Clean Up in Japan

Thursday last week, I met a friend from Germany, who is also working in Japan. He decided to go up to the North and help to clean up a town called Ishinomaki. He did this together with an organization, which was also very active during the Kobe Earthquake and has a lot of experience: Peace Boat (http://www.peaceboat.org).

It is very interesting to listen to his stories how he had to prepare himself for the trip ("you need to have everything for yourself for one week like dry food, water, etc. and it was so difficult to find water in Japan. I went to several supermarkets to collect everywhere my small bottles until I had 12 liters") or how he lived in a small tent and heard the after shocks coming ("in the evening you are lying in your sleeping bag, and then you hear the earthquake coming by small rumbles before it really starts to shake below you").

Please have a look at his blog and read more about his trip: Stephan's Blog 

We also talked a bit about our project and he likes the idea. Stephan told me that he visited an elementary school and the teachers asked them to speak a little bit of English with them. It was a lesson with laughters and he believes that this can help the kids a bit: smiles and a bit of fun.

He gave me a contact of the head of a this school in Ishinomaki and told me that the head would be very happy, if we contact him, but of course we need to go via the educational board of the region beforehand and we will definitely do this.