Ohayo from ARI!
(This post was written Friday January 8th, but I have had some internet issues, so I haven’t been able to post until now)
The group has been at the Asian Rural Institute since late Wednesday afternoon. Even though everyone is still getting used to waking up for 7 AM group exercise, the rest of the transition to life on the farm seems to be going swimmingly. I have never seen so many college students excited for daily chores as when we gather around the announcement board to hear of our respected duties for the day.
There is much to be excited about on the farm. Whether it is the curious pigs, the boisterous chickens, the wonderful food, or the amazing views, there is always something that will captivate you. Unfortunately we are not able to work with the livestock until Tuesday because we need to be in the country for a week before working with the animals. Even though it will be hard, we will have to be content without playing with them for now.
The bulk of our time on the farm deals with our daily chores. ARI labels these jobs on the farm as Foodlife work. As stated in our ARI training handbook, we use this word “to express the reality that food and life cannot be separated; both depend on each other,” and it is considered one of the three pillars of ARI training. This is an important connection to make because we as humans will be more conscientious of our food’s origin. It is easy to be detached from the meal on your plate if you are not a part of the process that lead to it getting there. These chores are meant to have us better understand all of the work and energy that goes into the food that we eat. Personally, in the three days that we have been here, my awareness for food choices and food waste has grown greatly.
These Foodlife chores can be any assortment of things including wood chopping, egg cleaning, and livestock feed preparation. These chores are about two or three hours a day, and we rotate between them throughout the week so that we can all experience the many chores that go into life on an organic farm.
For my first day, my Foodlife chore I was to work in the kitchen to prepare breakfast and dinner. I was a little nervous; as a St. Olaf student where our cafeteria is top twenty in the country and a child of two parents who happen to be great cooks, I have never had much motivation or need to test my cooking skills. When I found out that we were preparing meals for nearly fifty people, (St. Olaf students, ARI staff, and volunteers) I was borderline terrified. I really did not want to let all of those people down! However, the work that followed really exemplifies what ARI is all about.
First, I was not simply in the kitchen to be along for the ride. Each of us was put in charge of a part of the meal, whether it is the entrée or a side dish. It did not matter our background in cooking, we were all put into positions to contribute. ARI very much believes that the best way to learn is with a hands-on training approach. This allows for the students to demonstrate their thoughts, improve on their decision-making, and grow as leaders.
Secondly, while we were put in charge of our components of the meal, there was a lot of assistance from the others in the kitchen. I was put in charge of soup, which is probably the hardest of the options to mess up. This fact, however, did not make up for my incompetence as a chef. When I was completely lost in how to prepare my dish, there were many people who provided the much-needed guidance to push me through the times of indecisiveness. Everyone wanted to see the entire group succeed, so we helped each other as best we could to help reach that goal. This sense of community is deeply rooted in the philosophy of ARI. In fact, another one of the three pillars of ARI is community building. To them, this boils down to learning by sharing. This is especially important and interesting here because so many of the ARI students come from vastly different cultures, ethnicities, and faiths. In our Foodlife chores, we all try to equally share the workload. If someone is better suited for a certain chore, they are expected to help the ones who do not have the same expertise. This sharing of knowledge certainly from my peers saved me in kitchen, and I will do my best to help out any of my group mates when they are in a similar situation.
Thirdly, the chores are being done by everyone regardless of their status or title. The long-term ARI workers are doing the same chores that the newcomers are doing. The three Olaf faculty members are helping out with the chores when they have free time away from class prep and other logistical obligations. This sense of everyone participating deals with another pillar of ARI: servant leadership. ARI teaches everyone how to be great leaders, who, as ARI puts it, “serves and works at the level of the people, and lives a life that is an example and an inspiration for people to reach their highest potential.”
The final product of my dinner cooking shift was a simple carrot, kale and onion soup with some ginger spice. While it was far from perfect, many of my peers congratulated me on my work, which certainly gave me some much-needed relief. Hopefully next time my group is put on cooking duty, I can continue my success of not making anyone sick!
The three pillars of ARI training that I have mentioned (Servant leadership, Foodlife, and Community Building) are used to find the meaning of their motto: “That we may live together.” I feel this motto really struck me for a multitude of reasons. I believe that the roots of the majority of the world’s problems is our inability to work and behave together in a way that suits everyone. Many times, self-interest prevails in our actions. Through ARI, participants are put in positions to find ways to have humans, nature, and all living creatures live together.
I am sure there will be many times in our remaining days at ARI and in Japan that will test us individually and as a group. However, we seem like a group that is up for the task and eager to learn. We will just need to remember what one of our guest speakers told us: Gannbatte! (Good luck and hang in there)
-Eric Frank
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