Sonntag, 9. Oktober 2011

2011-09-22 – Day 10



18:30
We finally arrived in Tokyo after 26 hours on the bus. It was quite a long time... I'm really happy to be back and I just want to get home.
It's a pity that our trip had to end like this... Nature feels so much stronger in Japan...
I don't want to describe the way back home further but I seriously hope there were good reasons for not sending the bus to pick us up earlier. Not that I think it was foreseeable... but... I'm exhausted... I wish everybody a good rest... We all deserve it now :)

Otsukaresama deshita!!!





Those photos are from our way back around Fukushima...


2011-09-21 – Day 9



9:30
I woke up around 5:30 and tried to get back to sleep but it didn't really work well... When you are not sleepy anymore, every single noise wakes you up again and in a camp with 35 people and no sound proof walls, there is a lot of noise.
But, well... I can sleep on the bus ^^
Now it's Onsen-time!!!

19:00
The highways are closed and we are somewhere around Sendai on a small street. I think we haven’t moved for almost an hour. The outer parts of the typhoon are clashing around the bus, making me wonder if we will meet the main part too. Actually it's already bad enough. Maybe the situation wouldn't feel as uncomfortable as it does if my battery wouldn't be about to die again and we had a toilet on the bus :(
So the hours are getting quite long.
The only good thing is that we don't have to face the cyclone in tents...




2011-09-20 – Day 8



7:30
The new volunteers arrived. We had to get up at 5am to be in the camp to welcome them. It's raining like crazy and the whole camp is muddy, wet and cold. It's neither a nice coming back for us nor a good first impression for the new people.
With the new bus, two people I'm so happy to see have arrived. The first one is Satoshi. I think he did a very good job on the first group and after the problems with the female leader, I appreciate his skills even more. The second person is Nyuent-san. The older gentleman from Myanmar we met when we came the very first time.
35 people is quite a lot but the group makes a very friendly impression on me... Let's see what we can do today.

14:30
We got assigned to work on some rice fields which were cleaned before but the group could not finish the work completely and we tried to sort their pile and to get the last bits from the fields. Some time must have passed between the former group and us because some plants were already growing and large parts were covered by soil. I thought with so many people it would have been easy to do the job but since it was raining, the fields and the pile were so muddy that we had real difficulties working there. Satoshi decided to finish work a lot earlier than normal because it really didn't make any sense to get more wet and dirty than we already were to do the work of 5 people on a sunny day. Luckily the bus has a really strong heating system and the things which got wet are almost dry already. There would have been no way to dry them in the camp.
It looks like the volunteer center will be closed tomorrow. The weather is supposed to get even worse and I guess there is no point in sending people out there until it stops raining. The typhoon is really messing things up :(
Since the volunteer center will be closed, Satoshi is trying to organize a bus back to Tokyo earlier than planned. It was actually Ruben's idea and I really hope we can leave soon. Maybe by tonight, which would be nice... I wouldn't mind skipping a rainy typhoon night in our tent camp.
So, but first supermarket and onsen :)

20:00
The bus can't come before the morning, maybe even lunch. Well, at least the group is really cool. Guess we can get over the time... ^^









2011-09-19 – Day 7



7:50
We got picked up by a JAR staff and are on our way to the volunteer center now. The car has a lot of advantages over riding on a packed bus... but I guess that is obvious ^^
The weather looks rainy but at least it's not so hot any more. I'm looking forward to what work the three of us will be assigned for... Maybe we will go back to the factory?

13:00
We were assigned to a field close by the sea. We basically cut the grass and plants and collected the trash we found in-between. The weather was perfect for working but we had to finish very early today at 12pm. A typhoon will hit the area and I guess the people from the volunteer center didn't want us to be in the middle of it. It's really a pity because work went quickly and smoothly...
Around 11am, a small group of students from the Kansai-area joined us and we could get the thing done before leaving..
Now we have to give the tools back...

14:00
I met the man Cecilia and I were talking to on our second day again and who actually gave us a orientation speech the other day. The man who made the photos for the volunteer center. He didn't recognize me even when I said we met before. In a way it was very strange because normally you remember the people you talk about the death of your sister, especially because I'm a foreigner and therefore easy to remember. But maybe it just makes clear how badly the people in RT need to talk and to share their pain and pressure. I remember when I was younger and something bad happened to me, I would write it down and when I would re-read it, it was like another person wrote it. It wasn't my story any longer and it helped me a lot to get over things. Maybe talking works for other people better than writing and maybe every time they say things aloud they lose something of this desperate brutality and pain. Bit by bit until they can accept what happened and start to recover...

