ryoko-san and naomi-san are sisters. they are my new inspiration. what they went through, and what they are still going through would make a normal person fall off a bridge. we visited a school where naomi-san’s son minami-kun attended. luckily, he made it to the roof when the tsunami came. some kids weren’t as lucky. we walked into the school and went to the top where minami-kun and others spent that cold chilly night. when i got up there, i got chicken skin. photos coming later.
this mission made me realize 2 things. first, people seem to be happier, more energetic, and moving forward. it’s ok to laugh now. it’s ok to ask what happened. when i came on mission 1 3 months ago, no way. no laughs, no smiles, and i was completely speechless. second, this is far from over. we were happy to see some places cleaned up and looking normal, but other places are still the same. huge piles of debris, the smell, and traces of the earthquake, tsunami, and the invisible fear of radiation still lingers here in japan. please don’t forget.
