One month give or take a week

It has been a month since I came back to America, a month of traveling, visiting, talking, and questioning. I still don’t know what I am doing, but the best way to stifle the unnerving sense of doom is to keep doing something. So today I am studying, I am learning how to move forward in my life. I am making decisions about my future, and I am throwing things away.

I spent the morning sorting through boxes from my past, piles of detritus left from a pack-ratting childhood. Everything I threw away had a memory connected to it, each choice was difficult. But in the end I feel better for letting it go. Some of it went to Goodwill, some of it went to the landfill, but the one time consciousness hit is so worth the long term liberation from my clutter.

Go forth, do good things and eat good food with friends.

Peace and Love
Mike

NYC

Short Post:

I made it safely to the United states, Will Ferrel was on my plane from LA to New York, it was hard to leave ARI, I am going to central park tomorrow, and I am trying to get some sleep right now even though it is lunch time in Japan. I hope you are all well.

Peace and Love

Mike

The day before departure

It hasn't hit me yet that I will be gone tomorrow. Everyone keeps reminding me of my lasts, my last lunch, my last working day, my last weekend, my last foodlife, my last night, etc. etc. I gave up on lasts back in high school, everything is a last until you do it again.

I am taking the afternoon to pack and wrap up loose ends before my flight. The weekend was full of last minute trips and get-togethers with friends, and I am notorious for last minute packing so I have my work cut out for me today.

It will be hard to say goodbye tomorrow, but I will do my best. I like it here, despite some of the pitfalls of a community life, an "it's not perfect but its mine" kind of thing, I guess you could say I have grown comfortable. I will come back sooner rather than later, but maybe just in a visitor role.

To add some color to this post I have added a few of my favorite pictures, some may look familiar from the last slide show but I thought they deserved some individual attention. I misplaced my camera a few weeks ago so I have not been able to add anything new but this should tide you over. I hope you are all doing well and eating good food. This might be my last post from Japan (but it might not) so I will see many of you soon.

Final Morning Gathering

I have about 10 days left at ARI. My flight home is scheduled for September 29th at 4PM. By home I mean the US, I will fly to New York for about a week and land in Texas on October 9th. Next week I will be in Tokyo for a few days to visit friends and attend the 150th anniversary of the Anglican Church in Japan.

Yesterday I had my final morning gathering where I summed up my experiences at ARI and talked about the future. This is a slideshow I made for the morning gathering. It includes pictures from my year at ARI.



During my sharing I read my answer to the question "what do you do at ARI?". Here is an excerpt:
What do we do? What do we do? Where the hell have you been? We create change, we educate the educators, we share food (for a fair price) we plant we grow we harvest we learn. What do you mean what do we do? 1100 graduates in 50 countries across Asia and Africa, 36 years. What do we do indeed. We bring people, smart, educated people, pillars of their communities, leaders in their own rights, and we bring them to this little corner of the world. We invite them to come and live and learn with us for 9 months. We all live and learn about life, food, community. We learn about the three pillars, love soil, love neighbor, love god. We learn about appropriate technology; biogas, wind energy, biodiesel, bicycles, incubation. We learn about agriculture (organic and otherwise) , aquaculture, animal husbandry. We learn about the dangers of an unchecked global marketplace for small, ill equipped rural farmers with governments that don’t care for their welfare. We learn about pesticides and chemical fertilizers. We learn about bokashi and compost, why to spray milk on aphids, and why ducks and rice are such good friends. We learn about butchering and the true cost of meat, castration and egg hatching. We learn about the connection between food and life. And sometimes, we even learn how to laugh again. Sometimes, yes sometimes, we even dance.

What do we do indeed.

And with that I will leave you to get back to your lives. I hope you are challenged and happy.

peace love and good food

Mike

Hotel California Music Video

My friend Te-chan here in February and came back to work for a few weeks. While we were talking he told me about a video he posted on Vimeo and said I should check it out...he was right. And now for your viewing pleasure I bring you Mike Young and the Lonely Wintertime Acapella Dinner Singers and their rendition of Hotel California.

one day　raughty dinner at Asian Rural Institude in winter 2009 from tetsuaki on Vimeo.

