Less Than Zero

This was a neighborhood. After removal of the ruins, there is nothing left.

We were welcomed like family members by Mr. and Mrs. Kato, the owners of the Hotel Boyo where we stayed.  They shared their friendship and hospitality with us and gave us much more than we were able to give them through our simple volunteer efforts. The Katos are heroes who survived the disaster and also saved the lives of others as they mourned the loss of the life they once knew. They lost their family home and everything in it to the tsunami and to the fire that followed. During our stay they taught us many things about the situation now in Kesennuma. 

One of the most shocking things to me was to learn that all of the people who lost their homes in the tsunami are still being forced to continue paying the loans on houses they will never see or live in again. It is understandable that the banks need to be repaid for the loans they made, however it is not within reason for them to expect these people who have lost everything—including jobs—to continue paying them. This is where we need the government of Japan to stand up and say “we will pay—we will help you to get back on your feet.” At present, there has only been a payment of 3,000,000 yen per household (approx. 39,000 US dollars) to those who have lost their homes. However, the home owners are currently paying off loans for nearly 10 times that much money.  Millions of dollars of aid has been sent to Japan from countries all over the world. Where is it now?  These people need financial help. They are currently in a situation where they have less than zero. Can’t we at least bring them up to zero where they can begin to build and have hope for a future? 

Home owners are not allowed to rebuild for 3 years, and don't even know if they will be allowed to rebuild after the 3 year waiting period. The earthquake and tsunami have cause the land to sink and erode leaving much of it still wet or covered in water when the ocean tide is high.

Some people have already committed suicide out of despair from the deep financial hole they have found themselves in. The government should go directly to the banks and pay the loans. The world wants to help the people of Kesennuma and the other devastated areas of Tohoku. Let them help! Please use the money donated to help free the victims of this terrible disaster of their outstanding loans.

Kesennuma

A week ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Kesennuma to do some volunteer work in the earthquake and tsunami stricken Tohoku region of Japan. Six months had passed since the disaster on 3/11/2011, but the devastation was still very clear to see. We stayed at the Hotel Boyo. I would like to share our experience with you through a series of stories. These are the actual stories of people who lived through the 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami that followed and the heroes that emerged in response to the disaster.

Bullying

For a variety of reasons bullying has been on my mind lately. One reason is that I am a parent and it seems to come with the territory of parenting to have to worry at times about the possibility of my children being bullied.  It can be especially worrisome when you live a society like Japan where the “square peg” gets hammered down. And since my children, for obvious reasons, don’t blend in quite so smoothly with the highly homogenous society we live in here, it has been my fate to watch and pray that they will not become victims of those bullies who cannot squelch their fear of someone “different.” This is not to say that bullying doesn’t happen in other countries. It most certainly does and for similar reasons—fear of “difference.” Different behavior, different thinking, different looking, you name it. Any difference can be a catalyst for the fear that drives the bully to strike out.  In fact, the US Government has dedicated an entire website to the identification and prevention of bullying http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html  . Bullying is a phenomenon without borders.

As a person who has a long history of teaching teenagers and young adults at the high school and university level, I believe I have seen my share of bullies. I have seen countless cases of students dropping out of school or sports. I have sat in the health room teaching students individually who couldn’t enter their classroom.  I have seen the sad consequences of the loneliness and emptiness felt by people who felt they had lost all reason to live.  I have seen death.

My most recent encounter with bullying is as follows:

A new high school student who had entered the top public high school in his prefecture began his school year with high hopes. He joined his favorite sports team, knowing that as one of the youngest students he would probably never have a chance to play, at least not for the first year. But, soon he knew that far beyond not being able to play, he would have to put up with the relentless mental and physical abuse dished out by the older team members.  He walked the halls of his school in fear. The older team members took to calling the younger ones out at lunch time to heap more abuse on them. After one such incident, 3 of the boy’s friends quit the team.

One of the boys who quit the team told his parents. They contacted the school. The school took a survey of the younger boys asking what had happened to them.  I don’t know if the boys answered honestly on the survey or not, but the bullying continued without any noticeable action by the school teachers or administration. 

The boy tried to take the harassment. He didn’t want to let down his friends who were still taking the abuse. But the boy couldn’t take it any longer. He stood enduring the mental and physical pain and enduring the crying of his friend next to him until finally he thought he would lose it and attack the older boy who was hovering over them.

That night he didn’t go home. He contacted his parents and said “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t keep doing this. I have to quit.”  When he finally returned home the next evening, he told his parents everything. He begged his mother not to say anything to the school, but she knew better. She knew that others would be hurt if she kept quiet.  

