[Noisebridge-discuss] update - project help-Japan

[Frantisek Apfelbeck]

Hi to all! This email is especially for the people who supported me materially 
and also in many other ways to be able to go to Japan in person and help there 
as I can, I really appreciate it!  As you know, up to now I've been able to 
collect considerable amount of resources totalling now at $881. I've been now 
preparing a simple plan what I would like to do in Japan based on resources 
which I've obtained. Here is a simple bullet point summary:   1) at the 
beginning of May arrive to Japan by plain and get in touch with the hacker 
movement around Tokyo in person and get updated on their involvement in the 
projects related to Sendai/Tohaku tsunami disaster (3-6 days) 2) leave Tokyo and 
go back packing to see and document the area of Sendai/Tohaku tsunami disaster 
and establish some personal contacts (7-14 days) 3 - a) return to Tokyo and help 
hackers with their projects which are connected to the disaster (40-60 days)   - 
b) find a spot in the disaster zone and help mostly physically in any reasonable 
manner which I can to the survivals (40-60 days) 4) continuously report on my 
activities as the technology allows (whole time) 5) return to Europe and tour 
Europe and possibly Central and Northern America and present my experience with 
my stay in Japan and prepare a program for my return to Japan for a longer 
period of time (half year to year and half). I want to be involved in the field 
of biotechnology, especially in food hacking and fermentations and 
simultaneously I've to work on my health (body posture), continuing with 
learning of the language is essential.  Well this is the plan nice and simple. 
There may be changes but it will be around the goal of helping to or in the 
disaster stricken areas, surviving on minimum.  Now the financial part of this 
effort.  Based on the plan above I've prepared a proposal how I want to use the 
resources which I've got and how much more I need to generate to carry out this 
activity.  I've received a permission from part of the supporters to use the 
money based on my own judgement, however I would like to make it as open as 
possible so please read on!  I need to gain more resources so I can not just get 
a fly ticked (around $800) but I can also feed myself when on the place (see 
below). I would like to  spend April preparing for the trip using around $150, 
which means $5 per day (30x) budget to be able to work on the preparations 
(contacting organizations in questions, studying Japanese etc.). It would be 
very handy to use additional $200 to generate more resources meaning to cover 
this investment and get more from it by doing presentations, workshops you know 
the usual staff which I do to gain resources, before I leave at the beginning of 
May.  Once on the place I should be able to survive on $5 per day which means 
for two months and half more or less $375. As a citizen of Czech Republic I have 
to pay health insurance of $60 per month, which should be than for two and half 
months $150. This insurance is not going to cover me in Japan at all, it covers 
me just and only at Europe Union but I've to pay it because of the law. I'm 
searching of some suitable insurance for Japan but it doesn't look very 
positive. I would like to have a back up of $200 for emergencies. I want to 
leave before 10 of May because I think that the  time is ready.   Therefore the 
summary of the budget:  received until 14/3/2011 in donations  received $881  
asking to invest during the preparation phase  investment $350  return ticket to 
Japan  investment $770  resources needed to survive in Japan for two and half 
months  investment $550  emergency back up  investment $200  TOTAL GAINED  $881  
TOTAL NEEDED  $1870  LEFT TO OBTAIN  $989  Please let me know what do you think 
about this plan, it seems to me doable. The finances are a bit tight but I think 
that I will manage and I'm quite pretty sure that I can obtain the rest of the 
resources needed, hopefully all before I leave.  From Kout na Sumave (my home 
village),  Sincerely,  Frantisek    More info at  
https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Direct_Disaster_Response_to_Japan