For the second year in a row, this September I returned to California to visit my family and to participate in the annual bazaar at Sycamore church. One of the reasons this trip is so important to me, perhaps more than Christmas or New Year’s, is that this is an event that gathers not just my family but many other families that are a part of the Sycamore community. Friends from college, middle school, and even elementary school have come to know that they can always find me working at the bazaar every 3rd Sunday in September.
It was interesting to see so many people, most of whom I hadn’t seen since the past year and to see how much all the young children have grown-up or changed. And it was also sad to remember the people who were such a vital part of the bazaar every year but have either passed away or become to ill to continue. Every year, the older members of the church start to grumble that they were getting a little too old to continue and couldn’t they just give a larger donation to the church than coming out to help.
This year was my 12th bazaar and there is one year that I remember when I was about 16 years old. It was so foggy in the morning that the people who came at 5am to cook rice and grill chicken could barely see in front of them. It looked as if it was going to rain. It cleared up a little by 11am but that year was one of the worst years ever. Afterwards, we had so much food leftover we had to give it away to 3 different homeless shelters. But that year was also the year that we made the most new improvements. One of our church members designed new tents that could be put together without hammers or screws out of steal pipes and we replaced the old wooden tables with new plastic ones that are lighter and easier to set up. People realized how important the bazaar is to the community and they made extra donations to help with these improvements.
The older people are still getting older but they are the ones who have made it possible for us younger members to continue in this event that has been happening for almost 60 years. This year they were very grateful to have 3 young people from Sendai come out to help and we always welcome anyone else who’d like to participate in our annual tradition.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Oct SHARE article
Sycamore Bazaar
サンフランシスコ空港に到着し、入国のために審査を受ける。アメリカに何度も行っているハさんは楽々通過。さすが！
ピくんは英語で色々と聞かれているようで、少し困っていた。英語という名の最初の関門を突破し、無事アメリカに入国！
「お～、アメリカだ～！」と言って、アメリカっぽい雰囲気を体いっぱいに感じるのかと
思ったら、それほど異国に来たのだという感じは強くなかった。私は2年前のインドスタディツアーに参加し、インドの強烈な異国感を体感した。アメリカはインドと比べて、日本とのギャップが小さいこともその要因かもしれない。
今回のアメリカの旅のメインイベントは、シカモア教会のバザーに参加すること。シカモア教会は、1904年にアメリカへ来た、日本人3人によって始まった。
シカモア教会のバザーは規模が大きく、1年の行事の中で最も大きいものだ。今回のバザーも1,500人の方がシカモア教会へ足を運んだ。
私たちはこのバザーの準備からお手伝いをしたのだが、意外にやることが多かった。大きなテントを建てたり、ステージを組み立てたりと力仕事も多く、なかなか良い労働だった。印象に残っていることは、栗まんじゅうを作ったこと。栗まんじゅうなんて、日本でも作ったことがないのに、初めて作るのがアメリカとはおもしろいなぁ。
確かにやることは多かったが、その分だけ深くバザーに関われて良かったと思う。どうせやるなら、思いっきりやった方が楽しいもの！
私たちと同じ力仕事を、私から見るとおじいちゃんのような年齢の方がせっせとしていた。日本の教会でも同じようなのだが、シカモア教会も特に平日は若い人は仕事でおらず、高齢の方が教会の仕事を多くしている。アメリカも日本も同じなのだなと感じた。
バザーは大成功に終わり、お手伝いをした私たちも、心地良い達成感をたっぷりと感じることが出来た。
シカモア教会とセンターの繋がりがより強くなったので、今後もセンターからエネルギーのたくさんある若者が、バザーに参加するのもおもしろいと思う。きっとシカモア教会の人々も歓迎してくれるだろう。繋がりは本当に大事だなぁ。
今回の旅は、全てのプランを立ててくれたサンディを初め、毎回車を出して頂いたサンディのお父さん、受け入れて頂いたホストフォミリー、シカモア教会の皆さまなど、本当に多くの方の助けによって成り立つことが出来た。本当にありがとうございました。
I want to join Sycamore Bazaar again someday. I’ll be back!
K
Sycamore Bazaar
As we were passing through customs upon entry into the U.S., Ha-san passed through
without any problems like a veteran traveler. M-kun has a few problems understanding questions asked in English. So, we overcame our first hurdle and entered America safely!
