-wait game.
I had a rather funny/not-so-funny moment earlier today I have to share. The past two days, I've noticed that the earthquakes and aftershocks have seemed to slow down quite considerably, and earlier today a friend of mine on FaceBook made that same observation. I told her how funny that was and how much I appreciated the break, and other friends of hers said the same. Wouldn't you know, just three hours after her post, a 6.1 earthquake hit? It was a fairly long one, and I stopped in my tracks, my heart racing frantically, as I waited to see whether I should scream to wake up Lance (who is still trying to catch up on sleep) and to tell the kids to get in the doorway. As soon as those thoughts crossed my mind, the shaking stopped, and I felt silly for my overreaction.
Earthquakes used to be a neat novelty, but they are no longer fun in my book.
Other than that, its been a pretty quiet day. I've been glued to FaceBook the past few days since our base's page is the most current and official information that is being reported. Sadly, the people who are running the page have been overwhelmed by frantic people, and people posting rumor upon rumor on the page that they had to block comments on the page. I hope people appreciate the nonstop updates that they've been providing and keeping us informed. Those people are volunteering their time, sacrificing time from their families and "real" life, all in order to help us out. There are so many haters out there, and its sad that the small percentage that those haters make up can make such a disproportionate ruckus.
The kids are doing good, albeit antsy. They are so excited of the prospect of being on a plane and going to the states and doing something different, so keeping them calm and sane has been my major challenge (all the while keeping them locked indoors!). I keep reminding them that though we are still waiting, at least we are given a few extra days with Daddy, so that really does seem to make a difference in their attitudes, and they are reminded to enjoy what they have.
Thats all the news for now! Until tomorrow...
Things are all sorts of interesting here! We are all safe and thinking of this as the adventure it sort of is, so here is a recap of our day for those following along.
This morning there were base-wide meetings regarding the voluntary evacuations for dependents. Obama has approved the voluntary evacuations, but something of this scale and magnitude has never been orchestrated before. Organizing such an effort has been monumental and taxing, especially since all of the forces located in Japan are actively involved in Operation Tomodachi as well, and our base is a major hub for the relief effort.
The meetings this morning described to us how the process will work as far as evacuations, and we had to sign up on the list if we were interested in being evacuated (if situations heighten and get worse, it would become mandatory at some point). We are all assigned a category according to our youngest child's age, and that is how we are prioritized in regards to flights. People who are in charge of putting this all together have been phenomenal, and I cannot imagine the stress that they and their families are going through having to figure out how all of this will work smoothly.
While I was at the meeting, Lance (who had no sleep after standing a midnight - 8am watch, and has been running on 1-2 hours a sleep for the past week or so) and Alex took the dogs to the Army base a few minutes away from us to get our dogs' health certificates and vet records for whenever we do fly out. He had his own adventure having to wrangle a Miniature Schnauzer in heat, as well as a Great Dane who is positively out of his freaking mind thanks to his raging hormones. Why haven't I got either of them fixed yet?? Add that to my to-do list…
After my meeting, Lance Jr and I walked over to the clinic to check out our medical and dental records in preparation for our "move." (We are supposed to be transferring back stateside in June, so if/when we do get evacuated, we will not be returning to Japan). I said goodbye to the few people working at dental today, and I am truly saddened that my time with them has been cut short! I have never in a million years thought that I would be working in the dental field. For one, I am a pansy when it comes to health stuff. I can tough it out for my kids if they are hurt, but I just cannot handle "stuff" and always brushed off the idea of working in the health industry. And two: I hate the dentist. Loooooaaathe the dentist… almost to a point of a phobia, but I have grown so much since being a part of this program, and I'm glad that I'm facing my fears in such an unconventional way. The group of people I've had the honor to work with has been absolutely amazing, and for the first time in my life, I had the honor to work with people I felt like I really belonged to.
Off of my tangent: the rest of our day has been gathering personal records, packing suitcases, then UNpacking and REpacking them as the rumor mill went crazy over how much we were allowed to pack (thankfully official information finally came out, stating that adults are allowed one 50 pound bag; children 30 pound bags. Not much for a spur-of-the-moment "I'm moving!!" type of packing, huh?). The kids and I ran errands while Lance napped; I had to close out the kids' school lunch accounts, return school library books since they will probably not be going back, set up a forwarding address, and a few other things that had loose ends.
Lance slept off and on all day, but the poor guy kept getting phone calls probably every 30 minutes or so, and I feel terribly for him. As I've said before, he's been my rock and has been so strong for me, and all I wish for him is to finally get some rest so he doesn't get worn down. He is set to leave the area as well, but he could leave in an hour's notice. He is all packed up and ready to go for whenever the call comes in.
