FARZ (she/her)
27/SG
definitely not who you think i am


"I have come to love myself, for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become.”

- Joon

Thursday, April 25, 2024 6:40 PM
on healing from burnout and wwoofing in japan

been rather down in dumps lately (mercury retrograde please be over) so i figured that i owe it on me to think about happier times

is it just me running away from reality because being in singapore just makes me feel overwhelming anxious about life?

my wwoof japan days were good for my body and soul but the realistic side of the singaporean me knows it's not feasible (for me) to be a full-time long-term wwoofer

the low down in numbers
times wwoof-ed: 2 (first in nov 2023, second in feb 2024)
total days spent on farm: 30
farms wwoof-ed at: 3 - natsumi (tanabe, hongu) / sammy (chiba, isumi) / ogurayama (nagano, azumino)
range of length of stay: 8 to 12 days
hosts that were female farmer: 2.5
sole wwoofer to having fellow wwoofers ratio: 2:1
my japanese language proficiency: 0

the good 

  • wwoof-ed during autumn and winter seasons so the weather was not that bad for working outdoors for this sg girlie! hot and rainy autumn days meant sweat-stained shirts after a hard day of work but cold and snowy winter days meant wearing 3 layers of gloves to work and still having cold fingers??
  • waking up early and sleeping early (mostly by 12) - maybe is the physical exhaustion from working or the cold or the lack of wifi sometimes but going to bed and falling asleep was so easy for me. in comparison to living in singapore i stay up sleep late and wake up late (am i the problem huh?) 
  • i loved the daily routine that brought me so much peace  - wake up/breakfast > morning work (8/8:30 to 12/12:30) > lunch > afternoon work (1 to 3:30) > rest/shower > dinner (6 or 7) > sleep
  • commute to work was factored in the working hours as the farmers always drove to the farm which could be 5 to 15 mins away or at most it was a 10 min walk to the host house in hongu if we weren't working in the vegetable garden
  • the smell and taste of fresh tea/fruits/vegetables just hits you some (good) kind of way 
  • waking up to the beautiful mountain views in hongu and azumino just makes you feel that the world is so much larger than you 
  • the snacks shared, the meals cooked, the tea brewed - food really is the asian love language
the adjustments 

  • went from doing laundry every night with the washer/dryer to every other morning because clothes were dried under the sun outside to being very cautious to not overtly dirty work clothes during winter so i could rewear them if necessary cause clothes were hung to dry in the room (which evidently takes a longer time in the cold winter air)
  • love japanese toilets with all my heart so the farm with a bidet-less toilet was an adjustment for my bowels (but hey i pooped in a floating house toilet before, so what's pooping on land without a bidet?) 
  • farming is ardous - i'm not sure if i would prefer to squat for long periods of time (stimulates my want to poop feelings) or climb ladders and squeeze in between branches to reach parts of tall fruit trees (brings to light my slight fear of heights and falling) 
  • not needing to lock the front doors - this city girl anxiety but trust people 
  • didn't know family members share the same hot water in bath tub so i accidentally drained the water that one night cause i went first and i was on my period
highlights & experiences

  • washing cabbages in the cold while very much needing to pee 
  • encountering the following vegetables for the first time: soft daikon (such a bitch to prep), satoimo (thought it was potato but oop it not), chayote gourd (mild taste) 
  • going to the onsen with the host family on my first night
  • my renewed love for kaki (persimmon), pots of hot tea, and homemade popcorn
  • outdoor cooking and dinner at satsuki's house by the fire underneath the moonlight
  • got red eyes from sun reflecting in my eyes and having to constantly squint 
  • following tama-san to a folk dance class in matsumoto city even though i have two left feet and don't understand japanese but the japanese elderly in the class were so welcoming
  • singing karaoke without vocal backing 
  • hearing akio-san share about yamagishi-ism and wondering if a socialist society would thrive
  • the free-roaming chicks and chickens 
  • lunch at the beach 
  • going to the onsen with the host family on my first night 
  • listening to tama-san play ukulele and movie nights with the family
  • going to the community museum and then to the supermarket 
  • nabe dinner with sammy and her friend 
  • the cat at brownfields 
  • walking back home in the dark and only seeing as far as my torch would light 
  • coming across an usuyaki shop that was playing taylor swift 1989 that had the friendliest obasan who explained the different varieties she made
  • squeezing oil out of dried tea seeds to be made into a balm

lessons & reflections

  1. after working on 3 farms, i still cannot tell if that is a weed or an onion seedling 
  2. a farmer is more than just someone who can keep plants alive, you are a soil scientist, an educator, a technician, a marketer etc
  3. for someone whose family only sits at the same table for meals during special occasions, having meals at the dinner table daily was very heartwarming 
  4. there's something satisfying about cooking your meals based on the produce you harvest that morning 
  5. in awe of the self-sufficient lifestyle of building your own house, making your own things, growing produce just because you want to eat it
  6. organic farming is not a one size fits all solution
  7. you can be a sole farmer but you are always surrounded by the community 
  8. my dream car (if i ever learn to drive) would now be a kei truck lol  
  9. being in japan by myself made me rediscover my love for walking aimlessly everywhere 
  10. tama-san is around my parent's age but i feel that her life is so much more richer with the activities and people she surrounds herself with instead of just working....
  11. after having conversations with the host/other wwoofers, just me endlessly wondering if i am  singaporean enough?
would i do it again? in a heartbeat, always

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Sunday, April 21, 2024 10:35 PM
notes from a girlie with unhealed trauma

i'm just so tired (emotionally) this raya 
sick of the guilt from seeing people age and not spending time with them but i resent the enmeshment and want to be my own person 
sick of "putting family first" when i don't think it's selfish to put my needs first

so bila mak you boleh expect menantu?
what i wish to say
- what is this sudden switch-up in parents from no dating when you're a student cause you need to focus on school to when you gonna find someone and get married
- how am i supposed to go out and meet people if my grandmother and mother still treat me like a child, question my whereabouts, impose curfews and make noise when i come home late? 
- do you know how dysfunctional this family is? i have trauma and am broken i have no idea what a healthy relationship looks like. i don't want to have kids because i do not wish to pass down generational trauma. i don't want kids because the world is shit because of climate change and politics and 
- i don't want to have to get married just to move out of my parent's home. i don't want to go from my father's house to my husband's house. i want to figure out who i am, experience life and live life on my terms.
- if someone is not going to value add to my life - i don't want them in it. 

what i actually say: i don't want to get married. 

so what work can you do with your degree? / what is your dream job?
what i wish to say
- who says that what you study in uni = what you do as a job? my field of study was because of my interest and passion + i have many transferable skills. 
- is your company hiring? are you going to help me with my job search process if i tell you what kind of jobs i am looking for? 
- i don't know. 
- i have no dream job because i do not dream of labour!!!

what i actually say: (nothing i act dumb)


i dont know what i'm doing but i'm doing my best ok

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