Radiation Vacation

I guess I've been taking what has been referred to as a 'radiation vacation.' After the nuclear crisis began in Japan, many foreigners, and even Japanese people, either left the country or traveled/relocated for a little while to get away from the areas around the nuclear plants, just in case. Five days after the big earthquake, I decided to return to California in an attempt to restore my sanity and to give my parents peace of mind. It has been nice to be home, but I miss my job and all of my friends in Japan.

I am returning to Japan on April 29th to finish my contract term with the JET program. I will be there for three more months, until the beginning of August. In the meantime, I've been taking it easy at home, visiting family members, and reflecting on the ongoing situation in Japan. My new hobby has kept me pretty occupied, too.

I've been spending many of my days at my aunt's house, learning how to crochet.

So far, I've learned how to make pot holders and dish rags. Scarves are next!

4th of July colors - The red and white pot holder was going to be Swiss themed, but the white cross in the middle didn't work out so well. We'll save that project for a knitting day.

Bing cherry trees in my back yard.

Colorful letters with cheerful messages from Katie's school, Garden Gate Elementary, for disadvantaged students in northern Japan. They are part of a project called '3,000 Letters for Japan,' started by an English teacher living in Gunma-ken, Japan.



We went to L.A . for the 'Fabulous Fords Forever 2011' car show last weekend. Of course we had to make a stop at Disneyland, too.:)



Mom and I devoured our clam chowder and minestrone soup bread bowls at Disneyland. It got messy in the end...



Domo-kun (the official mascot of Japan's NHK TV station) at California Disneyland!

 

さくら (cherry blossoms) in front of the Matterhorn.



I couldn't buy one of these, so I had to take a picture instead. :)

Dad's idol, Parnelli Jones, signing autographs at the car show.

Parnelli Jones' old racing bronco, 'Big Oly.'

Mom and dad, showing off their autographed photos of Parnelli Jones.

I loved this car! Totally prepared for the drive-thru...



T-birds.



My favorite Boss car.

He spent a while checking out this Bronco while mom and I collected stickers, posters, and magazines for him from nearby booths.




Cambria - A beautiful town on the California coast, in between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Known for the nearby famous 'Hearst Castle.' We stopped here on the way home from the car show.
We stayed at the 'Bluebird Inn,' a cozy family-run motel. The next morning we took a nice long walk along the coast on a path unknown to most tourists but popular with the locals.








The outdoor restaurant we ate at on our last day. This bird owned the place- he checked out our table for about five minutes, then swooped in and stole our butter dish, along with the four cubes of  butter in it. I later found the dish near the road and returned it to the restaurant. Crazy bird!



A Sad Day for Japan

March 11, 2011 - The aftermath. Story to come...



My apartment. I was lucky, only one broken cup in my kitchen!




The desk.



My neighbor and I passed the time at night by building Nanoblocks beside candlelight and flashlight.

Finally our turn to get water after waiting in line for about an hour!

The newspaper distributed on Saturday, March 12th. A man was handing them out to drivers for free in the middle of the street by my apartment. At that time, many cell phones didn't have service, and there was no power and no water in my area. This was most likely the first good source of information about what had just happened.

The gym across the street from my apartment.

My friends and I spent a lot of time at the evacuation center across the street. We charged our phones, used the bathrooms, and even got free miso soup and a riceball one day!

Hitachi evacuation center at night.

The gym at my high school.

This is where I was teaching when the earthquake happened.




In the class I was teaching, students usually practice for the Eiken exam (an English language test that many Japanese high school students take) for the first half of class, and we use a listening textbook for the second half.
But this was a special day because it was the last day of the school year. Spring break would start soon and the new school year begins in April. I had a board game prepared for students, but unfortunately the earthquake struck at about 2:46p.m., so no game that day.

On Monday, everything at school was exactly how students had left it when they abandoned the building on Friday.

 People waited patiently in straight lines for food and water during the whole ordeal. I didn't see any looting or negativity, even when it was clear that food and water were becoming scarce.



May 2nd, 2011 - Piles of what remains from houses that were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in Hitachi.



The main damage to houses that I noticed all throughout Ibaraki was on the roofs.