All in all, we are all doing great and are safe at the moment. Things are very fluid, and nothing can change that fact since we are all operating under what is the priority at the moment. For family reading this, we honestly are doing fine, and just keep the people who are really suffering in your thoughts and prayers as well. So many people have perished, are lost, or homeless. So many are risking their lives in order for the greater good, including the men and women in our military and in my community. In retrospect, we (my family) are very fortunate and have suffered hardly any hardships, and I feel selfish complaining because there is so much out there that is so much bigger than me. Please keep praying that those involved in cooling the reactors at Fukushima can do so quickly and safely, as so much depends on their efforts (and yet they will be punished severely for being so heroic).
This morning there were base-wide meetings regarding the voluntary evacuations for dependents. Obama has approved the voluntary evacuations, but something of this scale and magnitude has never been orchestrated before. Organizing such an effort has been monumental and taxing, especially since all of the forces located in Japan are actively involved in Operation Tomodachi as well, and our base is a major hub for the relief effort.
The meetings this morning described to us how the process will work as far as evacuations, and we had to sign up on the list if we were interested in being evacuated (if situations heighten and get worse, it would become mandatory at some point). We are all assigned a category according to our youngest child's age, and that is how we are prioritized in regards to flights. People who are in charge of putting this all together have been phenomenal, and I cannot imagine the stress that they and their families are going through having to figure out how all of this will work smoothly.
While I was at the meeting, Lance (who had no sleep after standing a midnight - 8am watch, and has been running on 1-2 hours a sleep for the past week or so) and Alex took the dogs to the Army base a few minutes away from us to get our dogs' health certificates and vet records for whenever we do fly out. He had his own adventure having to wrangle a Miniature Schnauzer in heat, as well as a Great Dane who is positively out of his freaking mind thanks to his raging hormones. Why haven't I got either of them fixed yet?? Add that to my to-do list…
After my meeting, Lance Jr and I walked over to the clinic to check out our medical and dental records in preparation for our "move." (We are supposed to be transferring back stateside in June, so if/when we do get evacuated, we will not be returning to Japan). I said goodbye to the few people working at dental today, and I am truly saddened that my time with them has been cut short! I have never in a million years thought that I would be working in the dental field. For one, I am a pansy when it comes to health stuff. I can tough it out for my kids if they are hurt, but I just cannot handle "stuff" and always brushed off the idea of working in the health industry. And two: I hate the dentist. Loooooaaathe the dentist… almost to a point of a phobia, but I have grown so much since being a part of this program, and I'm glad that I'm facing my fears in such an unconventional way. The group of people I've had the honor to work with has been absolutely amazing, and for the first time in my life, I had the honor to work with people I felt like I really belonged to.
Off of my tangent: the rest of our day has been gathering personal records, packing suitcases, then UNpacking and REpacking them as the rumor mill went crazy over how much we were allowed to pack (thankfully official information finally came out, stating that adults are allowed one 50 pound bag; children 30 pound bags. Not much for a spur-of-the-moment "I'm moving!!" type of packing, huh?). The kids and I ran errands while Lance napped; I had to close out the kids' school lunch accounts, return school library books since they will probably not be going back, set up a forwarding address, and a few other things that had loose ends.
Lance slept off and on all day, but the poor guy kept getting phone calls probably every 30 minutes or so, and I feel terribly for him. As I've said before, he's been my rock and has been so strong for me, and all I wish for him is to finally get some rest so he doesn't get worn down. He is set to leave the area as well, but he could leave in an hour's notice. He is all packed up and ready to go for whenever the call comes in.
All in all, we are all doing great and are safe at the moment. Things are very fluid, and nothing can change that fact since we are all operating under what is the priority at the moment. For family reading this, we honestly are doing fine, and just keep the people who are really suffering in your thoughts and prayers as well. So many people have perished, are lost, or homeless. So many are risking their lives in order for the greater good, including the men and women in our military and in my community. In retrospect, we (my family) are very fortunate and have suffered hardly any hardships, and I feel selfish complaining because there is so much out there that is so much bigger than me. Please keep praying that those involved in cooling the reactors at Fukushima can do so quickly and safely, as so much depends on their efforts (and yet they will be punished severely for being so heroic).
I realize that I have been entirely selfish in my blog updates regarding the disasters that are occurring here in Japan. Since I tend to write about my family and our everyday dealings in this blog, I decided to keep these updates as a more personal account of what I and my family are going through, especially since we live so far away from home and many family members check this for trivial updates on us (not so trivial anymore, eh?)
The big deal here right now is the nuclear power plant in Fukushima (actually, the plant is the reason for the evacuation. More on that later). The plant is a little over 250 miles north east of us (if you scroll down to the Earthquake!! post, there is a map with where we are as well as Fukushima). There have been explosions at the plant, seeping radioactive material into the air. A few days ago, people in my area were advised to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure due to the radiation in the air, but the levels dropped to nearly immeasurable amounts within a few short hours, so we have been fortunate there. I still do not let the kids play outside since we have not had a good rain, and it is said that the ground is still "dirty" (I do not understand all of this, but I'd rather just play it safe inside for now).
