Sansa サンサ

We started our work with loading sansa bags upstairs. There were much more left at the place where we collected sansa and put them into hamp bags, we brought back only some with us. Bags were around 40 or 50kg, I assume, some are much heavier and we carried them in two. Then we started cutting wood in proper size for boiler which we gathered while cutting off branches of trees around olive trees for the better growth, mixing chip and sansa to feed boiler and nailing wooden plate to the wall of the storage house. As Jan is good at building houses, we worked in two groups, Jan and Kim worked on the storage house whose both side wall were still completely open to cover them with wooden plate, Evelien, Ton and I mixed chip and sannsa for boiler. While we were working, cats and dogs were playing around all the time. It was fun to watch while they were playing together. Two very little cats were so cute, a naughty dog which is always trying to tease other cats or dogs. Sometimes Dutch members took pictures while we were working. Well, we may not have chances to work on something like that. It is a rare experience including me. Physical labor brings us less stress than office work, for sure.

サンサの詰まった袋を上の貯蔵庫のところへ運ぶ作業から始める。昨日サンサを集めに行った場所にはサンサを詰めたままおいてきた麻袋がたくさんある。持って帰ってきたのはほんの少しだけ。袋は多分40キロから50キロくらいで、いくつかの袋はかなり重くて2人で運ぶ。その後、オリーブの木がよく育つようにと周囲の木の枝を落としたものをボイラーのサイズに合うように切りそろえる。チップとサンサを混ぜる。そして倉庫の壁に木の板を打ち付ける。ヤンは大工仕事が得意のようで、我々は2班に別れて作業をする。ヤンとキムは開いたままになっている倉庫の壁に板を打ち付ける作業、エヴェリン、トンと自分はボイラー用にチップをサルサと混ぜる作業をする。作業中に犬や猫が近くでずっと遊んでいる。じゃれ合っているのを見ているのは面白い。小さい猫が2匹いるが、とてもかわいい。いたずら好きな犬が一匹、常に他の猫や犬にちょっかいを出している。時々オランダ人メンバーが作業中に写真を撮っている。こういう作業をする機会は自分も含めてめったにない。肉体労働は事務所仕事よりもまちがいなくストレスがない。

Kim & Jan @ work

With Ton

Today's lunch was risotto. We started our lunch time talk with rice issue. If Dutch people would eat rice a lot, which kind of rice there are and so on. Some years ago I saw huge rice fields in Novara in Piemonte which reminded me of Japanese landscape. When I told them about that and some of Japanese rice sold in Europe is from Piemonte, Sergio told me some other places in Italy where rice is produced.

今日のお昼はリゾットだった。そこで今日のトークは米について。オランダではたくさんお米を食べるか、どんな米があるかなどなど。何年か前にピエモンテのノヴァラで日本の光景を思い起こさせるような広大な田んぼの風景を見たことがある。そのことに加え、ヨーロッパで売られている日本米は多くがピエモンテでつくラテいることを話すと、セルジオがイタリアで米作りが盛んな他の場所をいくつか教えてくれる。

After the lunch we started our work, going back to collect sansa again with Rocco, while Jan and Kim were working on storage house. We took some more new hamp bags with us, shaveled sansa into them. When we were back with fully loaded car in the back with hamp bags, it was already dark and Jan was working under the light. We again carried the bags upstairs. My hand slowly started to work well. I was finally able to grab a big beer glass with beer inside last week after being free from gips, and now I can do much more. It is still very weak and cannot grab like with my left hand, I have to take time for the rehabilitation.

