Powell Street Festival

I volunteered again yesterday at the Powell Street Festival. It's a great little festival to celebrate the Japanese culture. This festival has been around for 34 years and it's hard to believe the crowds that it draws when it's on the same weekend as the fireworks and the Pride Festival. But they do and it's one heck of a festival.

I continue to volunteer at this festival even though I have to venture out from Whiterock because of what it means to me. The community and my old Taiko group was very supportive of me while I played taiko for a number of years. I think that by giving back, not only does it feel great, but it's the last I can do for what they did for me.

The "meh" part of this festival is having to see some people I went to high school with. I don't hate these people, but it's always a little awkward because we really have nothing in common except for the festival itself. But at least we're all there for the right reasons and we say our little hellos and go on our merry way. Like I mentioned, high school was not the best for me and I'd really rather not deal with any folks from that period.

The great part is that I get to reconnect with folks from my old taiko group. That's always awesome. I love hearing what everybody is up to and changes in their life. It's always so positive.

Other great reason for me to volunteer is that I always meet the neatest people. They are warm, so positive and so utterly interesting! And I love hearing how they are connected to the festival. I usually find that we know the same people too...makes the world a little smaller.

And this year, I got an extra bonus of catching up with a person that I have not seen in YEARS. Probably a good decade. And yet, we just chatted like we were old friends, caught up with everything in the little time I had before I had to go back to my duties. It was as if no time had passed. It was so, so awesome.

Of course, some other added bonuses is the festival itself, some good sunshine, and one of my favourite added bonuses, doing my pilgrimmage to the bestest Japanese grocery story ever...Fujiya. YUMMY.

So overall, I had another great year at the festival!