At work, I saw some news coverage that did a pretty good job explaining all of the nuclear/radiation craziness, and I tried looking it up on YouTube when I finally had time to sit and relax with Lance. Unfortunately, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did see a few other videos that does a pretty good job explaining the situation, in case you are slightly in the dark like I have been.
This first video is FAST PACED, lol, but he does a great job educating you on the whole nuclear process and what the problem entails.
This video talks about the nuclear reactor and the cooling process, as well as why there have been failures.
And finally, I have to put this one up just to lighten the mood a little bit. A friend of mine on FaceBook shared this link, and while the situation is far from funny, this video explains the power plant problem in a very basic and understandable way :)
The big deal here right now is the nuclear power plant in Fukushima (actually, the plant is the reason for the evacuation. More on that later). The plant is a little over 250 miles north east of us (if you scroll down to the Earthquake!! post, there is a map with where we are as well as Fukushima). There have been explosions at the plant, seeping radioactive material into the air. A few days ago, people in my area were advised to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure due to the radiation in the air, but the levels dropped to nearly immeasurable amounts within a few short hours, so we have been fortunate there. I still do not let the kids play outside since we have not had a good rain, and it is said that the ground is still "dirty" (I do not understand all of this, but I'd rather just play it safe inside for now).
At work, I saw some news coverage that did a pretty good job explaining all of the nuclear/radiation craziness, and I tried looking it up on YouTube when I finally had time to sit and relax with Lance. Unfortunately, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did see a few other videos that does a pretty good job explaining the situation, in case you are slightly in the dark like I have been.
This first video is FAST PACED, lol, but he does a great job educating you on the whole nuclear process and what the problem entails.
This video talks about the nuclear reactor and the cooling process, as well as why there have been failures.
And finally, I have to put this one up just to lighten the mood a little bit. A friend of mine on FaceBook shared this link, and while the situation is far from funny, this video explains the power plant problem in a very basic and understandable way :)
So much has been happening in these last few hours, I almost do not even know where to begin!
Today started out as your "average" day here in my little section of the world. We had a scheduled power outage from 9am - 1pm, so at work we did what we could! I know I haven't written about this yet, but I am in a Red Cross Dental Assistant program, and I absolutely loooove it! That's a whole 'nother post though. Anyways, to keep up with sailor readiness, especially in such a trying time as now, one of the docs and I went over to a helo hanger and did annual exams for those sailors who were overdue. In the dark!! I know it sounds strange, but the doctor has these super headlight glasses that are like highbeams on steroids, and we did our part to keep these sailors healthy and mission ready.
One of the sailors was teasing another sailor (who was wearing his flight jumpsuit) about his "pager" he was wearing, asking if he was a drug dealer, or stuck a decade and a half in the past. That was when, in all seriousness, he explained that it was a radiation detector, clipped to his belt, measuring his radiation exposure. These sailors, as well as so many others on our base and around the world (and countless other heroes, Japanese and otherwise), are sacrificing their health and safety in order to get the job done. It really stopped me in my place and made me think outside of my comfortable "me" bubble that I live in sometimes.
That was one of the moments that really hit me that I don't want to forget.
I took an extra long lunch (thanks to no power), and when I got back we had to pull dental records for one of the commands because they were being deployed to help out with search and rescue. Ok, another dose of reality. We knew that was inevitable, so we just went about our business, joking along with my coworkers. About an hour later, we get the call that everyone was going to be deployed, to pull all records, and there were meetings about to occur regarding evacuation notices.
Fun and games stopped there, and I got back into my little "me" bubble and thought about how it all affected me. My husband was still at home, sleeping since he is on nights now, and I frantically called him until he finally answered. He didn't know anything, but he was going to call and find out. I called a very good friend of mine and let her know, and she set out to find out more information since nothing official had yet been posted. Rumors were still flying around, people running in and out of the office and phone calls being made, and pretty much all I really found out for sure is that an evacuation was underway, but the details were all too soon.
My heart got so heavy and things felt so serious all at once. Being so far away from the devastation, and only really seeing the impact first hand by these power outages and innumerable aftershocks, it was so easy to feel comfortable. Knowing that we had to be evacuated now just felt… inexplicable, I suppose. I don't know how to express it. I didn't have time to panic, obviously, but I called home to talk with the kids. Not knowing when we would be leaving, or for how long, I still needed to get us all prepared ASAP. I told them while they waited for me to come home, to get their rooms really clean, and that to pick out some of their special things that they don't want the movers to pack and lay it on their beds (we are supposed to move in June).
