March 11, 2011

It's taken me nearly a year to write about this day. Details have been forever forgotten but some will always remain. Greg was in the United States, Ada, Michigan to be exact for a work trip for the week. It seemed like a typical week marked by a couple of decent sized earthquakes, one woke me up in the night. It seemed odd to have a couple of big ones so close together. Friday, March 11, 2011 will be a day my boys and I will never forget. Bryce and I had just picked up Dylan from the American School in Japan at the Early Learning Campus in Roppongi Hills. We were invited to an impromtu play date at Luca's (Veronica) Mittino's house. Albert, a fellow classmate, was coming along too. We got to Luca's apartment and the boys started to play immediately and Veronica and I got to work on our "eyelashes" we were going to were to the gala the next evening. It was at that moment the building started shaking, it started to build with intensity and we ran out of the bathroom and decided to take the boys outside. We learned later, not such a great idea, especially when the building you are in is so safe and up to earthquake codes. And one of the worst places to be in an earthquake is a staircase. We made it outside and the quake was still shaking the building and everything and everybody. One thing Dylan noted was the lamp post trashing back and forth. Dylan was amazing during the ordeal. The earthquake was still going on, his friends were rightfully crying and disdraught and I look down at him and he is consoling both of his friends, telling them it will be ok. I was shocked. I wish I was so brave and confident. I had Bryce in my arms and he wasn't about to let go. He held on for dear life. He happened to be the best prepared in the earthquake, at the time it started, he was wearing a dress up hard hat pretending to be a construction worker. Thank goodness for my iphone and facebook that we were able to communicate with friends in Tokyo and post our status on Face book. When we felt the earthquake was "over" Veroncia naturally wanted to check on her younger son, Rocco, who was around the corner at a birthday party. We went together and that's when we realized we weren't finished yet! The first aftershock came as we knocked on their door. We joined the party kids who were gathered under the table watching videos on iphones to remain calm. We decided to stay at the party for awhile and thats when another big aftershock hit. The news came on of reports of a tsunmi hitting Sendai. As much as I tried to keep Dylan away from the TV, he saw the tsunmi's destruction and it stuck with him how devastating it was, his mind tried to process all the cars being swept away. We finally decided it was "safe enough" to go home. Thankfully, I had my mama-chari and was able to get home quickly. An eary looking storm was approaching and we made it home just in time. We found Hiromi,Louie, Max and all of our neighbors home safely as well. Cliff and Isa had just walked in the front door from a trip to the USA when the earthquake hit. Paul made it safely home from Shibuya and we decided that everyone should keep their front doors open for the night in case another earthquake hit and made the building collapse. I also felt like I needed my babies close to me and I think they were appreciative to be close to mama too. So we set up camp in the living room. I will never forget Hiromi and I trying to pull the king size mattress up the steep stairs of our apartment. Looking back at it now, it was a comical scene but we were determined and we did it! Hiromi was so incredibly helpful throughout the whole crisis. That night I didn't sleep a wink. I kept myself busy by packing up a earthquake ready kit. I packed two huge duffle bags full of food, water, blankets, clothes. etc. There was so considerable way I could have lifted those bags with two boys in my arms. At least it kept my mind on what I could be doing and not panicking. Louie stayed the night with us as well. She helped pack the bags and when she wasn't helping she was sitting on the couch overlooking the boys with her shoes on ready for action. She sat there reading the bible and praying. I was so thankful to have her there. There were constant aftershocks and the building was perpetually swaying because it was on rollers. Bryce actually vomited from the constant motion sickness. There were many times in the next few days I would ask the boys to sit by the kitchen counter for cover. We didn't venture out of our home on Saturday.  I would be late in the day while watching the news on TV when I heard about the nuclear disaster in Fucushima.  At that point I was ready to pack my bags.  Greg would be home though around midnight and we could assess the situation together then.  He first learned of the nuclear reactor explosion when he arrived that night.  It was news to him and there really wasn't much information to gather.  Sunday we spent the day talking with friends about their plans and pooling together as much info we had as possible.  It became very clear to us on Monday that the boys and I would evacuate to the United States.  We left Tokyo from Haneda airport at 5am on Tuesday. We left with mixed emotions.  Feelings of longing for safety but also feelings of abandonment of a grief stricken and disaster torn country, a coutnry we loved and called home.  We arrived in Grand Rapids and spent time at the beach house in Grand Haven, spent time with friends and Grandma and Grandpa.  It was an odd sensation that we felt of the earth shaking even though we were on solid ground.  We felt this for days.  Come to find out later when we returned to Tokyo and talked with our friends that they too felt the same sensation after leaving Japan.  Finally Greg saftely joined us on Saturday.  We were a reunited family again in a safe haven.  On Tuesday, we would continue with our Spring Break plans to go to Hawaii.