We started off this week, week of April 10th, by deciding as a family to go back to Tokyo to finish out the school year. It was the decision we all wanted to make,and hoped to make. On Monday, the 11th, Tokyo experienced what would be the second 7.0 aftershock in a matter of 5 days (one also hit on Thursday, the 7th). They then got hit by a high 6+ aftershock, and what we are told was about 14 aftershocks in 4 hours. Multiple friends said it was a pretty rough day, and that it seemed like it didn't stop shaking. We woke up Tuesday to an email from ASIJ's headmaster, discussing the fact that one of the larger quakes hit right after the bus got to school, and that the kids had to get under their desks and go through the earthquake drill. That morning, we just decided that it was just not a comfortable place for us to be, and we made the difficult decision to have the girls and I stay here in Michigan, and Scott head back to Tokyo alone.
I can't tell you how hard this decision was for us, and how often I have shed tears over it. Our want was to go back to Japan and get back to "normal"- with the girls going to school, Scott working and just us being together as a family. We have made so many good friends in Tokyo, and just have had an unbelievable experience (until the 11th). We have many friends who have gone back to finish out the year (and I feel like we are letting them all down), and probably as many who have decided to either stay away until next school year, or move back immediately and not come back to Japan at all. I just found out that there are four families from our building now leaving in June, only one of which was prior to the quake. One of my best friends is also not returning, Maya's three best friends from school are not returning, Hanna's preschool class has only 7 kids out of 23 back...it has just been heartbreaking and makes me completely sick when I think about it. Every time I get down, I kick myself - I should be grateful- I have my family, my possessions and we are all safe, while many lives were lost that day, and over 150,000 people are without a place to live- either because it has been destroyed by the Tsunami, or because they have been evacuated because of the Nuclear issues. That being said, I feel completely depressed over it. This was not what we signed up for- not any of us. I wonder how safe Tokyo will be in the next year while we are back. I wonder what it will be like next year- just like starting over again, with most of the friends (minus a few) that I did make now not returning. Hanna has been in 4 schools in two years, with a 5th one being added in August, as she goes off to ASIJ with Maya. My girls will take a 45 min bus ride. They say these large aftershocks are going to happen for along time- will I feel any different in August about putting my kids on a school bus and saying goodbye to them, than I do now? I can't imagine Tokyo being the fun loving, easy, exciting city that it has been for us, and for everyone who lives there. People are afraid, foreigners are scarce, and I am not sure that will change by August (though I am hoping it does)....
Scott is now gone for 4.5 months- back to Tokyo, alone. We struggled- all of us, spending 2 months apart last summer. This will be more than double that amount of time. It will be hard on all of us. Right now, we have no idea when we will see him again, which makes it even tougher. I will be worried about him constantly, the girls will miss their dad something awful, and though Scott likes alone time once in awhile, this is going to be so hard on him. We have packed enough stuff (basically clothes) to last only a little time- just what I could pack and take with us alone when we returned to the States (Scott did not come back with us). I have two pair of pants! :) On the up side, I guess I can go out and do some shopping!
The girls and I are in a hotel right now (our 5th one since March 15th- we have only spent five nights total in our beds in Tokyo since March 11). We will be moving into a 2 bedroom apartment but it doesn't become available until next Friday (Good Friday). The girls start school at Maya's old school, Haverhill, this coming Monday. We have no plans for Easter- my family is too far away, and both of Scott's parents will in Florida. Scott will not be with us, as he will still be in Tokyo. I had to go buy Easter baskets today, so we have something to celebrate with. Luckily, both girls are excited right now to be here- it has been good for them to reconnect with some of their friends, and get to see their family on both sides. Two months extra in the States is not the end of the world...right?
I do know and feel very strongly that we will be OK, and that we will be able to get through this (maybe not with our sanity intact, but we will get through it!) I am looking forward to being together again as a family, and hoping and praying that Tokyo is a safe place to go and be come August. I also pray that Scott stays safe, and nothing terrible happens over there. I know this blog has been a bit of a downer. It has been a long month, and is what we are going through right now- emotions and all.
