if i’ve ever met a superwomen in the the world, it has to be Naomi-san. Naomi-san set a dream and made it happen. it wasn’t a dream just for her, it was for the people of kitakami. watching the people smiling because they finally have a place to buy fresh food nearby was awesome. i seen 80 year old grandma’s walking up and down the hill with smiles on their faces. the market was the talk of the town. people were lining up for food and it was so amazing to watch it happen with my own eyes. i could write a book on what happened at the market on opening day but it’s 10pm and time for me to go to bed. tomorrow is going to be another long wonderful day. i just got back from a surfers dinner in ishinomaki. i was stoked to see the strong bond of surfers together having a great time. i’m with the most amazing team now and we are growing a bond that will last a lifetime. the 11 of us are experiencing things that is testing our power and will. i haven’t felt this emotional since my first girlfriend dumped me.
kitakami was one of the hardest hit places in japan. there is nothing left. this is one of the two elementary schools that got totally demolished by the tsunami. remember that BBC documentary i posted about the school that lost 75 of their kids? this is it. it’s along the way to the ONE market and we stopped by on the way there, and on the way back. i’ve never felt so sad in my life. as we walked to pay our respects, i could hear the kids voices and laugher in my head. i could hear voices in my head that was telling me they were still there playing in the empty playground. it was weird, it was chilling, and it was so sad. i’ve never felt such a spiritual thing in my life before. i don’t believe in ghosts, but i honestly could feel the kids spirits. 75 innocent kids got swept away, 75 innocent kids never knew what was coming, and 75 innocent kids didn’t deserve to die that day. as we left the school in the evening, nobody in the car had anything to say. i was devastated. i faked sleeping so i didn’t have to talk to anybody. i still could hear the kids voices, and i felt like i wish i died that day. i wished it was me instead of those kids. yes, it might sound weird saying that, but that’s what was going through my mind at the time. and if you had a child, you would know what i mean.
i see things improving a lot here, but i still see the scars. one minute your happy, the other, your in a dark lonely place. you pass by one street and feel happy, then you turn the corner and feel sad. i feel like i’m losing my mind. i feel super guilty for some reason. today was a roller coaster day for me and i can’t wait to close my eyes. tomorrow is another day, tomorrow is another sunrise, and tomorrow is tomorrow. i told myself that i would be positive on M6 but after going to that school twice today, my life has changed forever. i will never forget what i saw, and i will never forget what i heard. today was one of the happiest days of my life, but it was also the saddest too
good night.
oh, i want to say thank you to naomi-san for the wonderful jack-san presents. it’s your strength and power that’s keeping me strong. .
