Volunteer work is making me rich!

Sitting down at my home this evening with my husband, I realized that all the volunteer work I have been involved is making me such a wealthy person. The concept of wealth is a relative one, so let me explain my definition. I measure wealth in terms of human capital. I may not be considered a wealthy person financially, but I have met beautiful people through my volunteer work and they are enriching my life to a degree that I never expected. I feel so lucky to have these meaningful human relationships, because they are the most important thing in our lives. Financial capital can give us temporary convenience and […]

How can people sustain functional community?

I recently visited Reba Place Fellowship, a Mennonite community in Evanston, Illinois. They own several multi-generational houses and apartment complexes within two blocks of their church, where 38 fellowship members and church members have been living for many years. They contacted us to help them explore architectural modifications to support their members as they age in place. What amazed me was that all the multi-generational houses were located in the middle of Evanston, and I could not tell which of the houses I was looking at were theirs and which were owned by other families. The street looked completely ordinary and the neighborhood was so close that everyone on those […]

Best Icebreaker: FOOD!

One of the most exciting things when traveling oversea is to try “Local foods.” Yes, we have thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip. (Maybe a bit too excessively….) We had quite a feast almost every night, including Chicken, Jumbo Escargot, Quail, African fried rice, Yam, Casava couscous–Atieke, lamb, Fish, delicious tropical fruits, and etc… When we were at our residence, an Ivorian woman cooked for us. Main dishes are mostly stew style, and they are served with rice, Atieke, and Yam. All the dishes were cooked from scratch, and tasted so great. Surprisingly, those dishes were quite resembled to Japanese home cooking. (of course, I was able to enjoy […]

Beauty of multi-generational interactions

We have visited Bernard’s brother’s home to see his family where his mother was visiting at that time. When we walked into the small courtyard in front of the house, his nieces, nephews, and neighbor’s kids welcomed us first. Then, we sat at the veranda with his brothers, cousins, and neighbors, and just chatted about everything.  While we were talking, his mother was busy cooking for us and the children were playing in the courtyard. It always amazes me that mothers’ behavior is quite universal; they always want to “feed their children.” My mother in Japan would do the same any time I go back home. When the meal was […]