Reflections on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Last weekend I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  It was an intense and moving experience that is difficult to describe to people who haven’t been there.  It certainly feels uncomfortable on so many levels to view the horrors of atomic weapons as an American living in Japan.  One thing that I especially appreciate about this museum, though, is its emphasis on moving toward the disarmament of all atomic weapons rather than focusing on placing blame for the atomic bomb that America dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.  After visiting the museum, I went to the Peace Park to be alone and process all that I had seen.  In an attempt to share my experience with you and others, I felt compelled to do something extremely rare—write a poem.  I do not claim to be an expert writer, so please be kind as you read my poetry, where I reflect on this horrific event.

ONE MOMENT CHANGES ALL

By Christine Eige

A flash of light and a booming noise—

Heat and radiation devouring all in its way.

Flesh and clothes melting into one,

parched throats gasping for air,

seeking relief, but instead, finding black rain.

Radiation running rampant through bodies,

vital organs failing one after another,

and so many beyond recovery or care.

A whole world turned upside down,

yet the suffering only just beginning.

“Papa, please help me!

Make the pain go away.

Where are you?

I need you.

Don’t leave me this way.

Where are my little sister, my mama, and friends?

What happened to my home?

When will the nightmares finally end?”

God looks down from heaven,

his heart broken in two.

Jesus opens his arms wide saying,

“Forgive them, Father,

for they know not what they do.”

Linus Sharing Words of Wisdom in A Charlie Brown Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

You Say Goodbye, and I Say Hello

Recently someone asked what was special about 2010 in my life.  I’d say that this was a year of moving and big changes. 

I started the year teaching junior and senior English classes in Decatur, Illinois.  Even though I only lived there for a year, I met some amazing and inspiring people.  I learned so much from my students, my co-workers, my friends, and my experiences there.  I am so blessed to have friends there who are still praying for me as I serve and live in Japan.

In June I moved back to Iowa to live with my parents for a few months.  A few days after we moved my things, we moved my parents out of the only home I ever remember growing up in.  It’s still weird thinking about another family living there, but I hope they will be as happy in that home as I was.  My parents moved into a condominium for people 55 and older, so that was my home for a few months too.  I didn’t realize that I was such a rebel until I tried to dry some laundry on the balcony, but the residents quickly made a rule against that.  My summer gave me a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family before my next move.

At the end of September I made the move back to Japan.  The first time I moved to Tokyo was back in 2004 when I was right out of college, and being here again shows me how much I’ve grown and changed as a person since then.  What’s neat is that after getting together with some friends here, they can see some of those positive changes in me too.  It still seems a bit weird to go from being a teacher to being a student again, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to study Japanese.  People here are so kind and welcoming, and I am enjoying this time of studying, forming friendships, and serving in what ways I can.  In March I will be moving again, this time to Kumamoto, Japan, to teach junior high and high school English.

To be honest, I don’t really like moving, and would much rather be able to settle into a community to get rooted.  So, why do I keep moving?  Whenever I make big life decisions, I cover those decisions in prayer and truly desire to follow God’s will.  Some time ago I told God that I wanted to serve him and that I was willing to go wherever he’d send me.  I meant it when I said that and still do, so that seems to mean a lot of changes and adjustments for me, at least during 2010.  The best part is that wherever I go, God goes before me and prepares the way.  Even as I start thinking about my next move, I know that God will help me through the transition and has called me there for a reason.  I can’t wait to see what adventures and opportunities await me in 2011!

P.S. Please make sure to really enjoy time with your family this holiday season.  It is a luxury that people serving in the military and people serving as missionaries abroad don’t always get to enjoy.

Traditional Japanese Fairy Tales

I have always been a big fan of story time and fairy tales.  Even when I took a children’s literature course in college, I was one of the first people on the floor for story time.  I think that whatever age a person is, they should enjoy an occasional bedtime story. 

Beyond merely entertainment, fairy tales can say a lot about a culture.  Think of your favorite fairy tales and the lessons that they teach.  There’s Rupunzel whose mother covets her neighbor’s cabbage, there’s Little Red Riding Hood who talks to strangers, and those poor three little pigs who more often than not are too lazy to make proper plans for the future.  Hopefully, we’ve heard these stories from a young age and are avoiding such catastrophes.  My guess is that even though these particular stories have European roots, most Americans are familiar with them.

