We were slowly starting to get used to the idea of eating and sleeping at school. Though we had electricity, we still had no running water. Also, they told us we’d be on two meals a day to conserve for a while. We’ve had the luxury of all this food when so many had nothing. Lacking water was starting to take its toll though. It was like I couldn’t quite quench my thirst. We had food and a little to drink but we needed to be frugal as we were all realizing that we had no clue how long we’d be without a source of running water.
Word got around that they had running water over at Takamori. The excitement of our first shower and getting the chance to see our friends at the other campus for the first time since the earthquake made me forget about a lot of the issues surrounding us. Unfortunately, we got there to find out that this was not the case. However, it was great to actually get away from our campus for a change of scenery. Also, internet was working at a friend’s apartment complex. I got my first chance to actually let people know I was ok for myself. Upon getting there, I was just shocked at the out pour of sympathy and genuine care that I received. I honestly couldn’t even read it at the time because it was so overwhelming. I’m not one to want people to make a big deal over me. I definitely felt loved and blessed to have great friends and family.
Across the street from Takamori, the local high school had water trucks for area residents to line up and receive a fixed amount of water. This line was literally hundreds to thousands of people wrapping down streets and blocks. It really made me want to do something anything I could to help. Luckily, we had the opportunity. We found a way to pump water out of our well to give people. Unfortunately, this water was not the best drinking water but could be used to flush toilets and for baths. People were so greatful for it though. I spent a while helping with that and decided to head back with friends hoping to stay at Takamori that night with our friends…until we got the news.
Around 4 o’clock, my friend Ashley was given a ride back to our campus when she asked if I had heard the news. All American teachers had a meeting with our principal to discuss evacuation. My heart sank, a part of me was excited to be leaving and a part of me never wanted to go at all. I was torn with emotion just like literally every day since the earthquake. We were given the choice to stay and see what happens but encouraged to go to Misawa Air Force base. We had about an hour to pack our bags and get ready. It was an interesting question: if I had could only pack 1 suitcase of everything I couldn’t do without what would I bring? Well for me, I kind of got a little stressed out and piled whatever was right there into my biggest suitcase. I still am surprised each day at what clothes I pull out.
The Plan:
We left around 8:30PM on the bus for Misawa Air Force base. A teacher is a retired military official so she was hoping to get us on base. If that didn’t work out we would stay at a local hotel there. We all packed up jumped on the bus and road through the night to our new home at Misawa Air Force Base. We reached our destination at 6 AM. After cutting all the red tape to get us cleared, we were safely in our cots at 7AM.
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