I leave for Japan in 20 days.
So, I'm a little nervous, but also really excited. Laura and I have been shopping around looking for gifts for all the people we're going to meet in Japan. They love anything with English on it or items from one's hometown or university.
I haven't begun packing yet.
Meanwhile, everything else is going well. My last day of work for the year was the 17th, so I'm enjoying some time off.
Laura and I have been helping our friends KC and Cleo build their house. Check it out! (Just keep clicking more pictures from the building of Great Determination.) KC is a Zen nun (our Zen teacher,) and she and her partner are building an earth bag house. It's pretty small- 18'x24' I think she said the dimensions are- but pretty labor intensive. Basically, we fill plastic woven bags with coffee cans of dirt (Hocking River sand to be exact,) add water, fold up the top, and lay the enormously heavy bags down on the row. By "lay" I mean "guide as they fall" as it takes two or three people to actually lift a bag. It's been hard work, and the weather hasn't helped much as it's been 90+ºF and storming by turns. The good news is we're at the 16th row, which I'd say is around 10 feet tall. Laura's so cute- she prepares a picnic every time we go, and of course KC and Cleo and whoever else is helping are so grateful. I really looked forward to the days we made the trek out there (their house is about half an hour away and up some twisty country roads.) The area is gorgeous; wildflowers blooming all over the place, a chorus of birds and cicadas to accent the absolute quiet, great green open fields- it's quite amazing. The work may be hard, but it produces tangible results, so it's really fulfilling. One of the best parts is the end of the day when we all get to sit down and share a meal and look at what we've accomplished. I'm sad, though only a little, that they'll be done when I return to Athens.
I'll try to update regularly, but in the mean time feel free to leave a comment!
-Jonathan
