Commuting on that first day in 2016, I overheard two people discussing their research. The topic (science) was incomprehensible to me, but listening in was delightful. I was more used to office-oriented workaday commutes. These would invariably be debriefings about colleagues or clients and the day's challenges. And here I was, twenty years after completing my BA, returning to undergraduate university life. University! Where people discuss their research on the morning commute! Where there are…
A lived experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake. 1. By the Wednesday night there was something almost normal to the sleep deprivation, anxiety and aftershocks. The wail of ambulances along Akiu Dori merged with the choppy rounds of helicopters flying past. A mix of tension and practice had shrunk our stomachs to a size that ensured we had a couple of weeks' worth of food. The acrid burning smell, which had hovered over Sendai…
