Japan
Daiichi High School
123-4567
Osaka, Some Town
123 Random Rd
4 April 2011
Dear Jean,
I am writing this letter to you to inform you of my safety and to share my experience when the tsunami struck Japan. As you know, I am currently in Japan for an attachment at a Japanese high school. Japan was devastated by a monster earthquake and a tsunami and I was lucky to survive when the tsunami crashed against the inn I was living in. Dawn is crashing its rays upon us and as I survey the devastation around the school, tears fell off my cheeks. As I peered over the horizon, I could spot a few bodies scattered among the silent pieces of debris. I couldn’t comprehend the mesmerising brute force of nature.
A few weeks ago, I was busy with a little surprise for my students before I left for Singapore. Then, an instantaneous silence swept across the village. A sudden uneasiness clogged my parched throat. I stepped out in my curiosity, the deadly silence continued. Then, the ground began rumbling, as if a gargantuan worm was wriggling underneath. Gradually, it picked up velocity, its wrath reverberated throughout the town. Grandma Kimoko’s roof collapsed, her house’s elegance was extinguished. She was instrumental in making my stay in Iwake enjoyable and I could do nothing. Her cries were mercilessly muffled by the huge load of debris. Out of nowhere, men and women started screaming in Japanese. It was a rallying cry for us to run. There was an impending tsunami. Seconds after, onyx waves stretched across the rice fields, the stench of death and decay ever present. Everybody dashed for their lives, picking up neighbours who had fallen along the way. I stared behind and caught the last glimpse of an ancient prefecture. The waves had died down by the time it had devoured half of the town and I was lucky not to have perished along with the others. I made it in time to a higher ground, at the top of a hill.
At nightfall, aid started pouring in. We were offered sleeping bags, toothbrushes and basic necessities. As I scanned the hall for familiar faces, I could see none. I wondered what had happened to the people I knew. An overwhelming sadness enveloped me. However, I was surprised by the few eminent smiles on the Japanese people; they spurred the others on in their quest to rebuild their homeland. A sense of warmth was evidently present in the sleeping hall with the last of the refugees turning in for the night. I could hear a few sobs until quietus settled over the hall. I was indeed lucky to have cheated Death.
Yours sincerely,
Clement
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