cuts and bruises

Sometimes, the best way for me to gauge how active I am being is by checking to see how injure dI have become. For instance during my luxury years in later college I rarely had muscle pain, or cuts or scrapes or bruises, but in the earlier years I was generally sore and occasionally came up with some type of injury. Towards the end of college when I start running more and kayaking a lot the soreness and cuts came back, consequently I was busier, having more fun, and feeling challenged. Currently I have cuts on both feet, one on my thumb and a bruise on my neck and collarbone from riding my bike into a sign... and my other thumb hurts from a wrestling match with the baby calf. All that to say, I am having fun and staying busy. I have three weeks left at ARI and am making plans for my return home, if you have a place for me to crash and want to get together let me know.


peace and Love

Mike

Summer, guitars, and community life

Sitting still when you need to move is a bad idea, just ask that squished turtle in the road. Sometimes in a person, organization, or species life they have to make a choice to move, I just hope they make it is time. It is wonderful to work with people who are willing to make changes to their lives, their organizations or the future of their planet, I hope you are one of them. If your vocation has been effected by the winds of change that are sweeping the world now is a perfect time to change something and find a new way to serve the people you are working with or for, I hope you get a chance. If you have any questions, email me at myoung4142 at gmail dot com, or check back more for more thoughts later.

I hope everyone is eating well, I am going through the slow realization that I will be leaving my friends in a month and just how much they mean to me. I have so many great memories and friends here and will be drifting into the realm of those who have left soon. I hope to be able to do as much for ARI and my friends in the coming weeks and months as possible. For now, I am going to rustle up an adventure, I think we are going to find some ice cream... go get some food, talk to your family, forgive one for something and smile at a stranger. Hugs are important and so is food.


LOVE and PEACE

Mike

The Thing to Remember

The most important thing to remember is this; the world is huge, the problems are complex, there are no magic answers, but there is always hope and with hope there is a future.

Post #50

It's summertime here in Tochigi and it finally stopped raining. We had our rainy season which was all fine and good and it ended about 6 weeks ago. Then we had our second rainy season... and it was the unexpected, uninvited, unwanted guest at our dinner party. The second rainy season (I will refer to it as Ignacious) was the one that made our floors damp, kept our clothes from drying, encouraged mold on my boots, soaked everything, and generally dampened the mood around the place. We made it all the way through the first rainy season (Peggy) relatively unscathed but when Ignacious showed up, the party turned south. But enough of that. The typhoon seems to have switched course and headed East, the earthquake in Tokyo sent a few tremors our way and today the birds are singing and we are doing skits about gender issues.

This weekend I got back from summer vacation where I traveled up to the north island (Hokkaido) and met with Yamato for 5 days of hiking in the mountains at Daisetsuzan National Park. Twelve months ago I read a National Geographic article about this park and the pictures captured my imagination, I was not disappointed. The place is gorgeous and we had a great time. Lots of rice, lots of hiking, and a wild onsen (hot spring). The weather turned bad on the 3rd night but we were able to make it to a mountain hut and wait out the rain. Among other things, we saw a fox, bear poop, butterflies, mountain lakes, snow, and lots of clouds. In Sapporo, before the trip, I met a french traveler, Olivie, and he ended up coming hiking with us. I took some pictures and video, and would like to compile them into a short clip soon, wish me luck.

Leander and Phillip left yesterday. They were great friends and the last two volunteers that were here when I arrived. I am still getting used to that fact but I know they will go do great things, and I will see them again in the future. Our new Germans are coming in a few weeks so I am excited about getting to talk to them about ARI before I leave.

I will be heading to the US on September 30 for a retreat in New York then back to Texas. I am planning on visiting friends and family for the first month or two so let me know where you are and we can get together for some food, or drinks, or both, or kayaking. I hope all is well, go cook dinner with some friends.


Peace and Love (Love and Peace)

Mike

Dirtbag Altruism

I meet people every day who want to make a difference in the world. They go out and study intercultural communications, environmental justice, and peace making. But what comes next? How do you pay for college loans by talking about peace? How do you feed a family volunteering in Southeast Asia? How do you tell a story from a hut in the mountains? So many of my friends are intelligent, passionate people that want to make a difference, but in order to do that it seems that our only option is to vanquish ourselves to a life of poverty. Is there another way? What should we change in order to pursue a better world, or even a better community, or neighborhood, or family, or life and not be a beggar. I am looking for a middle way, as the Buddha would put it, a path between the extremes of commercial excess and abject poverty, a middle way that offers us peace of mind, good health, and a fulfilled existence. Maybe this is idle talk of a dreamer, but I have been pondering this for months and will continue to do so for some time. Maybe I will discuss this topic more in the future. Peace Love and Ramen


Mike

Utsunomia Community Cafe

In Utsunomia there is a curious little noodle-shop-turned-community-cafe that hosts a different restaraunt each day. Day to Day you could would into a cheeky college coffee shop, a fair trade restaurant or ARI's open cafe. It is a beautiful opportunity for groups to share their ideals and their tastes with others.