I kept thinking, "Ah! I'm in America!" and that my body felt like it was in America. But, slowly I started to feel less strange. Two years ago, I participated in the India study tour. In India, you feel a strong sense that you are in an exotic place. But when you compare the U.S. with India, maybe the differences between Japan and the U.S. are not as great.
The main purpose of this trip was to participate in the Sycamore Church Bazaar. Sycamore Church was created in 1904 by 3 students from Japan. The Sycamore Bazaar is the biggest event of the year. This year there were over 1,500 people in attendance.
In this year's bazaar we helped with many difference parts of the preparation, including many things that surprised me. We worked pretty hard helping to pitch large tents and assembling the stage. One thing that was interesting to me was the we make Kuri-Manju (Translator's Note: Kuri-Manju are Japanese cakes that are baked and filled with a chestnut paste.). I have never made Kuri-Manju in Japan so this was a very interesting experience. We did a lot of different work but I think that this helped us to experience the bazaar more deeply. If you get to try everything then it is so much fun!
We did a lot of heavy lifting with members of the church. But, even though they are older than us they worked much faster., As in Japan, younger people often work on weekdays so the main work of the church is done by the older men. I felt that this was one similarity between Japan and the U.S.
The bazaar was very successful and because we helped we also felt a good sense of accomplishment. Now that ths ties between Sycamore Church and the Student/Youth Center have become stronger I think it would be interesting for other energetic young people to participate in the bazaar. I think the members of Sycamore Church will certainly welcome their help. This relationship is very important.
This trip was possible because of S, S's father, the hospitality of our host families, and the members of Sycamore Church, and so many more. We are very grateful for their help. Thank you so much!
I want to join Sycamore Bazaar again someday. I'll be back!
K
サンフランシスコ空港に到着し、入国のために審査を受ける。アメリカに何度も行っているハさんは楽々通過。さすが！
ピくんは英語で色々と聞かれているようで、少し困っていた。英語という名の最初の関門を突破し、無事アメリカに入国！
「お～、アメリカだ～！」と言って、アメリカっぽい雰囲気を体いっぱいに感じるのかと
思ったら、それほど異国に来たのだという感じは強くなかった。私は2年前のインドスタディツアーに参加し、インドの強烈な異国感を体感した。アメリカはインドと比べて、日本とのギャップが小さいこともその要因かもしれない。
今回のアメリカの旅のメインイベントは、シカモア教会のバザーに参加すること。シカモア教会は、1904年にアメリカへ来た、日本人3人によって始まった。
シカモア教会のバザーは規模が大きく、1年の行事の中で最も大きいものだ。今回のバザーも1,500人の方がシカモア教会へ足を運んだ。
私たちはこのバザーの準備からお手伝いをしたのだが、意外にやることが多かった。大きなテントを建てたり、ステージを組み立てたりと力仕事も多く、なかなか良い労働だった。印象に残っていることは、栗まんじゅうを作ったこと。栗まんじゅうなんて、日本でも作ったことがないのに、初めて作るのがアメリカとはおもしろいなぁ。
確かにやることは多かったが、その分だけ深くバザーに関われて良かったと思う。どうせやるなら、思いっきりやった方が楽しいもの！
私たちと同じ力仕事を、私から見るとおじいちゃんのような年齢の方がせっせとしていた。日本の教会でも同じようなのだが、シカモア教会も特に平日は若い人は仕事でおらず、高齢の方が教会の仕事を多くしている。アメリカも日本も同じなのだなと感じた。
バザーは大成功に終わり、お手伝いをした私たちも、心地良い達成感をたっぷりと感じることが出来た。
シカモア教会とセンターの繋がりがより強くなったので、今後もセンターからエネルギーのたくさんある若者が、バザーに参加するのもおもしろいと思う。きっとシカモア教会の人々も歓迎してくれるだろう。繋がりは本当に大事だなぁ。
今回の旅は、全てのプランを立ててくれたサンディを初め、毎回車を出して頂いたサンディのお父さん、受け入れて頂いたホストフォミリー、シカモア教会の皆さまなど、本当に多くの方の助けによって成り立つことが出来た。本当にありがとうございました。
I want to join Sycamore Bazaar again someday. I’ll be back!
K
Sycamore Bazaar
As we were passing through customs upon entry into the U.S., Ha-san passed through
without any problems like a veteran traveler. M-kun has a few problems understanding questions asked in English. So, we overcame our first hurdle and entered America safely!