18:00
So, we are back in the ryokan. After getting to Hanamaki we went with the other JAR staff to the camp and helped a little bit with the preparation for the group coming tomorrow morning. Will make a short stop at the onsen... Not that I got dirty today, but you can't miss out a chance to go to onsen  :)








2011-09-18 – Day 6



9:50
We are waiting for a woman from JAR to pick us up. Ruben, Patrick and I will stay at another place the next two nights since just the three of us will be here. I wouldn't have minded staying in the camp but a proper roof while sleeping doesn't sound bad either.
We all have to do some laundry. The humid and wet weather makes even the unworn clothes smell like a cellar. If the rain stops we will try to take a bus to the Tono valley close by. They have a matsuri there today and my mum sent me some information about this area when we were here the first time with the strong recommendation to visit it if we have a chance. Which we haven’t had  but maybe this time...
We had Cecilia's cooking left overs from last night for breakfast. I will miss her cooking maybe as much as I will miss her...

22:00
We had a good relaxing day. The ryokan JAR is in is small, a little bit old but very lovely. They rent two rooms there. One for working and as sleeping place for the women and one as sleeping place for the men. The best thing is, the ryokan has an onsen. No 15 minutes walk... It's directly there. It's small but again really beautiful.
After doing our laundry, we took a bus to Hanamaki station (it's about 30 minutes), had some lunch and walked around for a bit. There is really very little to see (besides the beautiful nature outside of the town), so we ended up at a hill where you have a good look over the city and where a former castle was. Unfortunately there is just a piece of the castle wall left, the rest is gone. In the small park next to it, we made the surprising discovery that Ruben is very loved by caterpillars... But I guess they were basically the exciting things of the day... We went early back and will go soon to bed. A good and nicely boring day...
And my clothes smell fantastic ^^







2011-09-17 - Day 5



7:50
I'm a little bit annoyed. The new people arrived quite early and the first thing they did was shouting around and going through the tents to ask how many people are in each tent. If three pair of working boots are in front of the tent and just three women are in the camp how many people do they expect to be there when all other tents were empty? I know math isn't everybody's thing but please... So our night ended early. We had a few earthquakes this morning and it started to rain again, so my mood isn't exactly the best right now.
But the very funny thing was that they made the orientation a few minutes before the bus left. Why couldn't they do this after arriving and BEFORE they made us get up. Sure they will stay just two days but we are staying 9 days and the worst thing which can happen to us is not getting enough sleep. Then you can’t concentrate as well and accidents happen more easily besides that you feel sleepy which isn't exactly the best motivation to crouch through the mud. I don't know why JAR chose such leaders... I hope from now they do a better job. To say hi or good morning would have been a nice start too... no idea with whom we are dealing here with…

16:10
Today wasn't a good day. The work was boring and totally inefficient. Unfortunately the four new leaders wouldn't ask Kato-san or Ruben for help and had no idea how to deal with the things. We spent one hour in the volunteer center before getting all things done. We arrived at the site after 11am and worked until 2:45pm with one hour lunch break and 3 small 10 minutes breaks. That makes a total working time of 2 hours. Considering that we need around 4 hours for the way to and from RT... It's really frustrating. Ruben, Patrick and I decided to take a day off tomorrow. The group is too big and we have too many people in it who think volunteering is a nice adventure weekend holiday. It's really sad especially because there are of course also good and motivated people but the whole group will just stay until Sunday. I think if I would be here for just two days and then my time gets so wasted like today, I would be really angry. The main leader adjusted quickly but especially the female leaders is really annoying... The one who made us get up in the morning without reason... She is also one of the chatting non-productive ladies who really doesn’t get anything done. I wouldn't mind her so much if she didn’t make things even more difficult for us. I asked her in the beginning of the work day how to separate the trash and she said we should put all non-burnable things together in one sack. I reminded her that we would always at least separate the glass but she insisted that ALL goes together without checking back with the others... One hour later they decided that it would be better to separate the trash... Yes, thank you, we weren't inefficient in working before. And I guess you can imagine how much fun it is to separate trash out of a bag in which glass is... I'm a really patient person but the female leader got me on the wrong foot. I hope JAR won't send her again. To be in RT and doing this work is difficult enough, I don't need an annoying person to tell me what to do when she has no idea about what is going on. Maybe Satoshi set the standard for leaders quite high but this woman would be better leading a book club than a volunteer group.
Ok, now I feel better :)
The work today was similar to the work we had to do at the old couple’s house. Picking trash and take out plants with their roots. The soil was nearly sand, so a lot easier to lift. Ruben and Patrick found some heavy rocks and poles to make them happy after they had to sadly dig in the sand for an hour. I think they need a challenge and sweat to have a good working day.
In the volunteer center they warned us of bees but I was seriously surprised when a whole hive suddenly made it's round over our working side. As quickly as they came, they were gone without hurting anybody or showing any interest in us but still... Quite impressive...
It was our first time on this working site. It is a bit far, maybe already the next village. They have tsunami breakers directly on the coast which are nearly undamaged, so the wave must got over it easily which is really disturbing because the wall was really high... And I had better not think of what would have happened if the wall would have broken... The owner was a funny old man. He was joking a lot with Cecilia and the guys... He said the volunteers are the reason why he gets up in the morning. I wasn't surprised that he smelled like alcohol already when we arrived. I read a few essays about post-disaster problems besides the obvious destruction and alcoholism is one of the bigger issues. Sad but who wants to judge the hopeless?
When we arrived in the volunteer center it started to rain. I hope for the others’ sake it stops soon otherwise they will have to work in mud tomorrow and that is really no fun.

