Looking back, tea has always been a part of my life in some shape or form. After graduating college and COVID immediately happening, I didn’t really know what to do and that’s when I found Obubu’s internship. My thoughts during initially wanting to do the internship was “hey, you’ve always had tea in your life, you’re basically a matcha addict (and this was BEFORE the boom), why not take this chance to go and experience and learn what it actually takes to make tea.” Obubu decided to take the chance on me and that’s how I ended up here in the early winter months of 2023. Needless to say, I ended up having the time of my life and met some of my bestest friends and before leaving, I just knew that I wanted to come back. I wanted to see and experience everything that Obubu has to offer throughout all 4 seasons of the year.
So here I am, previous intern #141, now back as AM #12. During my time here, I was lucky enough to be able to continue my baking and incorporating tea into it. I also was able to work on recipes for our future cafe. However, I’ll never forget being able to participate in the first harvest of the year and seeing the machines come to life for the first time. To see how much labor and time that goes into harvesting, processing, and the amount of passion that everyone has for it is something that I’ll always remember. In addition to that, to be able to experience the scenery changes throughout the year, it really makes you realize how everything truly is fleeting, and that you should appreciate every single moment no matter how small. Truly, “一期一会 (ichigo ichie)”.
The people that I’ve met throughout this entire year, the new memories that I’ve made, I’m so incredibly grateful for it all. I’ve learned so much more than I could have ever imagined and in terms of what life holds after Obubu, I have no idea. One thing is for certain though, tea will continue to be there in some shape or form.