When I moved as a college student, I was going to college in Oregon, and they had a great sister school program with Tokyo International University. It was just a six-month exchange program, and then I went back to the US. After college, I did an MBA, and once I finished, I learned that there was a program for being a civil servant in Japan where you would facilitate exchange between your home country and Japan, work with nonprofits, and do translating.
One of the Arab world's most influential contemporary artists is coming to Campbell's Heritage Theatre on Sept. 7. Hamza Namira is an Egyptian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music rose to prominence during the 25 January revolution in 2011, a day of nonviolent protests against increasing police brutality during the last few years of Hosni Mubarak's presidency. Namira participated in the demonstrations and was considered the "Voice of the Revolution." His music is marked by sociopolitical themes.