Showing posts with label decisions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decisions. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Decisions
The past few weeks have been a transient blur, with our family of four going from Japan to Singapore to Thailand, back to Singapore, then to Japan and finally, taking a 12 hour flight back to Detroit and another puddle jumper over to Portage. As everyone knows from my previous blogs(if you have read them) and the news, Japan has experienced an unimaginable double natural disaster, and to go along with that, is experiencing a nuclear plant that is completely unstable, with what seems like no end in site.
Four days after the initial 9.0 earthquake, after days of non-stop aftershocks, we decided to leave Japan early for our already planned Spring Break trip to Phuket, Thailand. Our initial trip was planned for a few days later, meeting up with Greg and Missy (Scott's brother and his wife) for the last week of their Asian vacation. Luckily, the four of us had booked a 2 bedroom condo at the Marriot Mai Khao Beach club for two weeks already, so all we had to worry about was switching up our airline tickets. We are so grateful to Scott's company for taking care of us, helping us get out of Japan and also giving us the time to try to figure out what our next move will be. We spent 11 days in Thailand, hoping and praying that things would settle down in Japan while we were there and we would feel comfortable flying back to Japan and getting back to our life. However, while we were in Thailand, the Fukushima-Diaichi Nuclear Power plant continued to be unstable, with several blow ups, fears/reports of higher radiation (including unsafe tap water for infants in Tokyo), radiation leaks, as well as many vegetables having higher than safe radiation levels. It is now about 25 days after the disaster, and the power plant issue is no where near stable or resolved.
We are no closer today to having a final decision than we were while we were in Thailand. Our want is to go back to Tokyo on April 14th (we currently have plane tickets booked for that date). That is what the girls want- they both want to go back to school and be with their friends, doing their normal routine. That is what Scott wants- he needs to be physically "at" work to be effective and set a good example. That is what I want- I would like to take part in some way with the relief efforts- be productive, help at the evacuation centers that are all over Tokyo- contribute to the situation, rather than watch it on TV and feel so helpless. However, we also need to weigh the potential issues and hazards with going back to Tokyo at this point. For one, the nuclear power plant issues really make both of us uneasy. All reports say that nothing is reaching Tokyo in terms of radiation levels at this time. But, being that the issues at the power plant aren't even a little bit under control, whose to say that will remain the same? The fear of the unknown, and the fact that we would never forgive ourselves if we came back and then something happened health wise to one of our girls is making this decision extremely difficult. For two, we are not sure what the new normal will be. Quite a few of our friends are not coming back to Tokyo- some until the fall, others not at all. Three, Maya's school, ASIJ, is on the rolling blackout list for TEPCO. School currently starts about 1 hour earlier than it did prior to March 11. Maya had to hop on the bus at 7:30am everyday for school, and now, she will need to get on the bus at 6:50 everyday- that is one LONG day for a 2nd grader. Currently, her class has only 9 kids out of 21 back- the Elementary school has about 290 kids there, and 250 kids who have not returned yet. They have minimal heat (use it first thing in the morning and turn it off for the day- to save energy to help with the energy issues)- so the school is cold, and the teachers are taking the kids outside as much and as often as they can to keep them warm through the school day. I am also extremely uncomfortable thinking about putting Maya back on a bus for 45 minutes each way, each day. I do not know how I will feel about my kids being away from me- I guess that is something I will have to just gut out and see if I can handle it. I thank god daily that they were with me during the quake- it has definitely minimized their fear of going back. That being said, Maya is alone on that bus- yes, she knows a lot of kids, but she has no sibling with her. She is such a softie that if something were to happen again, I would be afraid for how that would affect her in the long run. The trains, though running full routes, are not running full schedules (not as many trains) and are running without lights on. We are told that most provisions- at least for now- are not too difficult to get. Milk seems to be the least available, but they say we can get water at Costco, fuel seems to be back to normal and the grocery stores, as long as you get there early in the morning, have food. The energy issues show no signs of letting up, and they are predicting a huge issue once summer comes and the heat/humidity skyrockets.