22:20
Today is the day before our day off, we should do something special but I feel already so sleepy and kind of relaxed that I might go to bed very soon. I thought the others would stay awake longer since it's their last night but no party mood until now and most of them have already disappeared into their tents.
Tonight on the way to the onsen Cecilia dropped her phone. We went back to get it but another girl had already picked it up. Aya... She seems to be really nice and I hope she'll write something for our homepage. As soon as we are back and I had a chance to upload the new diaries and the video, we'll start to spread the link. I should try to install a counter for people who view the web side... Let's hope a lot ;)
Ok, now it's really time for the sleeping bag. We are 4 in the tent tonight... Might get a little bit warm ^^








2011-09-16 - Day 4



6:35
Half of us left the camp yesterday (including the leader). It was the first sad good-bye and I wished they could have stayed longer... It was a very nice group... 7 of us are left and the next group will arrive tomorrow morning. As far as I heard 25 people are planning to come which makes us 32. The bus will be crowded but more work gets to be done :)
Yesterday night after the others left we talked again with Kato-san. I think Cecilia and Ruben shared his opinion. It is so Japanese to think about the emotional impact rather than on the physical work. I'm not sure how it is in other countries but I was always so limited to the work which has to be done and of course I realized that people are grateful and happy that we helped but beyond this I didn't think of any more effects our work could have. I'm really thankful that Kato-san opened our eyes to a whole new layer of volunteer work. I always tried to stay away from the effected people. I didn't want them to feel ashamed that they need help and actually JAR told us to not ask them questions etc. But I think the situation has changed... I think that people want to talk now. They need people to share their emotionally pressure with... I will try to adjust to this... Like Cecilia did. She is free of former experience and so friendly and open-minded that she was able to directly jump into the new situation. Let's see what the other days will bring...


7:50
The fog is still all over the mountains but I have a bad feeling that won't protect us from the sun long. I don't even want to imagine how it was to work here in August...
I'm wondering if we get teamed with another volunteer group. 7 of us is probably not enough to clean the size of sites we are used to...
Kato-san and Ruben are the new leaders of our little group until the new leader arrives with the next bus. I know that Ruben takes it quite seriously and that he thought a lot about his position even if it is just for a day. Let's see what kind of leader he is and if we are still friends at the end of the day... Just kidding ;)


18:30
Today was really hot so the volunteer center cut our working hours by one. But we were lucky anyway because we were working under a roof protected from the sun. The roof belonged to a former production hall of the same company we worked for on the first day. The tsunami hit the building and ripped off all walls. We were assigned to clean the goods which were still left. The three girls of us did clean a kind of metal thing maybe for doors? I don't know but we used petrol and some metal brushes to get rid of the rust as good as possible. The work was quite easy. And even if we wouldn't have had a roof I don't think it would have been too bad... Just boring again...
In the lunch break Cecilia gave us an interview. I'm basically out of the documentary project and just update the homepage but Ruben and Patrick chose to make another documentary for their graduation project. The focus won’t be the same as the first video but a close angle... Satoshi was giving them an interview yesterday but I think that's it so far. For the other interviews they'll try to get people from the volunteer center, the city, maybe schools and temples... I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished video.
After the lunch break we went on with the work and before we left, the 6 men told us that they are the managers of the company. The company is basically bankrupt and they are working part-time to get the last things done. They had to fire all people because they didn’t have enough money to employ them any longer. It is really sad. One important part of the recovery of RT should be the maintenance of jobs. Cecilia was negatively surprised that such action isn't part of the government program. But I'm not sure if the company wasn't insolvent even before 311. Well, I didn't want to be so impolite to ask but if I consider the condition of our first work place, it's more likely that they must have had financial problems for some time. Which isn't surprising since Tohoku (except for Sendai and a few other places) was never especially rich.
One really unusual thing at the beginning was that one of the managers told us where to go in case of a tsunami warning. I never expected another tsunami but he is right... Especially because we were directly at the coast and the wave breakers are all damaged. He lost 9 members of his family... I start to wonder if there are people left who didn't lose a beloved person. I hope nobody of us has ever to experience something like this...

22:30
Ruben cooked for us an interesting but oishii version of Spaghetti Cabonara. Tomorrow 27 new people are coming. It's difficult to imagine how we can all fit into the bus... And more importantly into the tents... I am kind of looking forward them but at the same time I am sure I'll miss the calm atmosphere of the nights. Guess so many people won't be calm ;)










2011-09-15 – Day 3



7:15
I can't decide whether to write or to sleep. We had the left-overs from yesterday for breakfast and I could go back to sleep right away. The weather is still cloudy and as far as I understood Satoshi (our leader) we are going back to the old couple today to clean another field they have. Not sure if it works to request a certain group but I guess we will have priority there since we already know the place and the couple... I'm not sure if I like the idea of doing the same boring work again but if it helps them... Shouganai, we are volunteers and shouldn't be choosy how to help ne? Oh, sun is coming out...

