Hi everyone, welcome to my first AM blog page! So excited to be writing it finally!
Presentations first! I’m Marilena, AM #11, I’m from Italy and I came to Obubu just after my undergraduate program. I graduated in Food Science, and during my studies I had the opportunity to meet a friend from China that really got me into the tea world! From there, thanks also to my interest in the Japanese Food Culture, I had the chance to dive deeper into Japanese teas and the tea culture in the beautiful country!
And then I’m here!
I first came to Obubu in February, together with two more AMs, Nicole and Mia. It was my first time in Japan, and since I first arrived in Wazuka everything looked unrealistically beautiful! Coming from Osaka, I had the chance to see the landscape changing through the whole train ride and finally getting to Wazuka was a dream for my eyes.
So many things happened in this first quarter of the program, and time went so fast that it doesn’t seem real we’re already at this point!
Being winter, a quiet period in terms of tourists’ activities, we had the perfect amount of time to get our training and create special bondings with the people there: all the Obubu’s staff members, previous AMs Mac et Alix, AM Katrina, and the two winter batch stagiaires, Joshua (#188) and Eva (#187). Everyone was so welcoming and supportive, I feel like we’ve had the chance to build relationships that will last forever. I really love these guys <3
During our first official day at Obubu we helped with the reorganization of the Hojicha Fridge, the place where we store all our tea bags, and we used some of the old ones as a natural fertilizer for a couple of tea fields! It was a really amazing time!
While we tried to get used to everything and learn as much as possible, we enjoyed Japan and Wazuka a lot! We had a lot of “old lady walks,” as we call them, on the side of the river and we enjoyed the gorgeous Japanese countryside.
During this time we had the opportunity to enjoy our first hand rolling event with Kenta-san! We used frozen spring leaves to practice the hand rolling of tea for the first time, and it was such a magic moment! Experiencing the aromas of the fresh leaves drying on the hoiro as the hours go by completely changed my perception of tea! It takes time, care and artisan knowledge to manage the leaves and make a great final product. The hands become the main character of the whole process: they are the instrument that shapes and measures the leaves for hours and savouring that cup of tea at the end hits differently.
March eventually arrived! It was surely signed by the arrival of the new batch of interns! We had the Signature Obubu Super Secret Welcome Party where Eva and Josh cooked for everyone, and the last AM, Tran, who also had recently joined us, baked one of her gorgeous goods!
We ended the month with one of the greatest times, a barbecue with the Wazuka community hosted by the one and only Toshi-san, our mochi man! It was one of the many opportunities we had to connect with other farmers and members of the community. We grilled vegetables and meat and enjoyed creating our own sauces while chatting and yapping with everyone around the fire!
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