"My cup overflows. Surely goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life."
Nick and I are extremely grateful for our setup in Furano. Our predecessors left us with nearly everything we could need: bedding, dishes, spices, hangers, furniture, a bike, a car, skis for Nick, art supplies, tools, sleeping bags, etc. Thus far, my two favorite new posessions are:
1. My orange bike. I will definitely take this baby home with me, as it FOLDS IN HALF. No kidding. I can fold Orangey up and fit it in a duffel bag to easily transport on train/plane/car. A special note of thanks to Mom and Amalia for teaching me to ride, and to Elizabeth for providing bicycle-inspiration.
2. I`ve already managed to amass a beautiful set of matching ceramic dishware. There is so much lovely (and affordable) pottery in Japan.
Our supervisor is an amazing, helping us negotiate the extensive paperwork necessary for my car, mobile phones/robots, bank cars, government paperwork, etc. He is also generous enough to include us in his family outings to the seemingly endless weekend festivals taking place in Furano. On previous weekends we attended a Shinto religious festival (with loads of free food/drink) and the Furano Food Festival (best tasting milk ever). This weekend we attended a neighborhood BBQ that lasted 9 hours and included games for the kids and lots of food/drink. Yesterday at the ski resort there was a huge flea market with food, music, hot air balloon rides, moon walking for the kids, and amazing views of the mountain valley from the gondolla.
Next weekend is a long weekend in celebration of `Respect for the Aged Day`. There will be a (assumedly unrelated) Furano Wine and Cheese Festival. We will, sadly, miss this festival as we`ll be on a 2-3 day hike in Daisetsuzan National Park with my new/dear friend Catherine. Fun!
I live in gratitude.
"We have one solid comfort amidst all this little tripping about. Our hearts can always be in the same place, centered in God, for whom alone we go forward or stay back." - Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy
4 comments:
You guys sound like you're having a fantastic time! Enjoy it! Every day I spent in Japan was full of mystery and adventure.
PS) Abby and I were in Portland two weeks ago; it was the first time either of us had been there. We had a fantastic visit -- and we gave the city your warm wishes from afar.
PPS) I have a few pictures of you and Nick from Ben and Kat's wedding/graduation spectacular. I'm pretty sure I've got your address, so expect them on your doorstep... eventually.
Excellent news about your orange folding bike! Will you post photos of it one day? I'm glad for the other women in your life who helped you learn how to ride.
I'm happy to read your news. Is all of this overwhelming for you, or is it happening at a relaxed pace that you can be ease-ful in?
i've seen those foldy bikes here in the netherlands too. they're really practical because obviously everyone bikes here, but if you want to take your bike on the train you have to pay money to transport it (otherwise i suppose the trains would be overflowing with bikes -- and the stingy dutch would rather walk that pay anything extra for a bike!). but the foldy bikes you don't have to pay for because they're small and can fit underneath your train seat. that is SO cool.
and the orange would go well out here too, since the royal family is the house of orange, and everything dutch is orange. so maybe when you move here next year you should bring your bike with.
i'm so excited for you guys. seriously. stop having fun now before you love it too much and don't want to ever come home!
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