After a restful night, despite the heat (we had a fan to help cool us down), we got ready to start volunteering. Our first task was to set up the dining room for the guests. One of the hosts showed us how to position the flatware and plates, while the other host was preparing the dishes to be served. Once we finished with our task, we had breakfast ourselves.
Dishes took place afterwards. They had two sinks set up, with one for smaller plates while the other one was for pots and pans. After we finished our tasks, we had a 45-minute break before moving on to cleaning rooms. We had to clean the futons and pillows, before moving onto sinks and vacuuming the hostel. At around 10 AM, we had a snack break, in which our hosts brought us wonderful snacks and drinks. It was a good opportunity to talk with our hosts to learn more about them.
Once break time was up, we completed our tasks before it was lunch. I ended up taking a nap for about an hour. Since we had about 4-5 hours before our evening tasks, we headed down the mountain (where the hostel was located) to Yufuin city. Yufuin had one main street with a bunch of tourist attractions. We started by getting some honey ice cream before exploring the streets some more. We stopped by a store that sold specialty nuts, thus purchasing some to take back. We also stopped by a supermarket to stock up on snacks for ourselves. Finally, it was one of the host's birthday so we decided to get him a cake from a bakery.
We took a taxi back to the hostel once again. There was about an hour left before our shift started, so a final rest before it was time to start. Our first task was to sweep the two parking lots they had for their hostel. It was a great way to get some exercise in, and fortunately, from being higher up, wasn't too hot. After sweeping for a while, it was time to go in and set up the plates for dinner. Once again, dinner was served to us, and it was as delicious as yesterday's meal. Once the guests were finished with their food, we washed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen.
Our job was done for the day, but one of our hosts was hosting a night tour of the city and we were able to join him. A number of us clambered into his van as he took us up a mountain. It wasn't the clearest night, but you were able to see some stars at the location we stopped at. It offered a wonderful view of Yufuin city. Once we got our pictures in, it was time to head back to the hostel. As the guests were getting ready for bed, we had a small celebration with the host for his birthday. Once dessert was finished, I soaked in the onsen for a while before preparing for sleep.
A productive day, and a nice change in pace.
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