I don’t even know how or where to begin.
After the quake, we spent the first 2-3 days in a haze of broadcasting news and Internet updates, only to realize that completely immersing ourselves in the news might not be the healthiest thing to do in the long term.
Now that almost a week has passed, it feels a bit like being caught in a bad disaster film, except we’re not just in the audience anymore. What is happening is obviously very real, but is so enormous that it lacks reality. Does it make any sense ?
My heart aches when I think about the tragedy people in the northern part of the main island have faced and are still facing. I can’t even imagine the amount of grief. Lost parents, lost children, friends, devastated towns, it all breaks my heart. I hear people talking about how they survived the first, second and third waves of the tsunami just to come back to a world where they don’t have a family anymore. Just typing these words make me choke up. Even now, I find it difficult to comprehend the severity of the crisis.
In Kyoto, everything is fine. We are starting to notice a shortage in heating oil and emergency products (like flashlights, compressed gas cylinders, etc.) but nothing that really affects our daily life for now. We definitely feel very lucky…and powerless at the same time.
Since Tuesday, a family of friends from the northern part of the island has come to live with us. I’m really glad they’re here, safe and sound. Our apartment is really tiny for more than twice the usual number of people, but it’s all OK. I hope they can relax a bit after the crazy days they have been through just after the quake.
The nuclear crisis is nowhere near to be contained and that’s the one thing we’re the most worried about, though, once again, we are far enough to not feel any immediate threat.
Thank you all for your concern and your sweet messages. In such a tension filled atmosphere, it’s really nice to know that people are thinking and caring about us.
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