Day.1 June 13th, Tokyo,London,Medyka.

I wake up at 5 a.m. to my alarm. The BA0008 flight departs Haneda at 8:50 a.m. I leave the house early as I anticipate the departure procedures will take some time. The early morning Inokashira Line and Yamanote Line trains are not crowded, but the Keikyu Line is somewhat busy.

Haneda Airport is also somewhat busy.

I had predicted that passing through the security checkpoint would take some time, but I had already taken care of it in advance with the British Airways app, and I only had the bare essentials, so it took less than 10 minutes.

I sit down on a bench near the boarding gate and open my laptop to inform Simon and the others that things are proceeding as planned.

Simon Massey, born in 1975, is 48 years old. Living in Thirsk, about 200km north of London, he makes a living as a freelance project manager. At the end of February 2022, as soon as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, he drove to Medyka, a town on the Polish border. He has been based there for one year and three months, working with several NGOs. He registered Actions Beyond Words in California and has continued to deliver food and medical supplies to refugees and evacuees inside Ukraine.

Sally Massey, his partner, is a primary school teacher in Thirsk. She is dedicated to providing logistical support for Simon's field operations and fundraising efforts.

Travis Goode is a stage director living in California. He has long worked as a director for a non-profit organization called the Young Americans and is now a freelancer. He says he has spent more than 800 days in total in Japan.

The plan for this visit to Ukraine began in January 2023. Thanks to their cooperation, we were able to reduce various risks.

We discuss our moves after arriving at Heathrow in a chat, and while replying to work emails, the boarding time comes in no time.

It's a 15-hour one-way trip on a direct flight.

The time difference between Europe and Japan is roughly 8 hours. To minimize jet lag, I fall asleep immediately after boarding. My body is tired, and I've been sleep-deprived due to the events of the past few days, so I fall asleep in no time.

I arrive at Heathrow Airport 30 minutes late and meet up with Simon. It's the first time we've met face to face, after over a year of communicating through video, audio, and text.

We planned to move from Heathrow Airport to Stansted Airport via Uber and then depart for Jasionka Airport in Poland, but due to the 30-minute delay in arrival and the traffic jam on the freeway due to an accident, we could not make the scheduled flight.

We quickly change the flight and head to Gatwick Airport to fly to Krakow Airport. In the car, we chat about what has happened so far, the mission of this time, and each other's families.

We arrive at Gatwick Airport, pass through the security gate, and have about 30 minutes, so we take a break at a cafe. We have a caffe latte and a sandwich.

The flight from Gatwick to Krakow takes about 2 hours. WIZZ is a low-cost Hungarian airline, and as far as I can see, I am the only Asian on board. There are many Eastern Europeans, and I don't understand the words they exchange.

Both of us being seasoned travelers, we move smoothly from the ticket counter to the security gate, from the boarding gate to the boarding aircraft. Before long, an announcement is made in English on board that the departure will be delayed by 30 minutes.

Day1ガトウィック空港8

Day1クラクフ空港1

We land in Krakow after about a two-hour flight.

It was almost midnight local time, but there was a bustling crowd due to the scheduled pick-up for the flight. The temperature was 13℃, quite chilly.

We called for an Uber here too. The convenience of booking, paying, and getting picked up all through one app is extremely helpful.

Travis, who had arrived at Jasionka Airport earlier, moved to the base in Medyka by taxi. He then switched to the ABW van and came down to meet us who had landed in Krakow from Medyka. We communicated with Travis and agreed to meet up at a car wash along E40 (the national road).

The energy of these gentlemen at 2 a.m. is a bit unusual.

We head east on E40.
We discuss plans for the following day.
At 3 a.m., we arrive at our base in Medyka.
At the WDRAC, we have been raising funds, installing plumbing in the warehouse, adding a toilet, shower, kitchen, air conditioning, washing machine, and internet connection, and setting up six bunk beds. The place is known as "84 eighty four", located in a corner of a warehouse district. The border is only 200 meters away. Nearby, freight trains pass by frequently, even in the middle of the night.

Even us lively middle-aged men can't hide our fatigue from the long journey. We all start to prepare for sleep in earnest.

There is an ironclad rule at Casa De Medyka. You cannot use the bed without sheets, a duvet cover, or a pillowcase. With no windows and poor ventilation, maintaining cleanliness is vital.

The bunk bed frames are made from materials cleverly assembled from what was procured at the home center. They pose no issues as sleeping quarters. They're quite comfortable.

And so Day 1 was spent entirely on the move, and although there were some unplanned events, they were all within expectations. We were able to enter Medyka calmly and methodically. Before getting into bed, Travis showed me a small box and said, "Eh, Akira-kun. Actually, it seems that both Simon and I snore quite loudly. Apparently, it's difficult for some people to sleep. So, if you're having trouble, use this," and handed me earplugs.

At 3:30 in the morning, as soon as I got into bed, I could hear snoring. Perhaps because I was tired from the long journey, it didn't bother me, and I quickly fell asleep.