Home Yesterday evening I arrived home in Wisconsin.  I had hoped that I could stay in Japan, but on the 17th (the evening of the 16th in the US), the US government advised US citizens living in Japan to consider leaving the country.  Until then, I had decided that I would stay in Japan unless the US government advised otherwise.  After reading the government announcement, I spoke about the situation with a friend of my dad's, who is in the US Navy and stationed in Japan, and then I called my parents.  We agreed that it would be best if I go home right away.  Lex-Japan and Lex-Boston were wonderful, and by the end of the day, the date of my return-ticket had been changed so that I would leave Japan the following evening. I had never expected that this would happen, but suddenly events were happening very fast.  By the night of the 17th, my bags were packed and I was ready to go.  In the morning, I went to the office one last time. There was a going-away lunch at a nearby

Life goes on Yesterday, I was able to go into work for about half the day.  It was great being there, but it struck me how tired everyone looked.  It wasn't just them though. . . I know I looked tired too.  The emotional toll of the past days has been very draining.  There is so much going on, and so much uncertainty as events continue to unfold.  No matter where you turn, there is something to remind you that life is not as it should be. I look at my laptop, where BBC News' Live Stream reminds me of the unfolding situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.   I think of the rescue efforts in the north and all of the people who are living in temporary shelters.    And yet, looking outside this morning, life appears to be normal.  The sun is shining, people are riding by on their bikes, and the kindergarten bus shaped like a giant dachshund just drove past . . . to all appearances, life is normal.   My host mother's hand-written train sche

Waking up to Reality Reality hits you.  It hits you in the small things of life, like whether or not there is going to be a hot water supply for your shower.  It hits you in daily life, when you find out that the trains you take to work are still not running.  And it hits you most as you watch and read the news. This morning, while discussing my work situation with my supervisor, I saw some TV footage.  I don't know the context, since I couldn't understand the Japanese, but the image was enough.  An older man was standing in the middle of one of the areas devastated by the tsunami.  All you could see was mud and timbers, crushed cars, and the remains of what had once been houses.  He was clutching two photographs: they were small and smeared with grime.  One was a family picture; smiling parents with two young daughters.  The second was of the same two girls, this time swimsuit clad and standing on a beach, grinning happily at the camera.  I don't know the conte

Sunday update I'm about to go to bed, but I wanted to post a quick update.  Today went well, and I am hanging in there.  Tomorrow I'll be heading into the Lex office for work.  Life is going on, but the news reports keep coming in.  Please pray for the people of Japan as they live through what the Japanese prime minister has called "the most severe crisis" since WWII.

Quick update Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers; this afternoon I made it back to my host family's house. Getting ready to head to bed after a very long day (didn't go to bed last night, but managed to get a 3 hour nap this morning).  

Earthquake It started with a faint rumbling. I could feel the floor vibrating under my feet. Around the office, people stopped work; there were exclamations, and then everything really started shaking. Within a few moments, I was sitting under my desk and listening to the sound of cabinets and everything else in the office being shaken by the earthquake. This was my first earthquake in Japan. I knew Japan had earthquakes, so I was a bit surprised when my supervisor told me I should let my mom know I was okay. Wasn't this a normal earthquake? In the hours since then, and one powerful aftershock later, I have come to understand that this was much more than a standard earthquake. In fact, this was the largest recorded earthquake in the history of Japan. After emerging from under my desk, I slowly started to realize that this earthquake was not the norm. And this is where technology comes in. Within minutes of the earthquake appearing on world news, I received two messages from

Children I love children.  You might say it's part of my nature: growing up the eldest in a large family with two younger sisters and four younger brothers.  For me, life with children is normal, and I can't imagine life without children. That was all very well for my life and family in Wisconsin, but what about when I decamped to Japan?    Suddenly my family was half-way around the world, and I was spending most of my days in an office. And this is where the beauty of LEX comes in.  At the LEX office, it's not unusual to see children.  In fact, hardly a day goes by without one mother (or more!) bringing her child into the office.  Also, through LEX clubs and homestays, there are many opportunities to spend time with children.  I love it! This is Hanna: I see her at the office at least once a week. This is Yuma . . . I stayed with his family last weekend.  He likes to wear sunglasses . . .  He also likes to wear hats.  This was taken while we were walki