Slowly life in Sendai (at least in the Izumi ward) is getting closer to the norm. The grocery store closest to us has most of the aisles open and there is no longer a mad rush for milk in fear it might run out. Even one of the grocery stores at the bus station is fully stocked. Most stores and restaurants are open and operating, though many are on limited hours with limited stock or menu items. Several teachers who evacuated to the States have returned to begin the new school year next week.
We've gone from evacuees and relief volunteers to teachers preparing for a new school year to start on Wednesday. It's crazy to think that after a month of taking shelter in northern Japan and helping with earthquake relief and cleanup, we'll finally be able to do what we came here to do: teach! The first week of March, when we were student-teaching full time, seems like a world away.
We've been getting into the routine of our seemingly new roles and settling into our new apartment and feeling used to the 900+ aftershocks we've had since "The Big One" on March 11. That is, until a rather unsettling "aftershock" (of 7.4 magnitude) on Thursday night, shortly after 11:30 pm. At first it seemed just like all the other aftershocks, but it soon started to shake up more than we were used to. We dove under the kitchen table and waited out the shaking. We could feel the building swaying side to side and there was even a little of the scary "up and down" movement. The scariest part about this aftershock was wondering, as we hid under the table, "Is this going to be another big one?" We prayed through the tremor and just waited for it to calm down. As the lights began to fade, Kris made a mental map of the route where the nearest flashlight was.
The lights went out (as commonly happens with some earthquakes as a safety measure to prevent electrical fires) and the shaking calmed down. Kris crawled to the flashlight and we got dressed and headed outside. We went to check on our friends in the building next door who had also gone outside.
Most of us felt a little rattled, but we were okay and our apartments weren't damaged. The worst part was when we were under the table, wondering if the aftershock was going to turn into another "big one". We also prayed together for God's protection against tsunamis (and He did protect the coast, since there were tsunami warnings but no tsunamis). Our supervisors came to check on us, to make sure we were safe and not scared. They told us it would be safe to go back inside. We stood outside for about twenty minutes, waiting out the aftershocks of the "aftershock", just to be safe. Kris and I went inside and cuddled together to keep warm in our powerless apartment.
The next morning the power was still out, but we got dressed and headed to work as normal (thanks to the alarm on our charged cell phone). Then I got to thinking about how this post-earthquake lifestyle has become the norm for us. Often when there are aftershocks (not including that big one), we don't pay them much attention -- and sometimes we don't even notice them. We are used to seeing 20 cars lined up on the road, waiting to fill up with gas, or walking in a grocery store and seeing several bare shelves. Even being expected to go to work and be productive when there is no electricity doesn't seem outrageous to us. It's funny how what the "norm" is can change and how adaptable people can be to their environment.
Kindergarten was supposed to start that morning, but because of the power outage and earthquake damage, it was canceled for the next two days and the start of our classes for the after school program was pushed back two days. It is unfortunate that the school was finally polished floor to ceiling and workers had finished fixing the major cracks in the walls and ceiling just hours before the big aftershock. There are now fresh cracks in many places in the buildings and on the school grounds. All that hard work will have to be completed again!
Luckily, aside from cracks in the wall, no harm was done to the school or the people in the area. I've heard some reports of injuries and fatalities, but our supervisor said that sometimes happens with aftershocks because people react out of fear and neglect common sense (thought I'm not saying all the fatalities and injuries are a result of this; just that it is not all that uncommon).
We are thankful that God protected us again, that there was no tsunami, that our electricity was turned on in less than 24 hours, that no students and parents were in the school at the time, and that the earthquake did not cause any further damage to the nuclear power plants. We are certainly seeing God's protection over us. Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming :-)
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