お昼を済ませた後、ヤンとキムが倉庫で作業をする一方で、われわれは再度ロッコと一緒にサンサを集めに行く。今回はもっとたくさんの麻袋を持っていってサンサをシャベルで詰め込む。車の後ろに麻袋を一杯に積めて家に戻ってきたころにはすっかり暗くなっていて、ヤンは簡易照明の下で作業をしていた。また麻袋を上の倉庫へ運ぶ。だんだん手が動くようになってきた。ほんの2週間前にギブスが外れて、先週やっとビールが入った大ジョッキが持てるようになった。今はもっと動くようになった。まだ弱くて左手で掴む様には行かない。リハビリには時間をかけないといけない。

Jan@work

There were some time until dinner might start. We gathered at dinner table and listened to the music in our mp3 players. I was reading a book or correctly saying I tried to read a book which I brought from home. Carmela saw me reading my book and asked if the book written in Japanese. It was a German book. I told her that it is true that with languages I was able to experience much more fun.

夕食が始まるまでにはまだ少し時間があった。テーブルに座ってそれぞれのmp3プレーヤーで音楽を聴く。自分はといえば本を読んでいた、というよりは家から持ってきた本を読もうとしていた。カルメーラはこっちをみて、日本語の本を読んでいるのかと聞くから、ドイツ語だと答える。言葉がいくつか出来ることでさらに楽しい経験ができる。

Maria called me from the kitchen waving her hand toward me. She was folding pancake and making crape and showed me.I stand beside Carmela while she was cooking and told her that I like really the pots she used for cooking. I carried cooking ceramic pots from Japan and we use them to cook soup especially in winter. Then she asked me several things, if I have my own family in Austria or I have already somebody. I told her that I am alone. It was quite natural for her to ask me why. I told her honestly what I had in my mind. She seemed to understand very well what I meant. I could have said some jokes upon her simple and honest question, but I did not feel like she touched my private issue, I felt quite easy to talk to her about it.

マリアが僕を呼んでキッチンに来いと手招きする。彼女はパンケーキを折りたたんでいて、クレープ作りを見せてくれた。料理をしているカルメーラの隣に立って、彼女が料理に使っているポットがとても気に入ったと話す。料理用の陶器の鍋を日本から持ってきた。日本人は特に冬にスープを料理するのに使うからと。そうしたら彼女がいろんなことを聞いてきた。オーストリアに家族がいるのか、誰か特別な人がいるのかとか。彼女に独りでいると答える。彼女にしてみればそういう疑問を持つのはごく当たり前のことだろう。彼女には正直に胸のうちを話す。こちらが言ったこと、彼女はよく理解してくれたようだった。彼女の正直な疑問に冗談で答えることも出来たが、でも彼女がこちらのプライベートを詮索しているという気持ちにはならなかった。極めて気楽に話せたように思う。

Maria@work

While waiting for dinner all of us was listening to the music in our mp3 players. Jan asked me if I knew Matsu Kaiko, Japanese musician, I said no. Then he showed me his IPod panel, it turned out to be Keiko Matsui, a Japanese female piano player whose CDs I like. I told him of one of her greatest hit album, and I also tried to remember the name of a Japanese Jazz pianist which I was not able to remember then. It was Hiromi Uehara which I succeeded to recall after some time.

夕食を待っている間にみんなmp3を聴いていた。ヤンがマツカイコを知っているか、日本のミュージシャンだという。知らないと答える。そしたら彼のiPodのパネルを見せてこれだと言う。ジャズピアノストの松井慶子のことだった。彼女のCDなら好きで何枚か持っている。彼には彼女のヒットアルバムを教える。そこで思い出そうとしたが上原ひろみの名前をなかなか思い出せなかった。

Dinner was potato with pork, salad and sweets which Maria was working for. I also saw nameko mushroom on the table, it was marinated with olive oil and chili pepper. I see several regional dishes quite similar to Japanese, I would never have troubles with cooking if I were living in Sicily.

夕食には豚肉とジャガイモ、サラダにマリアが作っていたデザート。テーブルの上にはなめこがあて、オリーブオイルとチリで和えたものだった。日本と同じような食べ物をよく見る。シチリアに住んでいたら食材探しには苦労しないだろう。