Not
directly affected by the quake
My project study team is proceeding smoothly on
schedule with the third on-site study of the Regional Development Plan for the Eastern Black Sea
Region (a JICA project jointly undertaken by RECS and Nippon Koei).
The earthquake that hit Turkey on August 17 prior to
this project study inflicted much of its damage on the vicinities of
Istanbul and thus hasn't affected the study directly. However, I
hear that because of the earthquake there are many investigating commissions for quake-related technical
assistance and other purposes arriving from Japan and local JICA offices are
totally swamped. For this
week only, investigating teams from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Architectural Institute of Japan and others are visiting, and 1,000
temporary shelter units offered as free relief supplies for the quake
victims are expected to arrive in the mid week by a Self-Defense Force
ship.
Moreover, this week Mr. Shigeo Takenaka (ex-Director of
the Tokyo Immigration Office) will arrive as ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary. Thus, coordination between
those investigating teams and local officials-in-charge will probably be extremely
difficult.
No problem arriving at the
project site
Unlike our previous development project study, we had no
problem arriving at the study site this time. Though our luggage
left under Swiss Air's care was charged extra because of the piles of
reports we brought, it was handled smoothly and it reached Ankara with no
problem, relieving all of us immensely.
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Workshops
Based on the Interim Report, in which the results
of our project study so far have been compiled, several workshops are scheduled to solicit
discussions from as many people involved as possible. One has already
been set to be held on the 13th for our Turkish counterpart, i.e., the
Turkish State Planning Organization (SPO) officials in charge of the
project. Following that, there will be the National Steering Committee
for all the concerned government offices, to be held on the 19th. Then, the investigating commission will discuss the project at the local
workshop of an environmental organization in Trabzon. At present,
preparations including making slides to be used at those workshops are in
progress.
Complaints about the
hotel
As this is our third time staying in Ankara, problems in
everyday living are inevitably to surface. The hotel we,
younger members of the team, are staying at is ideal in terms of its
location and price, but there is more to be desired about its amenity.
They don't transfer calls from back home to us, for they do not have a
grasp on our names. They are reluctant to get to fixing broken
showers. The shower in the room next door makes a
horrible noise. The air-conditioner not only malfunctions but also makes a lot
of noise. On top of all these problems, strange events annoy us; for
instance,
the front desk clerks cease to understand English all of a sudden once we bring complaints to them.
Japan-friendly Turkish society
Despite such problems, working in Japan-friendly Turkish
society appeals to us, members of the project study team. There are many
unforgettable memories. One time during our previous study, the bus
company dispatched a mini-van for one of the team members, who had missed the
bus for Ankara he was supposed to catch. He was picked up by the van
and taken to the next town, some ten kilometers away, before the bus got
there, so there he could get on the bus he'd missed. Realizing
this study has only two months to go gets me into thinking.
(Trans.:
TS) |
