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2012 JET-MIP ESSAYOCTOBER, 2012: BREEZE ISSUE #60
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESECORRINE QUIRKClarkstown High School SouthNew City, NY
My experience in Japan was an emotional roller-coaster. I had
never travelled alone, let alone outside the country, so it wasvery exciting to embark on my own adventure. Arriving in LA andgoing through orientation, it quickly sunk in that this was notquite an adventure, and we would certainly not be alone. The 32
participants of the 2012 JET-MIP bonded incredibly fast,providing a tight-knit family throughout the trip, both asemotional support throughout the Tohoku region, and to share in
the more uplifting and exciting parts of the trip. While in theTohoku region, my most poignant memory is of seeing thedevastation for the first time in Rikuzentakata. Our study tour
was not until the next day, and earlier that day we had visited atemporary elementary school and a local restaurant. I am notsure of the others, but seeing the temporary housing andschools, I felt as though the recovery efforts were going well andfelt reassured. This was until we began to drive through what
was once the actual center of town-now existing as only frames of former homes, the occasional skeletalbuilding, and mountains of debris. This for me was the most humbling moment of the trip, as all of thestories of devastation I had heard final rang true in a tangible form in front of me: You never really
understand the extent of the devastation until you see it.
However, the most amazing thing about the town was the people. Our tour guide for the study tour in
Rikuzentakata the next day, after spending the day sharing stories of his home town and survival stories of
his friends, family, and even himself, pleaded with us not to worry, for it would only worry him if we worried
too much. He emphasized that they were doing just fine, and that they were carrying on. Similarly, when
we met with high school students of the area for a US-Japan high school student summit, the students
were nothing but cheerful. At the summit itself, it was all business—we discussed how we could act as
bridges between our two countries, as individuals. Before and after though, we snuck in some social
conversation, and while neither of us was proficient in the other’s language, we were instantly friends.
That night we had dinner with them and spent the evening chatting about our lives, switching between
English and Japanese as we pleased. We often couldn’t find the words to communicate an idea, and Privacy
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have to explain in lengthy, round-a-bout descriptions until the other understand. I think this helped usbond even further as we struggle with each other’s languages. But it also solidified in me a desire tocontinue my Japanese studies, if for no other reason than that I now have a couple very good friends Iwould like to keep up with.
While I have not yet been able to share my experience in a presentation yet, I have spoken both with mysensei of six years, and with my family and many of my friends. Unfortunately what I have found is that it isnear impossible to communicate the state of the region unless you’ve seen it. My sensei and one of myfriends recently visited Fukushima, so they understand thoroughly the extent of damage, and haveconveyed the same frustration—that there seem to be no words to express what we’ve seen completely.
However, people are very willing to listen to what we do say, and were incredibly surprised that thedevastation has had such a lasting effect. Many people assumed that the recovery was well on its way andthat everyone had resumed normal life. Most people had forgotten about the disaster entirely. To hear thatthe towns were still in such a devastated state shocked many to silence, and clearly made people
uncomfortable by challenging their assumption that because the media no longer reported on it, that there
was no longer a problem. Still, the perseverance of the people and their incredible kindness is what
inspired me while on my trip, so I do hope that in my retelling of their tales I could capture that in themand inspire others by the selflessness of those I encountered.
Finally, to Ms. Anderson and Mr. Dickson, though they are no longer with us, I would like to express mygratitude towards them for making such a strong impact in the towns they lived in taught in while living inJapan, and for the legacy they have left for other Americans. They truly acted as bridges between our twonations, and hearing their family members, friends, and students talk about them and their passions, it isclear that as the next generation of JETs, and as individuals who make up the bridge between Japan andthe US, that they have set high standards for us to adhere to.

NIPPON THROUGH MY EYES PHOTO SUBMISSION"SENDAI CASTLE SHRINE"This is a the first large shrine I had ever seen located at thegrounds of Sendai Castle.

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2012 JET-MIP Report Part 3

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2012 JET-MIP Essay: Benjamin Johnson

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Carolyn Jeon2012 JET-MIP Essay: Connor Veale

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Corrine Quirk

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