January 17th: The Great Hanshin Earthquake
Jan.
17th, 1986 (Age 7, Evansburg, New Hampshire)
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Thursday,
January 17th, 1991 (Age 12, Evansburg)
Hi! My name is Branny Cavall. I was born in Pecton , Colorado 210 Smallwood Drive Evansburg , New Hampshire
I have light auburn, straight,
shoulder-length hair. I have blue eyes
and wear glasses.
I like listening to the radio, and
I’m doing that now.
I normally go to Evansburg Junior High,
but for the past few days us 7th graders have been going to an all day anti-drug program at St. Mary's Church. It's fun. Bye!!!
* * * * *
Friday,
January 17th, 1992 (Age 13, Evansburg)
My Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Pete arrived today. We all went out to eat at Donatello’s Italian
restaurant. My brother and I ate pepperoni pizza, my aunt had manicotti, and
the rest of my family had spaghetti.
Sam Barton’s father is conscious again, but he’s blind. Sam's mother is still unconscious. I hope she’s okay.
* * * * *
Sunday, January 17th, 1993 (Age 14, Evansburg)
I finished reading the R.E.M. book. Very informative, though I wish they had talked more about their personal lives.
For a while now I've been searching for college radio stations, and I think I might have discovered the one for the University of New Hampshire. Or maybe it's just an incredibly funky radio station. It's 98.9. One minute it's playing jazz, then next some new song that hasn't been released as a single yet. College radio usually plays songs that the DJ's have in their own personal collection. That's why I think this may be the one.
Evangeline, Sonia and I went sledding and ran into every possible obstacle, including cars, walls, and innocent bystanders. I ache everywhere.
* * * * *
Monday, January 17th, 1994 (Age 15, Nagasaki, Japan)
It seems like all at once everyone has read my mind and knows I want to leave Japan. I haven't mentioned it to anybody, but everybody is now mentioning it to me! My mom doesn't want me to go away anywhere for two years because she says it's the last chance we'll have to all be living together before Allen and I go away to college. Doesn't she see that living together is killing me? It's killing all of us. Why should I have to spend what's supposed to be the best years of my life in isolation in Japan with my family? I'm going somewhere else whether she likes it or not. If I don't leave, I'm as good as dead.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Tuesday, January 17th, 1995 (Age 16, Kobe, Japan)
We had an earthquake this morning at 5:46. It measured 7.2 and the center was in a nearby town. It was so freaky! I remember I woke up a few minutes before it started because I heard a mosquito buzzing in my ear, and everything was normal. I peeked out the blinds to see if the sun was coming up yet and wondered how much time I had left to sleep. Then suddenly the whole room was tipping from side to side. The first thing I did was pray because I thought it was the devil and that it was only happening to me. Then I said, "Holy shit!" Jess yelled for me from the top bunk, and I asked if she was okay because I thought the ceiling light might fall down on her. Then I leaped to stand in the door frame, but by that time it was over.
Nothing fell down in our room, but the window unlatched itself and opened. Everyone in the dorm went out and huddled together on the soccer field in our pajamas, coats and shoes.
We've had tiny aftershocks but nothing big again. We're not allowed to leave the campus. I guess the dorm and school are pretty sturdy since they've made it into an evacuation center for the neighborhood.
One of the dorm teachers took me, Jess and Janina for a drive around the island. The other buildings all look okay from the outside, but I heard that at the main condo in the island center ten flights of stairs collapsed. The roads have a lot of big cracks. One half of the island is worse than the other, with water covering the streets. Two of the factories had explosions and fires. Off the island things are pretty bad. We can see the smoke coming up from burning buildings.
I was so worried about Sei, but I figured he'd be fine. When I called he sounded pretty bad. His voice was shaking and I could tell he was scared. He couldn't even speak English, so I couldn't understand everything he was saying. He did say his family is fine, but his house isn't. I don't know what's wrong but he said they couldn't stay there anymore. He asked if I could go there or if he could come here, but I'm sure the trains aren't working, so we're isolated. I wanted to go to him -- it seems like I can never be there when he needs me. I think in general I'm stronger than he is. The quake scared me, of course, but I was fine as soon as the ground stopped moving. Janina and Jess are really scared of the tremors, but I think the worst is over. I just can't get over how shaken Sei was.
Obviously we have no school, and I doubt we will tomorrow either because there's no electricity or water. Sei is going to call me later, so I guess I'll write more then.
It's 6:00 p.m. now. We haven't had any more big tremors. The railway bridge collapsed and part of it fell into the ocean. It won't be fixed for a few months. The JR and Shinkansen trains won't be running for at least two weeks. The Hankyu and Hanshin lines are totally ruined. Sumiyoshi Station has been on fire since this morning, and they say Sannomiya is a pile of rubble. At last count the death toll was over 900. The hardest hit areas were Nagata, Ashiya, and Nishinomiya where Sei lives. I rang him again but didn't have enough coins to keep on talking. He said he'd try to call me instead, but I don't think he can get through because everyone wants to use the phone. I don't want to bother his family and I know he's okay, so I'll just wait until tomorrow to call. Our electricity is back on again.
