My family was awakened Friday morning on the West Coast by my parents on the East Coast: had we heard that the ripples from the earthquake and tsunami that had rocked Japan while we slept could hit Seattle? P.S., they didn't, but that doesn't mean we were unaffected. In our corner of the world, the disaster hit home in my 6-year-old-daughter, Shira's, kindergarten classroom. The night before, she had completed a homework assignment to craft a letter to Gaku, a boy in her class whose last day at school is supposed to be tomorrow. She wrote: “To Gaku. I love you. From Shira.”Their teacher is making a book of all the kids' letters to present to him, so he can remember his kindergarten classmates once he's gone. He is moving back to Japan with his family this week. (More on Time.com: A Visitor to Tokyo Witnesses the Earthquake)
But now, I'm not sure if he has a home to move back to. Gaku is supposed to leave Seattle for Sendai, which Wikipedia tells me is a city of 1 million known as the City of Trees. In summertime, it hosts Japan's largest Tanabata festival, which celebrates the stars. In wintertime, thousands of lights bejewel the city's trees. It's a tourist destination. But now, Google “Sendai” and a video pops up: The moment the waves hit Sendai, Japan. Sendai was whacked harder than probably any other city by the tsunami waves. Hundreds of bodies have been found.
Read more at the link.
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