Five years ago today, the unimaginable happened in New York. Since then, New Yorkers have had to get used to things like random searches, building evacuations, the metal detectors that greet you at almost every public place and police in full body armor and machine guns standing alertly on street corners. New Yorkers now observe people – they notice the unusual; it’s their new job. Every loud truck backfire sends up a momentary panic and any lengthy siren is reason for alarm. There is a low grade anxiety that every New Yorker feels on a daily basis – we are tough, we can handle it. We absorb it like we do every other inconvenience and just chalk it up to “living in the city”.
After a few weeks here, I heard a siren and thought “how strange”. It dawned on me I hadn’t heard that sound since I arrived. And then it came; the realization that the very same low grade anxiety I had lived with for so long was gone. We hardly hear sirens here in Tokyo – instead we hear a song every day at five o’clock signaling to children all over Tokyo that it is time to go home. I have not had to go through one metal detector or bag search at any city office or museum I have been to since arriving. Instead, I am welcomed politely. The few policeman I see on the streets don’t carry machine guns – on the contrary, not even are they not armed with big guns, they are dressed in uniforms barely noticeable.
Sadly, the only metal detector and armed guard I did encounter were at the US Embassy. Prior to going through the detector, I had to empty my bag of any food, drink, phone, i-pod. etc. – all of these items were checked to be claimed later. Then, both my bag and I went through the metal devise. It is sad that here in my host country, the only place that I may not be safe was my own country’s embassy.
We will be returning to the states for the holidays and while I can’t wait to see family and friends, I dread having to feel that anxious "feeling". Even for a few days.
Because life is so much better without it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Wow...that feeling. I really can't imagine life without it. It's the beginning of the school season and I have had so much anxiety when it comes to public safety. Max is attending a new school in Weehawken now. I drive him to school in the mornings and the school bus brings him back to Union City, six blocks away from where we live. The bus was 45 minutes late and I was a nervous wreck. My imagination ran wild with all the horrific things that could have been happening to him in those 45 minutes: Max getting lost, Mx getting on the wrong bus, getting beat up and last but not least, Max being a victim of a terrorist attack. Call me crazy, but yeah this is what I think about nowadays.
These thoughts cross my mind not only due to 9/11, but also because of constant of the bureaucracy and chaos of life around here. It's only been 5 days since school opened and the bus has come at different times, usually very late. I'm told by other school officials that this is just temporary, but kids who've been riding the bus for years say, it's pretty erratic all year. I talk to the bus driver and he just shrugs his shoulders and says, "What can I do?"
And that's pretty much the response I get from everyone around here,"What can I do?" or "That's just the way it is.." No one seems to care about parents waiting and waiting to pick up there children. Some leave work early or hire babysitters to pick up their kid not knowing when they'll show up. No one bows to say , "I'm sorry". It must be so nice to live in a place where everyone is caring and considerate. I can't imagine that happening in Tokyo. Yes, the rules are wacky but as you said, the result is not to upset the harmony. There isn't much harmony in my neck of the woods, just flat chords.
Getting back to the anxious feeling, I will be doing my Teaching Artist thing probably in October. The metal detector thing is such a part of my existence. Sadly this has been going on pre-9/11. So as I travel through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to school, I think will this be the day the tunnel gets bombed by the terrorist? When I arrive at the High School for my residency, I think did I remember to take my IPOD, cell-phone, loose change, belt buckle, watch, bracelet and my 9 milimeter out of my backpack?
Did Kevin get you that 9mm for your birthday? How thoughtful.
You would love it here, because 7 year olds take the trains by themselves back and forth to school. I've even seen younger children, so cute in their little school uniforms - especially the little hats, on the trains alone. And, that means their moms get to sleep a little later.....and that's a wonderful thing!!
Post a Comment