March Jaken Article "A Year Ago"

So I write a monthly article for a small local magazine called Jaken.  I wasn't selected to write based on talent but more on the fact that I am here and foreing.  ANYWAY, I don't think they would really want me posting my articles for free (they never said so but I just assume that is the way it goes with published material), but here is my March article.  As you can probably see from my other blog posts, I have a hard time sticking to the 500 word count so I write a long article and then edit it down.  The result is usually not so good... but what can you do. I also tend to do the article the day before it is due, so it also lacks a lot of insight and planning.

March 11th, 2011

On March 7th, 2011 I learned that my mother had suffered from a blood clot in her chest and that she would be undergoing open heart surgery. Later that night I was told that my mother had not survived the surgery.  It was a big shock.

My mother had been fairly healthy. She didn’t smoke or drink and she exercised by walking our dogs. She was 61 but was still working as an elementary school teacher and a dance team coach. On March 6th I had called home and she had been busy packing for her upcoming trip to Japan. Several family members were coming for my Japanese wedding party. She was energetic about the trip. No one could believe that she had died.

My husband and I flew home March 9th. For him this was rough because he didn’t know how to act at an American funeral. Whereas I would usually explain things for him, I was too shocked to do anything but cry.

In America, the night before the funeral people come and pay their respects to the family and the deceased. My mother was a teacher and coach for 35 years, so she knew a lot of people. But we were overwhelmed with the over 900 people that showed up on March 10th. My husband stood with my family and greeted every single person despite not knowing them and not speaking much English.

That night many people asked my husband about earthquakes in Japan. I assumed they were trying to make small talk- just like when Japanese kids ask me about tornadoes. What we didn’t know was that people had already seen coverage about the earthquake and tsunami.

At home we turned on the news and watched the scenes of the tsunami. It was of course terrible to see, but at the time, I didn’t care. As for my husband’s feelings, I didn’t have the energy to ask.

The rest of the week was a blur of ceremony and family. We returned back to Japan and, trying to “forget,” my family came too as originally planned. While others were at home watching the “news,” we were touring Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Kobe.  

I say with all due respect that my family, in some ways, found comfort in hearing about the tsunami. We thought ourselves lucky that we knew what my mother’s last moments were like. My father and other family members were in the hospital and were able to say good-bye. Many in the Tohoku region must be haunted that they will never know what happened to their loved ones and that they couldn’t have a proper burial.

Now that a year has passed I can now focus on what happened in Tohoku with a clear head and heart. I recently helped with an English camp for students in Sendai and would like to do more to help the people of Miyagi. As the years go by and more natural disasters occur, many will forget about what happened. But due to the death of my mother, I will always remember March 11, 2011.