Other cultures tell different tales but also try to prevent their youth from going down the wrong moral path.  I’ve read several traditional Japanese tales, and they seem to emphasize the virtues of respecting the elderly, obeying one’s parents, and the importance of treating others well.  Below you’ll find links to a few of my favorites.  Enjoy your bedtimes stories!

Urashima Taro:

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/folk/urashimataro/index.html

The Toothpick Warriors:

http://www.japanippon.com/fairytales/toothpick.htm

The Spider Weaver:

http://www.japanippon.com/fairytales/spiderweaver.htm

The Peach Boy:
http://www.japanippon.com/fairytales/momotaro.htm

Pie and Rice

One thing I love about living in another country is that it helps me look at familiar things in a new way.  This weekend I was sitting around a table that was half full of Americans and half full of Japanese people.  Dessert rolled around, and we had a delicious chocolate pie/cake sort of thing.  As I watched people eat, I remembered something that I learned the first time I was in Japan.  Let’s do a quick check here… imagine that you are handed a piece of pie.  Which direction does the longest end of the triangle face when you eat it?  Chances are that if you are American, the tip of the triangle is pointed directly at you.  Right?  Why do you do that?  Have you ever even thought about it before?  If you are Japanese, on the other hand, the tip of your pie is probably going to point to the right or the left.  Why?  Where did they learn that?  Well, this weekend one Japanese friend explained that she thought it was “too aggressive” with the tip pointed at herself.  Now I don’t know if that’s the real reason or not; for that matter, I don’t really know why Americans have the tip pointed at themselves either, but that’s just the way that it’s always been done.  I don’t remember anyone sitting me down as a child, explaining how to eat my pie, but yet somehow I figured out the American way.

One other part of this weekend especially stands out to me.  We focused on studying Jesus’s “I am…” statements from the Bible.  One such statement was from John 6 when Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”  Now, I’ve heard that passage dozens of times and never really thought twice about it until this weekend.  Matthew, one of the other Tokyo missionaries, explained it in a way that really connected with me and the intended audience.  He paraphrased Jesus’s words and said, “I am the RICE of life.”  Wow!  In a culture where rice is served at pretty much every meal, now I really understand just how important Jesus is.  Jesus is our sustenance and life-giving force.  It makes so much sense!

Food

Yakisoba: cabbage, carrots, and soba noodles.  I add fried egg on the side too.

Gyoza: sometimes called dumplings, insides vary but usually have cabbage and a tiny bit of meat

Gyoza after it's prepared

Tofu

Sashimi: raw fish

Natto: fermented soy beans.  It's definitely an acquired taste that I don't have but does taste better with the added ingredients.

A beautiful dinner at Tim and Mari MaKenzie's home.  Notice that rice and miso soup are also added.  All pictures here were from that dinner except the yakisoba picture.

Shinto Shrines

Last Wednesday was the national holiday known as Culture Day (Bunka No Hi).  I celebrated by visiting Meiji Shrine, one of the most famous Shinto shrines in the Tokyo area.  There were two big attractions that drew a crowd: 7-5-3 Day (Shichi-Go-San Hi) and mounted archery (yabusame).  7-5-3 Day is when parents take their 3 or 5 year old sons and 3 or 7 year old daughters to a shrine to pray for their health and growth.  Basically I saw lots of cute kids dressed up in their traditional Japanese clothing.  Toward the back of the shrine they held an autumn Culture Day festival.  There were people demonstrating various forms of martial arts as well as yabusame.  Most of the yabusame competitors were so fast that I couldn’t actually get a picture of them hitting the target, but I think I may have found a sport that I actually enjoy watching.

My guess is that many people reading this blog do not regularly go to shrines, so I wanted to conclude with a little “visiting a shrine 101.”  Follow this link to Meiji Shrine’s page about proper shrine visiting etiquette.  The left-hand side of the page also has various other interesting links for you to check out about Meiji Shrine.

http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/your/1.html