Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The second biggest headline: "Thank You."


What made me cry today:

I was watching the Japanese news (again. I know. I should stop), and watched this 12-year old in Iwate prefecture memorialize what happened to her on 3/11. She was making a home-made, hand-written 'newspaper' to process and preserve what she's gone through. The biggest headline was naturally "Tsunami Came," as the tsunami swallowed and wiped away her home. But the second headline was "Thank You." She lives in the elementary school she goes to, which became one of the local evacuation shelters - and she wanted to thank those who brought her family food, and also thank the people from the local community, who were helping at the shelter.

She wrote:

"I'd never thought such a big earthquake, or a tsunami, was possible. It was scary. We lost everything. But everyone in my family is alive, so I'm glad about that."

"Because of the nice people from the Self Defense Forces, my family is able to eat 3 times a day. Although we lost our home, there are people from the local community who are helping us at the shelter, and with their help, we'll be able to try hard [to rebuild our life again]. So I want to say to all of them, 'Thank you.'"

She graduated from her elementary school yesterday, in the gymnasium where they sleep, surrounded by the boxes of essential supplies like bath tissues. She couldn't wear the nice clothes her family prepared, but she was happy she could graduate in a graduation ceremony.

Waaaah. (T-T) ← tears running down my cheeks

In another segment, this 18-year old was trying to clean up the rubble. No one was paying him to do it. Every house and building in his town looked like piles of matchsticks. He apparently had secured a job in Tokyo after he graduates from his high school. He said, "I thought I'd move to the city and make some good money, but I think my hometown is more important now. I want to be here and help rebuild it."

Waaaah. (T-T)

We are so spoiled sometimes (OK, lots of times). As we get older, we start to believe we are entitled to various luxuries, and stop appreciating what we have. I think we could learn a thing or two from these kids, who lost just about everything. (Now that I'm old, I think of 18-year olds as kids - scary!)

-A