Another day and I'm wearing another piece of jewelry as a sign of my empathy with those around the Pacific Ocean. While I have never been to Japan, I visited San Francisco this past summer on my road trip. It was where I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. I picked up a set of pink pearls from the city. They've become one of my favorite pieces and I'm wearing them today.
There are tsunami and flood watches all along the west coast. I saw a newscast from San Fran this morning, around 9am, on the Today show. The reporter said the seas were calming at that time, but some areas were expecting a 10 feet rise in the sea level.
All of this is following the devastating quake in Japan early this morning. I first saw tweets about it as I was winding down from the day around 1am. Reports have said it was at least a 8.9 magnitude quake which is ridiculously strong.
It's days like today that: 1) I am glad I didn't plan any trips to Japan in the near future (just like I was glad I wasn't traveling to Egypt during recent turmoil). And, much more seriously, 2) I realize how fragile life is and powerful nature can be. About 200 to 300 bodies have already been found in Japan's northeast coast.
It's a truly sad day. But, if there is anything that I have learned from my international studies classes and the two Japanese culture classes I took in college, it's that Japan is one of the most resilient countries in the world. They have faced horrible challenges in the past and have come back to become a world power. I have no doubt they will face this with courage and I have a feeling they will have a lot of support from the international community.
And, in a few years, I look forward to visiting this small, proud country for the first time and talking with the Japanese who overcame this tragedy.