Boston-Kyoto

Boston and Kyoto are sister cities.
This morning when I woke up in Kyoto, I opened the computer and the first thing I saw was this: 

"I dreamt this morning that I was in the Mapparium (a walk-through globe at the Christian Science Center that I visited with [me]) that's about six blocks from today's Marathon bombing. I don't know that I've ever dreamt of being in Boston before. Weird coincidence. Thoughts and well wishes to all affected."

So then, of course, affected by what? I rushed to find out; it didn't take long, of course.  Around 5am, after my phone's dying battery sound woke me up and I turned it off, unable to charge it because I'd loaned my charger, I myself had had a sort of anxiety dream in which I was in charge of organizing events for a group of about 11 people (hmm, what a weird coincidence: exactly what I started doing about 2 weeks ago) and I had arranged for us all to get in taxis and go to a park and then enjoy a nice drive.  I'm in one taxi and there's two others. In the taxis, just like when we're in any kind of group, we found ourselves idling, waiting for others to catch up and be ready to go, trying to get everyone organized on to the next thing.  And then, amidst the pleasure driving and the dawdling and waiting and trying to get people moving in a group--- I suddenly remember that we're in metered taxis and the German-uncle looking taxi driver is presiding in my vehicle over a 27,000 ish yen fare at the moment. I'm horrified and ashamed that me negligence in planning has caused this massive debt to accrue and am looking around at the irritated faces of the other three passengers. One was one of our new students, another looked like an academic I know from the States, and then the driver, and as if my brain decided to add another passenger after it had dreamed the car, there was another person suddenly in a passenger seat that somehow was positioned between the windshield and the driver. I was doing the math of how much we would each have to pay for this stupid error, and feeling the unspoken frustration with me as a leader... and then time passed and I was awake and realizing that I had only dreamed I'd been so stupid (thank goodness! I guess it was a money anxiety dream and a leadership/organization anxiety dream.)

But then it was Boston had been bombed.  The Marathon takes place on Monday--Glenn sensei's tea lessons also take place on Mondays, and every Marathon Monday for the last six years, I've walked from Back Bay station, mere feet from the bomb sites in the afternoon aftermath of the race to Glenn-sensei's tea room. That was a weird thought.  That's where I walk.  I've heard back from him-- everyone as far as we know is okay. The sirens stopped their practice -- it's so close by really.  It was totally surreal to see the pictures of the locations; they're familiar everyday sights to me. The Lenscrafters on Boylston is decimated. 

So, this was happening, so I decided that I could wait to leave until 8:05, giving myself 5 extra minutes of reading the news.  Then I jumped up and got in the elevator.  It was sumikiri today, so we were in samue, and I was carrying the supplies of gloves and masks for all 11 people, since it's the newbies' first sumikiri.  There were 3 people in the elevator when I got into it on the 3rd floor, including the kenkyuka student with whom I did the zenrei (pre-greeting) at the places that could be affected by our cutting charcoal all day. And then, about 12 centimeters away from the ground floor, CHUNK. The elevator stopped. We were stuck in the elevator. The one elevator we are supposed to use in all of Urasenke--everywhere else we take the stairs, but in the dorm, although I only live on the 3rd floor and I hate waiting for the elevator we have to do it because the stairs are locked from the outside and are emergency exit only from the inside.  Ironic.

So we're stuck in the elevator on our way to school. And we can see out the windows, where one of the new ichi-a's peeks toward us and sees me (and us) there helpless.  So while the other three girls press the alarm and the caretaker lady (Kanrin-san) comes running and another calls the emergency number printed in the elevator, I'm shouting to them-- "Go! Go to school! Tell them where I am!" Remember how my phone died at 5am? Can't call anyone to explain where I am. Stuck in the elevator with the bag of everyone's supplies and the clock counting down to chorei. But this is a pretty iron-clad excuse.  One tells the story of a graduate who got stuck in this elevator for 4 hours a few years ago. Great.  Eventually, Hattori-sensei, the sort of vice-principal of student life, comes and the first thing he does upon seeing us is laugh. We're like goldfish stuck in a bowl. He asks us what did we do? Did we all jump at the same time?  No, no, we did nothing, we touched nothing we insist.  There was the earthquake a couple days ago we reason, maybe something was jarred then. 

Time passes.
20 minutes.

The alarm continues to sound. We talk. One sits down. The others are apparently ushered down the stairs and out the emergency exit to school. And then finally, after about 20 minutes, the repairman comes and we cheer. He tries to open the door from the front, and only the outer one will open.  Then he disappears, and lands on the top of the elevator, and we all marvel, he's in the shaft! And from above he forces open the door halfway and I escape, then the others jump out, shouting with relief.  Hattori sensei waves us into the school minivan in which he had rushed over, and drives us straight up Ogawa dori, past Omotesenke, Kabutomon, and right up to the front doors of the school. "You'll go to chorei?" he asks, "Yes!" we say, and tumble out and up the stairs like a clattering horde, falling all over each other at the edge of the dressing room to fall out of our shoes, get white socks on, pull out a fan, and then stumble out to where the assembled rest of the school is waiting in seiza for us.  

And then there was the day to begin.


My deep sympathies to Boston and all the people affected by this tragedy.