Tomomi
Nov 30, 2011
Writing Feedback / How many of you have experienced the EARTHQUAKE? [NEW]
I am writing this essay to tell all of you something.
Please give me advices if there is any errors in English. Thanks.
I think everyone all over the world who watched the news already knew the massive earthquake and the monster Tsunami in Japan. March 11 was the worst day in my life. March 11 was also the day which made our history renewed with the number of more than 20,000 victims that we had never had in our disasters history.
March 11 was a beautiful day, not so hot and not so cold in the day time. I was going to the office as usual. There were too many commuters on the train but that situation we already got used to it. Everyone seemed to be cheerful because this day was Friday, the last working day of the week. But no one knew this day was the worst day ever of the nation.
After lunch break, we started working as normal. Suddenly, the building shocked and my supervisor said 'Oh, it is earthquake'. No one of us felt anxious at first because the earthquakes are the things which are not new for any Japanese. But then it came on and on, everyone started turn to white with fear. It was like the giant person holding the building with two hands and shocked with angry. We concealed ourselves under the working desks until it came down. The moment it shocked, I thought that was my last day in my life. I was almost in tears because I did not want to die that way.
Then, fortunately, the quake came down a little bit. We used the escape stairway to evacuate in the park near by. There were too many people evacuating in the park. In there, we experienced the other massive earthquake. I couldn't believe my eyes at the moment. The high building in front of me was shaking strongly. It is really difficult to describe, but it seemed like some scenes in the movies. People held their cell phones tightly and tried to call their families so many times. But the lines were too busy to be connected. The same like me, I couldn't reach any of my family by the phone. Then, my manager brought in the cell phone which can watch the news, and we knew the fact that the monster Tsunami came and swept out our towns in the Northeast.
Japan is well-known for the transportation systems. But at that time you couldn't imagine that all transportation facilities were suspended. We had no trains to go home. Then, I had no choice and decided to stay in my co-worker's home which was more than 15 km far away from the office. And I started to walk with some of my colleagues at work. During my walk, I witnessed so many things which I had never seen before in my country. People walked on the roadway because there was not enough room for pedestrian on pedestrian paths. No instant food like cup noodles, breads on the shelves at the convenience stores, no cash for withdrawal in the ATM, no rooms for guests in the hotels. And people made a long 20minutes-waited line for the bathroom inside the hotel. In there, I saw so many tourists including foreigners and local Japanese were sitting on the floor with uneasy faces. I think the proper words to describe the situation are "The refugee reception center". I felt sorry for those who flied so many hours to come to my country for sightseeing and relaxation. And now, they had to face such a tough situation.
After a long walk of 5 hours, we finally reached to my colleague's house. I was exhausted, started feel an acute pain in my legs. But we were in luck that at last we were inside the house. People who travel for work around Tokyo area in the morning everyday are approximately 35millions, almost one-third of the population in Japan. That also means around 35millions people were stuck in the stations at this time. How can you imagine this severe circumstance? People sit on the stairs of the stations, on the platforms, lied down on the play yard of schools with just some pieces of corrugated cardboard. How tough it was when the temperature outside was only around 5℃（41°F） at night. On TV, all channels just repeated again and again the monster Tsunami swept out the Northeast area, the gas station blew up in Chiba-the prefecture next to Tokyo, and the most noticeable nuclear plant going up in flames in Fukushima. At this moment, I appreciated Facebook-the social network, because of it, I was enabled to make sure the safety of my family as well as my friends. And through Facebook, I was so happy because I knew that my friends all over the world worried and supported me a lot. All of those comments are "Please just reply me if you and your family are safe." How impressed I was with those comments because I knew I was not alone. Then, we still had to experience so many aftershocks that night, they came almost every hour.
After taking a nap of a few hours, I left for my home in the early morning next day. The sky was blue and it was sunny. The weather seemed like ignoring what happened last night. Thanks God and thanks to the earthquake-resistant technology, my department was still there. No building in Tokyo area was collapsed and I was grateful about that.
Everything seemed to be calmed down a little bit a few days later. But it was not. We were facing so many problems such as lack of gas, lack of instant foods as well as toilet papers, interruption of power supply which I had never experienced before. Above of these, radiation level was paid attention most. People just kept an eye on TV to follow the news and how the nuclear plant progressed in Fukushima. My family and I had used to think of moving to the island in the South or to another city oversea. But it was not that easy. Furthermore, there was no ticket for us to travel at this time because all foreigners were given priority to go out the country. Besides, whenever I watched TV, it was so sad to know the reality in the Northeast. The old man cried out toward the ocean just for one hope that his wife who lived with him for many years could come back. A little girl broke down crying and yelled in tears "Mommy, don't leave us alone, please come back, please! Please!"
Now, after more than half of year after the quake, we came back to our normal lives even though we still have to fix many problems in the Northeast. Through this essay, I would like to say how valuable your life is, and how important we have to think a great deal of our family. I want you to believe me that nothing is dreadful more than disasters especially the earthquakes. Because at least who else in the world could predict when or where the earthquake will occur?
