Summer Sun

Time flies
under the summer sun
Don't blink
There it goes down the road

Hold on
to each moment dearly
Breathe deep
and it will all be here

Breathe to Really Live

There never seems to be
enough time to get it
all done, every day.

Even though it's summer
there are things to fill the void
The time still flies fast.

Breathe, Rick, breathe.

Breathe to slow the time down.
Breathe to feel the summer.
Breathe to really live. Now

Breathe.

Last Day for Dalmatians

Today the show wrapped, and I dedicated most of my time to hanging out at the theatre, which I really enjoy. There's a part of me that has always been a performer, even though I've never been in a play before. I feel very comfortable in front of people, speaking, singing or telling a story. I enjoy the experience.

Today I was in the Green Room, which is the room in a theater where actors wait before they go onstage. Since this show was so short, there really wasn't much action in the Green Room, so I was able to spend some time reading. What a gift! It was a reminder that I have to get back into the habit of daily reading and writing. Five minutes of writing and 20 minutes of reading. Time, time, time.

Zack and Nick were both a little sad that the show ended, but are looking forward to auditioning for the next show, which opens in December. I would love to be in a show myself, but I don't know if I have the time. I'll keep you posted.

More Dalmatians!

Zack and Nick are rolling through the run of 101 Dalmatians. Each show gets better as they gain confidence and familiarity with their spoken parts and the music. They are making new friends and enjoying the chance to be on stage and help make other people feel happy. I am very proud of them.

Seeing them onstage reminds me of all the talented kids on the Joberts team and gives me ideas for all the awesome things we can do this year :-)

 Grammie, Zack and Pa

 Zack and Pa

Drama, anyone?

101 Dalmatians!

Zack and Nick are in a the Disney show 101 Dalmatians at the Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak this weekend. Zack is a Boxer and Nick is a Scotty. They sing, dance and act. It is a quick, exciting show with lots of familiar parts for all you Disney fans. I am very proud of my two thespians!

 Singing onstage

 After the show with Cousin Grace, Mary Beth and Me

In the Green Room just before the show

Lake Michigan Wedding

My nephew David (you may remember when he facetimed into the media center to talk about his career as a journalist) got married on Wednesday on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was an absolutely beautiful, brief, and rustic ceremony. The gentle sound of the waves washing onto the beach provided the perfect backdrop for a very memorable ceremony.

 Monica and David - the happy couple!

My siblings and me

Pulling Weeds

Yesterday I found myself sitting in my driveway pulling weeds out from bewteen the cracks in the concrete. As a kid, one of the things I hated most about yard work was pulling weeds. The drudgery and seemingly endless supply of weeds made me restless. I had little patience for this kind of torture.

As an adult, I certainly cannot say that I enjoy pulling weeds. What I relaize I enjoy, however, is the chance to spend some time with Mary Beth, who doesn't seem to mind pulling weeds as much as I do. Whatever tasks we do in life are always made better by the company we keep, presuming the company are people whose company we enjoy.

I also enjoy accomplishing something, especially when that "something" beautifies or improves my environment. So, I guess weeding isn't as bad for me now as it was when I was a kid. Who knows, I may actually enjoy raking leaves in the fall.

I knew you were coming...

...so I baked a cake!

Now that I'm back home after being Up North in Traverse City last week, I feel like today is the first REAL day of summer vacation. I got up early today and drove Zack to his first day of drivers' training at Center Line High School in Center Line. Then, I came back home and took Nick over to Grace's house where I took both of them to an arts camp this week at Arts Academy in the Woods in Fraser.

Now, I'm home getting ready to unpack stuff from my trip to Japan. Mary Beth is at a meeting in Lansing for work. So, essentially, I'm home with flexible time, which is why it finally feels like my summer vacation has started. Kinda weird, huh?

My cousin Mark watched our dog Teddy while we were Up North. As a way of saying thank you, I baked him his favorite cake, German Chocolate. I made the cake in heart-shaped pans. Pretty neat, I think! I have to wait for it to cool before I assemble the two hearts, one on top of the other, and then frost it with chocolate coconut frosting. Delicious!

There's an expression from a Three Stooges movie where a woman bakes a cake for the Stooges and says, when they arrive one by one at her house, "I knew you were coming, so I baked a cake." The only thing is, Larry, Moe, and Curly each think she is their girlfriend. It turns out, the joke is on them at the end. I always thinks about the line from that movie when I bake cakes. Don't ask me why my brain does weird things like that, I wish I knew!

Back Home

The best part about traveling the world is coming back home to family and friends.

I returned to Detroit on Tuesday night around 11:10pm. Mary Beth, Zack and Nick picked me up at a very busy Metro Airport. The following morning, we left for Traverse City for a family vacation. We have been Up North in Traverse City with Zack and Nick's grandparents and cousin Grace for the last few days.

It sure is nice to relax on vacation and reconnect with family after being away for to whole weeks. That's a long time! In a way, it feeld liek I was in time warp, meaning, that I left my regular life three days after school got out, went to this completely new and different culture all by myself, and then returned back to my regular, familair life with the same people and places that I'm used to. That's how travel is. It shakes us up and forces us to reconsider our lives in new and exciting ways.

We will return home to Detroit tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pics from here Up North...

