Day.2　June 14th A.M.,Medyka

Second day.
I wake up to the sound of church bells beyond the railway tracks. 7 o'clock. It's drizzling and chilly.

I prepare myself and quickly discuss today's plans while drinking tea. I will make preparations to go to Ukraine by buying fresh groceries in the neighboring town of Shemishir, which is a 20-minute drive away, and loading the warehouse supplies.

First, I will check the inventory of supplies at Warehouse 89 and exchange them with the goods loaded in the van.

Within the premises of the warehouse, there are several abandoned cars, and there are people who stay overnight in them. This area is near the border, and besides the warehouse and a shop for truck drivers, there is not much else. It is said that from March to June 2022, about 25,000 people per day, totaling approximately 3 million people, passed through Medica.

Warehouse "89" is filled with supplies sent from the UK, Denmark, and Finland to ABW. The supplies managed at 89 are broadly divided into three categories:

"Essential medical supplies that are immediately needed"
Canned and bottled goods, wheat flour, sugar, salt
Items that are not immediately needed but will be necessary later (such as winter clothing)

Although there is no specific inventory list, it seems that Simon has a rough idea of "what is stored and how many of each item" in his mind.

We quickly organize the warehouse and head out for grocery shopping for fresh produce.
The parking lot we use is paid, so there is a gate.
There is a gatekeeper at the gate who manually opens and closes it for us.
Both Simon and Travis are already familiar with this gatekeeper, and when they greet him with, "Hey! We're going shopping!" he opens the gate for them.
There are three shops and a small supermarket around the gate.
People traveling from Poland to Ukraine and from Ukraine to Poland have gathered in the vicinity of the gate.

As you exit onto National Route 28, you will come across a long line of vehicles. There are trucks, buses, and passenger cars. This morning, you can visually estimate around 200 vehicles.

There are four checkpoints for vehicles traveling from Poland to Ukraine. Truck drivers must show their cargo manifests to the inspectors and undergo inspections, which takes approximately 20 minutes per vehicle.

The first place they stopped at was the "Sign Shop," where Simon started negotiating to buy rolls of cutting sheets for wrapping the new car. Since he didn't understand English well, he used an app for translation and interpretation.

The negotiation was successful. Simon's strength lies in his negotiation skills, as he effectively communicates his needs, confirms the other party's situation, and aligns mutual benefits to reach a satisfying outcome.

We will pay in cash, so we head to the nearby ATM.
The currency in Poland is called Zloty (PLN), with 1 PLN being approximately 35 yen.

We withdraw some money and have brunch at McDonald's.
Simon tells me about the first few days he spent at Medica.
The days were freezing, with temperatures dropping to -13°C, and they had to rest in the car.
He describes the various chaos they witnessed at the border.

You can get a glimpse of the situation at that time from this report. We stayed at the location shown in this video.

Mission Ukraine was live. | By Mission Ukraine | Facebook

As I enjoy a hamburger and a shake at McDonald's, I listen to the story from a year ago. It all started with just one person sleeping in the car, but gradually, more companions joined, leading to the present day.

I have a tendency to perceive events from the perspective of leadership development and organizational development since it is my profession. Simon, too, started off as just one person (with the help of Sally, of course). Gradually, more companions joined, and this time, I joined as well.

The events that unfolded in this video and my ability to participate in this endeavor are similar. Simon started dancing, followed by Sally and Travis. I learned the dance moves and documented them in this text. Now, as you read this text, you will pass on the dance moves to someone else.

"Recovery support" can be understood in various ways, but the actions we take are simple. It's about teaching the dance moves (in this context, it could mean volunteering, reaching out to people facing difficulties in our immediate surroundings, making donations, or even sharing this article). I am reminded once again of the importance of teaching others the dance moves.

Simply saying "Help me" is not enough. There are different stages, from the early phase of showing others "This is how we help, watch me," to the middle phase of thinking, "Okay, how can I make it easier for others to understand?" and the later phase of contemplating, "How can I nurture the next leaders through my own actions?"

Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly realize that it's already past noon.