All posts by Debbie Oakes

  • Why are teenagers in Japan in school uniforms even during school vacations?

    After school activities take over the lives of Japanese teens

    • Posted July 23, 2018
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  • Japan’s Fish Therapy

    Sticking your feet in a pool of water and allowing them to be eaten by a shoal of fish sounds like a scene from some straight-to-DVD B-movie, but in our exhaustive search for soul-enhancing treatments, anything goes....

    • Posted November 1, 2017
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  • Swaziland: Throwing caution to the wind

    “Swazi tussle over virgin tassels,” read the BBC’s unforgettable headline. Absolute King selects teen-virgin bride from a bare-breasted dancing cast of thousands! Slightly embarrassed to admit this, but that was my irresistible introduction to the itsy-bitsy Kingdom...

    • Posted October 31, 2017
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  • Be as hip as possible for your kids

    “Hip parenting,” sounds like the biggest oxymoron ever uttered. TF ponders the problematic question: how to be a dedicated parent and still keep your ‘cool’. HIP STYLE Parenthood. It’s the most mind-blowing, life-defining yet achingly ordinary thing...

    • Posted May 15, 2017
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  • TAKING CARE OF OUR FURRY FRIENDS IN SUMMER

    Everyone is dogged by heat in the summer, especially those endowed with a layer of fur. Our four-legged companions have it hard this time of year; not a pavement goes by where they can’t be seen drooling...

    • Posted July 7, 2015
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  • A family adventure in Morocco

    I couldn’t have been more excited about visiting Morocco than if I’d chartered my own flying carpet with room for the whole family. Fantasies aside, high expectations can be a dangerous thing (especially with the family in...

    • Posted May 11, 2015
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