Monday, April 11, 2011

がんばろう日本!

As of today one month has passed since the earthquake and tsunami...so much has happened since then. Here is a brief timeline of what has happened within the one month..and this not including the incidents at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, which as of now (4/11/11. 10:10pm), the severity level is at 7, the same as Chernobyl :-(.

Events on March 11 and beyond

March 11 Magnitude 9.0 earthquake hits off Sanriku coast, massive tsunami wreaks havoc in coastal areas in northeastern, eastern Japan.

March 12 Prime Minister Kan surveys tsunami-ravaged region from air.

March 13 Kan calls disaster postwar Japan's "most severe crisis" and mobilizes 100,000 Self-Defense Forces members for relief efforts.

March 15 National Police Agency announces over 10,000 dead or missing.

March 18 Number of victims surpasses those killed in 1995 Hanshin quake, making it worst postwar natural disaster.

March 20 NPA tally shows more than 20,000 dead or missing. In Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, an 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson are rescued.

April 1 Disaster officially named Great East Japan Earthquake (東日本大震災 Higashi Nihon Daishinsai)

. Kan declares plan to establish Reconstruction Design Council involving experts, local stakeholders.

April 3 SDF, U.S. military end three-day search operation in tsunami-struck region, retrieving 78 bodies.

April 7 Government envisions first extra budget worth ¥4 trillion for reconstruction. Worst aftershock of magnitude 7.1 strikes Miyagi Prefecture, elsewhere, causes widespread blackouts.

April 10 Kan visits Miyagi to inspect disaster-stricken areas.

April 11 Tally shows over 13,100 dead, over 14,300 missing.

Japan Times Online
April 12, 2011

"Across the northeast, some 160,000 people are still sleeping, eating and waiting in makeshift evacuation centers." (TIME). It's hard to imagine where to go from here, with more aftershocks and the situation at the Nuclear Plant still not stabilizing, however through all this there's something my students and coworkers all mentioned, while watching the Japanese news on FNN, I realized what they were talking about: the people in the Tohoku region, after having lost so much, are all so patient and calm. Maybe it's the innate quality that Japanese people have; patience, strength, and thankfulness.

These qualities make me think about words that exist only in the Japanese language, it's difficult to translate these words over to English; the first word, as mentioned in TIME Magazine March 28th Special Edition: がまん (gamann), almost a mix of patience, strength, endurance, and stoicism. I think Japanese people have a strong sense of がまん, it's something we've been taught from when we were children from our parents who told us to "hold it in" when we had to go to the bathroom on a road-trip to enduring something we didn't enjoy; like eating vegetables as a child. The second is がんばろう (ganbarou) which could translate over to "we can overcome this" or "we will do our best." It's a sort of mentality for stepping forward, but also a way of providing strength for another. The last word is 感謝 (kansha), which is "giving thanks," "thankfulness," and "showing deep gratitude," 感謝 has been felt by everyone in Japan in these difficult times.

I have seen so much がまん in the people at the evacuation centers. A couple weeks agoFNN visited an evacuation center in the Tohoku region. First they interviewed an older lady in her late 70's, she simply stated "we are all in this together."They also interviewed an older couple in their 70's. During the interview, the camera focused on some children who were staying at the evacuation center, playing and chasing each other, and the older man said "We put our trust in the younger generation to rebuild Japan..." It's true, the younger generation will rebuild Japan...so がんばろう.


As for the Send愛Project; since the last time I updated, the amount of clothes has pretty much doubled! :-)

as of April 11, 2011

BASICS
shirts: 105 189
pants: 26 49
outer wear: 23 41

KIDS
gloves/mittens: 8 pairs

sweatshirts: 2 9
shirts: 5
hats/caps: 10
socks: 4 pairs 14 pairs

MISCELLANEOUS
scarves: 6 12
gloves: 1 pair
hats: 10 12
socks/legwarmers: 15 pairs 63 pairs
bras: 10
shoes: 6 pairs 11 pairs
bags/belts/other: 8

My heart is filled with so much 感謝, this project is coming along so well. I hope this project will be a starting point for helping others in need. It has been extremely difficult to watch the news, to look at photos, and to read articles, but as the Prime Minister wrote,

This one month since the great earthquake has been an extremely arduous time for Japan. Yet at the same time, it has been a period during which Japan has once again realized, and once again given thanks, that we stand together with the world...

The people of Japan have gotten so much encouragement and strength from all over the world.

Thank you so much.
ほんとうにありがとう。
and
がんばろう

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Send愛Project Progress

These days, the news has been focusing mainly on the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant...however, the aftermath of the tsunami in Sendai is just at end of the beginning...

The overall confirmed death toll from the March 11 quake and tsunami stands at 12,087, according to Japan's National Police Agency. Another 15,552 are missing or unaccounted for and 2,876 are injured.
'Search surge' finds more bodies in Japan, By the CNN Wire Staff, CNN WORLD

The earthquake and tsunami has left over a quarter of a million people homeless.

Currently, the Send愛 Project has been collecting clothing to send to the evacuation centers, so far we have collected:

BASICS
shirts: 105
pants: 26
outer wear: 23

KIDS
gloves/mittens: 8 pairs
sweatshirts: 2
shirts: 5
hats/caps: 10
socks: 4 pairs

MISCELLANEOUS
scarves: 6
gloves: 1 pair
hats: 10
socks/legwarmers: 15 pairs
bras: 10
shoes: 6 pairs


A billion thank yous to those who have donated clothes...this project is coming along very well beyond belief. You guys are truly amazing :-).

"...the people of Japan need our help and they need to know that we are thinking of them and want to help..we are all relatives in this world." Mary Jane Palmigiano, Baltimore, MD.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Send愛Project


Send愛Project is an art project I have started with my friend from MICA, Craig Mussman. This project is about donating clothes for those who need it after any natural disaster. We began this project after the earthquake and tsunami that happened on March 11, 2011.

Send愛 means "send love". In Japanese 愛 (pronounced ai) means love.

This will be an ongoing project...our goal is to connect with other countries and donate clothes to those that need it.

We are collecting clothes here in Canada, and then sending them to those who need it in Sendai. If you have any clothes that you would like to donate, please send me a message and I will let you know what my address is.

Thank you so much for your help. Japan is in all our hearts :-).