The concept of blogging regularly and keeping a journal-like thing is
totally beyond me. I keep doing stuff and seeing stuff and thinking, Ã
gotta put this in my blog¨and it never happens.
Ok so what´s up with this spanish keyboard¿ nothing is where it should be!
The choir tour went really well. The concerts got better and better as
time went on, and who knows, maybe I´ll be able to write down all the
stuff i wanted to write about that.... however, right now I wantto
write my initial thoughts and feelings about being here in Spain,
while I´m still htinking and feeling them and they are real and
fresh....
I arrived 2 days ago in Barcelona, after a 20 hour bus ride from
Frankfurt (the details of which I would love to blog but now no es
possible) i then took another bus to Zaragoza, about 3 and a half
hours from Barcelona. Hector picked me up form the airport, and I met
his family, his brother, mother, stepfather, brother´s girlfriend, and
then we started moving furniture around. The apartment I´m staying in
is Hector´s and is right next to his family´s house. It´s a nice
place. There´s even room for a little garden. His family is very sweet
and accomodating, although when I first arrived everyone was sleeping
because it was siesta time :o)
Ahhh... Siesta :o)
oday we had Paella for lunch. Lunch and dinner are served outside on
the veranda and there is always enough food for as many people as show
up. Today it included Neisan from Bilbao, Santiago (who has actually
been around for the past 2 days, although I understand his mom lives
close by in Zaragza) hector´s friend, Anna, Hector´s brother´s
girlfriend (although if you ask they will deny that they are together,
but it´s not rocket science to figure out that they are) she´s from
southern spain and I am told that I am not alone in being completely
unable to understand her spanish. Israel (hector´s brother) is often
called upone to translate her spanish into spanish for everyone else
to understand! and random other people...
During the gospel choir tour I found it necessary to choose between
eating meat or breaking my budget. Upon arrival in Spain I found it
necessary to continue as a non-practicing vegetarian. Ugh. I realise
how little i like meat, but if i refused to eat it, people would be
offended, and i would starve.
Anyway, must go now.... siesta calls.... more later.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Friday, July 02, 2004
Amsterdam. WOW.
You know, you hear stories about Amsterdam. You hear the word Amsterdam and what immediately comes to mind is sex and drugs, all legal. I don't know about anyone else, but this never put a mental picture in my mind. It was just words. Last night we got on a train and went to Amsterdam to see for ourselves what it was about. There were 5 of us. 3 guys, 2 girls. The rest prefer to remain anonymous.
We set out at about 9:15ish, after a wonderful meal in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel... they cook the food in front of you, juggle knives and flip food around and set it on fire for you... the whole shebang. Anyway, all full and ready for the night, we headed out, got second class round trip train tickets and headed for the platform. We had a little difficulty finding it so I eagerly enlisted the aid of a 3 very pleasant, very friendly Dutch guys. Our train was a nicely equipped double decker, very new, with plush seats and plenty of space. We watched a long beautiful sunset over the countryside and enjoyed the scenery... canals, windmills, fields, community gardens, cows, sheep, horses, everything. We passed Den Haag (the Hague) on the way as well.
We arrived in Amsterdam with no directions or any idea of where to go. We wanted to see the red light district in the flesh (so to speak). We were only told that we'd know it when we saw it. Oh wait, first let me tell you about the bathrooms. After the Japanese food with plenty of green tea and the train ride, we needed a bathroom when we got to Amsterdam. There was a WC at the train station for 50 cents. So the girls went to the women's and the boys go to the men's and we paid the money and went through the electronic doors - and found ourselves in the same place! Hahahahhahaha!!! It was like an entry area, and the stalls on the left were for men, and the right was for women... it was bizarre! When I came out a woman was chasing down her little girl who was wandering off towards the men's section where the urinals were... yikes! Speaking of urinals... another bizarre thing.. outside the area where the clubs are there's this port-a-poty type thing... but it's a port-a-urinal. Basically, it's a standing wall, with 4 sections, and a hole in each sections (imagine looking down from above and seeing an X shape with a o in each intersection of the X) anyway, I'll take a picture. But there is nowhere to wash hands, and basically these guys are standing there peeing in public! It's like a sanctioned peeing wall. I guess if guys are going to do it anyway, they may as well give them somewhere to do it instead of dirtying the city. What was funny was seeing 2 tall guys standing there peeing, chatting and watching the game over the top of the wall....