I went home early and the rumor mill was constantly buzzing. My husband called me from work saying that an evacuation plan was set in motion and we could be out of the country within 24 hours. He, as well as most other active duty personnel, would be sent elsewhere.
I had to tell the kids what was going on; there was no way to pack so many essentials without them knowing. School has been cancelled "indefinitely." I had to get our luggage and dog kennels out of storage. They are too old for me to be able to play this one off. Their school has been doing a good job explaining things in a gentle way for the kids, so I've adopted their phrasing and told them that the "pollution" could get worse, and the military just wants to make sure that we are all safe and sound.
I've since had another small(ish) breakdown, but all of these chaotic feelings have to come out sometime. We are safe, plans are in place to get us out of here, and I am eternally grateful for that and thankful for the resources we do have on hand. We've all been handling it pretty well, but these pent up feelings I power through and hide have to escape, and my poor husband has been getting the brunt of my emotional outbreaks. He must think I'm nuts, since we hardly see each other due to our conflicting schedules, and when I do see him I end up breaking down crying :P
And that is another thing I have to remember to be especially appreciative of and thankful for. I have had a great support system; work has been amazing in not thinking twice about putting my family first. The base and community has been wonderful, keeping spirits up and helping others out as much as possible. My family and friends, even ones I haven't spoken to since I was a kid but I am FaceBook friends with, have left me messages letting me know that my family and I are in their thoughts and prayers. My close family has been extremely concerned and are counting the days until we are home again.
And then there is my husband, taking care of hysterical me and being my rock. When I finally got to see him after his especially late schedule, he just let me talk through all my irrational thoughts and then I felt a million pounds lighter, having that strong shoulder to cry on. It sounds as if we may be separated yet again for a short while, but that is the sacrifice I and my family have to make to have such a wonderful person as our husband/father. He must do his part in this world to make it a better place, and no matter how many miles apart we may be, he always makes me feel safe and secure in the world.
What more could I ask for?
Today started out as your "average" day here in my little section of the world. We had a scheduled power outage from 9am - 1pm, so at work we did what we could! I know I haven't written about this yet, but I am in a Red Cross Dental Assistant program, and I absolutely loooove it! That's a whole 'nother post though. Anyways, to keep up with sailor readiness, especially in such a trying time as now, one of the docs and I went over to a helo hanger and did annual exams for those sailors who were overdue. In the dark!! I know it sounds strange, but the doctor has these super headlight glasses that are like highbeams on steroids, and we did our part to keep these sailors healthy and mission ready.
One of the sailors was teasing another sailor (who was wearing his flight jumpsuit) about his "pager" he was wearing, asking if he was a drug dealer, or stuck a decade and a half in the past. That was when, in all seriousness, he explained that it was a radiation detector, clipped to his belt, measuring his radiation exposure. These sailors, as well as so many others on our base and around the world (and countless other heroes, Japanese and otherwise), are sacrificing their health and safety in order to get the job done. It really stopped me in my place and made me think outside of my comfortable "me" bubble that I live in sometimes.
That was one of the moments that really hit me that I don't want to forget.
I took an extra long lunch (thanks to no power), and when I got back we had to pull dental records for one of the commands because they were being deployed to help out with search and rescue. Ok, another dose of reality. We knew that was inevitable, so we just went about our business, joking along with my coworkers. About an hour later, we get the call that everyone was going to be deployed, to pull all records, and there were meetings about to occur regarding evacuation notices.
Fun and games stopped there, and I got back into my little "me" bubble and thought about how it all affected me. My husband was still at home, sleeping since he is on nights now, and I frantically called him until he finally answered. He didn't know anything, but he was going to call and find out. I called a very good friend of mine and let her know, and she set out to find out more information since nothing official had yet been posted. Rumors were still flying around, people running in and out of the office and phone calls being made, and pretty much all I really found out for sure is that an evacuation was underway, but the details were all too soon.
My heart got so heavy and things felt so serious all at once. Being so far away from the devastation, and only really seeing the impact first hand by these power outages and innumerable aftershocks, it was so easy to feel comfortable. Knowing that we had to be evacuated now just felt… inexplicable, I suppose. I don't know how to express it. I didn't have time to panic, obviously, but I called home to talk with the kids. Not knowing when we would be leaving, or for how long, I still needed to get us all prepared ASAP. I told them while they waited for me to come home, to get their rooms really clean, and that to pick out some of their special things that they don't want the movers to pack and lay it on their beds (we are supposed to move in June).
I went home early and the rumor mill was constantly buzzing. My husband called me from work saying that an evacuation plan was set in motion and we could be out of the country within 24 hours. He, as well as most other active duty personnel, would be sent elsewhere.