A local business owns the building and rents it to groups for about $20 a day, the groups then take care of their cooking, advertising, and atmosphere for the day. A student group at Utsunomiya University (right down the street from the cafe) is responsible for organizing the different groups and arranging the schedule, which is a great way for students to get involved in this project.

ARI was featured today and I was able to ride along to help out. I hovered between the dish washing sink and the egg frying pan just trying to do my part to keep the flow of clean plates and sunny side ups, it was great. As with most noodle shops/ local restaurants in Japan this one had an upstairs living area and another room for hosting small parties complete with dumbwaiter to shuttle food up from the kitchen.

I think they could add to the flavor and success of this project by renting out the living space to a college student and hosting parties/meetings for college groups in the other room, maybe opening up the cafe for concerts on Saturday nights it could be classic. When I first heard about the cafe six months ago I was immediately struck by its implications and hope to hear that one of you has opened one in the States before I get back...

I hope everyone is doing well, getting enough food and meeting new people. Life is relationships and we should be friends.

Peace Love and Music

Mike

Summer Thunder Storms

We have made it through the rainy season officially, now it is full fledged summer and a little on the warm side. Tonight are experiencing a nice little thunderstorm with lightning and raindrops. I gave a morning gathering today about non profits, entrepreneurialship, how to play the guitar, freedom, and the old testament, it was received warmly and I don't think I put anyone to sleep. I still need to work on writing outlines for my public speaking, but sometimes it works out for me without many notes. I spent the evening reading blogs about entrepreneurialship and non profits, there is a connection between the two and I think it could make a huge difference in how we look at saving the world and methods to get there. I hope everyone is eating well, go cook a meal and invite some friends over, Sunday night dinners are a favorite of mine and they should be a regular on your calender.

Peace Love and Thunderstorms

Mike

Guest Post

It is American independence day and the American contingent at ARI has organized a real shindig to celebrate life and culture. In this Kathy has rounded up volunteers from all over ARI to create a quintessential American barbeque with chicken, cornbread, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, chocolate chip cookies and homemade ice cream, there will be fireworks tonight.

We have a few visitors on campus this weekend including two former volunteers. One of these volunteers is my former roomate who rode his bike up from Chiba on Thursday to spend a few days at ARI. He was gracious enough to offer a few words as my first guest contributor to the blog, here is what he had to say (unedited) I give you Yumitaro Yamato:


Hi everyone.

I can listen to the music from outside and people chatting. I can smell the chicken being grilled. Yes, meeen today is July 4th. People are preparing for tonight 's BBQ. I know there were people prepared icecreams and cookies. These extraordinarily many flies are celebrating this day.
Oh happy day oh happy day.

On that note I am going to wander out to see how the grilling is going and listen to a little Eric Clapton.

Peace Love and Explosions

Mike

Lessons Learned

I have recently begun taking my life lessons seriously, evaluating my mistakes and trying to make steps to correct future behaviors. That might seem like a stiff and uptight wayt ot start a post, but it is a short post so I wanted to get it off of my chest.

This weekend I got a chance to go down to Tokyo and make a few connections. I met with my contact with the Anglican office in Japan, then got a chance to speak at St. Alban's about ARI. I had some trouble with my speaking in church but rallied after the service and got to make some good connections about ARI. Despite botching my speech I was treated to a great lunch with my new friend Tomoko. After lunch I headed to a natural farmer's gathering at my friends and former roomate Yamato's house. There was a speaker from Osaka, his talk was all in Japanese but I enjoyed watching his enthusiasm and our friend Maria did a great job translating for the two English speakers. On Monday I headed home with the participants who had been in Tokyo for a home stay program, I even got to drive the van. All in all a great weekend was had by all. More to come later.

