Shake It Like Japan, Mommy (Mark)

I don’t know if you all have heard or not, but it seems like Japan has a higher amount of earthquakes than average. If you’ve tuned into the news lately, you might have noticed that things got a big shaky on Tuesday when a 7.2 tremor hit around lunch time. I’ve come to realize that, although Japanese people are mostly polar opposites than the good folks back home in Oklahoma, there are still come striking similarities when it comes to enduring Mother Nature’s wrath.
Oklahomans in general suffer from a chronic disease known as T.A.S. or Tornado Apathy Syndrome. For recent immigrants to tornado alley, just the possibility of a tornado sends waves of panic-stricken folks with their weather radios and tornado kits to community shelters and underground bunkers crying, praying, and wetting themselves until the storm passes over. After the storm passes over, tornado rookies will emerge from the bunker like nuclear holocaust survivors, kiss their loved ones and begin to emotionally prepare for next week, when this event will undoubtedly repeat itself again.
For native Oklahomans, a tornado warning means go outside and try to make visual contact with the alleged storm. A true Oklahoman will then determine wind speed and direction outside, then with the aid of his or her favorite weatherman, will declare, “It’s going to go ________ (name a cardinal direction) of us.” Only if the tornado is said to be in your neighborhood will an Oklahoma family take cover and only if the tornado begins to rip away at the exterior of the home will the man of the house finally, reluctantly, run for cover.
Japanese suffer a similar E.A.S. or, earthquake apathy syndrome. The main problem for both Oklahomans and Japanese is that their respective battles with Mother Nature come so frequently that rarely does anyone take the situation seriously. So when the earth started moving on Tuesday I, as cool as a cucumber, thought nothing of the minor tremor. Yet, when the building started swaying and objects fell from the walls….I began to think that maybe the 3rd floor of a elementary school wasn’t the best place to be. After the tremors stopped one of my teachers picked herself up off the floor (where she had fallen), nervously laughed and said “Sugoi! Sore wa ookii jishin desu!” which, loosely translated means, “that was pretty awesome, I’m glad we aren’t all dead right now!” As I sat at my desk and participated in the aftershocks of discussion that followed, I wondered to myself…would all the safety protocols (like standing in a doorway, under a desk etc. etc.) have begun before or after we were all buried under 30 tons of rubble? Yet, like the tornados back home, we all laughed this one off…sipped some tea…and wondered when the “big” one is going to hit. Of course, never believing that it actually will.