On Saturday, June 20, our students departed for a new host family and a new setting to begin their Service Term, the second half of SST. Stay tuned for more updates about the communities in which the students are living and the volunteer work they're doing with nonprofits, community organizations, and municipal governments!
News
Travel and Day 1
May 05 2023
Peace pole outside of the community building.
After a long 16hrs of flights and another 6hrs to get to our destination our tired and jet lagged crew made it to ARI in Nasushiobara, Japan. It was a long 24hrs of travel door to door, but we were blessed to have no delays and everything went perfect for the trip.
DAY 1
Looking over the fields of wheat and vegetables with Mt. Nyoho in the background.
We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise and it revealed a gorgeous countryside location that was hidden from us in the
darkness of our arrival. Today (which was actually Friday for us) was mostly us getting oriented to ARI, our accommodations, touring the farm facilities and getting to know the participants. Getting the tour really gave us a perspective of how big of an institute this is and how much they are doing to create an organic and sustainable food system. The students were asking great questions and were engaged in what ARI is all about. It is truly impressive.
Another great aspect of ARI is how everyone eats every meal together and over 90% of the food comes from their own farm. The food is amazing and so so good.
Looking at the way ARI plants and harvests rice.
We are looking forward to getting started with filming and telling the stories we are surrounded by. In the meantime we will be practicing our ping pong and karaoke skills for the activities the volunteers have prepared for us. We will make sure to document this for posterity.
– Kyle Hufford
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