Peace and love
Mike

Lazarus

Well I made it back from the dead. I spent the last 10 days with my head on a pillow wondering if I would ever feel good again. I had caught the crud that was going around the dorm. We are still debating about its vector but the best I can tell it came down through Steven and then passed through Yukiko to Edo at which point it split to Mahanaz and Leander (my roomate). Around the time Leander was getting better I had been reflecting on my immunity to said crud at which point I got a tickle at the back f my throat and knew I was doomed. It took me out right before it got to Mahanaz's roomate Ven Van. After that it went down the hall to Kina and I have lost track of it. The crud was manifested in a wretched cough, headache, congestion, and occassional fever. You can spot it in a victom when they are shuffling listlessly through the halls, eyes heavy and demeanor blunted. In general the patient will have slept too much but remained tired. The tell tale sign is the cough. After a week I went to the doctors and he perscribed a whopping arsenal of pills (7 pills 3 times a day for 3 days) and though some of the infection is still present my general health and life outlook is greatly improved. I will keep you all informed if there is another outbreak, be vigilant in your homes and drink plenty of water. Get some good food, visit some friends and take care of yourselves out there, life is a full contact sport with a 0% survival rate.


Peace and Love

Mike

Visit to Tokyo

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A few weeks ago I made it down to Tokyo for a much needed visit. The impetus for the trip was my long lost friend Maylee coming to Japan for a few weeks of work, and that was all I needed to pack my small bag and head down for a weekend of catching up and sightseeing. She works for a retailer that recently opened a new store in Harijuku (a VERY busy shopping district in Tokyo) and was part of a team that came down to help them get rolling in their first few weeks. It was crazy, thousands of people came in each day, so much that they hired a bouncer and formed a cue down the sidewalk.

She was working 15 hour days and only had 2 off in her 14 there. Needless to say I did not call her until 11 on her day off and we went walking around the neighborhood near her hotel until we headed to Yoyogi park for a Thai festival where we gorged on Pad Thai and Thai curries before heading to the fried bananas with mngo ice cream and other delectable deserts (my sweet tooth, already formidable, has grown beyond itself under the attack of so much healthy food.)

Once we had our fill of edibles we strolled over to the other side of the park to see what a Saturday holds for the inhabitants of Tokyo, and we were not disappointed; the park was full of picnicking groups, running groups, and musical groups to name a few. As we walked we came across a group that boasted a banjo picker, tuba player, and a beat box drummer, as well as a vocalist that played the kazoo among other things... they were great. We sat and got a personal concert for a full 30 minutes. I bought two cds, and I never buy cds. I got a sheet of paper with their bio and website information but subsequently lost it, but have no fear when I find it again I will pass it on to you.

After the concert we wandered some more, on a mission to walk the two stations back towards the hotel, and wound up at their store. The store was huge and crowded and I avoided going in, but I was still inspired by the dedication of the shoppers and their commitment to their wardrobes. We wound up meeting some of her co-workers for a sushi dinner then hanging out like hooligans outside of the hotel into the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and pondering all the possibilities of life.

The next morning I rolled out of bed and found my way to the St. Alban's Anglican church and went to my first English speaking service in almost 8 months. It was awesome, the priest gave a sermon I could understand (about a Rabbi and very long spoons) and then I met all kinds of wonderful people afterward. Most of the people I had met had not heard of ARI but were intrigued so we exchanged emails and are currently working on getting a group together to come visit. After the service I went and had lunch with to of the parishioners and then got a tour of the Ropungi district before heading back to ARI exhausted but happy.

Stay tuned for more updates on my shenanigans and the first installment of my food generation series, I am still working on a Thailand post and have two more talks in the works, wish me luck. Peace, love and good food.


Mike

ARI Update

Ever wonder about ARI? So do I so I got together some info for you in an update, read on my friends, read on.

We are into the full swing of the season, we had a nice day of rain yesterday that we needed badly. Last week we actually had to water our Kankong seedlings after we transplanted (note to those in the southwest of the US, they don't water here, much less have water spigots at each field.) We are heading into the rainy season next month so I can't wait to see what that holds.

We have 30 participants from 18 different countries (China, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone) 8 volunteers (US, Germany, Japan, Korea) and about 12 staff (Japan, US, Ghana, Philippines, Myanmar.) In April we got a new director, Rev. Otsu and he is settling in nicely, I have really enjoyed working with him and look forward to all of the good work he has in store for us. Along with a new director we have two new staff in the farm section and they add some spice to my life. Sanae-san came down from school in Hokkaido and specializes in livestock (she wears a sweatshirt from their animal reproductive program.) Good-san most recently worked in Afganistan for a year after studying arid climate agriculture at school, he works with us in the crops and vegetables arena and likes to go camping, we sometimes play baseball together.

