yoshidamayuko I came to Arrupe this past February, and it was the first time I had been outside in five years.
When I stepped out of the Shinagawa immigration detention facility, I did not open my eyes wide because the world outside was so bright.
The rooms in the immigration detention facility had no windows, and I was only allowed outside for 30 minutes a day, so I had hardly been exposed to the sun during my five years at the immigration facility.
When I arrived at Arrupe, the staff offered to give me a tour of the facility, but I declined without a second thought.
Because my legs were already too tired to walk.
At the immigration office, four people live in a four-mat room, and except for free time, the room is locked from the outside so you cannot leave.
Therefore, my legs and back had become weak because I had been sitting all the time for five years without walking on a daily basis.
After that, I was allowed to rest for a while in my room. It had been five years since I had rested in such a quiet place. I am a Muslim, so I pray five times a day, and I was so happy to be able to do so quietly without worrying about other people’s eyes that I almost cried.
When I was called to the dining room for dinner, delicious-looking rice was waiting for me with steam rising from the bowl.
The main dish of dinner was fried chicken made with halal meat, out of concern for my being a Muslim.
The words that came out of my mouth after taking a bite of the fried food were,
“The batter is thin, it’s delicious.”
M, a Myanmarese who was sitting next to me said,
“That’s right, the fried food served at the Immigration Bureau is all batter,” to which everyone else replied,
“The fried food at the Immigration Bureau, I eat batter, and the fried food at Arrupe, I eat meat!”
“Arrupe’s fried food is the real thing!” and they laughed.
At the detention center, there were no raw vegetables and no fruits, so we all laughed and had a happy time eating delicious fried food, vegetables, and fruits for the first time in a long time.
For a while after arriving at Arrupe, I was in such a state of excitement…
The lush green environment of Arrupe also seemed to shine for me, having spent all my life surrounded by concrete walls, and I felt really happy to be able to meet various people and eat delicious food with happy friends.
After five years in the immigration office, where I could not do such natural things as seeing greenery, eating good food, and talking with my friends, I was able to get out, but there are still friends who are working hard in the immigration office to make such days go by.
For the sake of those friends and the supporters who helped me get out of the immigration detention center, I will first work with my friends at Arrupe and do my best here.
(This story is edited by our staff based on Indonesian H’s story)