I had to tell the kids what was going on; there was no way to pack so many essentials without them knowing. School has been cancelled "indefinitely." I had to get our luggage and dog kennels out of storage. They are too old for me to be able to play this one off. Their school has been doing a good job explaining things in a gentle way for the kids, so I've adopted their phrasing and told them that the "pollution" could get worse, and the military just wants to make sure that we are all safe and sound.
I've since had another small(ish) breakdown, but all of these chaotic feelings have to come out sometime. We are safe, plans are in place to get us out of here, and I am eternally grateful for that and thankful for the resources we do have on hand. We've all been handling it pretty well, but these pent up feelings I power through and hide have to escape, and my poor husband has been getting the brunt of my emotional outbreaks. He must think I'm nuts, since we hardly see each other due to our conflicting schedules, and when I do see him I end up breaking down crying :P
And that is another thing I have to remember to be especially appreciative of and thankful for. I have had a great support system; work has been amazing in not thinking twice about putting my family first. The base and community has been wonderful, keeping spirits up and helping others out as much as possible. My family and friends, even ones I haven't spoken to since I was a kid but I am FaceBook friends with, have left me messages letting me know that my family and I are in their thoughts and prayers. My close family has been extremely concerned and are counting the days until we are home again.
And then there is my husband, taking care of hysterical me and being my rock. When I finally got to see him after his especially late schedule, he just let me talk through all my irrational thoughts and then I felt a million pounds lighter, having that strong shoulder to cry on. It sounds as if we may be separated yet again for a short while, but that is the sacrifice I and my family have to make to have such a wonderful person as our husband/father. He must do his part in this world to make it a better place, and no matter how many miles apart we may be, he always makes me feel safe and secure in the world.
What more could I ask for?
Luckily today's update is not very eventful, but I figured I would post this anyways since many people that I know and care about I am not able to communicate frequently, and this is my way of keeping you informed of how we are doing.
Earthquakes are still happening nearly nonstop. I downloaded an application for my iPhone (QuakeFeed, for those who are interested), and there are consistent quakes happening around here, roughly about every 20 minutes. We all expect this, considering a major quake happened and now the earth is exceptionally active, and fortunately most of them are hardly felt or missed. I did feel one earlier today, but it wasn't that major.
Last night, however, was a different story! I jumped in the shower at 10:30, got myself all wet and was reaching for the shampoo, and then I noticed something wasn't right. I get vertigo here and again for some crazy reason, so I grabbed onto the rail in the shower, bracing myself for my imbalance. But that is when I realized that it wasn't my equilibrium, but rather a pretty big quake!
I quickly shut the shower off, grabbed the towel and stood in the doorway drenched and freezing (remember, can't use the heater!), and waited for the shaking to subside. I had to finish my shower obviously, but I was so paranoid every time I'd close my eyes in the shower, or kept imagining more shaking when I was trying to shave my legs, and that is when I threw in (or on) the towel and just gave up. I was clean, but with only one leg half shaved. I like to find the humor in life :)
Now, I should be really careful using the words "big" and "quake" in the same sentence after Friday's aftermath, but it was by far the largest one I felt since Friday, and the largest other than Friday's. It wasn't necessarily that the quake was significantly larger than all of the aftershocks we've been feeling the past few days, but rather, it was extremely close to where we are! Below is a map a friend of mine found on FaceBook last night.
Earthquakes are still happening nearly nonstop. I downloaded an application for my iPhone (QuakeFeed, for those who are interested), and there are consistent quakes happening around here, roughly about every 20 minutes. We all expect this, considering a major quake happened and now the earth is exceptionally active, and fortunately most of them are hardly felt or missed. I did feel one earlier today, but it wasn't that major.
Last night, however, was a different story! I jumped in the shower at 10:30, got myself all wet and was reaching for the shampoo, and then I noticed something wasn't right. I get vertigo here and again for some crazy reason, so I grabbed onto the rail in the shower, bracing myself for my imbalance. But that is when I realized that it wasn't my equilibrium, but rather a pretty big quake!
I quickly shut the shower off, grabbed the towel and stood in the doorway drenched and freezing (remember, can't use the heater!), and waited for the shaking to subside. I had to finish my shower obviously, but I was so paranoid every time I'd close my eyes in the shower, or kept imagining more shaking when I was trying to shave my legs, and that is when I threw in (or on) the towel and just gave up. I was clean, but with only one leg half shaved. I like to find the humor in life :)
Now, I should be really careful using the words "big" and "quake" in the same sentence after Friday's aftermath, but it was by far the largest one I felt since Friday, and the largest other than Friday's. It wasn't necessarily that the quake was significantly larger than all of the aftershocks we've been feeling the past few days, but rather, it was extremely close to where we are! Below is a map a friend of mine found on FaceBook last night.
The "x" is the epicenter, and I marked roughly where we live. Last night's quake was a 6.2... sort of a big deal when its 43 miles from you!