I have mentioned the animals in recent posts, but just for good measure; we have around 450 laying hens, 18 roosters, and 100 chicks. I am not as clear on the pigs but somewhere around 5 sows, 30 piglets, and 40 growers (fatteners). We now have 3 cows and we are babysitting 2 sheep. Our duck population is in flux as we butcher the old ones from last year and continue to hatch ducklings for this years rice paddies.

On the farm we have transplanted most of our seedlings into the fields and it is an exhaustive list of vegetables but to highlight some of my favorites; tomatoes, chinese cabbage, leaks, kankong (I like the name), spinach, carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. From the winter we are harvesting strawberries (be jealous), our wheat is coming in strong, our onions and garlic are growing well, and we are finishing up the broccoli. On Wednesday we have the big community rice transplant which is going to be a riot. I have been assigned to the group that gets up at dawn and prepares the paddies, but on the bright side I get to deliver (read that as throw) the seedlings to the people transplanting in the field.

Everything is moving along well and life is full of food music and new friends, now get up and go give someone a hug.

Peace and Love

Mike

Has it been that long?

Can we just say that it has been a while since I wrote anything and I want to make amends? Cool? Allright, well I will slowly try to play catch up and let you all in on my stories, thoughts, dreams, and trials over the last few months. I want to warn you however that this might take some time and several different posts to get around.

I really want to talk about my trip to Thailand with my cousin Daniel, and I will very soon, but that kind of story will take more time to wrap my head around. It was an amazing trip, a wonderful vacation, and a challenging time for me as we traveled so well through a country whose average day laborer made about what I paid for 2 beers. The moral and ethical questions of travel in the "developing world" were my constant companions, but as I said more on that in another post.

I have been back at ARI for about a week, I am working on 7 and a half months in Japan, and starting to peer around the corner at October and wonder what the future holds. Various ideas over the past few months have included; a bike ride across the desert Southwest stopping at various bouldering meccas for rock climbing before stopping in California to see what all the hubbub is about. Or moving to Costa Rica to paddle, learn Spanish, and find a non-profit to work with. Possibly picking up a non-working motorcycle for cheap, rebuilding it and driving on back roads around the country for a while, enjoying those last fossil fuels before they are too expensive. Maybe moving back to Thailand to work as a divemaster until May when I want to head to NOLS. I have kicked around the idea of catching a job at a ski resort but I think the cold would depress me, the culture shock might be too much for my idealistic sensibilities, and I might get mountain fever and opt for a tropical beach somewhere. Speaking of beaches, the international sailing season starts up around October in Ft. Lauderdale and there are possibilities of paid crew jobs on boats heading out to sea... Along with my usual desire for the vagabond adrenaline junky lifestyle is my new found interest in food (Food Generation post coming soon) and my continued interest in saving the world, which should play a vital role in my upcoming adventures. I have come to the simple conclusion that I was not built to be a full time farmer, it takes a much more patient, organized, and down to earth individual than I, but I am extremely interested in the social aspects of food systems and their organization. So as you can see I am hopping gleefully from one idea to the next and not quite sure where it will lead.

The weather here is incredible, not too hot not too cold, the frogs are singing all night and the balcony view is starting to take on jungle proportions. There is a huge full moon tonight, which I am told is sending off very strong energy for everyone so go soak it up we could all use a little good energy. We have been having almost daily jam sessions after dinner as we gather around the couches with drums, guitars, flutes, and maracas and spend hours rehashing all the old songs we love. I have adopted the Myanmar-styled Lo-gee and find it extremely comfortable evening wear. It is basically a sarong that is sewed into a tube, very conservative down to the ankles, in the West we might call it a dress but in the Southeast it is the height of manly fashion, and I love it (pictures should be circulating soon.)

Tomorrow morning I am heading out to the mountains for a little wild flower viewing, so I will have to leave you with wishes for a happy day, good food, and good friends.

Peace and Love

Mike

The 5 Minute Talk: Procrastination

I was going to do this one about five weeks ago, but you know how it is...



Leave a comment in the blog or on the video if you have an idea for another topic. This one was sent in by good old snail mail which is always an option.

