June

Ummm... So I wrote "June" throughout this post, but the date corrects me, telling me it is in fact JULY! Right... So it is July. Uh huh, I knew that...
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I'm in shock that it is actually June already. Perhaps that is because the school year is still going strong. After six years in North American universities with the school year wrapping up in April, I find it hard to remember that this particular school year STARTED in April. Or perhaps it is just the crazy pace at which the months have flown by. Or perhaps it is just the sheer amount of STUFF that has happened over those months...

However unlikly it may seem, however, June is here. I know this for two reasons.

1) The June "Please do it at home" poster. (Creepy guy in glasses is looking ever creepier as he appears to be an exact copy of young thoughtless music dude beside him).



2) Canada Day
Last week a Canadian friend at the same university called me to ask me what we were going to do for Canada Day. Since I had a big presentation in one of my seminar classes (ゼミ zemi) on Tuesday morning, and had to TA all afternoon, but my evening class was cancelled, I was all set to celebrate! I've enjoyed events put on by the Tokyo Canadian Club before, but this time we decided to do our own thing. The fun group of 11 turned a simple nomi-hodai (all you can drink) dinner at the yakitori restaurant into a great evening. We had a blast and by the end of the evening you wouldn't have been able to tell that many people had only known one or two others to start!

There may have only been 2 Canadians (and I'm a bit suspicious about my friend, he doesn't like hockey and could only sing the first three words to 'Oh Canada'!!), but most of the group went along with my request to wear red. They also put up with my Canadian flag tooth picks adorning their food and the Canada quiz. One of my friends trekked in from Chiba to join the festivities, having told her bewildered boss that "it's Canada Day today so I need to leave work early!" (The fact that she is Japanese, her boss is Japanese and the company is Japanese, with no connections to Canada and no knowledge of Canada makes me giggle when I imagine her poor boss' thought process as he tried to figure that one out!) Another guy had been brought along by a coworker with the remark "its Canada Day - lets go drink beer!" (Okay, so they may never have been to Canada but they have the sentiment down!)

As I was falling asleep that night I realized again just how lucky I am. I may be far away from "home" but I love my life here. In addition to school, where I feel accepted and challenged but not impossibly so, and a part-time job that is truly a dream come true, I have a wonderful and varied group of friends.

Happy Canada Day, wherever you are. (although if you happen to be in Quebec, have a poutine for me, eh?!)