Hatsie
Hughes and Her 5 Lucky Cousins
When
disasters come calling they often bring damage and pain. But, not
always. They can also bring out the best in the people involved. And,
the earthquake that struck Sukouka in Japan in 2006
brought out the very, very best of a young English woman!
Hatsie
Hughes remembers the day well. She was working there at the time and
was looking forward to lunch. But, lunch never came.
Instead,
the earth quaked! 5.5 on the Richter scale. The worse the
city could remember! And, Hatsie Hughes kept her head as she
made her way home through the wreckage and rubble. And then,
not far from home she heard it. A call for help and in English.
Standing
and shivering together with nowhere to go was Rodney Franz and five
of his friends. They had lost all. Their hostel was in ruins and they
were hungry and cold. But, Hatsie was there. And, inviting them back
to her place was able to make them feel happy with hot noodle soup
and tuna fish salad.
But,
Hatsie's new friends had to be more than just friends. There were
rules. And, Japanese rules were the strictest of all. The
only visitors allowed were relatives. That's all. And, so it
was that Hatsie Hughes found 5 cousins more!
And
cousins they’ve stayed. And, since then have remained unbelievably
close. What happened by chance in 2006 has become something that’s
still going on. And, the cousins still meet at least five times a
year. It's all meant to be.
Sometimes,
the wrong place is the right place - and the wrong time the right
time. It's all a question of how things work out. And, sometimes,
even disasters have lights in their shadows! And, that day in Japan
will never be forgotten by 5 lucky people who luckily became 5 lucky
cousins.
Vocabulary
earthquake
- Erdbeben
exceptions
- Ausnahmen
kept
her head – Ruhig bleiben
quaked
– bebte
relatives
- Verwandten
rubble
- Schrott
strictest
– (strict/stricter/strictest) - streng
struck
- heimsuchte
Questions
Where
was Hatsie Hughes in 2006?
What
was Hatsie Hughes doing in 2006?
How
strong was the earthquake?
Who
did Hatsie Hughes help?
How
did Hatsie Hughes help them?
Why
did the cousins become cousins?
Do
the cousins still meet?
.
