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Volunteering inTohoku, Part 2 - In the mud for love
Back in Tokyo with my painful arms and dirty clothes, I am glad to write about my first volunteering experience at Ishinomaki, Miyagi-ken, Tohoku – one of the many cities that have been heavily damaged by the terrible tsunami of March 11th 2011.
The volunteering mission has been organized from A to Z by the AFJ committee, who managed to get us a truck, a mini-bus and a driver for free or almost; who bought the special volunteering insurance for all the participants (1400 yen per person for one year); and who took in charge our coordination with the volunteering center of Ishinomaki Shiritsu Minato Shogakko. They also collected appliances to bring to Ishinomaki’s people. Thank you so much guys for all your efforts and involvement in the project!
The group met at the entry of Yasukuni Shrine. It was rainy already, and unfortunately it was only the beginning… The time to receive our volunteer insurance card, and to put the luggage on the truck, then we were on the road!
Here is the mini-bus we have been shaken in on the way...
The participation fee was 5000 yen per person; you may be surprised that the volunteers have to pay to go and work for free, but the AFJ asked a very little money compared to some other associations – one of my Japanese friend has been asked 20 000 yen for one week-end (covering transportation, food, accommodation and work materials, but still, it’s expensive). For us, it was just enough money to cover the oil, road taxes and a few other expenses.
It took 8 hours to Ishinomaki – we arrived at 7 in the morning. Of course, I could not sleep even one minute (at least I was not driving...). It is strange to start a hard day work without any sleep before. But actually, the simple fact to do something useful with your arms for a change, gives you energy enough to work like hell. Really.
On the way before we arrived to the Volunteer Center, this is the kind of landscape you can see all around on the streets:
Some houses aso had to be partly dismantled todeal with the mud, or the pipes and electricity problem :
A big part of destroyed Ishinomaki has already been “shaved” to the ground by mechanical diggers and cranes, and people are not staying around anymore. Except the sound of working transporters, there is no other noise in the whole town. It’s empty and messy just like a giant rubbish dump.
Here is our volunteering center ! "Home" !
The first floor is dedicated to the volunteer groups, food supplies and so on. There are sinks that we can use to brush teeth, and empty rooms to put your luggage in. The upper floors – the classrooms – are full of families who live there, waiting for getting a proper life again. Everything is very well organized (not surprising, but still amazing): there are a few laundry machines they can use after putting their name on the list, activity rooms… Everyday, the food brought by the volunteers is displayed in the lobby with a panel showing “Today’s Menu”. There is also a “Medical Corner” with drugs and tensiometers. People were quiet and smiling, always saying hello and “merci” to us every time we met in the lobby. They kindly chat together in the corners and you could not believe that they are actually living a drama. Japanese people, you rule.
The Japanese Army was there too, under the tent… cooking hot meals for the refugees!
Water supplies arriving in the lobby
On the ceiling of the center, you can still see the mud brought by the wave...
We came here to work, right. Let’s start! Believe my experience: if you go and volunteer in Tohoku, there are two points you may focus on: your boots and you gloves. Take super water-proof ones! You use you feet and your fingers a lot doing this job.
For obvious reasons, the identity of this person will be kept secret
As volunteers, we can not “choose” the kind of job we are going to do, but just obey to the volunteer center's coordinators who manage with all the groups and associations. This is part of our mission: being there, ready to work for whatever people need to be done, and respect their way to do the things. We can not forget that after all, this is not our country. And we are not here to do what we think is the right thing to do, but just to give a hand – modestly. So, whatever you’re asked to do, as long as it is not dangerous for you, just do it. Forget your management skills, you’re not here to manage anything!
For the first day, our brave men had to open and unblock a long watercourse around the volunteer center. You can imagine how stinky and dirty it was, and tiring – the big concrete slabs looked so heavy...
For us, girls, it was about cleaning a shrine’s cemetery. First reaction: eeer, aren’t any alive people we could help instead? It would be more useful to do something else... But once again, this is not the point. First, almost three months after the tsunami, many things have been done already for the living people. And the housing areas are now being cleaning by big machines, so you and your shovel are totally useless over there. Second, the cemetery has to be cleared by someone, right. And not by machines, with the graves all around, it’s impossible. So, this is the perfect kind of job for us! And also, who can imagine how meaningful it really can be for the people of the city? It’s maybe more important than we think.
The graveyard we worked on had been covered with 10 to 50 cm of mud brought by the tsunami, made of tons of sand, decomposed organic materials and garbage – from clothes to plastic bag, CD, houses’parts, glass, books, wheels, toys, tiles, shoes, whatever. But the most impressive: cars. Cars have been swept away by the wave and they are now “flying” in absurd positions on the graves. For this, we can not do anything but wait for the cranes to take it away...
Our job was simple: take your shovel, put the mud and the rubbish is the plastic bags, bring them to the barrow, and from the barrow to the garbage place – after that, it’s the job of the government to take them away. I really don’t know how they are going to do with all these dirty bags. A new Odaiba?...
My tools!
Crazy, isn’t it?
The proud French team! Cocoricooooo
My mud partner (it’s easier to work in pair: one has the shovel, one is holding the bag)
Brave men raising a super heavy grave...
The AFJ in action: helping another volunteer group
Break! The shrine’s owner kindly prepared hot miso soup for us. Delightful, after all this rain…
Actually, our stay has been pretty more comfortable than expected:
- First, we had miso soup and a little food for free at lunch. Nice, it was not in the plan and entirely due to the shrine’s owner kindness! For dinner, beers and wine were provided by our dear team leaders… The final touch to make us sleep like never…
- Second, we were supposed to sleep on the floor in our sleeping bags; but we could use some extra futon and blankets left there for the volunteers, so I slept like a baby on Saturday night!
- Last but not least: we have been allowed to use the sento (public bath) installed outside (under a tent) for the refugees, so we got warm and relax – and clean! Totally unexpected comfort!
God bless the sento !
The weather was awful and despite the protection clothes, we felt wet and cold the two whole days. I would have liked to show you the city in details, but unfortunately: fog! Sorry for the pictures…
Above the mess, on the nearest hill, Mother Nature is laughing at us...
And the final Team Portrait !
It was an amazing experience, and I just need to do it again ! In two weeks, there will be another trip. So let's go again and rock the Tohoku !
Ganbaro, Nippon !
