It's been a very interesting week! At school meeting one morning the teachers spent about ten minutes discussing whether or not the kids should be allowed to wear their inside shoes into the gym for a typhoon/ typhoon drill, or if they should take the shoes off in the classroom and go to the gym in their socks, or if they should follow normal procedure and change shoes outside the gym and put their inside shoes in their personal cubbies... It's amazing how differences in culture create such different debates! I think it is safe to say that such a debate is not likely to take place in the Western world. It is perhaps important to note that the teacher who brought up the topic is married to a British man. Without such a cross-cultural perspective it's doubtful that anyone would have thought to question the normal procedure at all...

Thursday was an interesting day, deserving of its own entry. Oh well! I left Tahara before 6 am and in spite of grogginess I was looking forward to the day. Instead of going to school I took a holiday and went to Tokyo to the United Nations University [UNU] for an Africa Day Symposium. Nothing too eventful until I got to Tokyo and changed trains to go to Shibuya. There I experienced the most intense shoving and cramming of people in my life with the possible exception of a train to the Aichi World Expo last year. Unfortunately this time I was surrounded by strangers instead of being pressed against my boyfriend... It was incredible... people can really compress if they have to... Just when you think you could not possibly get any closer to the person in front of you another wave of hurried passengers push, push, push their way on and suddenly you feel that you are not as big as you thought you were... Soon afterwards I felt another first... The train left a station and just as it had picked up a bit of speed it slammed on the brakes. Well I really thought we were packed in as tightly as possible... but that jolt proved otherwise... I think we were tight enough that no-one actually hit the ground, but there was definitely a domino effect down the center of the train. I felt particularly bad for all the young ladies in heelstrying to keep their balance. From that point onwards I decided that maybe it was a good idea to hold on to a handle no matter what. After a few stops the train cleared out a lot and I actually even got a seat! Well I think I got to experience Tokyo rush hour. It was an interesting experience, but not one that I would want to repeat every day.
Well I made it to the UNU and settled in for the symposium. I met several professors from different universities and found out about some interesting programs! I also met a woman who is managing a JICA [Japan International Cooperation Agency] project in Tanzania! She was particularly nice! I think there is something about Africa that does something to a person's aura... I could feel that something in her... Well the symposium itself was interesting. A lot of ideas were exchanged. For being Africa Day, however, it was very... Western. The format was very typical with speeches, a panel discussion and time for questions. Some of the speakers had very insightful things to say, others provided less food for thought. Perhaps the best speaker was the president of Botswana. I appreciated his straightforward honesty and openness. If you are interested, check out the broadcast... http://c3.unu.edu/unuvideo/index.cfm?fuseaction=event.home&EventID=86
Well it was a great event, particularly for mixing with a diverse group of people interested in Africa, trade and development... I enjoyed hearing African perspectives on things, but I am curious how truly representative the opinions of leaders and ambassadors are of the people as a whole. I suppose it is normal, but it seemed that most of the questions remained unanswered... Possibly because they are some of the most difficult of our time... I think I definitely want to invest myself in some way in Africa. Creating jobs, community forums, improving the quality of life in some way. I see so much magic and potential and vitality there. There is so much to be learned and explored in the world. I hope I can be active in bringing people and ideas together to synergize!

Before leaving Tokyo I found a bookstore with an English section and bought a new collection of books. I read "Tuesdays With Morrie" on the way home. Good book. Interesting thoughts and some very concise wisdom. I hope to incorporate some of its lessons into my life. For instance, daeling with feelings by acknowledging them, experiencing them deeply and then letting them go, instead of repressing them. I liked the way that it showed the importance of love, and its primacy in life. Perhaps my favorite piece of wisdom was the importance of redifining for oneself what is most important, rather than simply buying into the culture and succumbing to the pressure to follow the "normal" or expected path.

Every event that I participate in and every new skill that I learn is one step forward in my growth and life path. I hope that I can make a difference in the lives of people around me, and through the ripple effect impact the world for good. I think every day I learn, every time I make someone smile, every time my mind is opened, I come closer to the life I am meant to live. Life is made of moments, and I should just live my best in each moment and make a difference in the lives I touch day by day.