I kept thinking, "Ah! I'm in America!" and that my body felt like it was in America. But, slowly I started to feel less strange. Two years ago, I participated in the India study tour. In India, you feel a strong sense that you are in an exotic place. But when you compare the U.S. with India, maybe the differences between Japan and the U.S. are not as great.
The main purpose of this trip was to participate in the Sycamore Church Bazaar. Sycamore Church was created in 1904 by 3 students from Japan. The Sycamore Bazaar is the biggest event of the year. This year there were over 1,500 people in attendance.
In this year's bazaar we helped with many difference parts of the preparation, including many things that surprised me. We worked pretty hard helping to pitch large tents and assembling the stage. One thing that was interesting to me was the we make Kuri-Manju (Translator's Note: Kuri-Manju are Japanese cakes that are baked and filled with a chestnut paste.). I have never made Kuri-Manju in Japan so this was a very interesting experience. We did a lot of different work but I think that this helped us to experience the bazaar more deeply. If you get to try everything then it is so much fun!
We did a lot of heavy lifting with members of the church. But, even though they are older than us they worked much faster., As in Japan, younger people often work on weekdays so the main work of the church is done by the older men. I felt that this was one similarity between Japan and the U.S.
The bazaar was very successful and because we helped we also felt a good sense of accomplishment. Now that ths ties between Sycamore Church and the Student/Youth Center have become stronger I think it would be interesting for other energetic young people to participate in the bazaar. I think the members of Sycamore Church will certainly welcome their help. This relationship is very important.
This trip was possible because of S, S's father, the hospitality of our host families, and the members of Sycamore Church, and so many more. We are very grateful for their help. Thank you so much!
I want to join Sycamore Bazaar again someday. I'll be back!
K
Thursday, October 1, 2009
October Sycamore Tree
シカモア教会のみんな様、
お蔭様で無事仙台に帰れました。
シカモアバザーに招待して頂き、本当にありがとうございました。
シカモア教会の皆さんは、本当にバザーを楽しみにしているのだなと感じました。私たちにはたくさんの仕事がありましたが、その分だけ、バザーに深く関わることが出来たと思います。お力になれたでしょうか？
滞在中は皆さまのお蔭で、とても快適に過ごすことが出来ました。ありがとうございます。
この有意義な経験を生かし、残りの学生生活も頑張りたいと思います。
いつかまたバザーに参加したいです。
Dear Sycamore Family,
First, we want to express our sincerest gratitude for allowing us to participate in this year's bazaar with all of you. But we would also like to thank you for sharing your homes and lives with us as well. A lot of people go sightseeing in San Francisco but very few people get the opportunity to work as a part of a community to create something so special as the Sycamore Bazaar. We also got the chance to play with the children of the Sycamore Pre-School, go bowling with the Friday Bowlers, and form new friendships with the members of Sycamore. The experience taught us all a lot about ourselves but also changed the way we think about what America and Americans look like.
We hope that we are able to help at the bazaar again someday. And, if anyone ever wants to visit Sendai we hope we can show you the hospitality that we have been shown during our time in California. Thank you so much!
M, H, K and S
お蔭様で無事仙台に帰れました。
シカモアバザーに招待して頂き、本当にありがとうございました。
シカモア教会の皆さんは、本当にバザーを楽しみにしているのだなと感じました。私たちにはたくさんの仕事がありましたが、その分だけ、バザーに深く関わることが出来たと思います。お力になれたでしょうか？
滞在中は皆さまのお蔭で、とても快適に過ごすことが出来ました。ありがとうございます。
この有意義な経験を生かし、残りの学生生活も頑張りたいと思います。
いつかまたバザーに参加したいです。
Dear Sycamore Family,
First, we want to express our sincerest gratitude for allowing us to participate in this year's bazaar with all of you. But we would also like to thank you for sharing your homes and lives with us as well. A lot of people go sightseeing in San Francisco but very few people get the opportunity to work as a part of a community to create something so special as the Sycamore Bazaar. We also got the chance to play with the children of the Sycamore Pre-School, go bowling with the Friday Bowlers, and form new friendships with the members of Sycamore. The experience taught us all a lot about ourselves but also changed the way we think about what America and Americans look like.
We hope that we are able to help at the bazaar again someday. And, if anyone ever wants to visit Sendai we hope we can show you the hospitality that we have been shown during our time in California. Thank you so much!
M, H, K and S
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