一年前 a year after the quake

３月１１日２０１１年, 東京 国立に住んでいた。

A year ago, on the day of the Tohoku earthquake, 
I was living in Tokyo.

あの日は、国分寺（国立のとなりにある町）で
仕事をしていた。

地震のとき、１００円 LAWSON のなかにいて、はことか缶が落ちて来たから、とりあえず外に出た。地震はもっと強くなって、スローモーションなかんじがした。

ゆれが終わったら、みんな（私も）ぼーっとした顔をして、おそるおそる動きはじめました。

なにも考えずにLAWSONにもう一回入って、

ひよこ豆を買って、国分寺駅に行きました。

駅に着いてすぐ電車が動いていないことが分かりました。

それではじめて国分寺から家まで歩きました。あんまり道が分からなくて、とりあえず線路ぞいのみちを

ずっと行こうと思いあるいた。

その途中でこんなの見つけました。

That day, I was teaching English in the nearby town of Kokubunji.

I'd just finished my last class and was picking up a few things at the convenience store when suddenly things started shaking. It started out slow, but when boxes and cans started falling off the shelves, I put my shopping basket on the floor and went outside quickly. There were lots of people outside on the street looking around like 'Where should I go?' The earthquake intensified and it felt like everything was moving in slow motion. When it was finally over, a bunch of spaced out people (myself included), slowly started to go back to 'real life.' For some reason, which I still can't understand, I went back into the convenience store, bought the two cans of chickpeas I had contemplated buying earlier, and went to the station, as if everything were normal. Naturally, the trains weren't moving and I thought, 'Well, I'll have to walk home.'  I didn't know the way, but 'If I follow the train tracks, I should be able to make it,' I thought. Which I did. 

On the walk home, this is what I saw.

歩きながら、いろなことを考えていたけど、
まずは家まで歩いてすぐ

帰れるくらいのところにいたことに、
すごく感謝をしました。

As I walked home, a million thoughts were going through my mind, but, overall, I was just grateful to be alive and able to walk home.