16:10
The volunteer center is now always crowded in the morning. We actually even have to wait at a nearby place (where Cecilia bought really nice vegetable for our dinner again) until it's our turn to get tools and instructions. But it means that a lot more people are here to help and that is good!! New is also that we get an orientation speech every morning. Before it was just on the first day, or when it was especially muddy etc so we had to be more careful while working... But this time we got it on all three days. Today's orientation lady was very emotional, maybe it was her first day, and she was about to cry when she told us about the losses she had in her family... I really felt sad, she is still so hurt... I wonder how long it takes to heal those wounds if everything which surrounds you does every day remind you on what happened. There is no way in TR not to get reminded. Still nearly no buildings are rebuilt and where ever you look, you can clearly see what happened to this area... If not through piles of waste then because of the kilometers of free space. I can't imagine how it feels to look at something you knew it was a city, your home and now there is nothing but grass and emptiness...

17:30
It was sooo hot today. In the beginning I still worked with the jacket but later I had to take it off. Even I'm quite dirty now, it was worth it.
We started to work in the area next to the one we cleaned yesterday... Collecting rocks, glass and garbage but after a while the old man asked us to shift to another field which was formerly their garden. So we basically spent the day with uprooting plants and collecting the trash in between. Partly in dry and partly in muddy soil. Can't decide which was better work. The dried soil made it really difficult to get the roots out and the wet soil was full of little insects and my clothes are a wet mess now. But all over I liked that work. It's more fun than digging for glass on your knees...
I really need the onsen today... I know I say that every day but today it's even more true. I think there is dirt even behind my ears...

19:30
Today Kato-san said something to us I can't stop thinking about. He said that at this stage of the disaster clean-up the achievements of the day are not so important anymore... One big part of the volunteer work would be now to listen and to feel with the people in RT. Of course I think the cleaning up is still important even the things which are left are not so overwhelming any longer but I have to give him this point and it matches to what happened when Cecilia and I met the man taking photos for the volunteer center. He wanted to talk... He needed to tell somebody what happened to him even it was two strangers who understood just half of it. I'm not sure if he felt better after it... At least I hope he did.
And when the old man today sent us from one field to the other, I'm not sure anymore if we helped him as much as was physically needed but I'm sure it helped them emotionally. The people must have felt very alone after everything what happened to them and I'm sure what they need to know is that Japan didn't forget them, that people still care and want to help. Of course he also needed to free his garden of all the unwanted plants but I think the most important help we could give to the couple was making them feeling worthy and not forgotten. I mean 15 people came the whole way from Tokyo and helped them two days in a row, even the sun was shining like crazy and the work was dirty and boring... I really hope that feeling helps them to go through all the difficulties they will face until their house is rebuilt and life is back to normal... For two days we shared their pressure and Cecilia even bought some green tea for them... The old man was really touched when we left... I really really hope we could give them more on their way than just a clean field...





 Patrick and Ruben are interviewing Satoshi for their documentary


One of the places to collect waste

2011-09-14 – Day 2

7:45
I had a short night but I feel surprisingly good. My arms are hurting a little bit but all over I am fine. Well done, onsen :)
It started to rain yesterday evening and even it stopped for now it still looks like it could continue any time. The old conflict about the weather modest temperatures but mud, or sweating in the sun but a dry work site... Maybe if it stays cloudy it's the best for our work.
I'm wondering if there are still things to do like cleaning up houses or if this work is finally done? Let's see what we get today... Still very motivated ^^

16:00
Today we could clearly see how much work was done since we were here in May. There are still nearly no new houses but most of the fields and former houses are cleaned and they have also collected the waste close to the streets the volunteers were leaving after cleaning a site. The big things are all collected at assigned places. The piles are impressive but (hopefully) ready to get recycled.

The work today was easy but boring. We helped an old couple to free their ground of stones, metal and glass. The weather stayed cloudy and it was nicely fresh. My knees are a little bit sore (I still have no talent for squatting) but it was the perfect contrast to yesterday, so I'm totally fine with it.
The old couple was really nice. The man helped us working and the woman cooked some pumpkin for us. I was surprised that she came to me to give them to us... possibly the only person who can't speak Japanese at all... I hope she didn't tell me the secret of being married for ever and I didn't understand it. Just joking ;)
But it was a really good feeling to help somebody doing what they can't do alone. Especially when those people are so cool like the couple today. I hope the shack close to the field is just for storage and not the place where they are living in :(
Oh, and one more thing happened to me today. Cecilia and I went for a little walk during lunch break and on our way back a man would start talking to us. He asked us where we are from and how often we came here but he told us also about himself and the disaster. He was lucky because he lives in a high place but his older sister went missing. They identified her remains in July... He was relieved, it was clear for him that she must have died but now he knows and can try say good-bye. He now works for the Volunteer center and takes photos of the city. He also expressed how great it is to get help but that the general mood dropped extremely during the last months. A kind of depression he couldn't really explain but it would come suddenly and hard on the people. He spoke with very much emotion and left us a little bit suddenly. I think he got overwhelmed... I hope with the reconstruction of the city, the emotional pressure will get lighter... And of course with time...

