Goodness

As many of you know, we were not affected by the earthquake or tsunami at all. Well, actually I guess we were affected. The earthquake moved Japan 8 feet closer to America. The lower part of our island had a small tsunami, but nothing too bad. Everyone in our prefecture is actually quite shocked that we didn't feel...well, aftershocks.
There has been a ton of news coverage of Japan and the tsunami, nuclear reactor problems, etc. We don't have TV, so most of our sources have been online or the TVs on we have seen in stores, etc. I just wanted to share this article, called In Tragedy, Japan impresses the World. I have seen several articles about how impressed people are with the way the Japanese people are handling it, and I wholeheartedly agree. One reporter interviewed a Japanese man who spoke of his anger over the tragedy, yet he never raised his voice. People here aren't looting or cursing the government. They are sad and upset, yes. But they do what they need to do. They call it "Japanese Stoicism", which I think is kind of a weird way of putting it. I'm not sure how I would put it--maybe unfailing politeness and considerate determination? Whatever "it's" called, there is really no way you can describe the Japanese attitude. They are the kindest people, and the main reason we came back to Japan. The country can be crazy at times, but the people are amazing.
We're praying that this country gets a break from any other disaster for a while. Meanwhile, we are building up our food storage! Thank you for your love and concern.