March of the million, 11-3 -11 earthquake in Tohoku The Friday 'is usually the best day' good week for me. Gia 'in the early morning when I wake up thinking that you need is a final rush before the long weekend break gives me an unexpected energy. With this spirit in the morning of 11 March at 7:00 o'clock I get up, leaving K. ronfante still under the duvet. At work waiting for me to finish an urgent submission, various data tables to be filled with the contents of the Italian mail the night before a lunch with the head of the French, a meeting to 15:00 and more ... In short, a busy day, I'll be sure 'late again tonight, I think while I sip my milk and barley in front of the pc Musa with curled next to me ...
He ran to the station and take a breath for the 7:48 train, usually crushing-presses morning and 8:50 in the office. Goods arrive from Italy and my colleague M. we are preparing to make an inventory, work on the presentation of a wine of Abruzzo and it's time to go to lunch with my colleague N., a talk on the state of sushi between Italian and driving in Japan, a coffee 'talking about Japanese ice cream and its consumers and makes time to return to base, the Tokyo Tower greets us between towering clouds appeared to darken just the city '... and think that this morning the sun shone a marvelous, I think a little 'disappointed.
the 14:43 am sitting at my desk and fill the glass with a red orange juice just bought to write a review of the product and then market research, they taste a sip express my disgust and disappointment at the colleague who sits opposite me. He smiles slyly,,, he knew that I liked ... and the goods' produced in Thailand, not exactly the land of orange red dogwood ...
I put down 'the glass to choose photos and start a new presentation for the general silence in the quiet office. They are all committed and the only noise you hear is the ticking fingers on keyboards PC, some phone ring, my boss who laughs with buchou (head) of sales odd talking about cell phone ringtones.
All of a sudden I feel a bit 'strange, my head is spinning and immediately blame the latent cold that I drag myself for a week now .. then when my eyes alight on the glass put down' a minute ago.
The red liquid floats ominously in the glass, my sense of discomfort increases, a notebook falls from the shelf, my desk calendar falls on the ground, I turn and look at my colleagues, everyone looked puzzled my head and chuckling, saying in Italian: "Here is a nice scossettina ... we really wanted to."
I laugh too, I think the bottom and 'fun to hear a slight wave under your feet, something new for me, the whole experience to be tested geologically, the rest I have already' experienced similar situations, the earthquake in Japan last 3 / 4 seconds and then stops.
Ma ....
... 10 seconds after the shock of increasing intensity ', begin to open drawers, fall flower arrangements received on the anniversary of the company, and my boss stops giggling. I swagger a few minutes before, I feel his body stiffen, the hands become frozen, a thin layer of cold sweat my pearls back. The gorge ends in a squall.
The Chairman opened the door to his room and called the head of the administration order to salvage a few bottles of wine, meanwhile, rushes to stop a rare ukiyoe that was hanging on the wall . Was.
The quake continues unabated in intensity '... .. even the faces are dark, someone cries "Kore has Nope Yaba" (Wow, this is serious!) or "Kore has okkinee .... abunaiyo!" (That '... big eye, and' dangerous!).
I think of K., where he will be 'at this time?
While all tremble more and more 'strong around us, the president runs in the next room with an expression severely disrupted, many girls start to scream, some taking shelter under their desk, a couple of girls desperate cry . In a flash see myself under the rubble of a building, for me only one arm, his body trapped under a dusty, white wooden table that was originally my desk, now rubble. In a moment I realize that my cell phone and 'discharge. Ca ** or, really are the worst.
pass three minutes but they seem endless. The shaking stops, all linking to their sites of reference information, someone in Japan has already 'put video on YouTube, in Italy and the news' already 'arrived, the rest over there' are seven in the morning ...
We know that a new shock can 'get from time to time and we are in one of the least safe of the building plans, including the fourth power, are the first to be crushed by the weight of the upper floors so we hurry up the stairs (the elevator and 'clearly fuoriuso) and in a moment we are in the road, with thousands of our people.
The tremors resumed almost immediately, but not as powerful as the first high intensity ', we walk in the middle of the street with his head constantly facing up to predict sudden collapse, a sense of danger comes over me, down in my office I was feeling as 'safe, but we need to reach the nearby park to more Shiba' soon, over there 'are less likely' that helmet on his head something.