Our current options are:
--The girls and I stay in Michigan for the remainder of the school year/summer, while Scott goes back alone or commutes back and forth for the next 5 months. Then return in August for the start of the school year.
--We all go back and hope for the best- Scott goes to work, girls go to school and I try to figure out a new normal (we now have no visitors coming to Japan, so my Spring is wide open).
--We don't go back at all and Scott commutes for the next year. This one is not really an option- we will have next to no family life, and I just can't imagine spending so much time without him around.
This decision is not going to be an easy one. We love living in Japan and have a time frame in our heads of how long we will be there, getting the most out of our experience. We definitely do not want our experience to end like this- with a scary earthquake/tsunami, an evacuation and a feeling of helplessness.
I do want to end this Blog, for those of you reading, by asking for you to do two things- pray and donate what you can to the relief efforts. There are over 28,000 people missing or dead, and hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, living in shelters, sleeping on floors and having no where to go- this includes kids, elderly and every age and income bracket you can imagine. This is an industrialized nation- these people are just like us- hard working, with homes, families, cars, clothing- and now they have nothing. There are reports that the Insurance companies are going to go belly up, and will not even begin to be able to payout to those affected by these disasters....
The list below are organizations that will directly help those affected by these disasters, and are reputable and recommended by The American School in Japan, where Maya goes to school. Please help if you can- it doesn't matter how much- every bit will help.
Second Harvest Japan, a Tokyo food bank sending up food and supplies (http://www.2hj.org)
American Red Cross Hands for Japan Fund donations matched by ASIJ Alum Andrew Ogama '90 (htttp://www.crowdrise.com/handsforjapan)
Japan Red Cross
(http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html)
Habitat for Humanity Japan (http://www.habitatjp.org/enblog/2011/03/donate_to_help_japan_earthquake_and_tsunami_victims.html)
JANIC a group fund for NGOs working in disaster relief including Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity
(http://www.janic.org/bokin/matomete14.php) [Japanese]
(http://www.janic.org/news/japanese_ngos_are_taking_action.php) [English]
Donations to NGO funds through Paypal
(https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12)
Four days after the initial 9.0 earthquake, after days of non-stop aftershocks, we decided to leave Japan early for our already planned Spring Break trip to Phuket, Thailand. Our initial trip was planned for a few days later, meeting up with Greg and Missy (Scott's brother and his wife) for the last week of their Asian vacation. Luckily, the four of us had booked a 2 bedroom condo at the Marriot Mai Khao Beach club for two weeks already, so all we had to worry about was switching up our airline tickets. We are so grateful to Scott's company for taking care of us, helping us get out of Japan and also giving us the time to try to figure out what our next move will be. We spent 11 days in Thailand, hoping and praying that things would settle down in Japan while we were there and we would feel comfortable flying back to Japan and getting back to our life. However, while we were in Thailand, the Fukushima-Diaichi Nuclear Power plant continued to be unstable, with several blow ups, fears/reports of higher radiation (including unsafe tap water for infants in Tokyo), radiation leaks, as well as many vegetables having higher than safe radiation levels. It is now about 25 days after the disaster, and the power plant issue is no where near stable or resolved.
