Do mandarin oranges grow on trees or bushes?

Today we went on a field trip organized by the International Office of the University. All the exchange students and each of their tutors went, so we must have been around 70 people. We were driven around by two buses. I felt like a high school student again, going on a school field trip ^^
The trip was alot of fun. We went to two temples in Tomiku and Aki in the mountains and then to a tangerine (mandarin oranges) picking farm. I have to add that before our field trip we had an orientation meeting for the field trip. As I expected, this consisted mostly of rules and we were told several times to be punctual. And in the course of this day, I learned that they mean it! We were supposed to be at the entrance of our Kaikan no later than 8.30 or they would not wait for us. We were supposed to be at the bus after the Zazen at 11.55. After the picking of oranges we had to be in the bus by 15.50. And they rushed us to keep the schedule! As Germans we actually should not have any problems with this, but even for us it was a rush!

On the way we had a break and the view was really breathtaking

- there is no such thing at a German "Raststätte"

On our way we saw many rice fields. Japanese rice is so yummy! The area around Oita has a beautiful landscape.

In the first temple we were introduced to a Zen meditation experience. We sat silently with eyes half open (not closed so you won't fall asleep ^^) and had to breathe in a certain way. Animals breathe quicker than humans and have a shorter life. Breathing more slowly during this Zazen is supposed to be beneficial. It was very relaxing, because the sun was brightening the room, everybody sat quietly, you could hear ravens croaking in the background, and I kept thinking "Wow, you sit in a temple in Japan and do a Zen meditation"... Well, this reoccurring thought might actually have distracted me from a real Zen state, but I enjoyed it. (^_^)

The temple where we will do our Zazen

The sun is shining brightly

He only spoke Japanese, but fortunately one of the exchange students translated for us Germans (the only ones who cannot speak Japanese!)

All students actually concentrated and were quiet ^^


After the meditation it was time for some lunch. We were taken to a restaurant called Shimaru, which offered a Japanese traditional lunch. At the entrance we had to take off our shoes. The dining room was covered with tatami mats (they feel so good!) and we sat on them at low tables (no chairs). The lunch consisted of several small dishes, which I love, because I like to take a bite of many different things. The main dish was tempura. It is a Japanese specialty and I was told that it was invented during the Kamakura (samurai) period.





After lunch we visited another temple in the mountains. We did not spend much time there, but I enjoyed the scenery and the new things that I saw there. I love seeing things, that I never saw before (in Germany) and that are new to me. Too bad, that we do not go there in November because then the leaves of the maple trees will change color and turn into a beautiful bright red.





Our next stop was a tangerine farm. When we got off the bus I wondered why everybody was covering their noses and making a face. In fact, it smelled like dung (as on any good farm), but lucky me had a cold and a running nose, which does not smell anything ^^ Yosh! We could pick tangerines and eat as much as we want on the farm. I also picked more than 1 kg to bring home and I paid only 260 Yen! And I also had 7 tangerines in my stomach, so this was a really good deal ^^ Especially because fresh fruits (and vegetables) are so expensive in Japan. I eat so many fruits and vegetables, so I spend much more money in Japan on food than in Germany.









I really had much fun on this trip. I got to see many new places and experienced new things like the Zazen and the tangerine picking. I harvested my own food today ^^ And tangerines seem to grow on bushes. More!

I uploaded all of my pictures from today's trip on http://picasaweb.google.de/Quinni2005.

All in all I have to say that I still do not really feel at home here. I cannot explain why, I think so much about that. I am worried about it, because usually I make myself home very easily and very quickly when I am in a foreign city or country. So this awkward feelinf that I have here is really new to me. Besides all the fun things that we do the Kaikan, the University, and Oita City have not become my home yet. I hope that will change. I hope that it has to do with the fact that it rained so much during the first week and that I have been sick for more than one week now, stayed home and missed many activities. I am really looking forward to the next weekend where we will go to Kyoto! Hopefully I won't get sick again.