Strength of community

Traveling to Kobe and visiting the Hanshin Awaji earthquake museum what surprised me was the extent to which the people had went to preserve the cultural memory of the earthquake. From pictures to live data, video footage, simulations they had made it clear that future Japan will not forget this earthquake. i was also surprised at how calmly and tactfully they had organized the recovery process and furthermore, it was the community not the government that played the most important part in recovery. After this visit I have come to respect the people of Kobe for enduring end persevering in such a dire time and appreciate the strength of community. As I heard a volunteer, a survivor f the earthquake retell his experience I could see how even now they pursue to pass their knowledge onto the next generation. I think back and reflect what my country would have done in the face of such a disaster. Panic, confusion and utter chaos is all I can imagine.