 Zack showing off a t-shirt from our exchange student, Yuki

 Nick showing off Nano Blocks, a gift from Yuki

 Patches, Grammie and Pa's dog

 Water striders on the surface of our favorite fishing pond

 Pa and Zack fishing

 Fishing with Zack

 Grammie and Nick making tacos

Nick and cousin Grace preparing tacos

 Nick and Cousin Christine at Mary's Kitchen Port in Traverse City

 Zack shooting hoops

Zack and friends at the court

 Mary Beth, Grace and Grammie at the Traverse City Beach Bums minor league baseball game

 Can you tell we belong together?

Mary Beth and Grace

Thank you, Ishikawa Family!

 Zack with his coral reef

Nick with his sea horse

The Ishikawa family hosted me in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. They gave me a number of thoughtful gifts and even gave gifts for Zack and Nick. Here are the boys holding their treasures.

石川ファミリーは、日本北海道釧路市、で私を開催しました。彼らは私に思いやりの贈り物の数を与え、さらにはザックとニックのために贈り物を与えた。ここに彼らの宝物を保持している少年がいる。

A New Friend in an Unlikely Place

Over the din of Japanese, I could hear the distinct sound of accented English being spoken. I glanced in the direction of my mother tongue to see four men engaged in animated conversation. I was immediately drawn to them.

"Excuse me sir," I began, as I stopped at the gentleman who was at the end of the row of four men sitting on the stone wall in the public square, amidst a sea of locals. "Do you happen to know where I could find a Japanese soccer jersey?"

The man didn't hesitate. "Sure!" You just go down to the end of the block and turn left. Go up a-ways, and you'll find a sports shop." My look of helplessness must have convinced this man that I would never find this place on my own. "Here, I will take you there," he said.

"Thank you so much, sir, I really appreciate it! I'm looking for a Japanese soccer jersey for my son."

"I can show you where to find one, no problem," he said.

I guessed from his appearance and accent that he was from Africa. I wondered to myself. Cameroon? Nigeria? Sure enough.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Ghana," came the reply from my new guide, who was escorting me expertly through the insanely crowded streets of the Shinjuku district of downtown Tokyo. The streets were a crowded sea of humanity as wound our way through the throngs of shoppers, commuters and tourists.

"I'm from Detroit, Michigan," I volunteered.

"Oh, USA!" he replied. "What are you doing in Japan?"

"I'm here with a group of 24 American teachers. We are studying Japanese schools."

"Oh. How long have you been here?"

"Two weeks. I go home tomorrow. I need to find a soccer jersey for my son."

I waited a minute as we continued to walk. Wow, this place wasn't exactly close. After another block I asked, "How long have you been in Japan?"

"20 years."

Considering my next question, I was aware than I was engaged in a conversation between two gaijin, or foreigners. As a non-Asian, I was very aware of my "otherness". In many places I had traveled around the world I was relatively able to pass, at least visually, as a local. Here, it was clearly impossible. I was a non-Asian in a country of Asians. As was my new friend walking by my side.

"Wow, 20 years. Do they accept you in Japan?"

"Not really. Japan can be a pretty closed society. They don't really tell you what they think about you, but you just feel it, you know? I've lived in other Asian countries - Korea, China. In some countries, if they hate you, they just tell you. Not as much in Japan. You just kind of have to figure it out."

I pondered this response for a minute. I immediately thought about the familiar dichotomy between racist attitudes and behavior in the American South and North, of how in the South "you always knew where you stood", while in the North you just kind of felt the hatred, even if it wasn't always so overt.

"Here we are. Just go in right there."

My still unnamed friend gestured to a classic downtown Tokyo building, modern, narrow and multi-floored. There was a directory which indicated soccer, in Japanese and English, on the fifth floor.The sporting goods store was packed floor to ceiling with the same kinds of gear you'd find at Dunham's or Dick's. I entered and went straight to a small elevator at the back.

We ascended to the fifth floor. As the door opened, we were greeted by racks of familiar blue Japanese national team soccer jerseys. An earnest young woman, approached us, and my Ghanian friend immediately engaged her in Japanese. She pulled several jerseys off the racks and held them up for my inspection. I noticed the differences. Authentic team jerseys with name and number. Number only, no name. No name, no number. A choice for every price range.

I finally settled on a jersey that featured number 4, the number belonging to Keisuke Honda, the star midfielder of the Japanese National Soccer Team who plays professionally for A.C. Milan. This was the jersey that Zack wanted.

At that point, my quest nearly complete, I turned to my guide and new friend. "Thank you so much for helping me. Can I offer you anything for your help?"

"No, no" came the reply. "Are you on Facebook?"

"Yes." I removed my business card from my pocket and presented it. "My name is Rick. Rick Joseph."

"Rick Joseph", he repeated. He asked for a pen and wrote his name on a piece of paper.

"Mass Seidu Babatu" I said aloud.

"Yes, Mass. I will friend you on Facebook."

"May I have a picture with you?"

"Absolutely." I held up my camera and gestured to the sales clerk if she could take our picture. She readily agreed. I help up the jersey between us and she snapped the picture. It looked good. 

"Thank you so much, Mass. Remember, that you are always welcome in my home in Detroit."

"Thank you, Rick. I hope to see you there one day."

"I hope so, too."

I really did.