Nordoestliche Kultur-Kirschbluete: 2011-09-15

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...