What's New

This is the 2nd of a series of catch-up blog posts so if you're just dying to know what we've been up to during my relative blogging silence the last several weeks then check out the rest of the series.


Topic #2:  Our Decision

I'm sure by now, since you clearly do have the internet and all, that you have heard all about the earthquakes and tsunami and resulting aftermath in Japan.  Well, we live in Japan.  I posted previously some of my immediate reactions, thoughts, and the difficult choices we were facing as a family.  Since those posts we've reached and acted upon some major decisions.

First, however, a note about the crises in Japan:

I keep reminding friends and family that the American news is really blowing a lot of the risks and realities out of proportion and to take the news with a bucket of salt.  At least.  Nobody we know is getting microwaved, nor are they likely to anytime in the near future.  People have however lost their homes, their lives, their children, their friends, everything they own.  They need a lot of help and prayers and are going to for a long time to come.  If you or anyone you know would like to help out, please DON'T SEND STUFF.  Neither the Japanese nor anyone else in the area has the time, space, or manpower to dedicate to coordinating the reception and delivery of goods to those in need.  They are, however, very capable of putting MONEY to excellent use.  I encourage you to donate to the Red Cross or other aide organization of your choice since that is by far the most beneficial physical thing any of us can do, aside from conserving energy if you happen to live in Japan.  PRAYERS for the continued good will of the countries and people providing relief, for level heads as people solve problems and make choices, and for the health and safety of all those affected by these disasters are much needed.  Prayer is Powerful and God is Good :D.

Now, on to our decision to leave Japan:

We really wrestled with this one.  We didn't (and still don't) feel endangered in any way, we were concerned about the possibility of a mandatory evacuation at which point we would lose any say in the when, where, and how of our departure, and if we left Japan we would have no idea when we would be coming back.

On the flip side, the government offered to pay for all transportation costs, including per diem for the duration of our time away from Japan, and make all arrangements for us to get all the way home if we so desired.  We're not sure when next we could afford a trip to visit family, so this was particularly hard to pass up.

In the end we decided to go.  Better safe than stuck and we knew family would be ecstatic about a visit with baby Bird.

We gathered our paperwork, we packed our bags, and we inventoried our household belongings on the off chance we had to suddenly evacuate.  As I stood looking at our bags, packed and ready to go with military paperwork carefully filed, I couldn't help but feel like this was another deployment - only backwards.  I've never been the one preparing to go; I've always been the one putting on the brave face and promising to hold down the fort.  It was a bit disconcerting.

We did decide to wait a few days though and I'm really glad we did.  That gave the military a chance to work out some of the kinks that are guaranteed to pop up when you suddenly relocate large numbers of people.  By the time we left, things were moving pretty smoothly and we arrived "home" quickly and all in one piece.  The trip itself was pretty amazing though, so I'll dedicate the next post just to that :).