A Chitrali learns lessons from Japan

Rahim Ghaffar belonging to Ouchusht Chitral town and studying in Japan narrates his experiences during the recent earthquake there

Some moments in life are unforgettable, while some give you the unusual satisfaction that makes you proud for what you have done for humanity regardless of race, religion, color, or nationality. That was the feeling that stuck upon me when I returned back to IUJ after spending a week during my spring break in Miyagi Prefecture, following a Joint relief operation carried out by some friends from UK, Canada, and the US.

As everybody knows on March 11, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and a tsunami followed, creating widespread destruction throughout the country. When many foreigners working or living in Japan were rushing back to their home countries fearing of aftershocks and radiations, a different band of foreigners from UK, US and Canada dedicated a part of their lives to serve the humanity unfolding in the ravaged areas of several prefectures, North of Tokyo.

Two days before the actual relief operation started in the affected areas we were shopping day and night in the super stores and whole-sale markets in Chiba prefecture assisted by families and children. The most challenging was the fact that everybody knew that we had to drive close to one hour in the deadly radiation zone in Fukushima; but this did not bring our moral down or hampered our urge to help the people in need.

We loaded almost 15 trucks with food items, cloths, pillows etc. and finally reached in Sendai, the biggest city in the region wiped out by Tsunami, to help our Japanese brothers and sisters who had lost everything in Tsunami. Here we got an opportunity to serve over 2000 people in multiple relief camps in a couple of days.

We did not have a place to sleep except inside the wagons and cars on shift basis, We distributed the much needed items individually in each camp and served them with breakfast, lunch and dinner, cooked all these on site.
The scene was full of sorrow but still it was a great lesson we could learn from the Japanese nation. Many of them had lost everything including their loved ones, but that they did not lose their hope and faith. The disciplined, calm, and resilient behavior they demonstrated and the courage they showed were something that I could have never learned in a classroom in IUJ.

I came back with the deep understanding that the problems of humanity are the same, the feelings are the same, it is Japan, America, Africa, or wherever. In one camp a Japanese man was seen smiling and talking to everyone, he came to us while we were serving lunch in one of the camp. He bent down and thanked us and then broke into tears. These tears were not because they had lost everything, rather these tears were the tears of thankfulness – I could hardly hold my tears! This was one experience that I will remember for the rest on my life -- Rahim Ghaffar
(ADB scholar) MBA E-Biz Management ,International University of Japan, 18 Apr 2011.