A Moment's Silence

Japan has endured much punishment from mother nature this year. Despite the fact that I do not follow the news regularly, I get some glimpses of the gravity of their situation. I feel for every Japanese person - a country full of culture, history and amazing people.

I have been fascinated with the Japanese culture since high school and have wanted to go there since. It is on the top of my list of places to travel, though I doubt travelling will happen anytime soon due to the disaster status of Japan and also my professional and academic commitments here.

One thing I wanted to get involved in since starting medical school was Medicines Sans Frontieres - Doctors Without Borders. In my first year, they held a meeting out in the city for medical students to spark interest and after about thirty minutes of their talks, I developed doubts about them. What made MSF unique was their political disposition; they would not intervene with support and reinforcement until politicians or parties in the crisis area would comply with their demands. I understand that to an extent: they need to ensure their people are safe and out of harm's way, though I don't think that can be guaranteed in conflict areas.

But I digress - this post is about Japan and recognising that they are truly suffering. Being one of the hardest working races in history, I'm confident that they will bounce back in due time. Until then, my heart goes out to all those affected by the disaster.