We’re back home, making new routines, but trying to retain some parts of the life we were so fortunate to experience at ARI. Joyce still makes brown rice - yes, even for breakfast, miso soup and stir fries whatever is in the fridge. She located Hijiki seaweed (very expensive, here!) to make Satomi san’s salad and bonito flakes for dashi. And yes, we use our new hashi to eat with. We’re also making more of an effort to patronize local farm stands.
We’ll post a few more accounts of ARI life since the summer heat, humidity and resulting general exhaustion kept us from reporting as much as we wanted to while there. Here’s a summer day in the life of ARI.
6:00 AM Good morning. The sun has been up since 4:00, it’s already warm and cicada wings are singing away.
6:30 Join the outdoor circle for 5 minute morning exercises via Japanese radio and the morning prayer. Meet briefly with your group to learn Foodlife duties. For half hour chores, Joyce goes to the feed mixing room for two months – sweeping the floor and breaking down Styrofoam boxes that held fish heads and tails and okara from tofu, which were used to make fermented animal feed. Bob goes to the men’s dorm to scrub the bathroom.
7:00 Foodlife time. In July, Bob and Joyce job share duties in Pig and Cow and Poultry sections. Joyce cleans manure from the cage-like farrowing pens of three sows and their piglets. Hose down the pens top and bottom. Mix feed for sows and make sure older piglets have enough milk powder. Bob turns the fermented floors with a pitchfork in the poultry house. Other volunteers and participants are working with us. We are so hot and sweaty by 8:00 that we choose showers and are late for breakfast.
8:15 Breakfast – rice, vegetables, soup, eggs, yogurt. Yea, chai! Group B dishwashing.9:10 Morning Gathering. Our daily weekday meeting with a mix of scripture, song and sharing. Everyone is assigned a day to lead Morning Gathering, so we gradually learn more of each other’s backgrounds. This is truly how we become a community and find the strength to do the work!
10:00 Morning work – Bob becomes computer systems consultant. Joyce settles into whatever writing, editing or photo research she has been assigned. Over 90 degrees, no AC, but a direct fan! Participants go to class. Farm volunteers (bless them) weed rice paddies, harvest potatoes, and do backbreaking farm work throughout the day.12:30 PM – Lunch – rice, soup, pork curry, tempura carrot tops, salad. We’re in luck, a birthday means JeanHae’s delicious banana cake! Back to dishwashing, Bob!
1:30 – Afternoon work. We go back to the office, except when the heat and humidity get to Joyce and she takes a shower and maybe takes a rest until 2:00. Participants have two hours of class, and farm workers are in the field.
5:00 Foodlife – Work in the pig pen is difficult for Joyce twice a day, so Bob switches with her in the afternoon. What a sweetie! Bob cleans the pig pens, and Joyce gathers eggs and cleans them. We may be the first couple who job-shared at ARI.6:30 Supper – rice, soup, fried tofu, vegetables, salad. Oh, yes. Yesterday was butchering day. Chicken feet! Last dishwashing for a week, Bob.
7:30 Monday- Prayer Meeting, Wednesday- Joyce’s English class, Thursday- Bob’s computer class. On Sundays at 8:30, we Skype with family. They are just waking up.
9:30 Main buildings close for the night. We fall into bed. The cicadas are still singing.