When I think of home...
 
Every once in a while, I get a little homesick.  I guess homesickness is part of the expat lifestyle.  It comes with the territory. Summer in New York City is something that I really miss.  When I am in NYC, during summer months I really enjoy dining at sidewalk bistros, going to festivals and attending concerts in one of our many beautiful parks.  Sometimes the concerts feature my favorite local and international artists while at other times I am introduced to new artists. 

The concerts and festivals are a great way to enjoy live music, experience new cultures, meet old friends, try new foods and people-watch.  New York City is such a colorful place.  With people hailing from all corners of the World the types of music, arts & crafts, and foods that you can try are endless.  The best part is that it is all free!    

One of my favorite festivals is held every year in Brooklyn. It is called the International African Arts Festival.  The festival is a five-day show case of fine arts from artist from around the African Diaspora (Africa, The Caribbean, and the Americas).  It is much more than that though.  There are several stages with live entertainment. There are also food, book, jewelry, arts & crafts, as well as clothing vendors.  In addition you can find informational booths, and a petting zoo for the children. Many of the people that attend wear beautiful African inspired fashions and hairstyles. It is such a colorful and rich cultural experience. To top it off in the evening there are fireworks shows too. It is really great fun! 

This year marks the 41st anniversary of the festival.  I started attending when I was a little girl and anytime I am in NYC I try to attend the International African Arts Festival at least once. In addition to having a great time, it is a really great way for me to see old friends.  There are some people that I only run into at this event.  The festival is always held the first weekend of July ending on the July of 4th Holiday.  As this weekend draws nearer, I am reminiscing about all the great times I have had at the festival and wishing I could be there to enjoy it with my friends.

Who knows?  Maybe next year!  Until then, I look forward to all of the upcoming festivals right here in Japan.

Have a great week.
Raashida
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Strange Laws
Countries are often stereotyped around the world, some good and some bad.  Canadians are stereotyped as being friendly and saying 'eh' a lot, Americans as being loud, the Australians for loving to have a good time.  Japan is known for really loving cute things, Godzilla, and being a bit 'whacky'.  I've maybe gotten used to seeing strange (to me) things in the year and a half I've been here.  I barely even bat an eyelid  when I see a Harajuku girl or someone walking around in a Pikachu jumpsuit, and I especially don't take pictures of these things like I did at first!  This weekend, I have to admit I was a bit shocked when I found out a law I never knew about in Japan: dancing has apparently been illegal since 1948!  Maybe I was so shocked because I HAVE been out dancing since coming to Japan, so how is it against the law?  But then I learned the police have been cracking down on it (enforcing the law) a lot more in the last year or so.  Even when I've asked a lot of Japanese friends about it, they had no idea. 

So I thought I would do some internet research to find out why. It turns out the law is called the Entertainment Business Control Law and it was made after the end of World War II.  Businesses can allow dancing but they have to spend a lot of money getting permission and meet a lot of criteria, such as having a big enough area to dance in.  So it's generally OK in Tokyo but in smaller cities (even big cities like Osaka and Fukuoka) it's now less common than it was a year ago.  It's such a shock to see posters up in a city as big as Fukuoka telling you you cannot dance or the business may be closed down and the owner arrested!  Especially because I dancedin Fukuoka just last October!  This reminds me a lot of one of a movie which I highly recommend: 'Footloose'.  The original is an old movie, from 1984 and involves a lot of singing and dancing.  It's set in a small American town where dancing is illegal....I won't say anymore in case you decide to watch it!  I never thought I would be living Footloose! :)

There are, however, stranger laws around the world, including in Canada. For example, in Saskatoon (my home city), it is illegal to catch a fish with your bare hands.  Some other examples of strange laws from around Canada include: every fifth song played on the radio must be by a Canadian born citizen; you may not pay for a 50 cent item with only pennies (one cent coins); if it's raining, you may not water your lawn; when released from prison, you must be given a gun with bullets and a horse; and you may not publicly remove a bandage.  Of course, no police officers enforce these laws, many probably do not know about them, as most citizens don't.  And criminals certainly aren't given a gun or a horse when released from prison!  

Have a great week and remember: no dancing! :)

Ziggy 
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Guchol
As many of you know, I have only been in Japan for six months.  I have had a lot of first-time experiences since arriving here. Some experiences have been wonderful, some strange, and some - like the typhoon warning on Tuesday - a little scary.  

This being my first summer here means that it is also my first Tsuyu (rainy season).  I really don't mind rain, in fact sometimes I really enjoy it, but Typhoons!  Well, let's just say that I am not used to those.  I know that we have hurricanes in America which are essentially the same thing as a typhoon.  The thing is that in New York we don't usually get very serious storms. The last big hurricane that I can remember was Hurricane Gloria when I was a little girl.  Of course, back then I thought that the hurricane was exciting because I got to stay home from school.  Since Gloria I don't remember the threat of any other really big storms.  Besides, I left New York and moved to Johannesburg because among other the things the weather is much better 

Earlier this week Typhoon Guchol approached Japan.  I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I just knew that we would experience a typhoon on Tuesday.  I wasn't sure of anything.  How bad would the storm be?  How should I prepare?  What should I do if the storm gets really serious?  How will I know if we need to evacuate?  Where should I go to evacuate? Would I lose power thereby losing Internet access and my only source of information? These unanswered questions left me a little worried.  

