Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your prayers of healing last month. I am fully recovered from COVID. I wouldn't say it was fun, but I was definitely blessed in that I didn't have to go the the hospital and was able to recover on my own. I also wasn't alone and had many people concerned about me. My Curves Coaches called me every week to see if I was okay! I couldn't imagine going through this alone and in a foreign country no less!
August was really just a month of recovery. The cafe was closed the whole month, which I am grateful for because it took awhile to regain all my energy. As of today, we are open again. My Japanese has actually improved during my time of solitude...or maybe I'm just so tired of being alone I'll do anything to talk to someone!
Blessings,
Elya
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We started out July with a hike up Mt Mitake. It was great to get away from people and the heat. We took a steep cable car up half the way and climbed the rest. We saw several waterfalls as we hiked along the river.
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My fellow TEAMmates and neighbors and I were able to hold our first Tea Time event with members from the local community center in Higashi Kurume. We had some treats (made by yours truly) and talked about what Japanese community values are. It was really interesting and a lot of fun.
We held our second Tea Time in August but through Zoom. This one was a more casual get to know each other event which was also a lot of fun! I really enjoy meeting people who live in my area.
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We had our TEAM annual conference on Zoom this year. It was almost a week of whole days sitting in front of a computer. I didn't always sit. I had to make cake during some of the meeting...had to. It was sad to not get to meet in person some of my TEAMmates who live in other prefectures, but there was still some good get-to-know others time.
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Mahoko taught me how to make a common Japanese summer dessert called Anmitsu. We made bowls out of a slightly sweetened jelly call 'kanten' which is made from a seaweed. We then made chewy rice flour balls called 'mochi'. Next we put them together in the jelly bowl with fruit, ice cream, and red bean paste. Sounds strange but it's yummy! Best part is that you eat the bowl with it!
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One of the girls from church is an artist that just graduated from college. (Her dad is an artist for Pokemon. I love that he has a Pokemon bag and Pokemon ties he wears to church). She had an event to draw anyone as a Japanese style cartoon character. I went to support her. She captured my sunburnt nose and cheeks!
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After having my likeness drawn, I decided to try a chicken soba restaurant recommended to me. So I asked Google for help. We're going along just fine until Google asks me to turn down a little alley that turns and goes behind all the buildings; no one can see me from the main road and there is an interesting looking man smoking.
Um, no Google. I don't do alleys with random men in them.
So I walk further hoping Google would give me another route, but no, I'm just told to make a U-turn. So I go back to the alley entrance to contemplate if soba is worth getting mugged over. Just then a family pushing a small baby turns down
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the alley. They also seem unsure and are asking each other if it's the right way. So I follow them...probably too closely, but safety in numbers, right? If a baby can go down the alley, so can I. Turns out the soba restaurant was in the middle of the alley and the family was going there too. It was really good soba, possibly good enough to get mugged for.
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