Optimism and Having a Little Fun

Saturday May 7th

A few of us went down to the kindergarten in Soma again to entertain the kiddies. It was fairly low key and the adults were making fried rice cakes and potatoes for the kids. Afterwards we spent time down at the river walking on stones. One cute little Japanese boy didn't even really try to stay dry. It got to the point where he just stripped down to his boxers. The story was made more awesome by the fact that when he came traipsing back in only wet, white underpants, his mom smiled as if to say "ooohhhh you....." and pulled out a ziplock bag with a spare set of clothing.

^ Before... ^

^ After ^

^ Fukushima Love ^

^ Brad "The Broccoli" Trenery ^

Sat. May 14th

A group of us went to Shinchi where a friend of ours was forced to move and had just settled into his new place. A group of us decided to go up Friday night to party with him before getting up the next morning to do work nearer to the coast. His new dwelling is anything but state of the art. It was rented previously by an 80+ year old couple who decided to leave after the quake. When we first entered, the unmistakable smell of mothballs flooded our nostrils and I remember thinking how funny it was that old people all smell the same. I have no idea what mothballs do, but maybe I should look into it because old people are usually pretty wise about that kinda stuff. Anyway, his toilet is a minuscule step above a porta-potty and has a water gun connected to the wall to wash away any extra... His shower can't really be called a shower because it consists of a bathtub that heats up water and a bucket to douse himself with. Overall, not idea living conditions. However, this has not phased his spirit or mindset at all. He continues to look on the bright side of things and says that it makes him appreciate showers at other people's places all the more. In times of stress we all react differently, but sometimes it's important to recalibrate our perspective and master our emotions to allow our often clouded rationality to shine through.

Catch that snitch!

This Golden Week was not like the others

For the past 2 years my Golden Week vacations have consisted of hitch-hiking in Kyushu and traveling around South Korea. This year however, is not like the others. First of all, I have no vacation days left to take. Secondly, I have no desire to leave Japan and travel exotic Asian countries. Instead this GW was full of events in support of Japan.

Mon. May 2nd
We went to Soma hoping to get volunteer work. Unfortunately we didn't look into the specifics of doing so and ended up taking the tentacles off potatoes... However we did learn from this experience and went at the proper time to the proper place and did some hardcore manual labor later on in the week.

Tues. May 3rd

Tuesday was an organized event for people living in the evacuation centers to get out, eat some curry and have some fun! Lunch was generously donated by a local restaurant owner. Many JETs from all over Fukushima Prefecture came and the event was a huge success. Many people donated clothing, bedding, toys, etc. to the people affected by the tsunami. I brought back a suitcase full of essentials (mostly consisting of ladies undergarments) but also included coloring books, markers, crayons, etc. A lady named Geraldine, whom I have never met before, gave me money to buy things to take back directly to the evacuees so she knew for certain her money was well spent. My family also bought more to fill my suitcase with items to donate. So I wanted to thank them for their kindness! The people seemed grateful and everything disappeared within minutes. The rest of the day was spent entertaining the kids from the evacuation centers. We played big group games, painted faces, handed out toys and it was a bright sunny day so we could enjoy being outside. We'll be heading back to do the same this weekend!

Curry and rice donated by Nana.

Photo of stuff I brought back from Canada. Thanks Geraldine!

Group photo in Soma.

Wed. May 4th

This time around we arrived at 8:30 am and got dispatched to an older man's house that needed to be cleared. He was a farmer and had a large field and sheds full of now useless farming equipment. The system they had set up to allocated volunteers was quite interesting. There was a type of auction to delegate where people would go. For every location, there was a required number of people and those who have been to that site before had priority. The remaining spots were filled by newcomers. We met a Japanese man living in Laos working for an NPO with phenomenal English. He will explain further...

When we arrived at the house, we were shocked to see the extent of the damage and it helped us appreciate the true power of water. Boats were washed up onto roadsides, cars stuck in lakes, debris everywhere, it was a disheartening sight. Despite the daunting task of cleaning up an entire seaside, the people we met worked with determination and energy. I was shocked how physically strong some of the older Japanese men were. Slowly we cleared the area in front of the garage where a car had been trapped in. It took 15 of us to clear a relatively small area and this gave us perspective about how much more work still needs to be done.

A Japanese man chainsawing a large tree and its roots that washed up inside the garage.

About 2 km away, you can see how high the waterline reached.

Thurs. May 5th

An English teacher in Koriyama arranged a charity basketball tournament to raise money for a volleyball team in Iwaki who lost all their equipment. We ended up raising over $3000 and had a blast doing so. The even lasted 12 hours (although we were there for 6 hours). The rims were lowered because many elementary students came to play so this enabled us to dunk and put on a Globe Trotter-esque show for everyone. Overall, it was a huge success and the most fun I've had playing basketball in a long time.

The organizer Ben and his basketball team.

Brad helping the most KAWAII Japanese boy drunk the ball.

That about wraps up my event filled GW. Thankfully there was time to rest, drink, and enjoy ourselves a bit too. Definitely necessary to keep in high spirits.

More updates to come...

Normality Restored in Fuku-city

First of all, I want to thank all the wonderful people in Canada who helped make my trip home such a valuable and uplifting experience. The generosity of Canadians never ceases to amaze me and also how globally aware our younger generations have become.

