Hello, here is the second volume of Ly's reflection on her internship experience in Yudanaka, Nagano.

On our 12th day in Nagano, it might have been an ordinary day in Japan, but it was special to me. That day was Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Like this hot spring area, my hometown in Vietnam is also rural, with narrow roads where most neighbors know each other by name and face. Especially on Tet, families and friends gather regardless of work or busyness. The streets and homes are filled with spring yellow and red, with the music of New Year's Day playing, creating a warm atmosphere unique to Vietnam. Even during Tet in Vietnam, I continued working at the internship site just like any other day. While I was getting used to the work, at the end of the day, fatigue combined with the cold made me think even more about Vietnam. After work, I called my family, but the Wi-Fi at the accommodation that day was unstable. Once again, I reflected on the importance of "ordinary" things like stable internet. At that moment, all I wished for was stable internet to spend the three days of Tet talking to my family. Luckily, I managed to call my family during the three days of Tet.

Out of the week, there were four or five days besides working at the ryokan where I had time for independent research. On my days off, I explored the area around the accommodation. I found a teahouse called Tea Salon near Yudanaka Station. The interior was decorated in a warm and classic style, and when the old woman who managed the shop found out I was an intern, she warmly welcomed me with friendly and warm conversations. Thanks to that, I visited here multiple times as a place to warm up in the cold of Nagano. One day, when my roommate at the guesthouse and I were at the shop drinking coffee, foreign customers kept coming in one after another. Seeing the old woman struggling to handle it alone, we helped take orders and clean up. After helping out, the old woman told us, "Today's cafe is a gift from me to you." When we left the coffee shop, we felt full of happiness.

On the way back, I used to think that working part-time in customer service was "ordinary," but now I realize that without the experience of serving customers that day, I wouldn't have been able to help the old woman effectively.
The 27th February was the last day my team worked at the ryokan. Each of us received a letter from the ryokan's older sister. On our 30th day in Nagano, which was February 28th, it was the last day of our internship. Before participating in this internship, I had some part-time work experience, so I believe I learned different things rather than just skills of working the reception desk. It was about adapting to the environment.

The 30 days here changed me to be able to lift a linen bag twice as big as I had ever imagined carrying. And I was able to find small joys in admiring the beautiful mountains and snowy scenery in a place with limited facilities.
Being placed in a challenging environment made me cherish the "ordinary," the "usual," and made me realize that I could do things I couldn't do in the past. By leaving familiar places and stepping into new ones, I realized that I could find unexpectedly beautiful things. While leaving familiar places is sad, the happiest thing is knowing that someone is waiting for you. When leaving Nagano, what I can't forget is the beautiful scenery and the message from the coffee shop owner—saying, "Come back again someday, because I won't forget you."If there weren't a restriction to post only up to 3 photos in one blog, I would have posted 30 photos to share the beauty of Nagano's nature with everyone. Through this internship, what I gained has stayed with me as an individual.