22:00
Cecilia cooked for us again and I ate a waaay too much. The onsen and my full stomach... Time for my sleeping bag!!!








2011-09-13 - Day 1



0:30
Most people around me are already sleeping. My battery is low and I should use the time in the bus to do the same but I'm so excited to go back to Rikuzen Takata that I'm not sleepy at all. I so hope they made a lot of progress with cleaning up but it is difficult to imagine... There was so much to do but so little help.
I'm not sure what I should expect. I hope the situation in the camp has got a little bit better. Dishes in the kitchen etc. It wasn't bad before, just that they could make it easier for people who come the first time. I hope the climate isn't as hot as in Tokyo. Moderate 25* would be nice... Colder would be even better... And!!! I hope the mosquito season is over. But I'm well prepared if not ;)
Besides this... I'm 100% motivated to work and get things done. Rikuzen Takata needs to get back to a normal situation where children can go to school without passing tsunami waste and people can buy food at the local super market without traveling for hours. They need new houses, water and electricity and the winter is coming soon... There is no time to waste!


7:15
Our group is the only one in the camp. The group before left in the night. The camp looks a little bit different. They took away the blue plastic sheets which surrounded the kitchen before. Now the wind can easily go through it which must be good in summer. They have a few more benches but the rest looks quite the same...
I charged my battery for a few minutes but I don't think it will last until we arrive in the volunteer center... I really can't wait to see the progress... More than three months has passed since we were here last time... It doesn't feel that long...

19:30
We just came back from the onsen. My body is nicely relaxed and if I wouldn't be so hungry, I am sure I would be very sleepy. Cecilia found some cheap and fresh vegetables at the 2nd station of the volunteer center and got inspired to cook for us. A lovely idea and I can't wait...

My first impression when we entered the destroyed area was surprise. There is one valley we always have to pass through, it doesn't matter to which site we go - it's one of those areas where everything was destroyed and just debris left for kilometers.  Besides a few broken cars and some concrete buildings which stick out like bones the whole area is cleared. Grass and small plants are growing everywhere. I wouldn't be able to guess what had happened here. It looks nearly beautiful and peaceful... I never thought about plants... Of course they grow everywhere they can but still... It was really strange to see how easily nature gets back to normal.
What else changed? There are some shops at the beginning of the valley. Cell phone companies and car sellers, some possibilities to buy easy food and even a Lawson convenience store. All looks quite improvised, container style but at least they are there. The start has been made :)
The military camp has gone and a lot of areas are completely cleared. No comparison to May. I'm happy that they have made that much progress... Water drops can also fill a glass!!! Isn't that the best gift you can get as a volunteer... Seeing that it MAKES a difference even if it takes time...

The work was quite hard for a starter. We were assigned to help a company which went bankrupt or is facing it? I'm not sure because of the tsunami or even before. We had to work on a hill which was used as kind of storage. I was surprised that we got assigned to an area which wasn't affected by the tsunami though the goods were in pretty bad shape. Most of the time we filled bags with stones. First I thought that they were for sandbags which can be used as barrier but I think we packed them for selling. Unfortunately we didn't know that so we put all kind of stones together. But they could have been a little more clear in their job description. It felt a little bit wrong to work so hard for something which nobody explained to us... So it was more like being cheap labor than volunteers but on the other hand I'm sure the volunteer center wouldn't assign us for something which wouldn't help the area... And if the company needs to sell some things to be able to pay the last month’s salary to their former employees then it is still a help!

I hope tomorrow is a little less hot... It wasn't a good feeling to sweat even before starting to work. And the Mosquitos!!!! I have so many bites already... I deeply dislike those creatures :(


22:30
Most of the people have already gone to bed. I have to send some emails and wait patiently for my Internet service to return to me.
Cecilia's food was great. And she even made some extra for me because I don't like ginger...
Maybe I will give up for today and go to bed. I'm sure I would regret not sleeping enough.



These fields were full of things the tsunami left-over... for kilometers... now it's grass and small plants... for kilometers







Dienstag, 26. Juli 2011

Finally...

Our class project page is online.

Please have a look at: http://www.311relief.com/

The video will be uploaded during the next weeks due to technical problems...

Otsukaresama!!!

Montag, 20. Juni 2011

Response to the Nuclear Society class

As a German I was educated in not being proud to be a German national or at least not to say it aloud because it is still strongly connected to bad things that happened in the past, but... I have to say, I'm quite proud that Germany is in the process of shutting down its atomic plants. This was a long process: starting in the 80s with huge public demonstrations, in the late 90s becoming an official plan of the government and despite struggling in the beginning of 2011 due to political change it got reinforced after the disaster happening in Japan.
I am a formal economic student and know about the advantages of atomic energy but I was never able to understand why nations would still go for it knowing about the horrible risks attached to it. There are two things which makes this energy source a total no-go. 1. The obvious risk of a meltdown and 2. the atomic waste lasting for nearly forever. In the 50s and 60s, atomic energy was considered a clean and efficient energy source but since 1986 we should know that it is highly dangerous not just for the country the plant is built in. After 60 years of use and research we should assume that it is unlikely that we find a solution to neutralize the left-overs and the pollution this "clean" energy source creates. It's a dead end and I can't understand why nations are still planning to build new plants instead of investing this billions of money in research to make renewable energy more efficient and longterm storable. In the long run it would be so much cheaper and so much safer. Can lobbyism be so much stronger than good human sense and judgement? How many human-made disasters we need to experience to make people in charge change their minds?

