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