He is back to school now, but only because there is a light at the end of the tunnel for him. He will be leaving that school soon, sad to say goodbye to his friends, but relieved to be free from the bullies.

And people who hear this story say, “I never thought that school would have such problems. After all, it’s the top school in that prefecture.” Some say it is “tradition” to start off the school year tough on the younger boys. I say it is bullying and it is teachers and administrators turning a blind eye to it.  We must stop pretending that there is “gray area” with regards to bullying. If someone is being hurt, whether physically or mentally, it is wrong. It’s as simple as that. There is not gray area or fuzzy lines. It is black and white. It is wrong.

And as educated people, we must use our brains and our education to the advantage of the bullied. If we don’t, we are no better than the bullies themselves.

Learning by Doing

Weighing babies isn't so easy when you only have an adult scale.

Let's get it clean!

Everything looks good here.

Befriended.

Try to sit still while he takes your temperature.

Let me see . . .

Prayers from Nicaragua for Japan

On the day after the big earthquake, 8 students joined me on a service-learning trip to Nicaragua. We visited small mountain villages that didn't have access to medical clinics and medicine. The volunteer spirit of those 8 students made a big impression on the lives of everyone we met.

An amazing thing to me in Nicaragua was that even in the poor villages, people who had gotten word of Japan's sorrow were praying for a swift recovery for Japan. It was very humbling to hear people who live in the humblest of circumstances praying for Japan.

March 11, 2011: A day we will never forget

On the day of my son's 9th grade graduation, a 9.0 earthquake followed by tsunamis devastated the Tohoku region of Japan. Little did we know that at the very time that we sat in my son's jr. high classroom celebrating, thousands of people were losing their lives in the worst natural disaster Japan has faced since the 1923 great Kanto earthquake.

We sadly watch the news everyday and continue to pray for healing for Japan.

FT

Lots going on at home too!

Also through October and November, we've been busy at home.

My daughter competed in two English speech contests to tell about her experience working with the homeless in Kitakyushu City two summers ago. She did very well!!


We had a guest from the USA for 5 days followed by a guest from England for 2 weeks (green shirt--he became the middle child in our family;).

My lovely Mother-in-law has been living with us and has really been helpful as she enjoys life with us in this busy season. She has given our guests a chance to try communicating in Japanese and they've done a great job!


And on Nov. 23rd, we ate Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.

I love this season--it's busy, but filled with good food and family gatherings.

FT

A very busy October and November! Global Medicine

So many things have happened in the last 2 months that I didn't have time to blog. The best thing is that I met my new 2nd year students and they are GREAT!

In our Global Medicine/Scientific English I class, we've had so many excellent guest lecturers. These photos show one of our classes with a special guest. They hail from Germany, the USA, Nicaragua, and Japan.

The cute photos of students shows them looking through telescopes made of paper. The size of the telescope depends on how many experiences they have had to see poverty. If they have seen poverty only on TV, they have a small scope. If they've seen it in person, they get a bit bigger scope. And if they have worked with people living in poverty or experienced poverty themselves, they have an even larger scope. This is how our guest speaker, Tanya Amador Executive Director of NPO Corner of Love, explained to them about our different perceptions of poverty.

KGK BBQ at Yoshinogari

My husband and I hosted a KGK barbecue at Yoshinogari historical park recently.  It was a great group of people from Saga, Fukuoka and Tokyo colleges.  We discovered that it is VERY HOT to have a barbecue in August at midday in Kyushu!! Yikes!!  But we cooled down afterward at our house with some music and cool desserts.^^

Beautiful Battle Ground

Yes. I know that "Battle Ground" doesn't sound very beautiful. But "Battle Ground" really is a beautiful place in my home state of Washington. It's the name of the city where I grew up. You can find out more about Battle Ground here http://www.cityofbg.org/

However you won't see pictures of the house I grew up in on that website, so I've provided a few here. One of the things I am always most impressed by when I go home is the smell of the trees. Such a beautiful sweet fragrance. Also, the sky seems so far away when I'm home. I think it's because the trees are so tall. I have never seen trees so tall anywhere that I've lived in Kyushu. I often go home in August, so another real shock to the system is the total climate difference between Kyushu and Battle Ground. It is usually cool (in the 20's) and the humidity is very low in the summer. The temperature dropped a few times when we were there this year and my Dad had to build a fire in the wood-stove to keep us warm. (see the photo of the stack of firewood)

As the photos suggest, my childhood home is a very peaceful place. I can always relax there. It's my "resort." The place I go to feel most relaxed, comfortable, and at peace.

FT