Home in Sendai: Back to Relative Normal

After being delayed a day in Chicago, I finally got back to Sendai Thursday night around 11PM. In all honesty, it really felt like I never left. I got to my cleaned apartment (thanks Aaron!) and passed right out. Before, I flew over I made many comparisons to the first time I flew to Japan. I got in about the same time, I even flew together with the same person I got here with the first time. The first time I came, I literally had no clue what I was in for. I had very little concept of what Japan would actually look like, sound like, smell like. I had no idea what my apartment would feel like. In coming back, I had an image in my head of what Tokyo airport would look like, riding in the car for 5 hours back to Sendai, and my apartment layout. It was all very familiar to me. It felt like home.

Friday, we had a national holiday (I can't keep up with them) so our school had a bbq. It was a great way to see all my friends that were already back altogether. Everyone was very excited to eat hamburgers on the grill. Sadly for me, the last thing I ate in the U.S. was a burger so I wasn't exactly craving them. Also, we got the chance to live it up in the beautiful weather playing some kickball and ulitmate frisbee. It was just a great day back.

Saturday, was the first day I got the chance to teach my students. A kindergarten teacher was teaching them after her day was over while I was gone. I'm sure she's thrilled to give them back! I was happy to take them. Its truly a powerful feeling to have your own classroom of students that call you their teacher. Its something that so many people don't have the privilege of understanding (especially when you read about the cuts to education across the US). The day went pretty smoothly though I kind of felt like a substitute teacher in my own class because I had no clue where anything was. I think I'm going to really like my job.

These experiences bring me to why I chose to come back to Sendai. Most people in the U.S. and some in Japan would say you'd be crazy to go to Sendai after looking at all the news and everything. The truth of it all was that I did have a sense of fear about everything especially having been on both sides of the issue. I was home for a decent earthquake they had in April and felt the panic that is brought on by the news. The truth of the matter is that when its my time to go, it just is. A million different scenarios could happen. This doesn't mean I should just hide in my house for the rest of my life.

I think fear is healthy. Fear is what makes me not drive into on coming traffic when turning right over here. Fear makes you think about things and even keeps your mind more focused on what could happen so you are prepared. Fear is different from panic. Panic is hysteria that keeps you from doing what you would naturally do under a sound mind. Though I am afraid of more earthquakes, it does not put me at a sense of panic that would keep me from coming back to the experience I set off on a few months ago.

When I left for Misawa, I purposely left a lot of my clothes. There was a feeling that I would be heading home when I went but I chose to leave things because it gave me a reason to come back. Its kind of like the ex-girlfriend that leaves her favorite hairbrush at her boyfriends in hopes she can come back for it to rekindle that magic. Well I have come back to rekindle the magic. This time last year, I had no clue I would ever set foot on Japanese soil in a million years. Now, I can't imagine life without this experience.

Though I enjoyed my time at home and glad I could come home to see so many family members and friends, I am glad I'm back home here in Sendai.


*Though we are starting to get back to normal there is still a lot of relief effort that needs to be done. I know so many people in the U.S. have lost so much in the recent weeks of storms but please take some time to visit our site and see what relief effort is still going on and what needs to be done. Earthquakes are still a several times a day occurrence here. Though we have the luxury to just roll our eyes to most of them now. Many people are not so lucky. Visit here

My Desk

Kickball Game on a beautiful day off

Of course one of the first things I had to do coming back was Karaoke. I posted a video taken on my facebook if you can stomach it hah.

This a picture at the store right behind my apartment. It took a lot of damage in the earthquake and only recently reopened with many blue tarps covering sections of the store.

This where we made that ordering mistake the night before the earthquake and ordered all that food. It is slated to be torn down.