Nuclear Reactions

I did not spend this past weekend worrying about explosions at nuclear power plant reactors in Japan. I spent the weekend on the southeast coast of Korea (which, for you geographically impaired types, is closer to Japan than the rest of Korea). We relaxed at the Bugyeong hot spring and adjoining pension/guesthouse, strolled through the seaside towns and villages, and attended the Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival. We ate crabs on Saturday and Sunday. I must confess they were delicious...I'm so sorry, crabs...

I was not wired for most of this journey. We did check in with the news on our guesthouse TV late Saturday night and heard a bit about the nuclear plant explosion situation, but I didn't do most of my thinking about it until Monday and Tuesday, back in Andong and back to work. Along with many people in the world, I continue to read and watch and check in with news, hoping for the safety of all people, whether they are currently close to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Station or far, far away or - like me - living on a nearby peninsula where prevailing winds could possibly bring a cloud of radioactive gas in a worst case "total meltdown" scenario. I hope the experts and workers are able to continue the cooling process. I hope the workers dealing with the situation also remain safe.

Among other thoughts, I find it interesting and slightly bizarre that back in December, when I was preparing to come to Korea this time, everyone's biggest fear was a paranoid, breathless "Oh-my-gosh-what-if-the-axis-of-North-Korean-evil-launches-a-nuclear-missile-at-you?" and now instead of that happening (which, duh!) we have moved into an actual nuclear scenario involving Japan and nuclear energy.

Let's continue to hope and work for safety and the best possible outcome, everyone! And go easy on the rhetoric.