I am writing this essay to tell all of you something.
Please give me advices if there is any errors in English. Thanks.
I think everyone all over the world who watched the news already knew the massive earthquake and the monster Tsunami in Japan. March 11 was the worst day in my life. March 11 was also the day which made our history renewed with the number of more than 20,000 victims that we had never had in our disasters history.
March 11 was a beautiful day, not so hot and not so cold in the day time. I was going to the office as usual. There were too many commuters on the train but that situation we already got used to it. Everyone seemed to be cheerful because this day was Friday, the last working day of the week. But no one knew this day was the worst day ever of the nation.
After lunch break, we started working as normal. Suddenly, the building shocked and my supervisor said 'Oh, it is earthquake'. No one of us felt anxious at first because the earthquakes are the things which are not new for any Japanese. But then it came on and on, everyone started turn to white with fear. It was like the giant person holding the building with two hands and shocked with angry. We concealed ourselves under the working desks until it came down. The moment it shocked, I thought that was my last day in my life. I was almost in tears because I did not want to die that way.
Then, fortunately, the quake came down a little bit. We used the escape stairway to evacuate in the park near by. There were too many people evacuating in the park. In there, we experienced the other massive earthquake. I couldn't believe my eyes at the moment. The high building in front of me was shaking strongly. It is really difficult to describe, but it seemed like some scenes in the movies. People held their cell phones tightly and tried to call their families so many times. But the lines were too busy to be connected. The same like me, I couldn't reach any of my family by the phone. Then, my manager brought in the cell phone which can watch the news, and we knew the fact that the monster Tsunami came and swept out our towns in the Northeast.
Japan is well-known for the transportation systems. But at that time you couldn't imagine that all transportation facilities were suspended. We had no trains to go home. Then, I had no choice and decided to stay in my co-worker's home which was more than 15 km far away from the office. And I started to walk with some of my colleagues at work. During my walk, I witnessed so many things which I had never seen before in my country. People walked on the roadway because there was not enough room for pedestrian on pedestrian paths. No instant food like cup noodles, breads on the shelves at the convenience stores, no cash for withdrawal in the ATM, no rooms for guests in the hotels. And people made a long 20minutes-waited line for the bathroom inside the hotel. In there, I saw so many tourists including foreigners and local Japanese were sitting on the floor with uneasy faces. I think the proper words to describe the situation are "The refugee reception center". I felt sorry for those who flied so many hours to come to my country for sightseeing and relaxation. And now, they had to face such a tough situation.
After a long walk of 5 hours, we finally reached to my colleague's house. I was exhausted, started feel an acute pain in my legs. But we were in luck that at last we were inside the house. People who travel for work around Tokyo area in the morning everyday are approximately 35millions, almost one-third of the population in Japan. That also means around 35millions people were stuck in the stations at this time. How can you imagine this severe circumstance? People sit on the stairs of the stations, on the platforms, lied down on the play yard of schools with just some pieces of corrugated cardboard. How tough it was when the temperature outside was only around 5℃（41°F） at night. On TV, all channels just repeated again and again the monster Tsunami swept out the Northeast area, the gas station blew up in Chiba-the prefecture next to Tokyo, and the most noticeable nuclear plant going up in flames in Fukushima. At this moment, I appreciated Facebook-the social network, because of it, I was enabled to make sure the safety of my family as well as my friends. And through Facebook, I was so happy because I knew that my friends all over the world worried and supported me a lot. All of those comments are "Please just reply me if you and your family are safe." How impressed I was with those comments because I knew I was not alone. Then, we still had to experience so many aftershocks that night, they came almost every hour.
After taking a nap of a few hours, I left for my home in the early morning next day. The sky was blue and it was sunny. The weather seemed like ignoring what happened last night. Thanks God and thanks to the earthquake-resistant technology, my department was still there. No building in Tokyo area was collapsed and I was grateful about that.
Everything seemed to be calmed down a little bit a few days later. But it was not. We were facing so many problems such as lack of gas, lack of instant foods as well as toilet papers, interruption of power supply which I had never experienced before. Above of these, radiation level was paid attention most. People just kept an eye on TV to follow the news and how the nuclear plant progressed in Fukushima. My family and I had used to think of moving to the island in the South or to another city oversea. But it was not that easy. Furthermore, there was no ticket for us to travel at this time because all foreigners were given priority to go out the country. Besides, whenever I watched TV, it was so sad to know the reality in the Northeast. The old man cried out toward the ocean just for one hope that his wife who lived with him for many years could come back. A little girl broke down crying and yelled in tears "Mommy, don't leave us alone, please come back, please! Please!"
Now, after more than half of year after the quake, we came back to our normal lives even though we still have to fix many problems in the Northeast. Through this essay, I would like to say how valuable your life is, and how important we have to think a great deal of our family. I want you to believe me that nothing is dreadful more than disasters especially the earthquakes. Because at least who else in the world could predict when or where the earthquake will occur?
