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More than a week after a devastating 9.0-level earthquake hit Japan, followed by tsunami waves that caused massive damages and loss of life, former Weyburn resident Mary Fish, a teacher in Tokyo, is now on a break in Malaysia, and is worrying about whether she will be able to return as scheduled on Sunday, Mar. 27.
Mary, the daughter of Dale and Anna Fish of Weyburn, first told the Weyburn Review last week about the experience of going through the earthquake and the aftershocks, and this week has followed up with a description of how she and those around her are handling the aftermath of the worst earthquake Japan has ever experienced.
Thinking back to when the quake occurred and afterwards until she landed in Malaysia, Mary wrote the following: "Friday was the earthquake, Saturday was cleaning up the things that had broken and fallen in my apartment; Sunday seemed like a rather normal day; then Monday staff and I went to school, we debriefed the situation; there was a big aftershock, the talk about radiation was frightening and I had an emotional meltdown; Tuesday I packed to leave, Wednesday I went to the airport on the last bus of the day as the Narita Express trains were not running and I slept on the floor of the airport, and Thursday I flew to Malaysia."
Mary admitted that she had mixed feelings about leaving the country, and noted, "I had such lovely encounters with the Japanese people I met on Wednesday. The embassy staff were incredibly helpful and polite, my taxi driver was incredibly friendly and we managed to converse in broken Japanese and English."
She related a conversation she had with a Japanese man at the airport bus counter, saying he "was incredibly gracious even as we talked about the awful situation Japan is in. He said, 'As children, we Japanese are taught to expect a big earthquake, so we are prepared, but this is more big than anyone expected.'"
She added that "there is just so much uncertainty now" in Japan, but at the same time she was ready to get out of the country for a break and to relax.
"This trip has allowed me to take a break from powerful and constant aftershocks, unsettling news about radiation, and constant uncertainty about power cuts and food shortages," said Mary, adding that even the flight from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur brought back some unpleasant memories of the earthquake.
"Experiencing this earthquake has certainly made me much more skittish. I hope it is only temporary. As soon as we hit some turbulence, suddenly the feelings I experienced during Friday's quake came flooding back. I was asked during one of my interviews what an earthquake feels like now I think that turbulence in an airplane more accurately describes the sensation of the big ones. Luckily I got an exit row seat, so no one was in front of me. This allowed me to sleep, however, each time we hit turbulence, my stomach did an amazing flip flop, and the thought of being in a plane accident petrified me. When we touched down, a blanket of calm enveloped me."
Since being in Kuala Lumpur, she has been able to rest, and said, "Now a few days into my trip, I feel quite good. My mum and dad have been a great comfort on the phone and Skype. Also, yesterday, my sister came to Malaysia from Estevan to join me and it is great to have a family member here with me. I have also met up with some colleagues at a international school conference, and today we spent a lot of time debriefing everything and talking about the future."
She continues to monitor the news from Japan as best she can, and also checks the Facebook postings from her friends in Japan, and notes there is still ongoing uncertainty about the nuclear power plants, and about the many thousands of people still missing or homeless.
"There are small stories of hope, like the boy and his grandmother rescued after nine days, but there are thousands of Japanese people cold, hungry, and homeless. Please pray for them and support charities like the Japanese Red Cross and Save the Children to help these people who are in desperate need of the necessities of life," she said.
As the end of her holidays approaches, she said, "I will continue to closely monitor the situation while I am here in Malaysia. I am due to return to Japan on Sunday, March 27. I truly hope I can."
