I doubt there's anyone who hasn't heard....

...but Japan was hit by the largest earthquake on record, resulting in a severe tsunami, on Friday, March 11th, 2011. The affected region was much farther north than I am. Here's a map to show how far away from it I was lucky enough to be.

So don't worry about me; I'm fine where I am. We didn't really get a whole lot in the way of backlash, thank goodness. But please, don't let my safety lessen the sense of devastation this disaster has caused. I met lots of ALTs at orientation who were headed to that region, not to mention all the Japanese citizens who have been unaccounted for, displaced, and killed. Right now Japan is in the global limelight. I can only hope that the generous aid offered by other countries and Japan's own resilience prove enough to counteract this unforeseeable event.

'Till next time.