Many news outlets will be warning people that the nuclear problem at
Fukushima is a problem that will spread across oceans and get many
people sick- while it is a possibility, I want to help clarify a few
things.
To start off, I want to say that though the situation is unstable at the Fukushima Power Plant, I am in no danger.
The Fukushima power plant is roughly 700km, or 450 miles away from
Kyoto, and Kyoto is sheltered on three sides by a staple-shaped mountain
range. None of the food Nicky and I eat and none of the water we drink
is contaminated, nor are we experiencing any sort of supply shortages.
Business is as usual in Kyoto. As well, in the case of a full nuclear
fallout (which is highly unlikely), the radiation would spread a maximum
of 100 miles.... and even at that distance, the radiation would not be
dangerous. The situation is improving at the plant. I repeat, I am in NO
danger.
If you are confused about how the plant is melting down, or rather was, then I urge you to watch the following video.
In addition to the complications at
the power plant, the U.S. government issued a Travel Warning to all U.S.
citizens in Japan. This was something that I direly hoped wouldn’t
happen, as it meant that my EAP program would be canceled and I would be
forced to return to America. Given that I had seriously been working to
create a life in this country with Nicky and our dog, this was terrible
news- we would be given a matter of days to evacuate. Luckily, the
company in charge of helping students evacuate was willing to help Nicky
and the dog as well- the bad news was that Nicky would have to pay
current sky-rocketing airfare (United Airline was charging $4,500 for a
one way ticket out of Japan), which included layover in Narita (Tokyo’s
airport). As well, the vet had never given Vaaska his rabies vaccination
despite my asking them last year in October, so it was possible that he
would either be quarantined or not allowed to fly at all.
Problems continued to compound; due to
the cancellation of the EAP program, all of my financial aid would be
due back immediately for the Spring term. I had no jobs waiting for me
in America, and Nicky wouldn’t be allowed to work because she is only a
tourist in the states. Eventually, my parents suggested that it would be
most economical, since we were in no danger, to just have me go home
and take care of all of my school affairs while Nicky stayed in Japan.
This instantly seemed like the best option, even though it would have us
separated for some weeks. The main reason for this is that, officially,
once I would have landed in the U.S., I would have no longer been a
student of UC Berkeley.
Yet, even this seemed rather
ridiculous, that I was being forced to evacuate when it wasn’t really a
dangerous situation, only for a single document that my school needed.
As well, the financial burden of needing to return quickly (in a matter
of weeks), with no job, no financial aid was a little scary.
Luckily,
I was finally able to get in contact with my school advisor, who
informed me that I don’t need to leave Japan at all. I’ll be able to
stay on in Japan and simply wait for my degree to process while I look
for a job. So, yesterday I sent off around 20 applications, and will
look for work visa sponsorship. As my friend Valerie said, this may turn
out to be a blessing in disguise- I was ready for school to be over,
and I want to have a more financially secure life with Nicky here. I
already have an interview this week, so we’ll see how it goes!