Why I Stay

I've had several people ask me to write a post like this, so here we go.

Okay, so the fact is, I'm a neurotic person about a lot of things. Anyone that knows me knows this. Not about everything, but there are certain things that just sort of bring me off the wall.

One of those certain things is disease, specifically cancer. Disease SCARES me. For serious. Everytime a somewhat youngish person dies, I go a little bit crazy for days, scared that that could so easily happen to me. The only thing that can calm me down is understanding WHY this person died and HOW this has nothing to do with me (like, oh, this person died of a drug overdose - I don't do any drugs, so calmness returns).

And anyone that knows me knows that I regularly freak out about the potential of getting cancer. I don't even want to smell a place where someone has recently (in the past few days) a cigarette - mostly because it makes me feel sick, the smell, but I'm sure a lot of that comes psychologically from the fact that I think it's giving me cancer. I spend a great deal of time trying to make sure I do everything to lead the most carcinogen-free lifestyle possible.

Therefore, a lot of people are having trouble understanding how *I,* of all people, feel totally fine staying in Japan when a nuclear crisis is happening.

The easiest answer to that question is - I don't really know, I just do. I guess I love it here so much that I'm able to just not think about it that much. That doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about it, though, and I assure everyone that I am doing my best to keep informed.

A lot of people are concerned about the radiation level where I am, in Aichi-ken right outside Nagoya in Okazaki.
This sight gives a daily reading of radiation measured in the air and in the water by prefecture. So, if you're interested, go check it out. And you'll see that, while it's not flat-lining the bottom, the radiation level here is still really quite low. Low enough that it doesn't worry me. And, as of yet, no radiation has been detected in the tap water (which hasn't stopped me from drinking bottled water, but still, it's good to know).

So anyhow, I'm staying, and I'm doing my best to keep myself informed enough to feel comfortable staying. Even though the nuclear disaster level has now been raised to a 7, I still feel like I'm okay. If you're still really worried, check the website.

And that's all I've got to say for now! :-)