good evening. just got back home from a mixed emotional trip. yes, traveling is fun. but when something happens to a country you love, it hits you hard. i don’t think anybody in this world knows how i was feeling. helpless? guilty? lonely? sad? all of the above. watching the news from palau was hard for me. i couldn’t stop thinking about my family and friends in japan. are they ok? where are they? i couldn’t check my email and couldn’t get through to japan as i was calling and calling. the slow internet connection in palau wasn’t helping. i’m still speechless as most of the japanese living in palau are too. emi-chan was our driver and when we came back in off the boat that evening, i could tell she was hurting. she’s from ibaraki and we were talking about it just as the tsunami hit japan. i felt so sorry for her. then our japanese neighbors at our condo were feeling it too. i could just tell by the blank look on their face watching CNN news all day and night. it was sad and lonely being so far away…. i want to say sorry to the crew i was with on this trip. i was trying to be myself, but my heart was somewhere else. the fish, the waves, and the experience didn’t matter anymore. i felt like my hometown got wiped out…
now that i have internet, i’ll probably be on it for the next week trying to find answers. so far, i didn’t loose anyone but i’m prepared for the worst news. thank you to all of you who sent me emails, texts, and messages. i just got it and i can feel the love. all we can do now is HOPE. hope for the best, hope for nothing worst, and hope for recovery.
just a message to my japanese friends. “keep your heads up, keep thinking positive, keep on striving for the best! never give up! i’m on your side and if there is anything i can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask. my heart is with you and the beautiful country of japan!”
