Addressing the tsunami disaster

Okay so here I am back in Japan....where my refrigerator is actually warmer than my apartment....of course saying that seems pretty silly in light of all that has happened in the past week. I am grateful, to say the least, that on December 26th my family and I were headed from Chiang Mai Thailand to Bangkok. Where we completely missed the devastation of the tsunamis and earthquake. Where we were fortunate as to not have had to see any of its effects. I am also so happy to say that ALL of my friends that were in Southern Thailand at the time have been accounted for. Safe and sound.

Of course having been in Thailand during this time, we did feel the effects of the disaster. My own family had been in Southern Thailand only a few days before, but had moved to Northern Thailand to meet up with me. They couldn't stop talking about how amazing the beaches and water were off the islands...or how nice all of the people were who helped them out. And from their pictures it appears to be an absolute paradise....I don't think any of them can really believe that the world they only recently left behind no longer exists.

When I first heard about all of the missing people, I kept thinking first of my friends and then about all the people that I had watched get on a plane to Phuket a few days before. As I waited for my flight to Chiang Mai, I remember thinking about how lucky they were to get a few days rest on the beaches down there and how I wondered if I had made a mistake in heading north, purely because I wanted to see Elephants. (I think I have a new respect for Dumbo). I want every one of those strangers to be okay...but I kind of know that not all of them are.

And then when we got to our hotel in Singapore we met a bunch of kids who worked for Club Med...they were some of the survivors who had lost everything and had been evacuated to Singapore before heading home. All of them were so excited to see each other...to know that their friends had made it out.

To see all the relief and aid that is coming from so many sources around the world it trully is amazing. Because it wasn't really a "happy" new year and I really didn't feel like celebrating this year...but in seeing and hearing about all of the people who have donated time and money and supplies to the cause, it kind of makes me think that maybe this year will be different. Maybe this year will be less about fighting and hating and stupid politicians...maybe this year will be about people helping each other out and fixing problems instead of making them worse....

And on that note, I think its time for me to go to bed...the cynical me will return tomorrow with tales from my trip to Thailand and Singapore.