がんばれ日本。私もがんばります。

Today I made an online donation at Red Cross UK. As insignificant as it is, that's all I can do right now. The closer I follow the news feed, the more I read about the terrible things happening in Japan, the more I want to be there. Having studied the language for over 5 years, having lived and studied there, this is a country I've grown to love. I'm (still) not a Japan fanatic. I don't blindly love everything about that country. There are certain things and people in Japan that bug me. But all the good things about it have created an intangible but strong tie between my mind and that rising sun.

I remember writing in my UCAS personal statement, that I hoped to enter diplomacy or journalism as a profession. Although at the moment I'm heading towards a different career path, I don't think I'll ever give up that aspiration, especially not now. I might have been unsuccessful at this year's Fast Stream selection, but I will try again in the future. Seeing footages on the TV and reading articles in the papers about everything that's happening in Japan, the voice in my mind keeps saying "I should be there - reporting the news or helping with the search and rescue". I didn't study Japanese so that I could experience a natural disaster, but knowing the language makes me think that I should be there utilise what I've learned and hopefully help someone in need. Making a donation doesn't satisfy my feelings. Having said that, it is still important that we all make a small contribution - people of the Tohoku region are living with lack of food, water, electricity in the freezing conditions. They need all the help they can get.