We are no closer today to having a final decision than we were while we were in Thailand. Our want is to go back to Tokyo on April 14th (we currently have plane tickets booked for that date). That is what the girls want- they both want to go back to school and be with their friends, doing their normal routine. That is what Scott wants- he needs to be physically "at" work to be effective and set a good example. That is what I want- I would like to take part in some way with the relief efforts- be productive, help at the evacuation centers that are all over Tokyo- contribute to the situation, rather than watch it on TV and feel so helpless. However, we also need to weigh the potential issues and hazards with going back to Tokyo at this point. For one, the nuclear power plant issues really make both of us uneasy. All reports say that nothing is reaching Tokyo in terms of radiation levels at this time. But, being that the issues at the power plant aren't even a little bit under control, whose to say that will remain the same? The fear of the unknown, and the fact that we would never forgive ourselves if we came back and then something happened health wise to one of our girls is making this decision extremely difficult. For two, we are not sure what the new normal will be. Quite a few of our friends are not coming back to Tokyo- some until the fall, others not at all. Three, Maya's school, ASIJ, is on the rolling blackout list for TEPCO. School currently starts about 1 hour earlier than it did prior to March 11. Maya had to hop on the bus at 7:30am everyday for school, and now, she will need to get on the bus at 6:50 everyday- that is one LONG day for a 2nd grader. Currently, her class has only 9 kids out of 21 back- the Elementary school has about 290 kids there, and 250 kids who have not returned yet. They have minimal heat (use it first thing in the morning and turn it off for the day- to save energy to help with the energy issues)- so the school is cold, and the teachers are taking the kids outside as much and as often as they can to keep them warm through the school day. I am also extremely uncomfortable thinking about putting Maya back on a bus for 45 minutes each way, each day. I do not know how I will feel about my kids being away from me- I guess that is something I will have to just gut out and see if I can handle it. I thank god daily that they were with me during the quake- it has definitely minimized their fear of going back. That being said, Maya is alone on that bus- yes, she knows a lot of kids, but she has no sibling with her. She is such a softie that if something were to happen again, I would be afraid for how that would affect her in the long run. The trains, though running full routes, are not running full schedules (not as many trains) and are running without lights on. We are told that most provisions- at least for now- are not too difficult to get. Milk seems to be the least available, but they say we can get water at Costco, fuel seems to be back to normal and the grocery stores, as long as you get there early in the morning, have food. The energy issues show no signs of letting up, and they are predicting a huge issue once summer comes and the heat/humidity skyrockets.
Our current options are:
--The girls and I stay in Michigan for the remainder of the school year/summer, while Scott goes back alone or commutes back and forth for the next 5 months. Then return in August for the start of the school year.
--We all go back and hope for the best- Scott goes to work, girls go to school and I try to figure out a new normal (we now have no visitors coming to Japan, so my Spring is wide open).
--We don't go back at all and Scott commutes for the next year. This one is not really an option- we will have next to no family life, and I just can't imagine spending so much time without him around.
This decision is not going to be an easy one. We love living in Japan and have a time frame in our heads of how long we will be there, getting the most out of our experience. We definitely do not want our experience to end like this- with a scary earthquake/tsunami, an evacuation and a feeling of helplessness.
I do want to end this Blog, for those of you reading, by asking for you to do two things- pray and donate what you can to the relief efforts. There are over 28,000 people missing or dead, and hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, living in shelters, sleeping on floors and having no where to go- this includes kids, elderly and every age and income bracket you can imagine. This is an industrialized nation- these people are just like us- hard working, with homes, families, cars, clothing- and now they have nothing. There are reports that the Insurance companies are going to go belly up, and will not even begin to be able to payout to those affected by these disasters....
The list below are organizations that will directly help those affected by these disasters, and are reputable and recommended by The American School in Japan, where Maya goes to school. Please help if you can- it doesn't matter how much- every bit will help.
Second Harvest Japan, a Tokyo food bank sending up food and supplies (http://www.2hj.org)
American Red Cross Hands for Japan Fund donations matched by ASIJ Alum Andrew Ogama '90 (htttp://www.crowdrise.com/handsforjapan)
Japan Red Cross
(http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html)
Habitat for Humanity Japan (http://www.habitatjp.org/enblog/2011/03/donate_to_help_japan_earthquake_and_tsunami_victims.html)
JANIC a group fund for NGOs working in disaster relief including Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity
(http://www.janic.org/bokin/matomete14.php) [Japanese]
(http://www.janic.org/news/japanese_ngos_are_taking_action.php) [English]
Donations to NGO funds through Paypal
(https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)