Back at the farm

I have been back at Yamaai Mura farm since the 3rd, I leave in two days for Uto.
I am sad to leave here but I'm looking forward to seeing the family and Mom just sent me an email saying that I will get to help my great aunt on their farm and even learn how to cook New Year's dishes! I'm very happy about that. I can't cook to save my life, so I know Mom is very happy as well :p

It's been great here. Peaceful. Sunny...except for today and the first day I was here again...
I was a little down yesterday but today was super! Busy with work, which I love. Pumpkin harvest, rice shelling and cleaning up the chicken coup in the morning. In the afternoon rice sorting and I finished my mural.
There is a new WWOOFer here from Holland. His name is Albert. He speaks some Japanese but mostly we have been communicating in English which has been nice, suddenly I can really truly express myself again! I guess that is what goes along with using your native language.

After Pumpkin harvest we decided we wanted to carve jack-o-lanterns. Though it is already December, I never got to carve mine at Halloween, so it can't be too late!

Yesterday in the morning we got to learn a little Kyudo at a Kyudo club right outside Kikuchi town. Albert is in love with Kyudo and really wanted to try and Muto-san made it happen! I got to try it too. I was awful but it was an unique and rare experience. I liked watching the people who were good do it first:) Everything but it is so perfect and structured. It is more about the process of doing than the doing...very interesting.

However my arm was sore from the day before. Albert made and we ate hamburgers on Monday before Hiro took us to badminton. Eriguchi-san, who is the organizer of the Open Badminton has helped me out the last few times. He keeps saying I'm getting better...honto-ni? sojanai, da-to-omou...
But after practicing with him a little Albert and I hit for like 40 minutes. Then Eriguchi-san said I could play in a real game! They played nice to me, but I was so happy and thankful that I could play in a real game! I'm not as bad as I was in the beginning, but I knew I wasn't game-worthy. Still, so fun!

It has been so cold at night. I sleep with electric blanket now and I can see my breath in my room when I wake up. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Today after work Muto-san and Albert prepared the pizza oven outside and a campfire. We made pizzas from scratch and while the dough was being mixed I carved my pumpkin! Muto-san had only ever seen it on TV, I'm glad I was able to show him something:) We put toppings on the pizza, tomato, onion, garlic, sausage, pepper, shitake and...cheese of course! I didn't realize it but the pizzas only had to go in the pizza oven for like 1 or 2 minutes, because suddenly, they were done! I couldn't believe it! So then we three sat down outside in the night air and enjoyed homemade, pizza oven cooked pizza:) Then we also baked chicken a little fish in the oven while it was still hot...EVERYTHING WAS SO YUMMY! Then in the campfire we roasted sweet potatoes as well while we lit out jack-o-lanterns. I made on traditional face and a piggy face. Albert made a traditional face as well and we set them next to the door of the house. My Halloween!

I am very content right now:) Muto-san is sleeping on the couch after battling flies with fly swatter and Albert finished watching jujitsu movie from his students in Holland.

Soon it is off to bed with me. I'm listening to Miyuki Nagajima? (forgot last name,here's the kanji...中島みゆき) Mom, everyone says you will know her, she's from "your time" :p

Good night to everyone!!