I Left a Piece of My Heart in Japan

I have written this blog many times in my head but I have not had the resolve to put it in writing until just recently. On 11 March 2011, Japan experienced their most catastrophic earthquake measuring 9.3 magnitude and experienced a resulting tsunami, which affected many parts of northeastern Japan. Left in the tsunami’s wake was a devastated landscape of splintered homes, decomposing bodies, twisted vehicles and a damaged nuclear power plant. Immediately following the large quake were several strong aftershocks. Everywhere buildings shook violently and everyone was on edge throughout the night and for many weeks to come.

For me, that day started out like any other ordinary Friday at work, but it quickly metamorphosed into an unforgettable day of tragedy and horror. The quake struck at approximately 2:45 pm at Camp Zama. Many of us were in our offices conducting business as usual when the walls started to shake. The walls were vibrating, the building was making sounds, and some of the employees were running out of the building screaming. Needless to say, I followed. I had never been through an earthquake so I really did not know what was happening at first but if the locals were concerned, I was going to do whatever they did. The earth kept moving for at least 3-5 minutes and we kept getting aftershocks in the 6-7 magnitude throughout the evening.

In the ensuing hours, many of you watched in horror the devastation as the story unfolded on all the news channels. To be honest, Camp Zama was insulated from any real damage but the reverberations of the aftermath caused many issues to arise. Immediately our management team and staff kicked into emergency mode to ensure 100% employee and family accountability across the country of Japan. This was initially difficult because all communication lines were down except for an occasional cell phone in which people communicated via Facebook or Twitter. I immediately called my husband to let him know I was well and that the images he was watching on TV were not what I was experiencing on Camp Zama.

The days that followed seemed to bleed into another and it all seemed like a bad dream as reports of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant began to unfold. The dream seemed never ending because we were experiencing aftershocks daily and I even had to take Dramamine because I was experiencing motion sickness. I never turned the TV off and packed my suitcases in case I was required to evacuate at a moments notice. There was a growing concern from some that the Japanese government was not telling the truth about just how bad the damage was. To further complicate matters, the US government began “voluntary departure” orders for specialized groups of people and it caused some panic and hysteria for those that did not immediately qualify under those orders. Many things quickly ramped up that were “Neo” like and some US citizens were evacuated off the island. The rest of us left behind continued to focus on our mission and tried to conduct business as usual but this again was further complicated by conflicting reports of radiation contamination in the air, food, and water supply. My personal lowest point was on a morning that I learned the base well water supply had detected contamination and we were advised to only drink bottled water…I had just brushed my teeth! That same week all US citizens were issued potassium iodide (KI) pills. KI pills were intended to be a “just in case” measure and were issued to prevent the thyroid from absorbing radiation in the event our radiation exposure levels spiked. I had to report to the gym on base, hear a safety briefing from the medical command, sign for the 7-day supply and return to work. Thank goodness, we actually never had to ingest the KI pills but having them in my possession caused some distress if I thought about it too much. I personally performed better when I kept my mind and thoughts focused on the mission rather than the possible catastrophic events that could occur. Everyone reacts to situations differently and I discovered that I was a stronger person than I thought I was and I found that I could keep my cool in an emergency.

Here we are almost a year later and I still think about the unbelievable amount of concern, love and support shown from a network of friends, co-workers and family that kept in touch with me daily bolstering my morale during my stay in Japan. I bonded with many of my immediate co-workers on a level that I feel I will never experience again. My supervisory chain showed incredible leadership and calm during the crisis and their concern for our employees impressed me. Although news of Japan's tsunami and earthquake has faded on the news channels, my heart and fondness for the Japanese people is forever etched in my memory…it is a memory filled with love and compassion not just devastation.

The Pain and Pleasure of a Bathhouse Experience

For my first blog of the New Year, I decided to look back over my previous emails, blogs, and notes from 2011. I found this recollection on my bathhouse experience in Japan that I thought you would enjoy reading. The irony of the experience is too good to not share!

OMG, today was a very interesting experience at the bathhouse with my friend Patty. I was terrified initially to go to the bathhouse, but I am glad I went. I am such a germ phoebe and had many stereotypical ideas what it would be like…none of which were true. The bathhouse was segregated (men on one side of the building with a wall between and women on the other), but it was full on nudity throughout the visit. The Japanese people take their bathhouse experience very seriously. There were three soaking pools in the outdoor area, and four indoors. Each pool had a different temperature degree, jet speed, and water “flavor”. I would have been lost and made hundreds of social blunders without my friend Patty interpreting the whole process. There was an entire ritual of taking off my shoes, putting them in the locker, getting a bag of towels, paying for my services through a vending machine (people don’t touch money much), giving my ticket to the appointment taker, confirming my appointment for which service I wanted in addition to the soaking (i.e. scrub, massage, etc.), getting undressed, showering, and which towel to use. I chose the full body scrub, oil and massage for $6K Yen. OMG it was an experience!