Being from the east coast, I really enjoyed the novelty of earthquakes when we first moved here. Then again, I would be lucky if I thought I felt one maybe every month or two, and they were only noticeable if you were very still, like when we watch tv. Now that these vibrations are a nonstop reminder of last Friday, the novelty has quickly worn, and serves only as a reminder of how serious they are. I find myself stopping all the time, checking my paranoia and testing my surroundings to see if it is in fact another earthquake. Lately, chances are they are.
Hopefully things will start quieting down soon, and all of the relief and recovery efforts being made will start making a dent in the disaster that so many are enduring. Keep those who are suffering in your thoughts and prayers!
As many of you are already aware, on March 11, there was a serious earthquake in Japan, measuring an 8.9 on the Richter Scale. Living a little southwest of Tokyo, I got to feel the earthquake pretty strongly, but no damage worth reporting has happened around me.
Shortly after, a tsunami washed over the shores of eastern Japan, reigning destruction in its turbulent path, leaving countless dead, injured, and homeless.
Over the next few days (today included), nuclear power plants one by one began faltering due to the damage of the quake and have caused explosions, leaking radiation into the air. Extremely low levels of radiation are reported where I am, and we have been advised to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure, and to keep our windows closed and our heat/AC units off. Meanwhile, Japanese workers are working nonstop, around the clock and sacrificing their health and safety to help prevent this disaster.
Our base has been rationing off gas, and though the gas station is currently out of supply, it is expected to be replenished tomorrow, and in the following days. Gas stations off base have long been drained.
Food is quickly becoming scarce out in town, as people are trying to be prepared and supplied for their families.
The Japanese electric companies have been rationing out their supply of power, setting up scheduled rolling blackouts across the area, in order to maintain supply and to help keep the train stations running as much as possible. Thousands upon thousands of people are left stranded either at work or at home, unable to commute (and remember that Japan is highly public transportation-dependent).
Today, I let all of these factors get to me. I have been keeping up my brave face, but I admit that it finally all seeped in and I used my lunch break to cry. But I didn't cry just over the devastation, but rather, I had a "woe is me" pity party.
I was able to get off of work early because I had nothing to do in the afternoon, so I drove to the commissary and stocked up on my water and easily prepared, emergency food. I came home a little happier, having felt some control over my situation and feeling that at least I was in a slightly better place than I was an hour and a half before; at least I had a little extra food.
That is when it hit me; how selfish I was being and how ungrateful for how fortunate I have been. Yes, all of the things happening around me are absolutely terrifying, and I have a reason to be concerned. However, all I kept thinking about is "why me?" and how annoying it was that I had to prepare dinner at 2:30 in the afternoon because of the potential blackout this evening from 4:30-8:30. I was concerned over how chilly I may get tonight while keeping the heater off (mind you, the weather has been pretty fantastic, aside from all the crazy natural disaster shit going on). I was mad at the world that I wouldn't be allowed to let my kids play outside today because of the dangers of radiation.
I am normally an optimistic person, and that is a defining quality of mine that I am proud of. Alongside looking on the bright side of things, I try to make myself appreciate even the littlest things in life, and today I have failed myself in both regards. I have been so fortunate and blessed in so many aspects; the earthquake was fairly far away, no damage was here, I was able to reconnect with my family shortly after the quake and be by their side nonstop since, I have food, shelter and warmth, the radiation is a good distance from here, and if it comes down to it, I know I can be evacuated if things get worse.
So many people are suffering losses in every imaginable (and unimaginable) aspect, both here in Japan and around the world, and I need to remember to count my blessings. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and frightened and to give myself those moments to collect myself in private so I can be brave again for my kids. But I also need to remind myself that compared to so many around the world, my worries are comparatively minor.
Although I am a self proclaimed optimist, I do not live naively - having the mantra "expect the worst, hope for the best" is what has kept me sane all of these years being a military brat and wife. I am preparing our family for another quake, another form of natural disaster, radiation exposure, for the expected and unexpected blackouts, and now for an evacuation if need be. Its scary to live this way, but that is life for you. It is not always sunshine and roses, as the saying goes. This is the path that I was meant to travel on this earth, and I need to do so graciously and to be a good role model for my children. I need to remain grateful for the blessings in life that I have, and to remain strong in the face of calamities to teach my children how to overcome the big things in life.
Shortly after, a tsunami washed over the shores of eastern Japan, reigning destruction in its turbulent path, leaving countless dead, injured, and homeless.
Over the next few days (today included), nuclear power plants one by one began faltering due to the damage of the quake and have caused explosions, leaking radiation into the air. Extremely low levels of radiation are reported where I am, and we have been advised to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure, and to keep our windows closed and our heat/AC units off. Meanwhile, Japanese workers are working nonstop, around the clock and sacrificing their health and safety to help prevent this disaster.
