A Note from Morgan

On Monday I took the tram to the Red Light District to visit the Sakura Tattoo Parlor. I had been there the day before with a few people, and the woman working assured me that I would have no problems at all returning alone. I spent a good three hours visiting with the people working in the shop - Mara, who is originally from Canada and Andy, who was born in the UK but now lives in India while spending summers in Amsterdam. It was interesting to talk to people who are native to other countries but have chosen to live for extended periods in the Netherlands. As it turned out, Andy likes it for the climate while Mara married a Dutch man. Though she later got divorced she continues to live here because she loves the culture. While at the shop I also talked (sort of) with a friend of Andy's. I say sort of only for the reason that he was toothless and spoke with a thick accent... so I often guessed at what he was saying. Andy convinced me to attend the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention this coming weekend, where the owner of the Sakura will be tattooing, so I'm excited about that. I've never been to a convention in the states, so this will be a completely new experience for me.