After an hour of anxiety-talk between colleagues, in the midst of thousands of employees with the helmet of emergency that have had our own idea, we decided to return to the office: the earth and 'calmed down, probably it' s all over . Due to continuous shock and cold I feel a strong sense of nausea. I need to sit down a bit 'in a warm place.
But the situation does not improve in the office, the floor beneath our feet vibrates at irregular intervals and we're all on the phone trying to communicate with our friends, family, to know their conditions. Shock and 'but none of us was strong and' was wounded, the risk does exist if in which some unfortunate person has been found near buildings unsafe (very rare in Tokyo) or old electricity poles' is not properly secured to the ground or branches of trees ... I hope that Kei is safe in his office.
I leave messages on FB and sending e-mail to my father and my brother since it does not seem possible to call in Italy, and the line 'too congested Then, thanks to e-mail I can contact Kei, a brief exchange of e-mail and 6:30, after several strong shocks and nausea caused instabilities' of the land, I decide to leave the office and walk up to Ningyoucho, where there is' the office of my husband. The trains are all out of service, traffic, and 'in tilt and buses are not advancing.
The company gives me a chance 'to sleep in a hotel for the night because I live far away but I decided to go to K., I do not want to stay here any longer'. What pretty stupid if you think about it, much better to be safe in a modern building and anti-seismic than running the streets at the risk of having to get a tile on his head! But some decisions are made with the belly and thank God for putting boots low in the morning, I fill the bag of food (Crackers, chocolates, energy bars are always present in my drawer ^__^) and run out.
The earth trembles as I have the brisk, bitter cold I cut my face, the visor of the cap prevents me from seeing well but I dare not take it off, it's too cold ... then takes a somewhat uncomfortable .... with his nose up .... really poor neck. The fact 'that I have to see what's going on over my head, I have no helmet ...
To orient decide to follow subway map that I carry with me forever, starting from the station to go down every morning as I follow the direction of the previous one and so 'on ... basically follow the path back to the Hibiya line (gray one) that I potrero' straight Ningyoucho to where I expected K. We'll post 'about two hours. LEGS IN SHOULDER! I thank the two months of swimming pool and the four daily bike that strengthened my left quadriceps ... otherwise my poor broken knee with a rubber band (the cruciate ligament) will collapse soon ... but I feel I will do it '!
A river of people are leaving the offices, everyone is 'directed towards his own goal, with obstinacy' and brisk (Many running) line up on the pavement and form a homogeneous current heads of hooded or helmet that moves quietly and orderly. Without panic. Only tough caparpieta 'zen. How to tell the world: me. I have to. GET. OVER THERE '. But without trampling on the feet of others, without elbowing, without blocking the traffic, without shouting, without confusion.
Communicate and 'difficult, there is no' camp for the mobile and public phones are the only way where people line up.
thinks of Italy in such verve that distinguishes us situations and I to laugh, I stop to watch a smart trader of sports that has set up a platform outside his shop to sell athletic shoes made in China the modest sum of 900 yen (around € 9): number of OL (office ladies ) Japanese with sore ankles line up waiting to buy their numbers and put their pretty heels chanel 10 in a shopping bag, at least until the arrival at destination. Ah, Japan, the soul of business!
After an hour are in Ginza, the city lights' are the usual ones, but also tourists have shocked faces and especially can not understand where to go ... follow the crowd to take shelter from the North or Zara? I think I could make a detour from Itoya (giuro. .. I thought ... you know, I am sick) but my little brain takes me back to reality 'and I thought with the spanking.
Ginza A U-turn, the North turn right ... a nice bike cop shows me the stars ... I bow down and continue running lengthening the stem (cited) meanwhile crunch my package of crackers. It 's amazing, the earth beneath my feet is probably still shaking (while moving us less aware of it, Did you know? Sapevatevelo (cited above)) and I crunch my crackers glad it's Friday 'and that soon I'll be' by K. this flood of monks gave me a great serenity ', Japan, a great people.