So we left the bathroom in the train station and headed outside. There were cafe's everywhere. The smell of various kinds of marijuana permeated the air coming out of the cafes and every third person we passed was smoking a joint. It was crazy. Every place that wasn't a cafe was a bong shop. We kept walking. The city itself is beautiful. The architecture was gorgeous and there are canals and bridges. Tomorrow we have a concert there and we will be able to see the tamer parts of the city during the day. But last night, we had a purpose.
We crossed a bridge and went down another cafe laden street, and there it was. Neon signs, red lights and an inordinate amount of floor-to ceiling windows with subdued red or blue lights in them. THis was it. There was a canal down the middle, and bridges over the top, some parts of it were how I imagine venice to be, but this wasn't Venice! In these windows were women posing, dancing, sitting whatever... dressed in bikinis, lacy undergarments, costumes... whatever. Overall, it was far more tasteful than I had thought it would be. There were no naked people (except on the posters and videos outside the places advertising live sex shows), and if you didn't think about it as you walked, you could have been walking past any lingerie store showcase, but the mannequins were live. It was easy to forget that when guys walked up to these window and the women inside opened what turned out to be a big glass door, they would negotiate a price (most commonly heard was 50 euros) the curtain would close in the window and the beds often seen in the background would then serve their purpose. It was fascinating, and appaling. When we first got there, I was just looking around in wonderment. The other girl and I were both relieved to see that instead of gross looking crack ho's that we thought there'd be, these were actually very nice looking beautiful women. But when I walked and started to think a little, it really started to upset me. These women thought nothing more of themselves than not only to sell sex for a living, but to stand there and be gaped at to advertise themselves. ugh. All of this surrounded by cafes full of people escaping reality with weed and mushrooms.. We went to a pizza place for a midnight snack and a break from it all. It was there that I had the single most delicious slice of pizza that I've ever had. The crust was perfect. They used Dutch cheese instead of mozarella. It was great! We walked around a bit more, had enough of it and went home.
The train ride home was actually the highlight of my night.
Unlike the train coming to Amsterdam, the 1:43 train to Rotterdam was an old smelly one. I guess the fact that the people on it were coming from a night of degradation in Amsterdam was the cause of the smell. The ratty seats were probably because it was an old train. We got on at the back end, and the first 2 compartments were nasty and smelly so we kept going. The next section was booths, we figured these were 1st class. Next was a reasonably empty, and therefore less smelly car, so we sat and made ourselves at home. THe conductor came by about 15 minutes later, and announced to us that we had 2nd class tickets and therefore should not be sitting here in first class. Oops! He showed us where the little 1 and 2 were to indicate the class of car we were entering. All the second class cars were crowded and smelly. We walked forward further and further until there was no more forward to walk. We were in a space where there were 4 doors. The one going forward to the conductor's little thing where he drives the train, the 2 side doors for entering and exiting, and the door back into the nasty smelly car. We stood there. I spotted a guy in the corner sitting on a chair that folded down from the wall, next to him was another seat. The seats were small... I asked him if he minded he said no. So I sat. This guy was gorgeous. Even the spike sticking out of the piercing in his lower lip, the 3 earrings in each ear, and, I was later to find out the tongue piercing, did not detract from his beauty. Beautiful squinty eyes, strong jawline, long ponytail, but neatly shaved on the sides.... tall lean and well built... so nice! The other girl and I chatted with him and he was quite happy to chat with us. After a few minutes he offered her a seat too, and slid over to reveal a 3rd fold down seat. The 3 of us crowded in there and had a fun time learning useful Dutch phrases, and talking to Mitch (Mitchell) born and bred Dutch hottie. I am truly impressed by him and his kind. The guys found seats inside, and at one point one of them fell asleep. He didn't fall into a peaceful silent sleep, though. He started to snore loudly, much to the amusement of everyone around him. A lady obliquely opposite and facing him, was talking on her cellphone. She chattered away in Dutch, probably describing to her friend the loudness of the snoring, then held the phone towards him so her friend could hear! It was a hilarious ride.
Mitch got out at Den Haag and wished us a pleasant trip. We said goodbye, in Dutch... and had an uneventful ride home.
Holland is truly not what I expected. I'm already looking forward to visiting here again!
We set out at about 9:15ish, after a wonderful meal in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel... they cook the food in front of you, juggle knives and flip food around and set it on fire for you... the whole shebang. Anyway, all full and ready for the night, we headed out, got second class round trip train tickets and headed for the platform. We had a little difficulty finding it so I eagerly enlisted the aid of a 3 very pleasant, very friendly Dutch guys. Our train was a nicely equipped double decker, very new, with plush seats and plenty of space. We watched a long beautiful sunset over the countryside and enjoyed the scenery... canals, windmills, fields, community gardens, cows, sheep, horses, everything. We passed Den Haag (the Hague) on the way as well.