My friends Sachiko, Liza and Jay Richards are all okay. We don't know about Essi in Sumiyoshi. I suppose our classmates who live in that condo have all lost everything. I just thought about the other random people we've met since we came here that we're not in touch with anymore. We'll never know if they're dead or alive.
* * * * *
Wednesday,
January 17th, 1996 (Age 17, Kobe)
Today
is the one-year golden yippee-kay-yay anniversary of the earthquake. I’m being crass. It doesn’t seem like it was that long
ago. Anyway, here’s a bit from a song called "Common People" by Pulp:
"Rent
a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job. Smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend
you never went to school. But still you’ll
never get it right 'cos when you’re laid in bed at night watching roaches climb
the wall, if you called your daddy could stop it all. You will never understand how it feels to
live your life with no meaning or control, and with nowhere left to go. You’ll never live like common people, you’ll
never do what common people do, you’ll never fail like common people, you’ll
never watch your life slide out of view, and dance and drink and screw because
there’s nothing else to do..."
* * * * *
Friday, January 17th, 1997 (Age 18, Exton, New Brunswick)
Fiona, Andrew, Sei and I went to the pool bar, same as last Friday. It's already been a week since my mother died and I cry every night.
I bought three goldfish which I've named Jacobite, Frenny and Nobel. They're staying in Sei's room.
My dad and my brother left this morning.
* * * * *
Saturday, January 17th, 1998 (Age 19, Exton)
I got another nastygram from our building manager telling me I owe them over $2,000, but this time they sent me a record of all the transactions since May and I can see all sorts of mistakes, like the fact that they've been charging us for the rent twice a month ever since September! In October and November they took $885 from both Fiona's account and mine! The way I see it, they owe me $600. I'm fed up with this place -- I want to take this document to their main office downtown and get it straightened out once and for all. And this morning Sei went to sign the lease for our new place.
* * * * *
Sunday, January 17th, 1999 (Age 20, Exton)
My father's not like he used to be. It's awful calling him because his girlfriend Linda never knows who I am, and Dad always seems to want to hang up quickly.
Sei and I went to a coffee shop and talked about what we're going to do with our lives. If he doesn't get into the university here this time he's going to go back to Japan and study for two years to get an acupuncture license. I'll go to Japan after I graduate, but to get enough credits for an Honours degree I'll have to wait until January 2001. That's so long to be apart. I could just do the Advanced Major and finish in April 2000, but I don't know if I'd be satisfied with that and how good my chances would be to get into a Masters program.
* * * * *
Monday, January 17th, 2000 (Age 21, Exton)
It's strange how I don't miss Sei anymore when he's not here. It just seems so normal now. When he comes back I want to show him off as my fiance, but when he isn't I can do my own thing. He should be coming back one month from today.
We had a huge snowfall, the most I've seen since New Hampshire.
* * * *
Wednesday, January 17th, 2001 (Age 22, Kobe)
I have no news at all. I'm itching to play the violin. If it weren't for that broken string....
* * * * *
Thursday, January 17th, 2002 (Age 23, Kobe)
We just watched Hannibal. It wasn't too scary for me but some parts were hard to watch.
* * * * *
Friday, January 17th, 2003 (Age 24, Kobe)
I really wanted to get through this month without having to ask Sei's parents for money, but it looks like it's not going to happen. Yesterday I took the 10,000 yen out of the bank that was in there to pay for the cable bill, but today's it's already half gone. That's because Alexa called wanting to go to dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant in Ashiya, then to Sannomiya to hand out fliers for her party on Sunday. I'm always telling her I have no money, and I didn't want to say it again. But I have to go out tomorrow and Sunday as well, so we'll have to borrow more money (I say borrow, but we can't pay it back). I know his parents want to help me, but I can't help feeling guilty.
* * * * *
Saturday, January 17th, 2004 (Age 25, Kobe)
We're at our friend's cabin in the mountains now. There's about two or three inches of snow, but it's not as cold as I expected. It's 2:30 a.m. and I'm going to bed first because everyone is just playing video games. Tomorrow Rory and Ed from the Dub are coming for the day, but I'm not staying.
* * * * *
Monday, January 17th, 2005 (Age 26, Kobe)
This is the tenth anniversary of the Hanshin earthquake, so that also means that Sei and I have been together for ten years.
Back in the fall he said he didn't want to always be going somewhere on his day off, and since then we haven't gone anywhere. Today I finally got him to take me to the new LaLaPort shopping mall in Koshien, and he enjoyed it. It's just like a North American shopping mall. I didn't buy anything though.
* * * * *
Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 (Age 27, Kobe)
Today is the 11th anniversary of the Hanshin Earthquake. I can't believe it's been that long! There was a sad story on TV about a boy who was two years old at the time and his parents and older brother were all killed when their house fell on them. He was raised by his grandparents but now he's thirteen and doesn't remember his family at all.