Since being back in Fukushima city, everything has seemed relatively normal. We have running, drinkable water, roads have been repaired and school started just a week late. On the surface, the city looks much like it did before the quake. That being said, people living in the city are struggling with the lingering effects of March 11th.

Classes have resumed which has played a huge role in restoring a sense of normalcy and routine. Students usually spend 12 hours at school, so I'm sure they are more grateful of the fact. From the outside, our school is unscathed, however 2 of my school buildings were deemed unsafe for use. So with true Japanese efficiency, within a few weeks they turned our second gym into 2 huge classrooms with over 80 kids in each. They are also using what used to be staff rooms and extra rooms to teach class.

This week I've been talking to the kids about how Canadians are thinking about them and donating generously to help them. I was afraid that when I got back, colleagues and students would treat me differently for leaving, however they were happy and slightly surprised to see me back for the start of classes.

I'm going to try and volunteer during Golden Week (~May 2-5) up north anywhere they will accept volunteers. Unfortunately, it starting to look like the are too many people that want to help, especially because this is the only time of year that most Japanese people take vacation.

The Japan Times - Too many volunteers to put up

There are some incredible people doing so much volunteer work and many of us want to do our part as well. I have sent these groups an e-mail so hopefully one of them will take me and I'll be able to relay more first-hand footage of the situation.

http://volunteerakita.wordpress.com/

http://www.saigaishien.jp/en/

Video of an NPO: "On the Road"

One thing that is a constant concern living in Fukushima city is the radiation. The radiation levels are fairly low recently, however the government has made a plan to remove the topsoil from schools. I had a conversation with a teacher I'm very close with about potentially uprooting his family and moving to Aizuwakamatsu. Personally, I feel the levels are safe, but he is worried about his two daughters. He doesn't trust the government and wants his kids to move schools. It's very hard for me to imagine how I would react in his situation because I don't have children. This is something I'm sure many families are struggling with.

For the time being, all that I can do is give students a familiar setting and in my free time, do my best to help those less fortunate.

Gamo-san

So I went to a more remote part of Fukushima to climb Gamo-san. I figured since a woman in her 50s was going to climb with us, that it would be a nice leisurely stroll on a Sunday morning. WRONG!?

It ended up being a much more challenging experience that I had expected. Lucking on the very steep parts there were chains set up so you could 1960s Batman-climb up the side of the mountain.

Overall it was an awesome experience and look forwards to hiking up other, taller mountains of Japan!

Hitchhiking in Kyushu!

Over golden week I hitchhiked throughout Kyushu with a good friend of mine. Kyushu is much mroe tropical than Fukushima. At one point I felt like I was on the Jurassic Park island. At another point, I felt like I was in L.A. or California because there were wide open streets lined with palm trees. 

Ogre's Washboard:  Aoshima, Miyazaki

Along the way we managed to hitchhike 19 times, stay over at 2 peoples' houses and travel to all 7 prefectures in Kyushu. The people we came across were all extremely friendly people. It was amazing to find people who would go out of their was to help a complete stranger. This guy below took us to Mt. Aso (a live volcano) drove us around for a few hours, then called his friend who was an English teacher so we didn't have to speak Japanese all night. She had a husband and two delightful young girls. Then we went out to dinner with all of them, went to kareoke afterward and finally ended up staying over at the driver's house. 

Mt. Aso:  Kumamoto pref.

Overall, it was an amazing trip, which altered my perception a bit. These complete strangers did so much for us without expecting anything in return, and many of them would say, that it makes them feel good to help out other people. They were excited to show us their country and culture. It was a refreshing to see this sort of mentality, because in Canada hitchhiking is actually illegal!! 

New (old) car!

I finally have car! His name is Douglas the Daihatsu. He is about 12 years old and has manual transmission. I've never driven standard before, and never on the left side of the road, so me and Dougie have been through some fun times together so far. I am finally getting the hang of it now after a week and haven't stalled him for a couple days now. He has already been on various road trips such as the beach in Soma, and to the castle in Aizu. I got him (for free!!) from a lovely JET named Amanda who has now left Japan. I'm grateful for her generousity! Here is a picture of Douglas:


This is my favorite picture from the day at the beach in Soma:

We went in the ocean in Soma, but it was frigidly cold still! It was enjoyable nonetheless.

The next day we went to see the cherry blossoms in Aizu. Here is a pic by the riverside:


My next adventure is to Kyushu on Saturday. I'll be sure to update the blog afterwards. There huge hitchhiking event going on, so I look forward to camping in tents and hitchhiking my way though the island!

Settling in...

It's getting to the point now where I feel comfortable and confident with life in Japan. I'm able to get where I want to go, ask people basic questions, and slowly but surely I'm starting to understand conversations around me. Although my motivation to study has fallen a bit since getting here, I still feel like I'm progressing. 

One thing that is very different about Japanese schools is the enkai  or work party. The enkai is usually held at a hotel or fancy restaurant with good food and an open bar. It is a social event and many people go around pouring drinks for each other. This is a good way to get to know people because they break out of their shell a bit when a little social lubricant is ingested. The staff here seems to be closer than a typical school staff in Canada, which might have to do with the long hours Japanese teachers actually spend at the school. Many of them are required to do some sort of club activity/sport so it is not uncommon for them to be at the school until 7 or 8 at night. 

This week I'm going to see what the basketball club is like. I hope to coach some sort of sports team this upcoming year. I'll keep you updated about that!