We arrived in Amsterdam with no directions or any idea of where to go. We wanted to see the red light district in the flesh (so to speak). We were only told that we'd know it when we saw it. Oh wait, first let me tell you about the bathrooms. After the Japanese food with plenty of green tea and the train ride, we needed a bathroom when we got to Amsterdam. There was a WC at the train station for 50 cents. So the girls went to the women's and the boys go to the men's and we paid the money and went through the electronic doors - and found ourselves in the same place! Hahahahhahaha!!! It was like an entry area, and the stalls on the left were for men, and the right was for women... it was bizarre! When I came out a woman was chasing down her little girl who was wandering off towards the men's section where the urinals were... yikes! Speaking of urinals... another bizarre thing.. outside the area where the clubs are there's this port-a-poty type thing... but it's a port-a-urinal. Basically, it's a standing wall, with 4 sections, and a hole in each sections (imagine looking down from above and seeing an X shape with a o in each intersection of the X) anyway, I'll take a picture. But there is nowhere to wash hands, and basically these guys are standing there peeing in public! It's like a sanctioned peeing wall. I guess if guys are going to do it anyway, they may as well give them somewhere to do it instead of dirtying the city. What was funny was seeing 2 tall guys standing there peeing, chatting and watching the game over the top of the wall....
So we left the bathroom in the train station and headed outside. There were cafe's everywhere. The smell of various kinds of marijuana permeated the air coming out of the cafes and every third person we passed was smoking a joint. It was crazy. Every place that wasn't a cafe was a bong shop. We kept walking. The city itself is beautiful. The architecture was gorgeous and there are canals and bridges. Tomorrow we have a concert there and we will be able to see the tamer parts of the city during the day. But last night, we had a purpose.
We crossed a bridge and went down another cafe laden street, and there it was. Neon signs, red lights and an inordinate amount of floor-to ceiling windows with subdued red or blue lights in them. THis was it. There was a canal down the middle, and bridges over the top, some parts of it were how I imagine venice to be, but this wasn't Venice! In these windows were women posing, dancing, sitting whatever... dressed in bikinis, lacy undergarments, costumes... whatever. Overall, it was far more tasteful than I had thought it would be. There were no naked people (except on the posters and videos outside the places advertising live sex shows), and if you didn't think about it as you walked, you could have been walking past any lingerie store showcase, but the mannequins were live. It was easy to forget that when guys walked up to these window and the women inside opened what turned out to be a big glass door, they would negotiate a price (most commonly heard was 50 euros) the curtain would close in the window and the beds often seen in the background would then serve their purpose. It was fascinating, and appaling. When we first got there, I was just looking around in wonderment. The other girl and I were both relieved to see that instead of gross looking crack ho's that we thought there'd be, these were actually very nice looking beautiful women. But when I walked and started to think a little, it really started to upset me. These women thought nothing more of themselves than not only to sell sex for a living, but to stand there and be gaped at to advertise themselves. ugh. All of this surrounded by cafes full of people escaping reality with weed and mushrooms.. We went to a pizza place for a midnight snack and a break from it all. It was there that I had the single most delicious slice of pizza that I've ever had. The crust was perfect. They used Dutch cheese instead of mozarella. It was great! We walked around a bit more, had enough of it and went home.
The train ride home was actually the highlight of my night.
Unlike the train coming to Amsterdam, the 1:43 train to Rotterdam was an old smelly one. I guess the fact that the people on it were coming from a night of degradation in Amsterdam was the cause of the smell. The ratty seats were probably because it was an old train. We got on at the back end, and the first 2 compartments were nasty and smelly so we kept going. The next section was booths, we figured these were 1st class. Next was a reasonably empty, and therefore less smelly car, so we sat and made ourselves at home. THe conductor came by about 15 minutes later, and announced to us that we had 2nd class tickets and therefore should not be sitting here in first class. Oops! He showed us where the little 1 and 2 were to indicate the class of car we were entering. All the second class cars were crowded and smelly. We walked forward further and further until there was no more forward to walk. We were in a space where there were 4 doors. The one going forward to the conductor's little thing where he drives the train, the 2 side doors for entering and exiting, and the door back into the nasty smelly car. We stood there. I spotted a guy in the corner sitting on a chair that folded down from the wall, next to him was another seat. The seats were small... I asked him if he minded he said no. So I sat. This guy was gorgeous. Even the spike sticking out of the piercing in his lower lip, the 3 earrings in each ear, and, I was later to find out the tongue piercing, did not detract from his beauty. Beautiful squinty eyes, strong jawline, long ponytail, but neatly shaved on the sides.... tall lean and well built... so nice! The other girl and I chatted with him and he was quite happy to chat with us. After a few minutes he offered her a seat too, and slid over to reveal a 3rd fold down seat. The 3 of us crowded in there and had a fun time learning useful Dutch phrases, and talking to Mitch (Mitchell) born and bred Dutch hottie. I am truly impressed by him and his kind. The guys found seats inside, and at one point one of them fell asleep. He didn't fall into a peaceful silent sleep, though. He started to snore loudly, much to the amusement of everyone around him. A lady obliquely opposite and facing him, was talking on her cellphone. She chattered away in Dutch, probably describing to her friend the loudness of the snoring, then held the phone towards him so her friend could hear! It was a hilarious ride.