Peace ,Love, and good food

Mike

Pictures and Reflections

I guess vulnerability is a funny thing, when you show someone the cracks in your armor you show them a little more about yourself. In a morning gathering this week I heard a man say that when we are at our weakest point we are strong. Through our weakness we can find more strength than we ever thought possible. The last few weeks I have been in that hazy area of vulnerability, heart split open, hoping for strength. What I find funny now is that even when you are sad, and lonely wondering when it will stop, there is always hope. As we finish Lent and move into the Easter season we have a chance to focus on that hope and see it work in our lives. As I work in the field, and feel the sun, and see the flowers I can’t help but think about the resurrection and hope for new life. The spring is a beautiful reminder of hope, happiness, and love. If you don’t believe me just go out and listen to the birds, they never lie.

Peace and Love

Mike

Rumminations

Today was a good day. Today was the kind of day you hope for during the winter, and miss during the fall. Today was a quintessential spring day, and I loved every minute of it right down to the full moon. God is good.

Peace and Love

Mike

April

Well, I hit the half way mark last week which consequently was also my 24th birthday and the first day of new participant arrivals. It was a loaded day.

Spring is in the air here at ARI and that is a great thing for a agricultural institute. We have 25 new community members, all of our seedlings are sprouting, one of our sows will have piglets this weekend, the cow will give birth in two weeks, our duck eggs are incubating, and all of the fruit trees are starting to blossom. All of this to say, our life is getting very busy very fast. After the long lazy winter (farmers don't get lazy summers) this is very exciting.

Last week I spent a week working with a volunteer from Nebraska who worked here 33 years ago for over a very. Charles and I spent many many hours in the workshop repairing weed eaters, tractors, hand tools, small trucks, and just about anything else he found interesting. Throughout all of these projects he taught me all about machines and systems and how to diagnose and fix them. We replaced a clutch throw out bearing and put the truck back together before breakfast on my birthday. After breakfast I learned how to weld and by lunch I was welding the tailgate back together. He went back home yesterday but I will be a fixture in the shop now for the rest of my stay.

I hope everyone is enjoying the changing weather and finding ways to get involved in their foodlife. I look forward to hearing stories. Peace and Love

Mike

The 5 Minute Talk: Bread

The 5 Minute Talk: Bread

Thank you Alex for requesting this one. I apologize to those of you who actually enjoy my rambling, the internet and I have been in negotiations for some time about uploads but we have it worked out so hopefully I can add more soon.

These first few talks are warm-ups for me and I hope to increase quality and content as I move along. The rules are simple, one subject, 5 minutes, you can request subjects through comments on the blog, the video, or through hand written letters (thanks Hannah) my address is posted to the right of the screen.

Peace and Love,

Mike

Picking up the Pace

I have made a discovery recently, and I would like to share it with you my faithful readers and friends. I like to come up with new ideas, and I like to write, but it seems that the best time for both of these activities, falls between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM. So, when I sit down in front of my computer at 9 PM, my best has abandoned me and you poor folks (at least the ones that stick it out and read on) are stuck with whatever drivel I can drag out onto the screen. With this in mind I will keep tonight’s post short, and work diligently to adjust my schedule accordingly in the future. I just have a few points I wanted to touch on.

It feels like we have been inundated with Americans recently and I love it. We have had some great working visitors on exchange from Wasilla University in Tokyo (Rachel, Charlie, Brandon, and David), a bamboo expert and former long term volunteer from Oregon (Dane), and two world travelers formerly from the D.C. area (Ely and Savannah). The conversations have been deep and bountiful, the laughter has been common and relaxing, and the food has been shared by all. ARI draws some great people together.

The participants start arriving in a few weeks (on April 1^st no less,) and we are gearing up for their company. Last week we had 3 teaching assistants (overseas graduates) arrive, and our 3 graduate interns (Japanese graduates) came back from their study tour in Indonesia and the Philippines. It is starting to feel festive and exciting after a long quiet winter.

This weekend I went to a Couchsurfer’s gathering in Utsunomiya and had a great time eating Gyoza and singing karaoke with fellow travelers. After church today a few of the Couchsurfers from last night (Nori my host for the night and Megumi the organizer of the gathering) went with me to a climbing gym I heard about in Utsunomiya. It was awesome, the gym is part of a small non profit community center. There was a collection of walls in three different rooms and bouldering seemed to be the order of the day. I took some pictures and a video I want to post soon.

I have been having some trouble uploading videos recently this is rough because I have at least one 5 minute talk ready to go and a few more projects in the works. I am trying a new program to upload the videos so maybe this week. I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to hearing from you. Go get some good food and give someone a hug. Peace and Love.

