Before Obubu
Since my early adulthood, I have been searching for something to do with my life. I tried vet studies, literature studies, restaurant shifts, teaching English,… But I kind of felt empty, which led me to depression and later to the hospital.
After a month in the hospital I knew that I needed to try something new, to do something I would wake up for. I sat down and wrote about my passions and my interests. I love to travel, I love tea and I love Japan so I began to think about doing something related to this. My fiance helped me examine the internet and we finally found Obubu’s internship program.
At first I was scared because it meant leaving my whole life (and my cats) in Belgium while I took a break from it but my fiance, my family and my psychiatrist insisted so I applied in August. The following months were full of stress because I did not have any plan B. I knew that I could work in a Tea shop for the christmas season but after this it was Obubu or something I would have needed to figure out at the last minute. Not to say that when I got the acceptance mail I was so relieved.
During Obubu
The first thing I want to talk about during this adventure is the link it creates between people from different backgrounds, different ages and different visions of life.
On my arrival day, Kenji, Doug and Katy were already in the Hojicha house and their introduction was so funny that I instantly felt relieved and happy to be there. I will never thank them enough for this.
I could talk a lot about our first week, the discovery of Wazuka, the grocery stop and Myiako but also the trauma that Plant caused (it’s not for the weak). This week we ate together every night, prepared some communal meals and laughed while drinking some beers. It was like we were all meant to be there, to meet each other. As if Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会) was meant for this exact moment. We grew stronger together, learned how to do things the Obubu’s way,… They also needed to wake me up some mornings because I was too jet lagged to earn my alarm. I am really glad that I can call them my friends.
There were some nights where the homesickness hurt, where I missed home and the cats so much but there was always someone to talk to. I especially want to thank DJ and Trey for how much they took care of me. A good example is when I got hit by a car in Kyoto, DJ took care of me all afternoon after the crash and Trey helped me with my wounds every evening. I felt so good feeling at home thanks to them.
The second thing I want to talk about is how Obubu changed my perception of life. I worked a lot here (until ending in an ambulance) but it never felt like hard work. I realized here that I can work hard without making it feel like work if I was enjoying what I was doing.
I have so many good memories here :
- Some evening in Hojicha or Obubu house
- George and Moe’s wedding
- Tea Tour with amazing guests
- My first farming with Garachan and Akky San
- The Hama Sushi evenings with Trey
- The karaoke nights with DJ
- The Osaka break with Doug
- Music car trips with Katrina
I thank everyone for my internship time because without them it would have been different. I made some real friends I’ll cherish.
After Obubu
This experience changed me so much that I don’t know how I will go back to my “normal” life. I am happy that I’ll get to see my family and cats again but leaving Obubu feels like a loss. I think I’ll have to mourn it a bit.
By discussing with George about the Wholesale program, I realized that I could still work with Obubu from Belgium. So my project for 2027 is to create my tea brand and sell tea from Japan and Korea. It will be my way to help bring Japanese tea to the World.
I am getting married on 18/09/2027 and I already know that Obubu people will get an invite and I hope it will be a good reunion.
