I want to mention two things very quickly. First, there will be very few photographs in this blog. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to take photos of the destruction both from a personal perspective as well as a perception perspective. Our teams stick out here as we are the only foreigners in the area. I don't want to come across as voyeuristic. I don't want to capture their grief and pain. Any pictures I will take will be quick, in private and/or with permission. I don't want you to be disappointed. This is just one of those lines I won't cross.
Second, I ask you to take my word your donations were distributed and with great appreciation. I haven't written about this because I'm simply emotionally drained. I didn't take photos of their gratitude. I didn't capture it in any way except within me. Some day in the future I may write about this in more detail. In the interim, please know they're out there. They're being used with much gratitude.
The number of those who are still living in shelters relying on donations is still astounding. In Rikuzentakata alone, there are around 15,000. They are spread out in over 70 shelters throughout what remains of the city. The mayor of Rikuzentakata still hasn't buried his wife (her body hasn't been recovered) and as we see him walking around the make-shift municipal buildings going from meeting to meeting we all wonder to ourselves who is taking care of his two school-aged children who now have to share their elementary school with middle schoolers and high schoolers in town whose schools were damaged by the tsunami.
This is the pain I don't want to and won't capture on film. I hope you understand.
Earthquake........I'm getting sick of them. Funny how I'm not scared. I'm just bothered by them. I welcome my sleeping bag and sleeping mat. I need sleep.
Hello Amya. I was an English teacher in Ofunato and Takata 4 years ago, and I want to say thank you. Thank you so much for helping them. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. And please can you tell me, were the students in the schools safe? After seeing pictures in the news of the area I am so worried for my former students. I know many people did not survive, but could you please at least tell me about the children? Thank you again.
ReplyDelete~Kristy
Kristy,
ReplyDeleteTakata is a mess. It's beyond horrible. Ofunato was less damaged but the area down by the port is completely destroyed. The people here are strong but there's a lot of pain.
School hasn't started in either place because the high school and jr. high school in Takata were damaged. The news we got today was that they aren't going to use the jr. high school in Takata. We are working on getting permission to clean out the high school so they can use it when classes start again in May. The kids are volunteering and working everywhere they can. People here are amazing. You're lucky you had an opportunity to be here. Good for you for doing that.
I will try to keep you posted.
Amya