Skip to main content

Hayley- Home

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 restaurant . . . 




. . . and then it was time to head to the airport.  At the airport I was able to meet Nazuki, a former exchange student whom I hosted in 2007.  



(Her mom works at the Lex office and came to the airport to see me off.)  It was great seeing her, even for a short period of time.  

Then, two plane rides and at least 18 hours later, I arrived in Wisconsin.  It was so wonderful to see my family and, after all that has been going on, to be home.  



Even so, I miss Japan, and I'm sorry that I had to leave so suddenly.  I hope to return in the next few months when things have settled down. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sama Otsukare!!

Sama お疲れさまですした！ 韓国の文化おしえてくれて감사합니다!! Nos vemos en cualquier parte del world!👋💫 Wait for the last Sama blog very soon!  サマのラストーのブログ待って下さい！！👐 Sama,いってらっしゃい！
Post a Comment
Read more

Hayley- Life goes on

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.   ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stephanie-こんにちは！Konnichiwa! Hello!

こんにちは！Konnichiwa! Hello! My host sister Asuka and I in 小えど, Japan Hi everyone!  My name is Stephanie, but in Japan I've already been given the nickname  Su-chan　 す－ちゃん    (su from Stephanie since the Japanese pronunciation is su-teh-fah-nee, and -chan is added to the end of a name when you are speaking to a younger person or a friend), so you can call me Su-chan! I am one of the five Hippo interns working in the LEX headquarters office in Tokyo this year. In addition to me, from Wisconsin, the intern team is made up of Tino from Mexico, Sakun and Ken Ken from China, and Hiu-chan from Korea. It's great to have such an international group!    Before coming to Japan I attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a degree in fine art. During that time I also worked for Wisconsin 4-H International Programs, which is how I first learned about Hippo through the 4-H/Hippo summer and yearlong exchanges. Last summer I had the opportun...
Post a Comment
Read more