A Personal Reflection on the 14th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake (6/100)
Today marks the 14th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the time, I was six months pregnant and living in Sendai. That day, my son and I were at a pool for a trial lesson of a kiddie swimming class, which was scheduled to start at 2:45 PM. I had helped my son change into his bathing suit, handed him over to the instructors, and taken a seat in the observation area on the second floor. Just as the children were about to walk down the stairs to the pool on the ground floor, the earthquake struck. At first, it felt like any other tremor, but suddenly, a violent jolt threw us off balance. I could no longer stand upright. I crouched down on my knees, only to be tossed around the floor on all fours. I knew my son was just around the corner, but I wasn't able to get to him. The shaking was so intense that pieces of the ceiling came crashing down. The woman next to me clung to her young daughter, screaming, "I don't want to die!" I don’t know why, but I re...