Have you been to an Earthquake Museum?

1995 5:46am. That is what you see (in huge letters) on Kobe's Disaster Reduction Museum as you approach it. The Great Hanshin Earthquake, Richter 7.2 took almost 6000 people.

We first entered the Theater where large scale images and sound conveyed the tremendous loud impact of the collapse of buildings and expressways by the Quake. Fires also swept the city. It was rather terrifying to realise the reality of what Mother Nature can do. After you walk out of the Auditorium, you enter a realistically reproduced devasted streets just after the Earthquake.

We also saw the world map which mapped out the earthquake zones in red. I was searching for Japan and couldnt find it. I thought my geography was really bad, but Yumiko-chan laughed... so Japan was entirely covered under the red and thats why I couldnt spot it. Several continental and oceanic plates meet on the Japanese archipelago.

Monday was public holiday, Tuesday we were too busy to swap processes, thus there were no disappointment. Today, we swapped. Tiring and we have to come up with manuals before I fly off. What was supposed to be brought back to Singapore by two persons is now solely on me. Tiring. However, looking at another angle, perhaps they have confidence in me & my team. I have to think this way right? Well this is nothing compared to the recovery and reconstruction of Kobe after the Quake.