Cultural response

When it comes to creativity I am not one of the brightest lights but still this assignment was very important to me, so I hope my work transports at least a tiny message...
The words I borrowed from Kenji Miyazawa's poem "Be not Defeated by the Rain" (see entry before) and the pictures I found in the Internet on several pages (if you are interested I can send the links to you). Let's hope I don't violate some copyrights here...

Sonntag, 19. Juni 2011

Diplomatic Reaction

Answers to the questions of the "Diplomatic Reaction group":

1. I am and always was a citizen of Germany. At the day the earthquake happened I was in Germany where I would stay until April 13th due to some trouble with my airline company. When the situation in Fukushima became obvious I tried to gather as much information as possible. I was very concerned and shocked about the chain-reaction triggered by the earthquake. Before returning to Japan, I had some serious talk with friends and my family wether to return or stay in Germany. At the day I left Germany I wasn't sure if the situation was as bad as shown in the German media or as controlled as shown in the Japanese media. To be honest I am still not sure but try to make the best out of it. I love Japan but I wouldn't be here if I would believe my life or health is in serious danger. But I can understand that other people don't want to take the risk.
2. Soon after 3.11, I saw in the news that the German embassy would try to contact the ca. 5000 Germans in Japan but I didn't receive any such tries. I hope it was because they knew that I had left Japan before the disaster. Because of visa issues etc, my email and home address as well as my address in Tokyo should be known to them, so that shouldn't be the reason. I hope it wasn't because they were busy moving the embassy from Tokyo to Osaka.
In the aftermath, I got all my information from somewhere else but these days the Internet page provides weekly information, which I (at least) find reliable. So I check in once in a while.
3. Since I was not in Japan at this time, I don't know much about any actions taken by the embassy. I know that they moved to Osaka to be out of the line and that they recommended to stay out or to leave Japan if possible. I was not there, so I won't judge this recommendation.
I am not sure if this list existed before but the embassy also strongly recommend citizens to register their contact information at the German embassy.
4. Well, it's easy to say out of the perspective of a person who was not in Japan when the things happened. But I would have wished that the embassy would have contacted people. I know from a Swiss friend that his embassy not just contacted him but also offered him a flight back to Switzerland. Of course their are less Swiss in Japan than Germans but therefore the German embassy could have employed more people. 
5. I am sorry but I have no idea. I know that Japan and Germany always had good bilateral relations and I don't think that much will change in the future. I know that the German people are very touched by the things and that a lot of found-raising events etc have take place but I am not sure if this because of the dramatical situation itself or because we have tight relations. But this is not about official political relations.
6. I was surprised that Japan does not except much help from other countries. I think in times of crises they should swallow their pride and get all the help they can get. Who said they have to deal with this alone? Especially because the radioactivity could effect more countries besides Japan. And an underdeveloped country might not be able to send money but maybe people who can help with rebuilding houses etc. I wish they would see help separated from political context...

Be not defeated by the rain

In the bus on our way to Hanamaki, an older Japanese gentleman tried to convince another volunteer to read some of the works of Hanamaki's famous writer Kenji Miyazawa. I am not sure if he had much success with the volunteer but the name sucked in my head and I couldn't resist to look him up and read some of his works. In my next entry I will (mis)use one of his poems for one of my assignments but I would like to post it before, so you can see the whole and not just the parts I used. It's surprisingly matching for the current situation. Maybe some of the people in Rikuzen Takada or the other effected areas know and remember his words right now...




Be not defeated by the rain, Nor let the wind prove your better.
Succumb not to the snows of winter. Nor be bested by the heat of summer.

Be strong in body. Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.
Count yourself last in everything. Put others before you.
Watch well and listen closely. Hold the learned lessons dear.

A thatch-roof house, in a meadow, nestled in a pine grove's shade.

A handful of rice, some miso, and a few vegetables to suffice for the day.

If, to the East, a child lies sick: Go forth and nurse him to health.
If, to the West, an old lady stands exhausted: Go forth, and relieve her of burden.
If, to the South, a man lies dying: Go forth with words of courage to dispel his fear.
If, to the North, an argument or fight ensues:
Go forth and beg them stop such a waste of effort and of spirit.

In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.

Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a "Great Man".

This is my goal, the person I strive to become.



