The decision...

So today I was at elementary school all day long. I was not really in the mood to teach at all today...especially after having initial discussions with my family about whether to return to the States for a little bit. I mean, I had worked soooo hard to get to Japan. The whole application process had lasted nearly an entire year from beginning to finish. Coming to Japan had been on my mind for years and was something that I wanted to pursue. So after working really hard and being accepted in the JET Program, you can only imagine how enthralled I was!


During the morning, I was watching some of the news that had been going on about the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. My main concern was not on the earthquake, tremors, aftershocks, and the like...but the nuclear power plant that is not too far from Chiba. It seems like a safe distance, but after some events that had unfolded today, it seemed to become a real threat and become quite scary by the moment. Last night, Japanese workers were rapidly trying to cool down the 2nd Nuclear reactor which had exposed rods, after not being too successful in fighting off number 1 and 3 which blew on Friday and Monday, respectively. They had continued to try and keep water levels high enough to cover the rods, but there seemed to be leakage or some type of issue in keeping it cool. It eventually erupted this morning and there was another rising issue...Nuclear reactor number 4. This one was also emitting larger than normal amounts of radiation and today they actually had facts pointing out the amount of radiation emitted into the air. They measured higher than normal levels throughout the area...and in fact today detected higher than normal amounts down in Tokyo! This is the scariest part....yesterday seemed to be ok, but today was a different story. I was NOT planning on coming back to America for at least a year or two...but that has changed all too rapidly with the current set of events.


After spending hours and hours doing research, talking with family, and talking with people around the area, I finally thought that it would be a good idea to follow my father's inital advice and come back to the States for at least Spring break to be away from the danger...at first I was strongly opposed since I did not want to leave Japan. After all, I mentioned that I worked so hard to get here in the first place and I really love the country. The people here have been nothing less than generous and welcoming and I've become adjusted to my life here. But since the earthquake, nothing good has happened...there have been shortages on everything from food, gasoline, and power/electricity.


This was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make...but when I consider it and look at what's been happening and how much fortune I've had in being down in Chiba, I feel it is the right thing to do. I also have the unique chance to have the choice of leaving the country at this point....I hope that nothing major happens and that I'm able to get out by Friday! There was just another earthquake that happened in Shizuoka prefecture not too far away and I could feel that here. But with the way things are going, it is probably better since I am not trained in any way to help with the situation, so me being here is not going to help. I mean, I am consuming energy, food, and gasoline that other people need right now. So I talked with my BOE and the school and they are fine with it, in fact a little jealous because they all seem to want to leave the country as well....

So I will fly out and be back in America very soon. I hope that all goes well and I will be back in dairyland very soon! Haha...didn't expect to be going back to Wisconsin so soon!!