DISCLAIMER FROM THE TRANSLATOR

DISCLAIMER FROM THE TRANSLATOR: While I speak both English and Japanese fluently, I know nothing about medicine. These are rough translations made through tears (i.e., sometimes while bawling). Please take all medical details in particular with a grain of salt. These translations have not been proofread and will be revised on a later date.

Please note that I am NOT in contact with the original author, who has given general permission for translation in one of her entries.

I would appreciate it if everyone can refrain from posting these entries elsewhere and to share this address <http://jkts-english.blogspot.com> instead, as I will be making revisions to each entry directly (addresses for individual entries may change if I revise their titles).

これらの英訳文は当ブログにて直接改訂を行いますので、転載は控えてこのアドレス<http://jkts-english.blogspot.com>を周知していただけたら幸いです(個々の記事のアドレスは変わってしまう可能性がありますのでご注意ください)。
また、ツイッターで看護師様ご本人の許諾を得て英訳したと紹介されましたが、直接連絡は取っておりません。翻訳に関してのご本人の見解は元のブログのこちらの記事の最後の方をご参照ください。

ALL ENTRIES © THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



Start reading here: 1) To the affected areas.



Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Letter from the disaster site

[June 6 7:18PM]

I received a letter from an evacuation site in Rikuzentakata today.  They say that things are moving toward restoration, albeit slowly.


They wrote about the unchanging landscape and about the support from our country; about people leaving Rikuzentakata, one after another; that there are many whose families are still missing; about the decreasing number of volunteers and press, and the swift fading of public interest.


There was also news about Luna.

Luna was recently adopted by relatives somewhere in the Kansai or Kyushu regions, in western Japan.  They say that she wanted to live with her aunt, but her aunt has also lost everything, and she would not be able to provide for her.  It was decided that it would be best for her to be raised in an environment where she will have want for nothing, and so she had to go far away.  I can empathize with her aunt so much that it hurts—I’m sure this must be for the best.

They say that Luna left Rikuzentakata with her worn-out Hello Kitty mask, a tiny Miffy table, and that backpack filled with her favorite things that her mother had held onto with all her might.

There’s no way of knowing where I will be able to see Luna as a grown-up, but I’m sure we will meet again as long as we’re living, so I will make sure to keep this in mind.

I wish that Luna’s long, long life that lies ahead will be surrounded with nothing but smiles and kindness all around.  Not just Luna—the same goes for everyone else in the areas affected by the disaster, of course.


Even now, when the evacuation sites in Rikuzentakata appear on television, I see familiar faces from the days that I spent there.  On one hand, I’m relieved to see they are doing well, but on the other, I am strongly concerned about the fact that they still have not found a new place to live, temporary or not.


As it was mentioned in the letter, those in the affected areas are living in fear of being forgotten, even though we are only approaching the three-month mark.

I intend think of the loads of issues that are sure to pile up in the face of the rainy season and summer in planning my actions in the days to come.





Translated June 7.
Original entry in Japanese: 被災地からのお手紙

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for the translation...it has helped me understand how big of a crisis this was, and still is...I hope the situation will get better quickly...

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  2. Hello
    I was wondering if it would be possible to read some of your translation at a fundraising night for aid relief in the affected areas with your permission and that of the original writer? If you could please contact me via email so I can tell you more.

    Warmest regards

    Pip

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