just like a tourist in the city you were born

Last summer I was a tourist in my own city.

Covering the Culture and Heritage beat for the Calgary Beacon gave me a great opportunity to immerse myself in Calgary's vibrant and multifaceted community. I attended almost every cultural event that summer, and loved every minute of it. Above you can find some of my favourite shots.

If you ever get the opportunity, take the time to engage with some of the Calgary festival directors of Reggaefest, Afrikadey, Calgary Ukrainian Festival or any of the others - some of the stories of the organizers and roots of the festivals themselves are so interesting and give you good insight into Calgary's cultural evolution.

Also, should you ever find yourself in the same situation as I did in the summer of 2010 -- stuck in the city, working, and vacation-less -- spend some time exploring your city with new eyes. Everyone should be a tourist in their own city at least once. 

Counter-clockwise from the top: The celebratory Dragon Dance during the Chinatown Street Festival's (2010 was the centennial year of the Chinese-Calgarian community), dancers from the Indonesian pavilion at GlobalFest (my favourite thing about this photo is how varied their expressions are), a dancer breaks from the stage and joins the crowd at Afrikadey! 2010.