The Shaking

Chapter Twelve

Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Miyahira Tsuki couldn't believe it when she felt the first familiar trembling through the soles of her shoes. Such events were common in Japan of course, but here in England? Surely this was not possible? But then after four months living here she doubted anything about this strange country could surprise her further.

Tsuki, a student at Nagoya university, was spending a year in England as part of her International Development and Cooperation course. Two months into her stay she was still struggling to cope with the shock of a total immersion in an alien culture and doubting if she ever would be able to do so.

It wasn't just the absence of anything familiar here; it was the fact of everything being so different, such as the way English people used their family names after their first names; that had caused some initial confusion and mild embarrassment before she fully grasped the fact. Then there was the spoken english itself; the vernacular and the way it was used here was far different to what she had learned or expected. Tsuki wondered exactly what language she had been studying for all of these years because she was having trouble both understanding and making herself understood: It was almost as if she had become an uncomprehending small child again, and she found the experience a humiliating one.

What she also found stressful was just coping with daily life in the UK. This was the case as well for many natives, but for a young Japanese woman it was far worse. Incredible though it seemed, the cost of living here was actually higher than in Japan. And getting to grips with the public transport system was an ordeal in itself; the fares were so expensive and many of the buses or trains were decrepit or obsolete; the timetables a vague hope rather than something to rely upon: Back home such a poor service would be regarded as a national disgrace. Not only that, but travelling on it brought her into close contact with British people. While some of them were really nice and helpful, many more were standoffish or occasionally even rude; though Tsuki had yet to suffer any incidences of the racism she had been warned about during her student induction briefings.

English food was another thing to be endured; she absolutely hated it. Though international meals were available in the form of takeaways and fast food was more or less homologised whether it was served in London or Nagoya, Tsuki still felt nauseated at the thought of what the average Briton ate, and obviously enjoyed: She found the cuisine disgusting.

The UK both geographically and culturally was indeed a long way away from Japan: Tsuki was suffering from a bad case of homesickness. She'd spoken to counselors and fellow students who had been here longer than she about her problems; they told her this was a temporary thing everyone suffered, and she like them would eventually adapt to living here. Tsuki wondered when that might be as nothing ever appeared to improve. Without the support of her close friend Nakagawa Ishi, also from Nagoya, Tsuki felt certain she'd have admitted defeat by now and flown back to Japan in tears of shameful failure.

But though Tsuki didn't notice the fact, she was acclimatising just enough; day by day, week by week, to make staying more bearable, though she was very much looking forward to returning home. In the meantime she resolved to make the best of her time here, which was why she'd agreed with Ishi's suggestion they spend a day on the coast.

The girls planned to do all of the stereotypical English seaside things this pleasantly warm summer day; to take a bus tour of the genteel town; have a meal of fish and chips; go paddling on the beach... Already they'd eaten some of the strange pink cotton wool candy floss (it was quite nice actually) and seen the various attractions on the victorian pier. They'd also taken plenty of giggling selfies to share with their online contacts and family back home. The friends were admiring the floral displays in the busy Carpet Garden running alongside the beach next to the pier when they felt the shaking and knew at once what it was.