Alright, so...where to begin. Last I wrote, I was headed for an island south of Japan to work on a farm during interim break. I worked like a dog, came home hurting most days, but overall was having a great experience. I need to fast forward past all of that for right now to address the obvious.

It's been little over 3 weeks since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake (first 8.8, changed to 8.9, now apparently 9.0) struck off the coast of Miyagi-ken in north Japan, then a tsunami, then (and currently) the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Not only was this quake the largest in Japan's recorded history, it was the 7th largest recorded in the world. The tsunami is being estimated as having been anywhere from 30 to 40 meters high. It hit about 30 minutes after the quake taking entire towns and villages with it.

Luckily, I was nowhere near the quake, and a tsunami didn't reach the far southern islands in my area. The afternoon of the quake, I was working in the potato fields. Being about 1000 miles away, I couldn't feel it. I heard about it over the radio during my lunch break, but all I could make out was that there had been an earthquake somewhere which wasn't really much cause for alarm. Earthquakes happen all the time in Japan. The farmer I was working with was able to communicate the same thing--that there had been an earthquake. He seemed about as phased as I was.

I got home from the field around 5:30 and saw that I had a new mail from my host family in Saitama checking to see if I was okay. I had an email from CIEE staff that asked for immediate responses to make sure everyone was accounted for. That's when I thought it might be worth checking up on this earthquake.

I read the news, learned it had been an 8.8, watched the live feeds coming in from throughout Japan, saw footage of the tsunamis, saw Odaiba on fire. All of the trains in Tokyo had stopped running, and many people were stuck there for the night.

I was more preoccupied with getting news than considering how many had died or had their homes destroyed. That kind of thing started to sink in later. I was too confused as to what was going on. I did realize that I was safe where I was, and it was surreal watching all of the footage coming in from the affected areas while everyone's lives on the island went on.

Jumping forward 5 days later, the problems with the nuclear plant had moved into the spotlight, and the death toll, actual and estimated, was rising every day. I came home from the fields with several new messages on my phone. CIEE had apparently been trying to reach me all day. Something about wanting to put me on a flight to Korea first thing in the morning. I wrote back and sure enough, all remaining CIEE students in Japan were being temporarily evacuated to Seoul. I knew I was safe where I was. Even staff new I was far enough south to not be in danger, but it wasn't my call to make.

And so 24 hours later, I was in Korea, twice displaced from my original homestay, anxious and uninformed, and more uncertain than I've ever been before. The dilemma in Korea was that no one was sure if there would even be a spring semester program. Regular blackouts, sold out stores, trains out of order, and all kinds of other indefinite problems in Tokyo had to be considered. Myself, along with 5 other students and the 2 staff members who had come with us were stuck waiting for a week (possibly longer) in Korea while decisions were made by Sophia University and by CIEE.

Meanwhile, my university had decided to suspend all student programs in Japan, and while they advised me to stay in Korea and continue following CIEE's instructions for the time being, it seemed like I'd be going home to the US soon.

The hotel we stayed in was nice though. There were many Japanese there as well, probably taking impromptu vacations while things played out at home. I spent a lot of my time near wi-fi refreshing my email, news, Sophia's homepage. I went wandering in the city just so I could be doing something. Seoul seemed very different from Tokyo. It looked similar sometimes, but people were much more forward and open. . Food in Seoul was cheap and spicy, and kimchi would give me a runny nose after every meal. Almost every night was spent drinking out of frustration with the other students, a few of whom had already been called back by their schools and others who were still unsure like me. Beer, it seems, was also cheap.

Eventually, decisions were made. Sophia planned to start the semester on time. CIEE followed suit and made plans to continue their program. CIEE had deemed it safe to return and we had all flown back. I was still waiting to hear from my university. They had mentioned that if conditions improved, they would reconsider allowing certain programs to continue. That had to be me. I really didn't want to go home.

Now I was staying with my original host family. Tokyo seemed more or less normal. Damage there had been minimal, and the only evidence left of the quake seemed to be the rolling blackouts and bottled water selling out due to radiation fears.

About a week ago, I was given permission by my university to continue with my program. Very relieved about that. So while a lot has happened, spring semester seems to be back on track. Incoming spring students have been reduced from around 70 down to 26. I'll be staying in a dorm this semester instead of with my host family, but they'll be one station away and told me to visit any time.

And that's what I've been up to for the past month. I'm looking forward to my remaining time here.