They also made me realize why I never felt threatened by any storm when I was back home in New York.  In New York, I know what to do and where to go.  Or at least I know how to get the answers quickly.  For one thing, warning and updates are issued in a language that I can understand.  I also have flashlights, access to TV and radio, extra batteries, and first aid.  I also know that in case of emergency family and friends are always close by.  All of these things make every storm seem a lot less serious.

Turns out that here in Kudamatsu there was nothing to worry about.  Other than a few showers in the morning it was a pretty normal day.  We were more fortunate than other areas of Japan where Guchol caused damage, injury and in one case a death.  I am truly sorry for those people and grateful that here it was not worse.  

I know that another storm is expected to hit Japan on Friday.  This time I plan to be more prepared and hopefully it will be another uneventful day.  I know that I will get through this  Tsuyu by myself, but I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone.  There are lots of loved ones that are praying for my safety back home.  Knowing that is really all I need to know.

Have a great week and stay safe.
Raashida
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Like 2000 Tiny Lanterns!
Summer has always been my favorite season.  I have many happy memories of summer from my childhood.  Making lemonade stands with my friends   . Playing in the sprinklers. Going to Coney Island to enjoy the rides.  Cooling off with a trip to the movies    or the museum.  Family barbecues and picnics  . Swimming all day. Eating Italian ices on my stoop.  Some of my fondest memories childhood memories are the fireflies  .  

Early each summer the fireflies would appear at dusk marking the beginnings of summer and delighting me with their magical glow.  As a little girl, I would wait in my backyard each evening for the majestic lightening bugs to start their show.  As soon as dusk started to settle in they would light up like tiny little floating lanterns .  I would often catch the fireflies and keep them in a jar with the lid punctured for air.  Of course I added to a little piece of lettuce so they wouldn't starve.   My pet fireflies .  Later, I can to realize that this was not the best way to appreciate the lightening bugs.

Last weekend, after hitting the beach in Hikari, I attended a Firefly Festival with friends.  It was awesome!  There were performers, food and craft vendors, raffles, mochi maki and of course fireflies!  We had such a wonderful time.  I really enjoyed watching all the children with their flashing toys  waiting in anticipation of the little bugs chanting Ho-Ta-Ru, Ho-Ta-Ru!  At around 9:00 PM all the lights in the area were dimmed and 2000 tiny lightening bugs were released into the country sky.  Just like magic.  I was a child again, amazed by the beautiful sight.  I will never forget that feeling. Another great summer memory.


Here is a picture of me enjoying one of those summer barbecues!   I hope that you have a great week and enjoy every magical moment of summer.  See you soon.

Raashida



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Hockey Night in Canada
  Having grown up in Canada, I developed a love for hockey.  This is very stereotypical of me, I know!  Many Canadians don't love hockey, as everyone thinks we do.  However, when certain games come around, such as the Olympic gold medal game, or the NHL Stanley Cup finals, everyone tends to gather around the TV with family and friends.  A big part of culture is defined by sport, such as many countries around the world and their love for cricket or football.  As Canadians, we have very long, cold winters where communities often gather by frozen ponds or skating rinks.  Growing up on a farm beside a lake, I was lucky enough to have my own outdoor skating rink for my friends and neighbours to come over and skate on.  My dad would clear the lake off with the tractor once the ice was thick enough.  We even went skating at school for P.E. every week, rather than learning to swim (my town was too small for a pool till I was in high school).  I was a half decent skater as a kid even though I never played hockey or ringette, but when I went home last winter and went skating I was horrible!  Every town, no matter how small has a skating rink.  I know of villages with a population of 50 with no post office but they have a skating rink!  There's nothing better than spending a crisp winter afternoon outside skating and coming in to a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

Now, to those outside of North America, this may seem like a weird topic to write about at the start of summer, but the professional hockey season actually runs from September to June - providing hockey for enthusiasts for almost the whole calendar year!  This morning was the final game of the season (Monday night in Canadian time), so I spent my morning watching the game on my computer.  My team (the Edmonton Oilers) is not a very good team so they are not in the finals and I normally wouldn't be watching. The two teams in the finals this year were the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings.  What made these finals exciting enough for me to watch is that one of the players for the L.A. Kings, Dwight King, #74, is a boy I grew up with!  Our parents farms were beside each other and we took the school bus together everyday.  His older brother D.J. is also a professional hockey player and their two sisters also played at the university level.  The community we grew up in was a small, close-knit one.  To see a family's dreams come true after all the years of travelling and all the money spent is amazing.  It's such an inspiration to watch someone you know personally, who you skated with as a kid, who worked so hard and grew up in such a small place with big dreams, to have them come true.  I'm so proud of him today!  The town we're from is small - maybe 5,000 people at most - and over the years, there's been 6 professional players come out of it, including my second cousin. This is a lesson for all of us, you can do anything you put your mind to!

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