Budding Light, Siberian Internment from 1945 to 1956

Budding Light, Siberian Internment from 1945 to 1956

In the Siberian winter, when snow and ice covered everything, all I could think about was living. After the war ended, I was sent to the distant lands of the former Soviet Union, where I was exposed to cold and hunger every day. Rations were scarce, and we had to be creative in order to stay alive. One day, he came up with the idea of wrapping dried soybeans in cloth, soaking them in water, and warming them with body heat. Three days later, a white sprout peeked through a gap in the cloth. It was indeed a sprout of life.

His friends cheered when they saw it. The tiny buds that grew even in the cold were hope itself. The sprouts, which could be eaten without fire, saved fuel and provided vitamin C. One of the Russian soldiers remarked in surprise. The Japanese grow beans in such cold weather? I silently smiled. I was just trying to keep my wits about me to survive.

This ingenuity was a symbol of our will to live, a small miracle that bloomed in a land of extremes. The bean sprout was a ray of light that shone through the harsh life of internment. I still cannot forget the brilliance of that sprout.