Handstands in the kitchen

Not exactly the kitchen, more like the dining room but it did not sound as good. It is Sunday night and we start work in the morning. Last week was a strange one for weather with some warm days then two nights of snow I never new what was coming next, I would go to bed to clear skies and wake up with 6 inches of powder.

I am settling in to Japan a little more now. For the first several months I went back and forth about my opinions of my host country. It took my discovery of a really nice river 30 minutes from ARI and a random backyard full of kayaks to wake me up to the possibilities. I have since taken a new approach to language learning, started rock climbing and started planning a hike for May. There are some really cool aspects to the country and the people that I overlooked when I first got here. I don't think I have mentioned it on here before but before I decided to apply to YASC I had never really thought of visiting Japan. As such I knew little about the culture and history that I had not picked up from samurai movies. It just seemed to complicated for me. However, while I was re-watching Kill Bill vol. 1 today I started to recognize phrases and little elements of Japanese culture that I have picked up in my stay.

This afternoon we went to a local Ramen restaurant and then spent the rest of the day wandering along small trails and rambling through rice paddies. I have taken it upon myself to search out the best ramen and gyoza spots in town. For those of you that are missing out on this food phenomenon, ramen is not just a bag of freeze dried noodles and msg's that you heat up in 3 minutes, it is an art form. Ramen is a noodle dish native to China that has been welcomed with open arms here in Japan. They serve bowls of ramen the size of your head, and a very popular side dish is another Chinese immigrant the gyoza. Gyoza is effectively a wanton stuffed with meat and onions (or a wide variety of other foodstuffs I am learning) and pan fried, deep fried, stewed, or baked. They are delicious and I am seriously considering opening a small restaurant when I get back to the States.

This evening we spent some time trying to do yoga poses in the main room which led to handstands and break dancing. We have a boisterous group of Japanese volunteers who are getting ready to go overseas for 2 year service assignments with the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer organization (think Peace Corps.) They were my adventuring posse this afternoon and always down for a good time.

I am glad the video blogs have received a positive acceptance and I will be posting another one soon. Go find a local farmer or restaurant to support and enjoy some good company. All my love.

Peace,

Mike

The 5 Minute Talk: Community

Here is another 5 minute talk. I got some good response from the first one and I want to keep it going. I already have some requests for other talks so keep your eye open.

Peace and Love

Mike

The 5 Minute Talk

I wanted to start a new style of blog through videos. Sometimes I have a hard time getting my thoughts out through the keyboard so I decided to do what I do best, and that is ramble to a captive audience...my camera. If you missed hearing my voice this is your chance. To save us all time I decided to put a time limit on these videos and set some ground rules:
Each talk will be 5 minutes or less
I will try to stick to one subject
I am open to subject suggestions if they are posted as comments on my blog, the youtube video, or through Twitter. I want to really explore the space here in the new internet.

I want to leave you with a little prayer I found in the hymnal we use here, it is from the United Farm Workers

Show me the suffering of the most miserable
so I will know my people's plight.
Free me to pray for others
for you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life
so that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others
for in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience
so that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration
so that the spirit will be alive among us.
Let the spirit flourish and grow
so that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice
for they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us,
so that we can change the world. Amen.

A Rambling Weekend of Adventure

I had a great weekend. I got to explore the area by bike with the help of a map, and found some really cool neighborhoods in the neighboring town of Otawara. I went to the bakery and a local grocery store to buy apples. I followed a great green way bike path and cruised along the river until I was riding off of the map. I eventually found myself and explored some more off-beat parts of the city.

After lunch I went bouldering with Mitsuru-san our staff climbing fiend. The bouldering wall is in a warehouse district close to the farm. It is a long low wall that goes from vertical to overhanging cave, and there is a giant foam crash pad on the floor. The routes (referred to as "problems") marked with colored tape and numbers which helps reference which route is which. Since I am so much taller than everyone else that climbs there I have begun skipping holds on the routes, this is a constant source of entertainment for the other climbers. This skipping inadvertently makes the routes harder and thus brings everyone back down to my level. We had a great time yesterday on red #7 which I took from 9 moves to five making the last move a dyno (think flying.) None of us actually stuck the dyno yet but I have faith that we will next time.

Last night we went to one of the commuting volunteer's house for dinner and festivities. He gladly shared his collection of exotic liquors from around Asia and we ate our fill of nabe. I had a great time.

