Last night I was teaching a private kids lesson when the room started to shake. REALLY shake. My first thought was that a train was going by (like at my apartment) but then I realized we were nowhere near the train station!! An EARTHQUAKE!! It was scary. I just kind of looked at Masaki (my student) and had no idea what to do. No survival tips/strategies popped into my head. It was blank...not a great sign.
So I have now experienced my first significant earthquake (previous ones were small - the room would just shake a wee bit). Of course, when we were talking about it afterwards, the Japanese teachers reminded me again that the BIG one was on its way! Thanks, way to make the foreigner feel better!
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Oh boy. No real words for ya... scary stuff. Isn't there something about standing in doorways or under tables or something? How were the students about the whole affair? I don't think the ground shaking is anything I could get used to. Do yourself a favour, have a drink and relax tonight.
Better yet, relax, and I'll have a few drinks. ;)
Fil
Laura, the important thing is that YOU SURVIVED, woohoo!! Though i don't particularly like the reference to this "big one": was that just to scare you, or does it actually have something to do with aftershocks and the like? I bet you'll be a bone fide seismologist by the time you leave Japan!
taryn
Ho, ho, ho… “Merry Christmas”
Every morning, both Doug and I check your blog so we can follow your spectacular adventures. As I mentioned to your mom, I often refer to the archives and re-read if you haven’t posted for a couple of days. Like your mom, I especially love it when you post the pictures of the yummy food. Hey come to think of it, it’s again the time of the year for enjoying moo-chi. Personally I prefer it with lots of ki-nako (for others reading this, it’s pounded rice cakes coated with roasted soy bean powder and is normally eaten during the New Year festivities – Doug says it tastes like Japanese peanut butter flavoured chewing gum). I’m sure I mentioned this before, I make my own in my automatic moo-chi making machine, it’s similar to a rice cooker, except it pounds as well. Not that it’s doing any good for my waist line, but then either are the box of home made cookies we received in the mail from your mom the other day. Not, that I’m not thankful, they are so good, but also so bad… Lordy Miss Gordy, why me, and when are they going to discover that magic weight loss pill!!
Onto another topic… before I get hungry again.
Even though it’s been over twenty years since I was in Japan, some of it is still familiar to me. I remember being a foreigner and lost in Yokohama looking for any “Westerners” hoping they’d both speak English and be able to direct me back to where I was staying (a small town called Hatano-shi, at the University of Tokai International Residences). Geez, the memories of my adventures in Japan being conjured up by your experiences. Neat, eh… It so different, when you work and live abroad, both Doug and myself enjoyed living abroad and the two year stint flew by but we still and always will cherish that time as some of our fondest memories. Doug refers to it as “just another chapter in a wonderful life”.
Let’s see, what else… We finished our kitchen renovations, “it looks fabulous dahling, just fabulous”. The girls are doing fine, the really like Doug being retired and me working from home. The house is all ready for Christmas, and I always look forward to having time off at this time. I can’t wait to read about your first Christmas/New Year abroad and the travels that have been planned for you.
Anyways, I’d better let you go. Take care and cheerfully posting.
Love,
Sharon, Doug and the Girls.
EEEEEKS!!!!!! We really don't want to hear about the BIG ONE that's coming. Doesn't your school have earthquake drills like we have fire drills or LOCK DOWN drills in Weston(for those of you who don't know schools will be locked down when there are shootings or gangster funerals with SWAT teams on the roofs of nearby buildings). Maybe you should mention earthquake drills to your manager at your next staff meeting. Please do me a favour and investigate yourself...be proactive.
Take care and BE SAFE.
Love, Mom and Dad and Christopher
Hey everyone - can't you tell that the last two entries were written by sisters!!!??? HAHAHA!! You two sound alike!
Sharon and Doug - great to hear from you. Merry Christmas! Yes Sharon - It is mochi time...and my 99yen store sells it by the bagful! But wait, you have a mochi machine?? Where does one get one of those (not that my waist needs it)? I especially enjoy the mochi with red beans inside that is grilled until is it hot and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside (I had it in Kyoto at a shrine). Glad to hear the house is beautiful and that you're enjoying working from home/retired life!
Mom - I'll ask about earthquake drills....I know you're supposed to get in a doorway or under a desk to protect your head. Then if you can leave the building and head to an open area (school playground, park, designated earthquake zone). I'll look into it.
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