I awoke Sunday morning at 5:40am for my first full day of work. I slept pretty good considering I was sleeping on a floor. I woke up a time or two feeling a little sore. But I got myself up and dressed for work. Had a Powerbar for breakfast, then realized it was only 6:15am. I still had an hour and a half til the morning meeting! I chatted with people and read for a bit.
At 7:45 I headed out front with my team. We had a minute of silence, as it was the 100 day anniversary of the tsunami. We then had “radio taiso”, or radio exercise. Someone hooked their cell phone up to a megaphone and basically a chant of “ich, ni, san” (1, 2, 3) plays, and we do arm and leg stretches.
Once we were good and stretched out, we got our job assignments. This was nothing new, we were planning to finish the house we started the day before. We worked from 8:15-12:30 with 10 minute water breaks roughly every hour.
Time for work!
Ripped out walls. Coming along nicely
We headed back to camp for lunch, and upon arrival I took off my boots. It was so hot out and I sweated so much my socks were soaked, and I had to wash them, hang them on a clothes line, and get a fresh pair for the afternoon.
The sweat I poured out of just ONE boot
Aska and I also began a tradition of taking our work pants off, turning them inside out, and hanging them on a fence to dry during lunch. Going back to work in the afternoon with dry clothing was completely revitalizing.
Aska and I usually ate lunch outside, sitting on crates, enjoying the sun in shorts and tees. It was so nice to be out of our waterproof suits. We chatted about all sorts of random stuff, and before we knew it, it was time to put our work pants back on and finish the job.
Tatsuya and I. He was a weekend volunteer, so it was his last day. Great team mate.
At this point (nearly 2pm) we had all the walls knocked down. Now we had to clear all the debris we created (wall paper, plaster, concrete, insulation, and dust- sooo much dust). Typically someone shoveled while another held a burlap sack open. You shovel, then sweep. It seemed to be never-ending. But alas, we cleared up all the debris and then wet-washed the floors with water and a rag.
To thank us for our hard work, the owner of the house, Mr. Sasaki brought us all tea and red bean pastries (a popular Japan dessert).
The finished product
We did it! Our first assignment completed!
L to R- Tatsuya, Wesley, Calum, Aska, Joji, Koba, myself and Bastien. Tatsuya and Bastien were weekend volunteers, and Koba was a long-term volunteer. These people typically get added to 1-week volunteer teams with big work loads.
We felt pretty darn triumphant. It was 4:15pm and we finished hauling our debris bags down the street. There were too many to count, I couldn’t believe we had filled and hauled all of them.
Me and the brown bags we filled over the past day and a half
My friend Madeleine from Team 10 was kind enough to take a Team 11 picture for us
We returned to camp and began the “wash your tools, wash your gear, wash yourself” routine. This time I did the tool washing
The only problem with this job is that once your gear is clean and your team mates put it away, people hop up and ask for their boots to get sprayed down. This is no problem, until you really want to change out of your sweat soaked clothes and about 15 people are queued up!
2 days in, and Aska decided she really wanted to wash her hair. She asked team mate Joji to powerwash her!
When I went inside many people were gathered around some plastic crates. I learned that when people leave Kasuka, they donate the food they didn’t use. So thoughtful! I also learned that people who have extended their deployment get priority, since they have usually run out of food. My team mates and I poked around a bit, they took some snacks and I took what looked like a hot dog sausage. I brought it back to my room and upon consumption, it definitely was fish flavored 🙁 I was more sad that I wasted it than the let down that it wasn’t, in fact, a hot dog.
While changing and giving myself a baby wipe-down, Aska excitedly ran up to me and told me that we might be going to the onsen that night. The onsen! It’s Japanese for hot springs. A shower! I’m overcome with joy. She said it’s on the down-low because they can’t accommodate a lot of people. She then took off to get more information. Hot springs! I got excited. Honestly, I sort of wished it was happening in the middle of our trip, not so close to the beginning. If I feel this dirty after a day and a half of work, how will I feel come Thursday?!
Once I had changed I left the girls area and immediately a man pulled me aside and said, “I hear there’s an onsen trip. I want in” Dang! I told him I didn’t really know anything about it and he walked away disappointed. Then I found Aska and she said we’d go at 7:15. Another girl approached me and I sent her to Aska. Everyone wanted to go!
At 6:15pm, an hour before we were supposed to leave, we got some disappointing news- the trip was only for volunteers who extended deployment that week, as a thank you. Oh well. Since we still had 45 minutes til curfew, Aska and I decided to take a walk.
We saw a lot of sad things. Ripped up houses, photo albums, toys, cars. As I said before, pictures are one thing, but when you see the rubble up close, and acknowledge that it’s someone’s belongings, it’s heart breaking.
A pretty bowl, now broken
A car
I took a moment to take a picture wearing my TOMS (www.toms.com). I sent it to them and they thanked me for my hard work!
Graves were washed away. People returned them and stacked them along side the cemetery
Sometimes it’s not just stuff that gets the worst of the tsunami. A lost life <3
I’d like to add that it’s incredibly creepy in the streets. It was about 6:30 pm, and there was no sound, except for a tin shed that had been pulled apart. In the wind the metal wavered, making a squeaking noise. But no one was around, not that close to the harbor. It was simply a sea of empty, broken houses and belongings.
Upon our return, Joji made us all dinner- chips and guacomole, gnocchi and veggies. Delicious! Such a good meal to put in our bellies after a long day of work.
Joji cooking
His girlfriend Rachael came to join us. She has been staying there in Ishinomaki since late May, which is pretty impressive! She shared cherries with us, and they were juicy and delicious. Joji also brought out a melon he was willing to share. Fresh fruit! None of us brought any since it would go bad.
Needless to say, team mates Calum and Aska were excited about the melon!
During dinner we talk about all sorts of things- languages and differences from country to country, music tastes, the tsunami and our experiences in Japan.
After dinner I donned my headlamp to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. Once back inside, this is an incredibly welcoming sight- my little area on the womens side
I settle in and put my headphones on, and before I can finish a song I realize I’m just too tired for music. Before the generators powered down for the night at 10pm (I think it was about 9:35), I put my earplugs in and was out!
So amazing… Can’t wait to hear the rest!