Borrowed from: http://www.kenji-world.net/english/


Montag, 6. Juni 2011

Personal experience with media coverage of 3.11

At the day the disaster hit Japan I was on vacation in Germany. It was early morning when my mum called me and told me about the earthquake.
When I am in Germany, I get my information basically through radio and when I am in Japan I podcast a German news show. I use other sources sporadically without particularly looking for it. E.g. when I open my mail program it suggests me some online newspaper headlines and sometimes one grabs my attention.
What changed after 3.11 was that I would watch television a lot. Basically NTV Germany, which is a all-day new program, and when the topic became a little less popular I would switch to CNN and BBC.
When I returned to Japan I found myself lacking information because I don't have a television and I didn't feel enough informed by most international online newspapers. Japanese newspapers were out of range for me since my Japanese skills are not good enough to read articles without a lot of effort. One more problem is that I spend most time of my day outside. So I wanted something I can use for my iPhone and I actually found that NHK World has an app which allows you to certain programs in a live stream. The news are in English and cover Japanese matters but also important international news and the newslines are basically once an hour. I would strongly recommend to get it if you are in a similar situation.
As for the reliability... I wouldn't favor a certain media. I think there are newspapers which try to stay neutral and simply inform people but of course they are some others who just want to sell and dramatize the situation because obviously drama sells best. But this was always like this, not just for 3.11. And of course this applies to all media... there are those and others. What I found really bad was that the information coverage was not sufficient. The serious media wanted to report but there were not many news every day and the not serious media would just make something up to fill the gap because people were really worried and willing to listen.
I liked the use of facebook, twitter etc to easily connect with the people you are worried about and with a status update you can get a lot of people at once but I don't consider it as serious source of information. It's similar to Wikipedia. You can get a first idea of something but the proper research I prefer to do in the library...

Sonntag, 5. Juni 2011

Diary

My posts got a little mixed up... please start with reading Day 1 which is somewhere down there. The post "one week later" should be the last one to read. Yes, obviously... just wanted to make sure ;)

And a big thank you to Cecilia who helped me with the English <3

2011-05-27, Day 8


7:05
A lot of new people arrived and the bus is crowded. I'll miss my own two seats but next to Ruben it (at least) doesn't get cold ^^
And it's good that we are so many again, so we can clean a bigger area.
Yesterday night we had our own kind of bye-bye party since it is our last night here. After dinner we'll go on the bus.
Our last day promises to be cloudy...
The guys seem to be in a happy mood. It’s the last day… There seems to be a something indefinable between the 12 of us who stayed over the week. I can’t describe it, maybe I can later…

9:15
For the last time we requested tools in the volunteer center. I really don’t want to leave…

16:30
Today we were assigned for rice fields again. It was strange. I really feel in charge of the new volunteers, like I should give everything to them I learnt during the past week. Already in the bus on our way to the assigned area, I tried to make the two Japanese girls in front of us feel better about what they would see soon. So I told them, that we are requested from survivors and the personal things we will find are not from dead people, they shouldn’t worry. Ruben was whispering later that this wouldn’t be true since the tsunami of course moved a lot of things to different places. But if my little lie makes the girls feel better then it was worth it. We had the same strange situation when we arrived. The new people would be silent and the others would try to cheer them up. I hope they were as thankful as I was on the first day… It’s really impossible to let those things come too close: I remember the first day and how horrible I felt… But those things have to be done by somebody and I am really happy that I could be one of them at least for a few days…
The work was good. The temperature decreased and even though the sun was shining a lot it wasn’t as hot as the days before. We tried to give the new people a kind of orientation since most of them were unsure of what to do and how to do the things. I was surprised how many of them were fluent in English, with the Japanese in our group it was mostly just possible to talk in Japanese.
The farmer we were helping out was really a tough guy, instead of putting burnable and not-burnable collections close to the street; we would burn the burnable things on the field. Finally we had our tent camp fire…  even though it was quite different than I imagined :)

21:10
We just left the camp… OmG, I am really sad… I will miss them all so much. I would have never thought we would grow into such a strong community. I hope I’ll see them all again. The ones who were with us all the time but also the new ones. I don’t want to go… How can we just return to normal life after all this???






2011-05-26, Day 7


8:20
Ruben had a long talk with Kenji-san and Nakayama-san (the JAR stuff I was working with yesterday). I am not sure what exactly they were talking about since we hadn't much time in the morning but I think he made sure that they know about the bus driver and his polite demotivation. And in the morning Nakayama-san was talking to the driver. Let's see what it helped.
I'm quite happy to be working outside again. I like the change but of course I would have gone one more day to the office if it was needed but two Japanese girls go today. I find it a little inefficient to take four different people on two days since we know already what to do and could be more productive. But I'm the last to complain about this arrangement. I'm just wondering if the Japanese lady is ok with her knee.

9:00
When we stopped at the convini, I had a small talk with the driver. Looks like Nakayama-san's talk was kind of effective. Gosh, my Japanese sucks, I really have to study again. A two years break is a way too long!!!