* * * * *
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 (Age 28, Kobe)
After work Kai and I drove to Rokko Island to see the new James Bond film. It's on its final week so there were only a handful of people in the theater. I don't think he thought much of it, but I preferred it over any of Pierce Brosnan's. Daniel Craig does kind of look more like a villain than a 007. I was a good girl and came straight home after the movie.
Disclaimer: This blog is a work of non-fiction. Most personal names (except for those of celebrities) and place names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.
* * * * *
Friday, January 17th, 1997 (Age 18, Exton, New Brunswick)
Fiona, Andrew, Sei and I went to the pool bar, same as last Friday. It's already been a week since my mother died and I cry every night.
I bought three goldfish which I've named Jacobite, Frenny and Nobel. They're staying in Sei's room.
My dad and my brother left this morning.
* * * * *
Saturday, January 17th, 1998 (Age 19, Exton)
I got another nastygram from our building manager telling me I owe them over $2,000, but this time they sent me a record of all the transactions since May and I can see all sorts of mistakes, like the fact that they've been charging us for the rent twice a month ever since September! In October and November they took $885 from both Fiona's account and mine! The way I see it, they owe me $600. I'm fed up with this place -- I want to take this document to their main office downtown and get it straightened out once and for all. And this morning Sei went to sign the lease for our new place.
* * * * *
Sunday, January 17th, 1999 (Age 20, Exton)
My father's not like he used to be. It's awful calling him because his girlfriend Linda never knows who I am, and Dad always seems to want to hang up quickly.
Sei and I went to a coffee shop and talked about what we're going to do with our lives. If he doesn't get into the university here this time he's going to go back to Japan and study for two years to get an acupuncture license. I'll go to Japan after I graduate, but to get enough credits for an Honours degree I'll have to wait until January 2001. That's so long to be apart. I could just do the Advanced Major and finish in April 2000, but I don't know if I'd be satisfied with that and how good my chances would be to get into a Masters program.
* * * * *
Monday, January 17th, 2000 (Age 21, Exton)
It's strange how I don't miss Sei anymore when he's not here. It just seems so normal now. When he comes back I want to show him off as my fiance, but when he isn't I can do my own thing. He should be coming back one month from today.
We had a huge snowfall, the most I've seen since New Hampshire.
* * * *
Wednesday, January 17th, 2001 (Age 22, Kobe)
I have no news at all. I'm itching to play the violin. If it weren't for that broken string....
* * * * *
Thursday, January 17th, 2002 (Age 23, Kobe)
We just watched Hannibal. It wasn't too scary for me but some parts were hard to watch.
* * * * *
Friday, January 17th, 2003 (Age 24, Kobe)
I really wanted to get through this month without having to ask Sei's parents for money, but it looks like it's not going to happen. Yesterday I took the 10,000 yen out of the bank that was in there to pay for the cable bill, but today's it's already half gone. That's because Alexa called wanting to go to dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant in Ashiya, then to Sannomiya to hand out fliers for her party on Sunday. I'm always telling her I have no money, and I didn't want to say it again. But I have to go out tomorrow and Sunday as well, so we'll have to borrow more money (I say borrow, but we can't pay it back). I know his parents want to help me, but I can't help feeling guilty.
* * * * *
Saturday, January 17th, 2004 (Age 25, Kobe)
We're at our friend's cabin in the mountains now. There's about two or three inches of snow, but it's not as cold as I expected. It's 2:30 a.m. and I'm going to bed first because everyone is just playing video games. Tomorrow Rory and Ed from the Dub are coming for the day, but I'm not staying.
* * * * *
Monday, January 17th, 2005 (Age 26, Kobe)
This is the tenth anniversary of the Hanshin earthquake, so that also means that Sei and I have been together for ten years.
Back in the fall he said he didn't want to always be going somewhere on his day off, and since then we haven't gone anywhere. Today I finally got him to take me to the new LaLaPort shopping mall in Koshien, and he enjoyed it. It's just like a North American shopping mall. I didn't buy anything though.
* * * * *
Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 (Age 27, Kobe)
Today is the 11th anniversary of the Hanshin Earthquake. I can't believe it's been that long! There was a sad story on TV about a boy who was two years old at the time and his parents and older brother were all killed when their house fell on them. He was raised by his grandparents but now he's thirteen and doesn't remember his family at all.
* * * * *
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 (Age 28, Kobe)
After work Kai and I drove to Rokko Island to see the new James Bond film. It's on its final week so there were only a handful of people in the theater. I don't think he thought much of it, but I preferred it over any of Pierce Brosnan's. Daniel Craig does kind of look more like a villain than a 007. I was a good girl and came straight home after the movie.
Disclaimer: This blog is a work of non-fiction. Most personal names (except for those of celebrities) and place names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.
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