Kimchi Bowl Chronicles

Kimchi Bowl Chronicles

Two weeks ago, the world shook. 9.0 earthquake struck Japan. Then Tsunami came. Then there was a nuclear blowout. Japan became a 4-D version of 2012. On Friday, two weeks ago, I got stressed out by earthquake news, so I went out with my friends. The next day I did the same. But no matter how hard I tried to ignore the post-quake reality, no matter how hard I tried to stick to my study-abroad fun plans, the effects of the disaster were omnipresent – friends fleeing from Tokyo, food shortage at supermarkets, fear of blackouts, fear of after-shocks. On Wednesday, I left for Seoul with my friend Caitlin on a planned spring vacation. On the way to the airport, we joked about not coming back to Japan….

Last Friday, US embassy started evacuating American citizens. I had to withdraw from Nanzan and was told to remain in Korea. The joke about not coming back was to become a bitter reality. Without saying bye to my friends and teachers, I left Japan. There will be no more Disney parties at Aratamabashi, no more complaining about DAGANE food, no more bento dinners at AEON mall. You might frown upon me saying the following – but for a 23-year old, one year is a very long time, it’s an era. And the earthquake definitely marked the end of an era for me. The era of being in Japan.

Now, I’m in Seoul. As usual, I am blessed enough to have found kind and generous people who have been willing to help me out. I’m staying with my friend’s family, the Baes, the paragons of hospitality. I could not be any luckier. I don’t have any plans. All my perfect planning (internship in Tokyo, research in Kanto, JLPT, etc) has been shattered by the quake. And so now, I’m just waiting for others to decide what I should do. Yale has been generous enough to offer me free housing and free food in New Haven, but considering the fact that I could not take classes for credit (after all there are no more than five weeks left), being housed and eating food would stand for my only two activities in New Haven. I guess I could read books at Sterling but trying to keep my mind on a single page might prove a bit hard…just like trying to keep the party going when the world’s been shaken.

I really appreciate Yale’s efforts. Somehow, however, before I dive into the world of New Haven craziness, I think that I need more time to reflect upon what had just happened, more time to think about Disney parties at Aratamabashi and bento dinners at AEON mall. And who knows, maybe I’ll realize that the DAGANE food wasn’t really that bad – after all.