Graduates

It's that time of the year again. As the leaves turn green and roses in my garden perfume the evening air, I prepare to say goodbye to another set of graduates leaving high school for the greener pastures of college.

More choice, classes that they WANT to be in rather than HAVE to be in (mostly), better parties and by far the most important, greater independence. I think about the places they will go and the people they will meet and I wonder: have I left any impression on their minds? Will they take anything from my classes for the rest of their lives?

Since this blog is one of the multitudes out there and no one really knows I'm writing it, I guess I'll never know. But I hope they will. I hope I will see them again as the years pass. And I hope if they speak of me, they will speak well of me.

Amanda's adventure

Every morning at around seven, I let the dog out into the backyard to do what she needs to do. Every morning, I clean up after her.

This morning, as I made sure the grass is clean and good for the kids to play in, Amanda slinked out from under the gate. After I was done, I called out for her to come in. When there was no sound of the patter of tiny paws I got a little testy and wished she would hurry up. She likes to take time to explore and I was in a hurry. I called a few more times then figured she must have gone inside ahead of me. I went back in indoors and called just to check. There was no answer. Now I was a little worried.

Soon, I was calling for Amanda in the house, not caring that I'll wake up my sleeping children and husband. When I knew she was not in the house, I panicked, woke up my husband and started a real search. Took the car out and drove up and down the street. Imagine my relief when I see her walking as happy as you please a block up the hill from the house.

I picked her up and we drove home. Once inside, I used my loud voice to let her know that what she had done was not good. Mommy was not happy with her little Amanda girl. And now, three hours later I miss my little girl. Can't wait to go home and scoop her up in my arms. All's well that ends well.

U2, WE TOO!!!

Saturday, June 4th 2011. What an unforgettable experience! Hubby and I went to Quest Field to watch and listen to U2. Bono is such a consummate entertainer and had I not gone to this concert, I would have never known!

I have known about and supported most of his causes. But I did not expect him to be so cool and funny. I guess I expected more arrogance from an established rockstar but Bono was just mesmerizing to watch!

Funny side story: Last year, when our friend Tom posted on facebook that his U2 tickets were up for grabs, I immediately jumped at the chance. Then Bono broke his back and the concert was postponed. I didn't stay updated and had no idea that it was still on. When Candi, Tom's wife, emailed a reminder I was surprised and ecstatic. But the weird part was, Parvez didn't want me to buy those tickets! Then very unwillingly, he told me that he too, had bought tickets and that it was meant to be a surprise for me ...:-) what a sweetheart! My heart did a little jig as I looked at my sweetie who would stand for four hours at a rock concert even with a hurt foot. I'm a very lucky gal.

Photos of Amanda

Amanda

On Friday two weeks ago, my husband and I visited the Seattle Humane Society and came home with Amanda. She is a terrier mix and a bundle of energetic love! At ten years, Amanda is a middle aged lady with a strong mind and strong maternal instincts. Shy at first, she has increasingly grown more and more vocal in her protection of her new home. Neighbors are criticised in no uncertain terms for walking on our side of the sidewalk. The rest of the family though, has been smiling more, at her antics and at ourselves for going gaga over our furry new girl. Amanda is her perfect name for she brings joy to all who meet her.

As we go for our afternoon walk/run, I tell her my day and she scolds me for leaving her alone. Feels so good to come home and have her jump all over me, telling me " I love you, I missed you, now can we PLEASE get out of the house?"

Radiation fears

Now comes the second part of the story. After a few hours, news of the blast in the nuclear reactors filtered into the US. As our local and national channels broadcast updates, I looked up how far the reactors were from Tokyo. Then I skyped my brother to see if he was thinking of moving. He told me not to worry, as it was just the shells breaking, the reactors were fine. Although worried, I felt my brother and his wife were in the best position to know what to do. In the days that followed, I had nightly conversations with my mother, both of us agreeing that my brother should move, yet dreading asking him what he thought of that option, because both my mother and I knew what his answer would be.

It was a great relief when I heard his office was moving him temporarily to Osaka. Even better to find out that they were going to Singapore for a while.

It has now been six weeks since it all started. My brother and his wife are back in Tokyo, to their daily grind. I still worry because the radiation levels keep rising from what one hears in the news. I keep telling myself not to believe everything I see or read in the internet or TV but it is hard to be objective and rational when one's own is in danger.

It is still hard to believe that Tokyo, that great machine and success story of modern technology is living through a crisis it is ill-equipped to handle. No one seems to have a handle on the reactor situation. Maybe there isn't an immediate fix. But let's hope that things will improve in six months. I never want to relive the anxiety, the fear and the constant worry of not knowing and not being able to help in any meaningful way.

My Tokyo Earthquake post

This post is over a month belated. The Tokyo earthquake of March 14, 2011 destroyed thousands of lives and the tsunami redrew the coastline, killing thousands more. The resultant damages to nuclear reactors created a radiation hazard that continue to plague the lives of people in northeastern Honshu.

Not many people in my immediate circle know that my brother, my only sibling, lives in Tokyo. We have rarely spoken to each other. There have been times we've been estranged and the physical distance, the stress of modern living, jobs exacerbated the gulf between us. But the news of the earthquake was troubling. I remember telling myself that if any country in the world is equipped to handle an earthquake, it is Japan. Then I tried calling my brother and sister-in-law's cell phones. No connection.

I kept calling, while telling myself that things are fine. But it was getting harder to keep the tears at bay. My morning classes started, and I still had no word. I could not reach any number in Japan, in any area. After two hours of non-stop dialling, my tears were falling pretty fast. I did not care that my students saw me in this vulnerable state. I was doing exactly what I try not do in a crisis: panic.

I called my parents in India, to see if they had heard anything. All they could tell me was that they had spoken to my sister-in-law while she was still in her office, but that the phone had disconnected during their conversation. Hearing this made my fear the worst.

It was my husband who was finally able to make contact through Skype, to find out that everyone was safe. My sister-in-law walked home. There was a food shortage brewing as people were stockpiling food. But other than that, things were normal. Heaving a sigh of relief, I went back to my usual day.