[ Packaging Technician ]

"I look forward to coming here every day."

Since starting cross-training so our workers can gain new skills, I have been able to try a lot of different things. I started as a jewelry artisan making necklaces and also helped with pottery grinding, but now I mostly help with packaging the orders.  

My favorite thing about Nozomi is just being with everyone. Since coming here, I have really learned a lot of skills. There are times when I am challenged by the hard work but I am always so thankful for my coworkers’ support. That’s why I look forward to coming here every day. Before coming to Nozomi, I was not very good at socializing but since coming here, I have come to really enjoy meeting new people. It is a joy just to have a place to work. I have also been able to learn about the Bible and have really been changed by it. 

My hobby is watching anime. I like a lot of different types of anime, but I think my favorite ones are stories that show how the protagonist matures. My favorite anime is “Magi.” I love seeing the protagonist meet new companions and watching them grow throughout the series.  

 

Tomoko’s 3/11 Story: 

I have two children. At the time, I was living with my sister. My youngest was in preschool and had just come home when the earthquake happened. My sister and I went together to the elementary school to pick up our children. I stayed at the school with our kids while my sister went to pick up our grandmother from her house near the ocean. After my sister came back to the school, people around us were discussing whether we should go back home or not. That’s when the tsunami came. None of us thought there would be a tsunami. There probably was a tsunami siren but everyone was so panicked I can’t even remember it ringing. We were at the school for about two days. My sister’s husband was far away because of work, but after hearing about the tsunami, he came up to Ishinomaki. The roads were in no condition for cars so he walked a long distance to reach us. The first floor of our house was completely destroyed but the second floor was okay so we all moved in and lived on the second floor for a period of time.