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Earthquake aftermath update
I has been six days since the big earthquake/tsunami crushed northeast Japan. As I stated earlier, we are all fine and have been fine, but I’ve also had requests for updates on our condition, so here is our boring, unremarkable story.
Looking out our window right now, the ground is covered with about 10 cm of new snow. Looks and feels like winter’s last gasp- nearly all the huge amounts of snow we had this year had already melted. Now it’s like a final curtain call for this season. Our daily routines have been the same- wake up around 6:45, get Luke off to school, relax with a cup of coffee until 8:00, then take Max to school. After that it’s chore time- doing laundry, sweeping/vacuuming the living room floor, washing the dishes, and taking out the garbage/recyclables. Shinobu then heads off to work, and I’m at home alone, doing what I do. These days I’ve been working on an article for a book with a professor in England about creating online communities of practice. I’m also helping manage the production of the May-June issue of The Language Teacher (I’m in charge of organizing the team of proofreaders). This stuff as well as email correspondence keeps me busy through through the day. On swimming days, I pick up Luke at school and we head off to the pool where Shinobu works for a two-hour practice. On soccer days, I greet Luke at home in the afternoon and we hang out, sharing a snack, doing homework, playing Magic the Gathering. Ji-chan (Luke’s grandpa) then comes by with Max from school. I make him a cup of coffee, we stare out at the mountains and chat about this or that. He then takes Luke off to soccer practice. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, kids come to our home for English lessons. I’m in charge of these, of course, so I take care of this chore. In the evenings it’s just dinner and hanging out time with the family. The TV is always on, but not always watched- it’s more like a radio. I’m often at my computer, reading the news, doing email, whatever. At about 10, Shinobu and I help the kids get ready for bed. We have a routine here, too: I have to take Max to the bathroom and then help her brush her teeth. Looks like it won’t be long before she can do these herself! Luke has to go through a stretching routine, which he hates. He often does so while watching videos on the iPad. Lights go out around 10:30, and that’s the day. If this all sounds rather mundane, it is! This is our regular routine, our daily life. The funny thing is that it hasn’t really changed in this past week. The only difference is that news about the quake is on all the channels, all the time. News of intense suffering, images of devastation, and the scary unfolding drama of the nuke plant crisis has brought a sad heaviness to everything. The kids seem to be fine. They don’t really watch the TV; Max prefers playing or drawing, and Luke loves watching comedy videos on YouTube on Mama’s iPad or playing cards with me. The only thing we’ve noticed around these parts is that buying a few key items, such as batteries, toilet paper, and ramen noodles has become hard to do! No big deal… Still, it’s quite the contrast. One other change is that we cancelled a planned family trip down to Disneyland at the end of this month. Usually at this time of year we head down to our Chiba apartment for a few days of sightseeing and shopping in the Tokyo area, but obviously that won’t happen this year. Too bad, but still, no big deal. I’ll be heading down on the 25th because work for me starts on the 26th. I haven’t heard anything to prevent this plan, so for now I’m going ahead with it. Friends and colleagues in Tokyo say things are a bit hectic, especially with transportation. I’m hoping that will be a bit smoother by the time I get there! So that’s about it for now. Just regular life. Please keep this in mind when you’re watching the news and thinking of us!
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