[Oe List ...] FW: A Letter from Sendai, Japan

[Susan Fertig]

I thought all of you would appreciate this testimony from an American in
Japan, passed along to me by a schoolmate of mine from the Philippines.

 

Susan

 

From: Howard 
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 8:51 AM
To: HH
Subject: Fw: A Letter from Sendai, Japan

 

  This is a relay of an email sent by an American in Sendai, Japan. I do NOT
know the person, but it was sent to me by someone who does, and who speaks
well for the writers credibility.

 

   I cannot help but compare this Japanese response to the events in New
Orleans in the immediate aftermatch of Katrina. 

------

Hello My Lovely Family and Friends,

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very
touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it
seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to
have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more
worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies
like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat
by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit
in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to
get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in
their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and
buckets.

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines.
People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake
strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days
when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens
are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half
a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all
of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not.

No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much
more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of
non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of
caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire
group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some
places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun.
People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their
dogs.  All happening at the same time. Other unexpected touches of beauty
are first, the silence at night. No cars.  No one out on the streets.  And
the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two
stars, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains of Sendai are solid
and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky
magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful.  I come back to my shack to
check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on,
and I find food and water left in my entrance way. I have no idea from whom,
but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see
if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if theyneed
help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for
another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking,
rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit
elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better
off than others.  Last night my friend's husband came in from the country,
bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

With Love in return, to you all,

A

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20110320/d08eecd7/attachment.html>