Our base has been rationing off gas, and though the gas station is currently out of supply, it is expected to be replenished tomorrow, and in the following days. Gas stations off base have long been drained.
Food is quickly becoming scarce out in town, as people are trying to be prepared and supplied for their families.
The Japanese electric companies have been rationing out their supply of power, setting up scheduled rolling blackouts across the area, in order to maintain supply and to help keep the train stations running as much as possible. Thousands upon thousands of people are left stranded either at work or at home, unable to commute (and remember that Japan is highly public transportation-dependent).
Today, I let all of these factors get to me. I have been keeping up my brave face, but I admit that it finally all seeped in and I used my lunch break to cry. But I didn't cry just over the devastation, but rather, I had a "woe is me" pity party.
I was able to get off of work early because I had nothing to do in the afternoon, so I drove to the commissary and stocked up on my water and easily prepared, emergency food. I came home a little happier, having felt some control over my situation and feeling that at least I was in a slightly better place than I was an hour and a half before; at least I had a little extra food.
That is when it hit me; how selfish I was being and how ungrateful for how fortunate I have been. Yes, all of the things happening around me are absolutely terrifying, and I have a reason to be concerned. However, all I kept thinking about is "why me?" and how annoying it was that I had to prepare dinner at 2:30 in the afternoon because of the potential blackout this evening from 4:30-8:30. I was concerned over how chilly I may get tonight while keeping the heater off (mind you, the weather has been pretty fantastic, aside from all the crazy natural disaster shit going on). I was mad at the world that I wouldn't be allowed to let my kids play outside today because of the dangers of radiation.
I am normally an optimistic person, and that is a defining quality of mine that I am proud of. Alongside looking on the bright side of things, I try to make myself appreciate even the littlest things in life, and today I have failed myself in both regards. I have been so fortunate and blessed in so many aspects; the earthquake was fairly far away, no damage was here, I was able to reconnect with my family shortly after the quake and be by their side nonstop since, I have food, shelter and warmth, the radiation is a good distance from here, and if it comes down to it, I know I can be evacuated if things get worse.
So many people are suffering losses in every imaginable (and unimaginable) aspect, both here in Japan and around the world, and I need to remember to count my blessings. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and frightened and to give myself those moments to collect myself in private so I can be brave again for my kids. But I also need to remind myself that compared to so many around the world, my worries are comparatively minor.
Although I am a self proclaimed optimist, I do not live naively - having the mantra "expect the worst, hope for the best" is what has kept me sane all of these years being a military brat and wife. I am preparing our family for another quake, another form of natural disaster, radiation exposure, for the expected and unexpected blackouts, and now for an evacuation if need be. Its scary to live this way, but that is life for you. It is not always sunshine and roses, as the saying goes. This is the path that I was meant to travel on this earth, and I need to do so graciously and to be a good role model for my children. I need to remain grateful for the blessings in life that I have, and to remain strong in the face of calamities to teach my children how to overcome the big things in life.
There is a video of the earthquake that is becoming viral in my little community, and its finally been uploaded to YouTube so I can share it with you. This was shot at an Army base about 15-20 minutes away that I go to all the time, and its surreal to be able to connect something so terrifying to something tangible that I understand. Fortunately for us, this is about as severe damage as any place close to me suffered.
Unfortunately, just as there is in any major disaster or event, there are others who really are suffering and who need assistance. Our community is putting together relief efforts as well as collections for food and clothing, and I intend to do my part to help others out in need. If you would like to support the earthquake relief efforts, please donate to the Red Cross, no matter how big or small you are able to contribute. If you are more comfortable allocating your donation to something more personal or closer to home, use this time to be reminded that there are people everyday locally and around the world in need of assistance, and the Red Cross can still use your help.
Unfortunately, just as there is in any major disaster or event, there are others who really are suffering and who need assistance. Our community is putting together relief efforts as well as collections for food and clothing, and I intend to do my part to help others out in need. If you would like to support the earthquake relief efforts, please donate to the Red Cross, no matter how big or small you are able to contribute. If you are more comfortable allocating your donation to something more personal or closer to home, use this time to be reminded that there are people everyday locally and around the world in need of assistance, and the Red Cross can still use your help.
As you may have heard, Japan had a pretty serious earthquake today! I'm from the east coast, so being part of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake, well... had me quaking in my boots!
I marked these pics to show about where we live, and the relative strength of the quake compared to where we are. For as strong as we felt it, I cannot imagine getting closer to the epicenter!
I have to admit, I did have the beginning stages of a panic attack during the quake. I was at work, on the second floor of our building, and I was asking a coworker for help with something. He just looked at me strangely, and asked if I could feel the earthquake. Sure enough, that is when I noticed things starting to shake on the walls and I started watching out of the rattling window. The shaking grew progressively stronger and stronger, and we both walked over to a doorway and started to wait it out. It was so scary having it last as long as it did! The entire time I kept thinking "Ok, it should end now!" and it just kept going strong!
