Earthquakes are usually no big deal in Japan, according to postdoc Yukari Yamada. \u00bbSo I wasn\u2019t too worried about it, when an American friend called Friday morning to tell me about the earthquake,\u00ab she explains.<\/p>\n
The day after the quake, Yukari calmed down her worried Danish colleagues at University of Copenhagen\u2019s Institute of Public Health. \u00bbDon\u2019t worry, it won\u2019t be like Haiti,\u00ab she said to her colleagues.<\/p>\n
But Yukari quickly understood that the situation was far more serious than she had initially thought. It didn\u2019t take long for her subsequently to get a hold of her family and friends. Luckily, they were all safe. <\/p>\n
\u00bbNevertheless, I’ve been so sad about what has happened to my country as a whole,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
\u00bbConstantly following developments on TV, it was hard to stop crying,\u00ab Yukari says. She was particularly affected by the assumed loss of an acquaintance, a nurse named Hoshi, who lives in the most affected area. <\/p>\n
Then a small miracle happened: Yukari suddenly recognized Hoshi talking to a reporter on TV. \u00bbI saw her helping people in a shelter. She didn\u2019t look like a victim. She wasn\u2019t emotional, she was concerned about helping other people,\u00ab Yukari explains. <\/p>\n
\u00bbThat encouraged me to stop being emotional. To do whatever I can do to help, which at the moment is donating money,\u00ab Yukari says and adds that she is grateful for the international aid that Japan has received already.<\/p>\n