I'm sure many perished in the devastating floods of Australia East Coast, of Haiti Earthquake, of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and of various other reasons in the world. Yes, I do pray for them.
It was a place with memories of my first break up (yes, how fucking annoying). It was a place where I met many inspiring new friends from all over the world. It was the place where a lost 19 year old me, found my way through with a cool roomie and my caring Mum and BFF on Skype. And other times crying out on emo J-drama which annoyed my roomie. It was a place where we hang out at each others room and play Big 2, the place where we met up with other Japanese friends for drinking parties, the place where we had random cycling trips into the countryside, the place where we go all crazy over guy-watching, the place like home. All the feelings that regular Singaporean felt when staying in NTU halls. Akita was all that to me.
Finally, a shout-out to our 50 brave volunteers of TEPCO, who selflessly exposed themselves to radiation for the good of the nation and the region, you are the true heroes. You guys really make me want to cry, because while I was typing away with my comparatively unimportant task, the 50 of you are taking the radical task of changing the world for a better. Thank you. おつかれさまでした。本当にどうもありがとうございました。
But Why is Japan's disaster particularly nerve wrenching for me?
Because Japan was once my home. Akita, in particular, was once home.
It was a place with memories of my first break up (yes, how fucking annoying). It was a place where I met many inspiring new friends from all over the world. It was the place where a lost 19 year old me, found my way through with a cool roomie and my caring Mum and BFF on Skype. And other times crying out on emo J-drama which annoyed my roomie. It was a place where we hang out at each others room and play Big 2, the place where we met up with other Japanese friends for drinking parties, the place where we had random cycling trips into the countryside, the place where we go all crazy over guy-watching, the place like home. All the feelings that regular Singaporean felt when staying in NTU halls. Akita was all that to me.And Sendai, one of the worst hit areas, was my virgin trip with my exchange mates. That was my first time globetrotting with our less than basic Japanese language skills. And I will never forget the kind people who have helped us along the way. The kind lady at the onsen, who spoke no English but still took an effort to "google translate" everything to us. Another kind lady at the manga cafe who made sure we are ok before she knocked off from her late night shift, because she knew we suck so bad at Japanese, and I happened to be the only one who could speak in Mandarin (Viola for being Chinese again...) And of coz my travelling buddies who didn't mind me tagging along.
It was Sendai that made me feel all jam-packed and ready to take on the world, which lead me to my Europe trip when I was 21. And all the nice people who might still be in Sendai, please be alright.
And so are the other people whom we've once acquaintanced, from the canteen lady to the dorm manager, and the school nurse (whom I kept visiting) and ALL of the people whom I've met one way or another, even if Akita is barely affected, I hope your family and friends in the other parts of Japan are safe tonight. And my friend in Tokyo, working for Toshiba, I truly admire your fierce loyalty to Japan.
Finally, a shout-out to our 50 brave volunteers of TEPCO, who selflessly exposed themselves to radiation for the good of the nation and the region, you are the true heroes. You guys really make me want to cry, because while I was typing away with my comparatively unimportant task, the 50 of you are taking the radical task of changing the world for a better. Thank you. おつかれさまでした。本当にどうもありがとうございました。
Photos from 2008 Summer :
