1/26/2009 - Postcards from Abroad: Jolianne In Japan
September has arrived and back to school season went really well. After a very busy summer, I was happy to spend time with my friends again and I was even more ecstatic when I realized that communication between us has gotten a lot easier. I have advanced a lot and I am very proud of myself, however, there is still a wall that I feel is in front of me. Although I understand everything, my only problem is that I cannot express myself fully.
I must say that this summer has been the most diversified and filled summer of my life. I will take the time in this article to talk to you about my experience in Hiroshima since this is the best experience I had so far. In addition, I will also talk to you about my hike up Mont Fiji and what is still more to come.
Hiroshima-open your eyes
In Hiroshima, on August 6th, 1945 at 8:15 in the morning, the first atomic bomb was ever used on humans. Several kilos of uranium, used in the bomb, named “little boy” was enough to disintegrate the city and caused many irreversible effects for several kilometers.
Throughout my high school studies, I was always very interested in the subject of war. However, I realized that there is a big difference between studying the subject of war in books versus visiting the vestiges of a particular historical moment. Out of all the AFS students who were involved in this trip, I did not see anyone laugh inside the museum when we saw this shocking act that was committed towards the human race. We saw photographs, documentaries and movies on this subject. However, the most touching part of the experience was meeting Madame Matsubara, a survivor of an atomic bomb. She told us her story (always difficult to tell) and also allowed us to better visualize the story thanks to her drawings, derived from her memory. Madame Matsubara travels the world and tells her story in attempt to inspire individuals to work together in order to form a better world, and in order to stop history from repeating itself. One can trust me when I say that this experience has made me open my eyes and encouraged me to take more time to help promote peace and inter-cultural exchanges. In addition, Steven L. Leeper (the president of the foundation of the museum of the peace of Hiroshima) has also better informed us of nuclear powers in addition to the subject of diverse problems of the world. I was able to absorb the message of peace which AFS International has the mission to spread throughout the world. These events were the more touching and inspiring for me. A disastrous act such as that should not be repeated and this is why we should all work at aiming for peace and protecting our future. I also invite you to visit the organization that monsieur Leeper is involved in: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org/english/index.html.
This organization tries to convince mayors from all around the world to aim for the reduction of atomic bombing.
Mont Fuji
To continue on a lighter note, my trip to Mont Fiji went very well. It allowed me to work on my patience and my determination. Unfortunately, we climbed this volcano in bad conditions such as heavy rainfall and strong winds, which only complicated our task and it also stopped me from seeing the sunrise. However, I still enjoyed the experience since I met a lot of people, and even though I did not know all of them, we had a group spirit that guided all of us. In all, I spent 22 hours on the mountain. (going up and down, with one hour of sleep, some breaks of 10 minutes and a bottle of oxygen always with me) This was a unique experience and I recommend it to those who love challenges.
September
This month is also a very busy month but everything is centered on one objective; the cultural festival of my school (26 and 27 September). This festival is for the students and every class gets their own theme. For example, some themes are; diverse coffee specialties, musical comedians, haunted houses and so forth. My class’s theme is on the death penalty, which is still present in Japan. When visitors come in (friends and family) they obtain the role of the prime minister of Japan and have to decide whether or not they want to abolish the death penalty or not. In order to do this, they will travel inside our time machine in order to compare the situation (by sketches) from today in contrast to the era of Edo (1600-1867). It was a very complicated project to do with such a small budget, which forced us to use our imagination. Everything has been going well and I can’t wait to give you more news on this subject. However, I also cannot wait for things to go back to normal and for me to go back to my regular schedule. (Presently I have really long days and many weekends spent at school). Once this is over, the next festival will take place on October 3rd, and this will take place throughout all of Japan. It is a sport festival where all the classes have different sport competitions. I am registered for the obstacle race and I am excited! To be continued in the next article…
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