My panic attack came once I realized the quake wasn't your run-of-the-mill teensy tremor, but an actual large one, and all I could think about was getting my kids on the phone to make sure they were alright and not terrified. Cell service stopped working (for about 3 or 4 hours, actually), but I got a hold of them quickly and they were fine - had fun with it, actually. The earth continued to sway for several minutes afterwards. Strangely enough, it took all of us at work a few moments to realize that the movement wasn't our bodies adjusting to not shaking anymore or relaxing from the adrenaline rush, but the earth was actually swaying!
The aftershocks have been continuing all day, and as I write this tonight on my laptop in bed, I'm still feeling them! The only person who didn't get to experience this monumental event was Lance because he was on a plane home from being on a detachment for 3 weeks! Talk about timing on his part!
We are all ok, there was no damage to speak of (other than to my well-being), and hopefully there will be no follow up quake to match what we experienced today. It seems as most of the damage is further up north, closer to the epicenter. The big commotion around my area (I'm an hour outside of Tokyo) is that the train stations are not operating because, apparently, the lines are being inspected thoroughly for damage before they run the trains, and so thousands upon thousands of people (think Friday evening Tokyo rush hour crowds) are stranded at stations. For that matter, railroad crossings for cars (which are a dime-a-dozen here) are blocked to allow for the inspection, so the traffic is INSANE! Oh... and the expressways are shutdown, too.
Needless to say, we stayed at home this evening, in the comfort of our own home and with our little family all put back together again after a tumultuous day. I know its so cliché, but its sad and interesting to see how much you realize you take for granted once you have your own experience of some sort, and to see how much it makes you appreciate the things in life you do have. I wish I could keep this sense of of thankfulness all the time, rather than when crises are thrown at me.
I suppose that is my valuable lesson for the day.
Another flashback for you! This time its Alex back in November '03, when she was 2½.
I think I enjoyed these pics more than she enjoyed that pudding!
I think I enjoyed these pics more than she enjoyed that pudding!
I synced up my iPhone earlier, and as always, iPhoto popped up to import the pics from the phone. I normally find a handful (or fifty) of photos that one of the kids snapped with the camera - normally from Lance Jr.
I found this one today... and I'm a bit concerned about what we could possibly be looking at. Is that a naked boy streaking down my hallway sitting on my Dyson? Is it the spawn of Big Foot, on vacation to Kanagawa Prefecture and who happened to stumble across my humble abode?
Lord only knows, but I'm sure the big man upstairs is probably having a good giggle over whatever this photo is of!
I found this one today... and I'm a bit concerned about what we could possibly be looking at. Is that a naked boy streaking down my hallway sitting on my Dyson? Is it the spawn of Big Foot, on vacation to Kanagawa Prefecture and who happened to stumble across my humble abode?
Lord only knows, but I'm sure the big man upstairs is probably having a good giggle over whatever this photo is of!
Lance Jr has a book report due this week. Along with a short summary of a book of his choice, he had to use a box and fashion it to look like a character in the story.
Lance chose Captain Underpants (as I assume most of the other second grade boys did), and I think he did a fabulous job! He is normally not too interested in artsy-craftsy stuff, but he was super excited with his project once things started coming together.
Lance chose Captain Underpants (as I assume most of the other second grade boys did), and I think he did a fabulous job! He is normally not too interested in artsy-craftsy stuff, but he was super excited with his project once things started coming together.
Lance is thinking quite hard (and trying to remember his handwriting! Our continual battle)
His report
Working on the cape
And all done! He was so excited, and proud! That made me happy that he was proud of his work
Say hello to the Cap'n!
Lance Jr over the past few months decided to grow his hair out (as you can see in the more recent posts), and a few weeks ago I finally took him to the salon to get his first trim (rather than his normal skin fade, 2 on the top. I don't have an actual pic of his haircut... Big Lance shortly after got a hold of his head with a razor and showed off his newly acquired barbershop skills).
The next day, after he came home from school, we asked him if people liked his new do. He told Lance and I "ya... but they all keep saying that I look like a beaver." Lance and I were stupefied and asked him to clarify, and he said "I dunno, they just keep saying I look like a beaver."
Well, its taken me until yesterday to finally understand what the heck that whole conversation was all about! Lance Jr asked me to put a certain song on his iPod, and as I was going through music that was kid friendly, I finally stumbled across....
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JUSTIN BIEBER!! LOL! They told him that he looked like Justin Bieber, but my son had NO clue who he was, so instead, he succumbed to the idea that he, in fact, looked like a wood chipping mammal!
Cute :)
