Working with JAR this week

I am really excited to be going up to Hanamaki in the Iwate prefecture to volunteer with JAR this week. I went to their first information session after they came to our class a few weeks ago and signed up immediately, but as of a few days ago I had not heard back from them, so I had begun to make other plans for Golden Week. But, two nights ago a friend of mine and I were both notified that we have a spot on the bus to go volunteer from May 2nd to May 7th. In my very first post in my personal travel blog, I had mentioned that I hoped I would be able to do some relief work upon arriving in Japan, but I didn't know how feasible it would be. JAR seemed like the perfect opportunity for me since they provide the tent/work boots and gloves/etc, which I obviously wasn't able to bring over with me from the US, so I'm really glad that it worked out for me to go during Golden Week. I will definitely blog about my experience when I get back, although there are a number of privacy issues to keep in mind as we will be working with refugees. But, check back soon for another post regarding my experience, which I'm sure will be both emotionally and physically demanding.