This morning I woke up early to go snow shoe hiking in the mountains with Ishiyama-san. He is another commuting volunteer and splits his time between ARI, his passion for wildflowers, and guiding hiking trips with the Shiobara visitor center in Nikko National Park. He picked me up around 8 and we met a group of about 25 retirees at the visitor center for a 3 hour trek through the snow studded mountains. It was very pretty and very cold. The Japanese seem to age very well and no one had any problems on the hike it was amazing. After the hike I got to visit Ishiyama-san's house which is very nice and complete with a traditional Japanese garden. I met his wife and got to see his photo albums of wild flowers. He has three large wild flower observation areas in the mountains where he has documented over 800 different flowers. He is a very interesting man.

Unfortunately, my camera is on the fritz so I didn't get any of my own photos this weekend, but there were cameras present so I will try to track down some photos and post them soon. I will leave you with a picture from the Organic Farmer's soccer weekend, we got to wear Japanese clothes. Stay warm, hug an Episcopalian, and eat some good food for me. Peace and Love.

Mike

Missionary

The Episcopal church wants to change the name of missionaries to "Mission Partners" and it has caused quite a stir amongst those currently serving in the mission field. An enterprising young YASC volunteer, Jesse Zink, sent out an email to all of the mission personnel in the field with his objections to the change and requesting other reactions. For the last three days I have been reading responses from all over the Anglican communion. It is incredible. There are people all over the place doing incredible things out of love and faith. It makes me feel somewhat lacking. But this email stream is highly encouraging and it just makes me want to re engage in the mission or "spiritual" aspect of my work here. As for the name change it feels like a superficial patch on a perceived problem. For some of the missionaries out here dealing with the title missionary is a chllenging but rewarding step in the mission process. Changing the name makes an often misunderstood ministry that much more opaque and hard to explain.

It is challenging living your faith so far from home, your friends, and comfort zone, but I guess that is a funny turn of phrase because "living your faith" requires faith or trust or love or that ever elusive peace. SO maybe I should say that the challenge is living away from home, friends, and comfort zones, and living your faith is what helps make it bearable. I have done a lot of thinking, and praying, and a little growing the last few months. Living here I can view current events from the periphery. Working with so many other cultures lets me see that greed, excess, and waste are not the exclusive domain of the U.S.. This has been a healthy time for me to see some of the broader conditions around. Granted there are some terrible terrible things being done in the world, and the folks at the bottom are quite a ways down there, but there is hope and love and all the good people doing their little parts in their little places to make it all a little better.

Just a little bit

"Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share
So send a smile and show you care

I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be surprised

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home

Going home
Don't you need to feel at home?
Oh yeah, we gotta sing"
Supertramp- Give a Little Bit

I always enjoyed the "secular music" worship services we would try in college. They gave me a chance to reflect on faith through music outside of the normal confines of the bible. I originally posted these lyrics because I liked the first few lines as a request to be patient with me as I prepare a good post. I have been going through several rounds of thought and not been able to put any down that make much sense. So view this as one of my interludes.

The lyrics actually touch a lot deeper than I thought at first. It could almost be mistaken for a church song really. I don't know the original intent of the artists (part of what makes these experiments work for me) but I do know that they are talking about love, and caring, and two way streets, and seeing the hope and sadness in others, and the way being in communion with others can make us all feel better. And of course it touches on the subject of home. Whether that is our final home at the end of life's journey, or the "home is where the heart is," or most probably the home where we grew up that smells like spaghetti and old books where we are most comfortable. You could probably draw meaning and insight from all three.

One thing that is amazing about being so far from home is how much you realize it means to you, how much it shaped you, and how much value it can hold in your life and building a community. We grew up in a warm home, with loving parents, and a variety of friends and family that would share meals together on Sundays. That kind of home, I am learning, is harder to find these days, which makes me so much more grateful for those people who helped shape mine, namely my parents. I love you guys. A subject that has come up a lot around here is community and home and what that means or how you can nurture it. I have become increasingly aware of the people and places that I think of as home.

I have heard from some great friends since I started this journey and hope to continue hearing from them. It has been a blessing to know that people are following this journey through my blog. They have brought up questions, and encouraged my growth. I hope to address some of these and open some avenues for future discussion. Most notably I want to give a shout out to my long lost friend Chris Bailey in the cold stark library in Chicago, and Daniel Brown in Maryland as he learns how to fix big machines. I hope everyone is well and I look forward to sharing food with you someday. Peace and love.


Mike