I mean ', to explain better ... ONLY in the midst of a metropolis of millions of people, with millions of people crowded the street and no one, no one stepped on, no screaming, no one takes this' opportunity to jackals and I feel safe, as surrounded by a mass of angels that I can 'help in case of difficulty', the people who stopped on the street to ask about never missing a smile, yes, even in this evening cold and disturbing. Tell me if this is not 'a great people.
two hours after arriving in Ningyoucho, Kei is not 'in his office as he promised, and' came looking for me! But where, by God? Oh .. these men. Half an hour later falls out of breath and scared for me unearthed not among the millions of people ... but it should be? E 'heartened to see me sitting at her desk with a glass of burgundy in hand (in the firm took the opportunity to make a little party with wine from a French expedition returned ).... Japan-France 1-0 .
New office supplies: three glasses of Burgundy knocked out 'in a hurry, and two slices three chocolates, salute my former colleagues and the dark staircase of service and 'the prelude of a new adventure to Kodenmacho, going north. K. and 'was unfortunate, he put the beautiful but uncomfortable shoes and hopes to find another shrewd peddler of running shoes but nothing to do ... bite the bullet and start with me. The stream of people constantly with us, some guys have a makeshift camp, a hanami anticipated under a tree in front of a building drinking beer and joking. Other employees are on a fool to jostle each other and talking in a circle, a group of girls with head covered in (I repeat, is a cold and these people and Executioner 'out of hours) and shoes gym suits under office singing a sickly sweet song of Ken Hirai. I and K. we shake hands and smile in the glare of the morning subway, we are together and the rest do not care. All this in the march of the millions of capital.
A Ueno starting to hurt us the legs and feet, K. stops to buy you a 'warm, I do stretching , we still have half' way!
KitaSenju After the river is lost, we are now on the outskirts of Tokyo, and each takes different directions, we find ourselves tired and hungry so 'we stop to buy a flat bread Indian naan, and while we wait for it to be ready, within the local earth trembles yet .. I have the feeling of being dropped dall'ottovolante that goes around the death .. I just do not go now ... and I still can not stagger Walking straight .. more 'than usual (which already' I have problems with balance of my, me!).
2 km from home and 'already' s midnight and a half and we really destroyed .. and the fact 'that we are not equipped to walk a lot (around 25 km) ( the shoes are basically the wrong ones) and have their feet full of blisters ... a taxi that miraculously stops despite being outside service (but I think there '... I almost jumped in front of us! The saro' seemed like a zombie, the taxi driver!) takes us home in a while ... thank you, the door automatically closes behind us.
and at home scenario 'this: open drawers, books fell from shelves, washing machine moved forward 20 cm, so' the refrigerator, the mirror in the room fell on the floor (and no cracks! ! even the small one ... except the bathroom! question of pure ASS) various objects falling but no damage, we are fortunate because 'the apartment' on the eighth floor, then here is "dance" more ' !
Musa, our kitty, and 'frightened meows against us as if to tell us about his experience alone, will keep' all evening, asking for confirmation as to leave more than the 'only when the earth moves under its paws . A hearty meal of dry food seems to calm her down a bit 'and even the little head scratch card on the show a little' to normal '.
The feeling of displacement continues, and 'like being on a boat in the sea, but does nothing, we are saved and in the end there is' nothing really happened evil. Our thoughts turn to the 1400 dead and more 'of the coast who have been to get a tidal wave of 10 meters. Their homes no longer exist ', working on some vessels, others on the beach, others were simply too close to the sea and the evacuation plan has not had time to flourish, even for efficient, rapid Japanese.
The earthquakes' largest in Japanese history, what I tell you from my point of view, for what I experienced first hand, and 'event was totally unexpected and, unfortunately, and' what that Japan and 'intended to endure for its geological features. The instability 'of life, of all things in the world,' in the DNA of these people who have learned to live with the experience everything as if it were their last big opportunity to enjoy thoroughly, tirelessly ever.
May they rest in peace all those poor souls taken away from the ocean. Tomorrow is reconstructed. The day after tomorrow will be 'all new and ready to go on and live without looking back.
conclude with a Japanese proverb that I love very much and that in difficult times ... I try to do that 's what I hope will happen' of those affected by this tragedy and that will take place 'without any doubt. Because 'the Japanese have done so'.
七 転び
八 起
Nana-korobi,
ya-oki
"For seven falls,
I get up eight times. "
