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Without the encounter with Dr. Patch Adams on 1998, I wouldn't have done research in Croatia. On that year, I was in the USA for my graduate study. I was writing the thesis of how positive moods/emotions affect on cognitions or behaviors of people. One day, I saw the movie, "Patch Adams." I was shocked. Patch in the movie was proofing that my belief from my theory was right in real life. At the same time, I strongly sympathized with his way of living followed by his belief rather than authority or social norm. I had flashing and strange feelings after seeing the movie.
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I was eager to talk to real Patch, so I sent him a letter which consisted of my research content and my feelings and opinions about his way of living. Then, within one week, I got reply from Patch himself! The model of the movie, who would be very busy, replied to me, just an international student, within a couple of days. Not a couple of lines in the card, but he wrote in both face and back of the stationery. This was my encounter with Patch. I wanted to spread his ways of thinking and living from the bottom of my heart at that time. Then, I luckily got an opportunity of translating his second book, House Calls, into Japanese. The Japanese version was published on 2000. One year later from the publication, this book brought me the encounter with a movie director, Mr. Tokuzo Monden, who involved in the project of sending elephants to Croatia as a gift with hope and friendship.
Mr. Monden had chosen me as Patch's translator after he read my translated book, when he made a TV program called "can you hear our dream?" At that time, I heard the details of the ethnic war in the former Yugoslavia and the crazy and beautiful project of sending elephants with hope and friendship to people who experienced the war rather than food.   My translator and coordinator,Zeljka.
Since then, I strongly wished to make healthy society with people who survived the war, even though I couldn't be involved in the elephants' project directly, and I was introduced my current brilliant translator and research coordinator, Ms. Zeljka Racki, and could start my research in Croatia. Why and how people get connected is mystery. But after I am connected with people, I would love to create something beautiful with them from the bottom of my heart. |