16:15
We were at the same site as two days before (the others were here yesterday too… so they were at the same site 3 days in a row). Since I wasn't there yesterday, it was ok for me but some in the group were a little bored with it. A team of students joined us and I think we did all we could have done,... The rest must be finished by a machine.
Nyun-san gave us an interview today. At the moment we started another team finished it's lunch break. I hope the noises are not too disturbing. Nyun-san is the old man from Myanmar. I could listen to him forever.
I would have liked to have interviewed Kenji-san too. Yesterday he explained a lot to me about the volunteer work. For example that most of the streets we can see now were not there before but were built to make orientation and transport easier. He also said that the volunteer workers get sent through requests from the owner while the military and state organizations clean up public areas or areas where nobody else takes care off...
At the volunteer center, the bus driver again talked to me. Something about history and if I didn’t know Japanese history a little bit, I guess I would have been lost. I'll try to stay away from the driver now. He is a little bit scary. First he doesn’t talk to me in a week and now twice in one day. Doesn’t he see that I can’t speak Japanese :(
I think I'll take a nap now. I'm suddenly quite sleepy...

20:00
We had to move to another tent because we got ants. Couldn't they have waited one more day to move in?
I got a small cut on my knee today, so I couldn't stay long in the onsen. I had to hold my knee out of the water which must have looked a little strange to the other guests. It sounds silly but I think I'll get some knee protection for the next time I come... I spent nearly as many hours on my knees as on my feet I guess and having this little injury now doesn't feel good. And it was so stupid. I just ran into part of a corrugated iron roof. It was there the whole day. I stepped over it 100 times but the 101st time I just didn't lift my leg high enough. It is really just a small cut but it wouldn't stop bleeding until Mizue put some burning disinfectant liquid and a band aid. Normally I wouldn't mind it but with all this dirt. Better safe than sorry ne?  Between all this routine I guess I forget that it is in a way dangerous if you don't concentrate on your work and even if it is sometimes really boring, it's better to be 100% with the things you do instead of getting seriously injured.


 Here you can see how high the tsunami was... The highest floor has still it's balconies...



2011-05-25, Day 6


8:10
Today I'm assigned for a totally different kind of work. One Japanese lady and I are going to help packing care packets. I'm not sure what exactly we have to do, where it is and with whom. But I don't have to wear working clothes which makes it already interesting for me since it seems to become a really sunny day. I'm a little bit concerned about my Japanese skills since the lady can't speak English. My Japanese is enough to communicate in daily situations but is it enough for working? We'll see...

9:25
Maybe they forgot about us. The Japanese lady and I are still at the camp. Even though the sun is shining it is getting a little cold right now. Mizue (the group leader) tried to call the person who is supposed to pick us up but he doesn't have connection. It's really a problem to communicate in this area. If you get a signal, the person you want to call might not have one...
The Japanese lady got a small injury on her knee yesterday, so maybe she should go to a doctor just to make sure that it isn't something serious...

9:45
We finally left the camp. Nakayama-san tries to find a hospital. I'm not sure if we go there directly or if we go first to the working place. It's nearly 10am and I feel like working. At least it's not cold in the car...
(12:45 We just dropped her of at the hospital and she just came back. She is ok, nothing serious. Yokatta ^^)

22:20
It was a good day. We packed sanitary packets for women. The office we went for it was packed with so many boxes and in the middle was a big table. There were three groups of bags to pack depending on the age of the women which were named after flowers. The content of the packets of each flower would change slightly and the color of the ribbon we put on the handle of each bag too. It was not a difficult job and after we divided the work it became routine quite quickly. There were a few things to consider like what color should the wash bag be (I'm sure the 80 years old lady would be as unhappy about a pink bag as the young girl about the brown-orange one) or which part to put first that everything fits even shape and size change but all over it was relaxing to do. Until the part where it becomes so much routine that you are not sure any longer whether you already did something or not. Then you'll have to double check which is quite annoying or you really concentrate on your work which makes it a little bit boring.
At the end of the day I was surprised that I was as exhausted as after working with the group outside just in a different way. My feet were hurting a lot and my back starts to complain right now. But since we didn't have the 4 hour bus trip, we could work nearly 3 hours longer.
Maybe I shouldn't have skipped the onsen today. But I didn't think about the pain, just about that I wasn't dirty and that it would be a chance to save 400¥ (that’s the price with the discount). After all I am still a poor student.
BUT that wasn't all about my day. I had tempura soba for lunch. Some of you might be surprised that this was such a big thing for me but I just said yesterday to Ruben that I so wish I could have soba in a real restaurant (or something else from this region) and that it is a little sad that we are here for 9 days and don't see anything from the area we are in besides the same bus route every day. Of course we are here for working but it would have been nice to have an evening outside of the camp and if it is just for having soba. So I was really happy that I got the chance to at least eat soba.
BUT that was again not the only exciting thing happened. Since we worked so long that we missed the others at the super market and because we decided not to go to onsen, Nakayama-san took us to a temple on a hill from which we had a beautiful view over the area. There are so many rice fields here. For sunrise it must be amazing when the light brakes in all that water... We just stayed a few minutes but it was really cool that Nakayama-san showed us this place. So I can say I did at least a little bit of sight seeing.
I wish there would be a chance that we could ask the driver to bring us all there one evening, it's just a few minutes from the camp. But since he is already so unmotivated to bring us to the onsen, I guess I don't even have to ask :(