Letter for Online Lesson 1:
12345 Sendai City
Apartment D - 105
Japan
4th April 2011
Dear Cousin,
How are you? I am sure Singapore is pretty fine as compared to the country I am living in now, Japan. I can assure you it was a disaster, but, I am one of the few fortunate ones who survived the deadly earthquake and tsunami.
It all started off with a normal day at work. Everything was fine, until the first tremors were felt around noon. At first, everyone thought that tremor was going to be like the common ones felt around this area frequently - slight movement and everything would go on as per normal. However, after a while, the vibrations became stronger and files started falling off shelves. The lighting hanging on the ceiling was also swaying from side to side and some parts of the ceiling fell off too. We were told to evacuate the building and run to nearby shelters. My natural instinct told me not to run to open space as usually after earthquakes, especially areas near seaside, tsunamis will follow up. Hence, instead of running out of the building, some colleagues and I ran to the top floor of the building.
What we saw at the top of the building will be etched in my mind forever. I can never forget what I saw at the rooftop. Large cracks seemed to draw across the whole world as crack lines of different sizes and patterns were seen not only on roads but also on buildings.
Then, we saw it. In the distance, large waves engulfed smaller ones and were approaching us rapidly. I could see that there were boats, numerous pieces of debris and even a fire in the middle of the waves of sea. Trees literally broke and were swept away like toothpicks. Wooden structures and buildings were not spared too and became part of the growing numbers of debris already in the waves. I could see vehicles trying to escape from the wrath of the waves but many of them were unsuccessful in escaping. Needless to say, the colleagues who ran out of the buildings were engulfed by the waves. Screams were drowned by the larger noise of falling debris and powerful tidal waves smashing against buildings. We felt the impact of the waves and the building threatened to collapse. Thankfully, it did not.
The tsunami lasted about a few hours and by the time the disaster was over, the aftermath was worse. What remained of tall buildings were pieces of debris and hardly any building was intact. What is even more worrying is the news we received that nuclear reactors are overheating and may cause radiation levels to rise. My house was destroyed and I am currently thinking of ways to come back to Singapore.
Fret not, although my house was destroyed by the tsunami, I found a temporary home at a Shrine where food and lodging is provided for earthquake victims. I am also unscathed and my daily necessities are taken care of. My temporary lodging is also far away from the radiation emitted from the nuclear reactors. Help me to send my best regards to your family too and tell them I am fine. I will be coming back to Singapore as soon as possible!
Yours sincerely,
Zane
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