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February15
Family adventures
The family’s first expat move from
Chicago to Tokyo in 2010 was
initially a daunting prospect. “I’d
been to Japan when I was in college
and I couldn’t wrap my thoughts
around living in such a different
country, so when we were first asked
if we would consider relocating there
I said no,” explains Jenny. But after
reassurance from others who had
experience of living in Japan, she
felt more comfortable with the move.
“I was told the expat community
is really tight, and that we would
find friends easily. It was sensory
overload when we first arrived –
completely overwhelming – but we
came to love it.”
The Georges had only been in
Tokyo for a short time when disaster
struck the country, including a
massive earthquake hitting the
capital city. At that time, the children
were off school on a conference day,
being cared for by the babysitter,
while Jenny was in her car in the
city. “At first it felt like the subway
was vibrating underneath. Then all
the traffic stopped and I suddenly
realised this must be an earthquake,
as people came out of the buildings,
crying. It lasted for a couple of
minutes, and I thought everything
would start falling in on me; I felt
completely helpless and at the
mercy of the earth. I was gripping
the wheel so hard – and then it just
stopped.”
Within a day or two of the resulting
tsunami and Fukushima nuclear
disaster, many expats started leaving
Japan. “But we didn’t really know
what to do. It was only when the
grocery stores started running
out of food and there was no gas
at the stations that we decided to
leave, and we ended up coming to
Singapore for a couple of weeks.”
After much assurance from an uncle
of Jenny’s, coincidentally a nuclear
physicist, who said they would be
safe in Tokyo, the family returned.
From top:
“Our room has to be very
clean and simple; I don’t
like clutter. Caroline added
a table and a couple of
cushions to what we already
had, and she really helped
clean things up here.”
“My husband takes a nap on
this chair every weekend. It’s
lovely and bright here, and
you get a lovely warmth from
the window.”