February until May
February 10th, after a full day of travel, Katrina picks me up at Kamo station. Within seconds, I feel right at home. It seems like I have never left. I am being greeted so warmly back by everyone (acting like I indeed just came back from a week-end in Kyoto and not 8 months on the other side of the planet). After an hour of unpacking I already feel the urge to go hang out in the office. “Can you?” Of course I will do a tea tour tomorrow.
Nothing has changed, same smells, same laughters even some jokes are still the same. “Wait we have matcha tour now?”. After speaking too fast I reevaluate my statement when I see the new cafe ramp.
The first month is full of readjustment and construction – as a Spring intern I never had the opportunity to participate in a Hiro support😊It is also full of great moments: welcome ramen with Tran, Katrina and Akky-san; the AMs arriving one after another bringing joy and craziness to the bunch; Kyobancha harvest and processing and so many other things.
One thing that will remain a very nice constant to hold to is that 77 is still thriving.
Of course, I cannot stop sidequesting – rice polishing included. Thankfully slot 1 interns arrived and joined in, seamlessly, in the adventures. Each with their own take has added to the magic of Obubu. It would seem abnormal now to walk into Obubu house without Ching cooking, Glenda laughing with Katy, Kenji making tea,…
Though, the word sidequest is slowly disappearing of my vocabulary and moment replacing it. I say that as it would belittle all those incredible memories that I have been making the past three months. Handpicking in Kenta Hosoi’s field, Mimichan joining the internship, seeing rice straw shading in Uji, Marusya’s Easter, Gorilla tea field trimming with Katrina, Kanazawa with Ambre, Yoshida Tea Farms visiting, George’s wedding (and tea lounge:))….
May 11th (the day I wrote this blog), the drastically different feel of early spring (much more calm than what I remember from my internship) is fleeting and the intensity of spring harvest is coming back to me like muscle memory. The colours and the scents finally start to feel like I remembered. As I touch the leaves in the factory I almost get flashbacks. This year, the processing nights are even more exciting and the shaping machine has become one of my favorite places on the farm.
Three months feel like seconds and a lifetime at the same time, it is very hard to describe the fullness of this experience that has just started in just a few words.
More to come!
