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Apr. 14th, 2011 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatRemember that online friend that we were worried about in Japan? ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
honorh . Well, she published an account of her experiences during the earthquake and tsunami. In case you haven't seen the link already - here it is:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/my-hillsboro/2011/04/personal_account_of_tsunami_and_aftermath_in_japan.html
Also, while hunting an end quote for the church newsletter that I'm busy editing this month - I found this quote, which reminded me a great deal of the above linked story and's experiences.
Eleanor Roosevelt, activist You Learn by Living
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
[ETA: Having just finished reading the article...I am struck by four things: 1) The kindness of strangers...can never be underestimated. 2) The people you meet online and never see but have read your blog and you've read theirs are your friends - far more than you may realize. It's like having numerous pen-pals or an international pen pal family - I've been calling lj- my online correspondence club for the last ten years. And written words do have power. 3) The US consulate needs to spend some time talking to the Canadian, British, New Zealand and Australian Consulates to see how you handle disasters and aiding your citizens in them. Just saying. Actually they can learn a lot from the Japanese, and other countries in this regard. I really wanted to strangle the US consulate - so much for doing whatever we could to get our citizens out of a disaster and aiding them. 4)The Japanese people are truly a kind and giving people. And I really wish I could help them. ]
honorh . Well, she published an account of her experiences during the earthquake and tsunami. In case you haven't seen the link already - here it is:http://blog.oregonlive.com/my-hillsboro/2011/04/personal_account_of_tsunami_and_aftermath_in_japan.html
Also, while hunting an end quote for the church newsletter that I'm busy editing this month - I found this quote, which reminded me a great deal of the above linked story and
Eleanor Roosevelt, activist You Learn by Living
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
[ETA: Having just finished reading the article...I am struck by four things: 1) The kindness of strangers...can never be underestimated. 2) The people you meet online and never see but have read your blog and you've read theirs are your friends - far more than you may realize. It's like having numerous pen-pals or an international pen pal family - I've been calling lj- my online correspondence club for the last ten years. And written words do have power. 3) The US consulate needs to spend some time talking to the Canadian, British, New Zealand and Australian Consulates to see how you handle disasters and aiding your citizens in them. Just saying. Actually they can learn a lot from the Japanese, and other countries in this regard. I really wanted to strangle the US consulate - so much for doing whatever we could to get our citizens out of a disaster and aiding them. 4)The Japanese people are truly a kind and giving people. And I really wish I could help them. ]
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-14 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-15 03:36 pm (UTC)When my niece (with dual citizenship in USA and Canada) went to Europe on her own we encouraged her to travel under her Canadian passport, because the Canadian consulate is always way more helpful (evidently not feeling so over worked).
no subject
Date: 2011-04-16 02:15 am (UTC)They aren't overworked, they are bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. Their job is to help people in these situations - that's why they are there, well one of the reasons. This actually makes me think of a very funny Woody Allen play...which I can't remember the name of, but is my favorite of his plays. (I literally read all of Woody Allen's plays published between 1960-1985 in high school.)