The Spring Dream I've Had One Day

When I decided it, this song was playing in my head.
♪I'm coming to see you by train~
..Actually, not by train when I'm going...maybe I have to change the lyrics and say ♪I'm coming to see you by overnight bus~, lol.

This week has been very busy. On Monday, transportation was messed up. Because of the planned black out, JR line didn't come to my station　They cut down the number of trains and also reduced the area. Some lines were not even working. I already knew that the line I take wasn't coming to my station at that time, but left home earlier than usual with having a small hope that it might come when I get to the station. However, the front door of the North exit was closed (I saw it closed for the first time!) and two staff was telling people that the line won't come today and we have to walk outside of the station to South entrance if we want to take Keio line (usually, we can go through the station). When I was leaving home, I already saw a text message from my boss telling me that I don't have to come (actually, he could not come) because it may be so tough and I may not be able to go back home later. Even though I read it, I chose going to work somehow because the day was my turn to stay over at the lab. So, I told my boss that I was gonna come, and it took for 4 hours to my workplace...so stupid! I experienced being in a very packed train for the first time in 10 years or so (I hadn't experienced it since I graduated high school) and was already tired when I finally got to work. Actually I had a cold since a few days ago, and it made me feel even worse enough to make me see a doctor after work. And since the Seibu line didn't come to the station, I walked for 40 minutes to the closest JR station.

Even next day, I wasn't allowed to sleep well. I got up one hour earlier than usual because the trains were not working normally yet, and next day again...I found myself being tired because of those stuff. At the night I stayed at the hospital, I was supposed to get up at 3 in the morning, test blood samples of some patients that have serious status at that time, and then turn off all the machines to prepare for the black out. You know how much I got relieved when I heard the black out was going to be canceled...And when the weekdays were finally over, I noticed that every plan I had on weekend was canceled again. I know I can't say anything if I was told to think about the people in Tohoku that were attacked by tsunami...however, it was something. I was stressed and also lost the chance to release those stress. Drinking, wedding, performance...every event was and is going to be canceled and having a boring a day because of it, however I didn't feel like playing around stupidly. And today? WORK. I think it's coming to touch the line soon if I keep feeling like this. It's something more mental. I know that it doesn't matter for me to work harder than usual, however, if I don't have anywhere to let go the stress, it does matter. Actually, I know what I want. I know what saves me from this depression, and makes me feel calm and composed. However, it's not available. That means I need to deal with it by myself somehow, so I decided to go on a short trip this weekend. But to be honest, I wonder if it will work...I hope it will make me feel better even if it will be only a little bit...

The day is almost there, 頑張れ myself.

My Day On March 11th

When the earthquake occurred, I was at work. I've been kind of gotten used to earthquakes, since it occurs sometime so I don't care so much usually, but this time was the largest one I've experienced. Yes, it shook and I hid under the desk. Since Japan is an earthquake country, we are told to do the following things at elementally schools.

1. Turn off the fire
2. Open doors to ensure the evacuation route
3. Go under the desk and protect your head

So, I stuck my head under the desk...but nothing fell from the shelves. Since our lab seems to be very dangerous when a large earthquake occures, since we have lots and lots of stuffs on shelves above out head. We sometimes even joke about it, and say that if a large earthquake occurs the people who will die firstly must be us. Our room simply has no space for things because it's too small. Anyway, fortunately, nothing fell down and we went back to do things we had been doing. On the other hand, out side of the lab, staffs were running to let patients evacuate from the building. But after a while, they let them come in again, and it looked like everything was alright. However, the TV kept reporting about the horrible scene of the area that the earthquake and tsunami hit directly. It was really awful and shocking. I was sure everyone felt sorry for it.

So, it seemed that things went OK in our small lab. No one got injured, nothing broke, actually we didn't have problems. However, it happened when I was going home. I heard that the trains were not working at that time, but didn't think it was that serious. Yes, the earthquake was a kind of large, but the strength here was not enough to make any single thing fell down from the shelves. So, I thought that however the trains are not working at that time, it would be recover in a few hours after checking things. But it was an optimistic thought actually.

When I got to the station, the shutter was closed and we didn't come in. Most stores around the station were closed and I was waiting in a bank beside the station because the inside was warm. I waited for 2 hours but the train didn't work. I checked the Internet with my phone and noticed that all the trains around this area wouldn't work till tomorrow. So, what to do?

It takes for an hour from my station to the station by train, and including time to get to the station from the workplace and my house, totally it takes almost 1.5 hours. I don't know how long it takes if I walk home and it's not safe because aftershocks have been occurring again and again, and it was already dark. I tried to call family but was very hard to get connected. Also, since I hadn't gotten text messages from my boss for a while (he was asking me to tell the situation of the train), I thought the same thing can be said about short mails and emails. Under the situation, some SNS application using Internet like facebook, mixi, What's app or viber looked far easier to use. Anyway, I tried and tried to call my dad and when I finally succeeded, I asked him if he could come to pick me up...of course the answer was NO.

So then, I remembered that my co-worker joked that I could come over when the earthquake occurred at the lab, so I started to try to call her. I laughed and told her that I wouldn't because I would go home, but unfortunately, the situation became reality. I couldn't go home. So, when the phone finally got connected with her, I told her my situation and asked her if I come over. So, luckily I got a warm place to stay. When I got to her house, her husband was already home and we went Matsuya near her house to have a meal. We watched News, took a bath (I even get to wash my hair!!), and slept on the warm matress with a blanket. I was very lucky. I know there were some people stayed over at the hospital without having a bed (maybe). All the damage I suffered was wearing the same panties again...(we call it 二度パン), so stupid!! And one more, I was tired to go to work from there next day...But it's nothing compared to the most victims in Tohoku area.

I hope everyone can go back to their normal life as soon as possible, so I will try to help them with things I can...for example, donation and saving energies...