...its been 6 days already after the scary and tremendous earthquake and tsunami in japan. and it has been 6 days of stressful and nervous days of our lives...
11march2011
6.30am (brescia time), 2:30pm (tokyo time):
me: good mornjing babe
babe: good morning, sinong jing? hahaha
me: hmmp, typo. lol. sorry. i mean, morning.
babe: haha, alam ko, musta tulog ng babe ko?
me: ok lang namn, ikaw, how was your day?
babe: ok naman, andito ako sa labas. kasama ng diplomat.
me: oh ok, oh sya, maliligo lang ako, brb po.
babe: ok po.
6.50am (brescia time), 2.50pm (tokyo time):
babe: lakas ng lindol dito
me: oh? im done with shower, bihis lang then breakfast, brb po.
babe: ok
7:10am (brescia time), 3.10pm (tokyo time):
me: babe alis na ko
babe: ok po. ingat. i love you. lakas ng lindol dito.
me: asan ka ba?
babe: driving. pabalik ng embassy.
me: ic ok po.
7.25am (brescia time), 3.25pm (tokyo time)
me: nakabababa na po ng bus
babe: later na lang babe, embassy na ko pero hatid muna kmi ng mga embassy staff. kasama ko din si marya, sakto na nasa embassy sya.
me: ok po, ingat i love you
babe: i love you too.
that was our conversation that morning before i went to work. and i never thought it was that terrifying until i checked my phone at about 9.30am. ive got a missed call from inay and as i was about to call her back, i received a call from kuya ets:
me: pronto.
kuya ets: aileen, narinig mo na ba ung balita? lumindol at tsunami sa japan. kamusta si amore mo?
me: (natatawa pa with his bicolano accent) ahhh oo nga daw, sabi nga malakas daw lindol, pero di ko alam ung tsunami, bz kanina eh, d na kami nakapagusap bago ako pumasok. san mo nalaman?
kuya ets: si mama kasi nagtxt, sinasabi na kasali pilipinas sa may tsunami warning, at kasama ang bicol, ano ba yan, sabi ko nga bahala na sila dun eh. ano bang magagawa ko dito.
me: ahhh, naku nakakatakot nman, ah baka kya tumatawag sakin ang inay, asa bahay sya eh, late na siguro pumasok dahil masama pakiramdam, nanood siguro news, baka un ibabalita kaya tumatawag, teka muna, tatawag lang ako sa inay. salamat sa info. ciao.
kuya ets: oh sige, ciao ciao.
and as i call mom to ask whats the matter, she initiated barging in with the news all about the earthquake and tsunami in japan, asking if i have already talked to my babe and asking how he is. i began to panic a little but since i have talked to him earlier ago and i know he is still at work, i started to go to my im+ application and started tapping it a bit shaking. i never really thought it was that terrifying and horrendous. finally he replied and said that everything was ok and started to relay what happend. it was 7.9 magnitude earthquake in tokyo (his present location) and an 8.9 magnitude in sendai (where the epicenter was). minutes after the very strong and scary earthquake, came the very huge tsunami (as high as more or less 30ft of big waves) and clothed the mainland of miyagi prefecture.
at that moment, i know how much it was, but i couldnt imagine how it could be in real life. i have never seen such quake and tsunami in my whole life. so all i could ask was "are you ok babe?" "how about your relatives? is everybody ok?" and he said yeah so it was a little relief on me hearing that everything is ok as of the moment. and its a bit far from the place, about 250km from tokyo. i was relieved then, though i was still a bit shocked and nervous throughout the day. i went home for lunch and the first thing i turned on was the television hoping to catch a fresh news or video from japan. and that was it, i saw first thing on our giant screen the same gigantic and enormous water engulfing and swallowing every small piece of thing on earth (a water as high as 30ft drowning the houses, boats, ships, vehicles and even the big buildings ever stood there before). it was like a flood from a storm drowning the trashes it passes through. there were also fires that blew up on some buildings. electricity broke down. no cellular lines, just the internet on some lucky places. that was the scenario, and make it even 10times bigger on your imagination. that was how exaggerated it was. and i never thought it could happen just like that in a span of more or less 20 to 30 minutes. people were on top of the buildings shouting, crying and asking for help. they were scared i know, because if i were there, i could be dead at that moment, not because i was engulfed or drown in water, but because of a nervous breakdown.
that afternoon was the start of the biggest crisis in japan, according to their Prime Minister Kan. seeing every scene from the news, hearing every story from ate marya, and even reading blogs and news updates, i felt so low.
nakakalungkot isipin, andun kasi ang isa sa mga taong napaka importante sa buhay ko. i was so worried about him, as well as his relatives and friends. hindi man ako ang andun, feeling ko kasama ako sa nakakaranas ng nararanasan nila. it came to a point that people had panic buying and all the supermarkets and conveniet stores were empty. all the food shelves were out of stocks. food and water shortages. and even the gasoline is now out of stock.
that first day/night of the quake, every train in tokyo had to shut down. there was no buses and people were walking along the streets in going home. even those far from their houses tried to get home walking. some were lucky to have sent home by the embassy cars (just as my babe did to their staff and some relatives near to him at that moment) - and it was so kindhearted of him, that even it was still dangerous from the strong aftershocks, hadn't had his dinner yet, he still sent them home, even those outside tokyo which took him on the street till 4 in the morning on a very heavy and an unmoving traffic through the night. he also had a car accident when a woman driver did bump on his car. it took him long to arrange it with the police before going home. everything was fine though it was real tiring. he was still lucky to have been fostered by a diplomat and so he slept there till around 9 in the morning before driving again for work.
days passed and with the earthquake and tsunami that has passed, japan has not yet been through all these. people have been rescued from the two giant disasters, dead and alive. yes, people died from drowning, others from under the collapsed buildings, under the fallen rocks and woods and others maybe from nervous breakdowns. but despite those who died, other people really survived. i guess those who have much and great faith in God. because it was all with Him. He was the only one who knew it will happen. and He was the only one who could save us. just hold on and have faith, never give up on Him.
all these happend. but aside from all these catastrophes, japan is still on its edge. that tsunami wasn't the end of it all. it did a very great part on the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. it had blown up the 3 reactors which runs the said plant. and worst of it all, the blown ups had released radioactive chemicals and elements on the atmosphere which could harm the people's health. those who are near the place were evacuated to get rid of the radiation from the plant.
nakakaawa sila. lalo na yung mga apektado. walang bahay. nasa mga evacuation centers sila at nakakaranas ng hirap, sakit ng kalooban at katawan, takot, lamig at marami pang hirap ng damdamin. my babe and his relatives were still lucky. but then again, its our faith that keep us alive. just dont lose hope, be strong and hold on to God's will. Sya lang ang makapagliligtas sa atin. kung dumating man ang panahon na kelangan Nyang tapusin ang ating mga buhay, magpasalamat tayo sa Kanya, dahil kahit sa konting panahon, naranasan nating mabuhay at makasama ang mga mahal natin sa buhay. isang bagay na tanging Sya lang ang makapagbibigay sa atin. naging mga masasama man tayong mga anak Nya, still He did show us how He love us. TAO lang ang makasalanan. tayo lang ang naging mapagsamantala sa buhay at sa mundo na ibinigay Niya sa atin. gayunpaman, we still should be thankful for everything He has blessed us.
To my babe, i love you. i love you whatever happens. and i am thankful that we have met before everything has come to an end. i just hope, kahit na nangyayari ung mga ganito ngayon, sana God gives us the strength and faith to hold on to him, together with our loved ones, our families, relatives and friends. at lahat ng mga taong umaasa sa Kanya.