I was told to soak for at least 30 minutes before my scrub so that my skin would be softer…which I did. Then I went into a small room and lay on a table (nude). There was a very small Korean woman that covered my face with a hot towel and wrapped my hair up in a towel. I am small in size, but this woman was half the size of me. She had on both of her hands what appeared to be “rough socks”. I really did not have a clue what the actual fabric was but it felt like sand paper. OMG it did hurt but I kept telling myself “no one ever died from this, so get through it!” The woman scrubbed EVERY inch of my entire body including every fold and crease except for the two areas with “hair” (head and you know where else). Now again, let me remind you….when I say scrub, she scrubbed very vigorously and it hurt but it oddly also felt pleasurable when she finally stopped and my skin was tingling. Later, she poured hot oily water all over my raw body, which again hurt, but not for long. Then she proceeded to oil me more and then gave a vigorous massage all over my body again. I have had massages before, but this one was the best by far. Somewhere during all of this, I finally forgot that I was a germ phoebe and just tried to “enjoy” the experience.

As an addendum to this email, I have to disclose that two days after the bathhouse experience, I had to go to sick call on base in Japan for an allergic reaction. I had always known I was allergic to sulfa, but little did I know that the pools that I had soaked in for hours were loaded with natural volcanic sulfates! Needless to say, I never went back and repeated my bathhouse experience, but it was an experience I will never forget—both good and bad!

It's Been A Long Time

Hello to all my fellow bloggers, Facebook friends and family!  I am sorry for not updating my blog in such a long time.  I suppose you could say I am at a crossroads of sorts as to whether to continue with my blog.  Since I came back from Japan in June, I felt I had a lot to share but I did not know where to start.  Visiting Japan was one of the best things that I have done and I have no regrets.  I am still trying to sort out my feelings regarding the 9.3 earthquake, living on Camp Zama and the many friendships that I made along the way.  I left a piece of my heart in Japan and I will always cherish the memories of my visit.  I am sure as time passes, I will be able to write about my experiences but for now, I am still holding those memories close. 

In the beginning, I started writing this blog as a form of release to help me articulate many thoughts that I have swimming around in my head.  Some of these thoughts have been bottled up for a long time and just like pouring wine from a bottle; they do not come out all at once. I know that sometimes my postings may seem disjointed and random but they are the outpourings of my mind and they are connected to me and what I am feeling, seeing, or doing at any given time.  Several people have stopped by to read my blog and even some people have commented on my posts. I sincerely thank all of you for taking the time to read my thoughts and thank you for expressing words of kindness and showing some understanding.  I often am asked why I write and my only answer is that it is my life, this is my story, and it is my choice to write about it because it brings me a sense of calm. I am learning to live, speak and write about my life in a positive way and hope that it will inspire others to do the same. 

My Trip to Japan

I love my job! For those of you that do not know where I work, I work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (USACE) Learning Center (ULC) located in Huntsville, Alabama as an Instructional Systems Specialist. Our organization is responsible for developing and presenting Proponent-Sponsored Engineer Corps Training (PROSPECT) classes needed to accomplish the Corps' Vision. We are part of the USACE family that is currently commanded by Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp. USACE around the world has approximately 34,600 Civilian and 650 military members. We employ military and civilian engineers, scientists and other specialists that work as leaders in the engineering and environmental arena. We have a diverse workforce of biologists, engineers, geologists, hydrologists, natural resource managers and other professionals that meet the demands of changing times and requirements as a vital part of America's Army. We have offices around the globe to include places like Japan, Republic of Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Europe. The offices contribute significantly to the peace and security of the regions that they are located in though the execution of multi-billion dollar construction programs.

Less than two weeks ago, I was invited by the Japan Engineer District (JED) Commander, Colonel Truesdell to go TDY for 120 days. His district is located on Camp Zama, Japan where I will provide backfill support for deployed personnel supporting the rebuild efforts in Afghanistan. It is both an honor and a privilege for me to be able to help and provide this kind of assistance. Joining the JED is an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to support the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and their families living and working in Japan. What an incredible opportunity for me both professionally and personally!

Camp Zama (キャンプ座間) is a U.S. Army post located approximately 35 miles southwest of Tokyo. The JED has a skilled workforce consisting of over 315 personnel including Japanese and U.S. citizens working together with the government of Japan. They are one of the largest of the 45 districts in the Corps that provides quality, professional and comprehensive engineering, construction, and other value-added services in support of peacetime and contingency operations around the world.

So, as you can imagine I have been quite busy with lots of things in preparation of my 13-hour flight to Japan. I have had to get five shots (I still cannot raise my arms above my head), take three online training modules, fill out countless pieces of paperwork, create orders, find my passport, finalize funding, and send lots of email to make my departure date of 31 January 2011. I appreciate all the helpful folks along the way that have helped make this trip possible (USACE HQ, JED, SAW, ULC, HNC, and the support of my husband). With a 13-hour time difference, I am not sure what my personal connectivity will be like but I am looking forward to keeping all of you informed through this blog, Facebook, Twitter and on Skype.

Statistical and source information: http://www.usace.army.mil/Pages/default.aspx