Mitch got out at Den Haag and wished us a pleasant trip. We said goodbye, in Dutch... and had an uneventful ride home.
Holland is truly not what I expected. I'm already looking forward to visiting here again!
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Rotterdam, the Netherlands and preconceived notions debunked
We left London yesterday morning and flew on 3 separate flights to
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our hotel is in Rotterdam and is
absolutely gorgeous, I have no idea what they would have to do to get
upgraded from 4 to 5 stars, it is fabulous! Right in the heart of the
city. I thought that was an exaggeration, but literally any direction
you walk in from the hotel, you will find shops, clubs, cafes and
everything.
Before going on a trip, I usually go online and check out the place
and see what I want to do and see what the place is like. I didn't do
that for this trip. I thought I was coming in with no preconceived
ideas. I picked up a Lonely Planet on Western Europe in London and
skimmed through the Netherlands pages and didn't get anything.
Here are some notions I thought I didn't have until I got here and saw
the place (and this is Rotterdam I'm talking about. We are going to
Amsterdam tonight... me and the guys, we'll see what that's like!)
1. I thought the Netherlands was a big flat country full of tall pale
blond people who all look alike.
It's flat. The people are generally tall. That's about it. The
Netherlands is small. There are fields and windmills.... and cities.
Last night was the World cup game between Holland and Portugal. We
bought some orange scarves and hats and stuff and joined the
merrymakers to watch the game. A whole street one over from the hotel
was cordoned off and all the clubs on that street (about 7 in 100
metres of street) had tents out front and a jillion TVs and people
watching them. The people... it was unbelievable. How come no one ever
told me how beautiful Dutch people are? There were the tall blond
ones, yeah, but there were black peoople, white people Asian people,
Latin American people, Arab people.... and every single combination of
them you can imagine! And all of them were beautiful!!! The guys with us on the tour wholeheartedly agree.. it's not just the guys who look good, the girls too.
2. I guess I expected that even in a cosmopolitan city, there would be stratification among the races.
Seeing different types of people all together, but in a country where the natives are pale and blonde, without realising it, I expected prejudice and separation between the groups of people here. One thing we noticed at the nightclubs was that you would hardly see a group of people all together of the same race. Interracial couples seem to be the norm, in fact, I didn't see any couples with 2 people the same race, except for the Dutch people. From our limited observation on that night we also realised that they like black people. We weren't looking at racial tolerance here, it was more than that. I have seen an insane amount of interracial blending here, people of mixed races, couples, friends, groups... I didn't realise how unfamiliar this was until I saw it. It's sad that it's so obvious. It shows how much it is lacking everywhere else. We were talking about it the other day, and it is really an amazing feeling as a black person to be walking down the street and not feel antagonism or hatred or a sense of superiority from the people around you. How refreshing!
3. I thought all the cities we'd be visiting would look similar, or feel similar or something...
Rotterdam is so different from everywhere I've been. It's the biggest port on the face of the planet. But that's not the difference, in fact you can't even see the porty stuff from where we are. The interesting thing is the bicycles. They are everywhere. Everyone rides bicycles. There are thousands of them. Every street has a bike path, they even have their own traffic lights. There is a clean feeling in the air, probably because of the bicycle traffic instead of cars. The streets are clean, the air is clean. Everything is clean. The people are all fit and healthy. I've never seen so many healthy looking people! The thin people don't look anorexic and scrawny, just slim and fit. There aren't many fat people. The portion sizes in restaurants are normal, not crazy big. Everything about the place seems so wholesome. Out in the country all the animals are big. The horses are big. The cows are biggeer than any I've seen. even the pigeons and the seagulls are big. This plus the fact that the people, on average, are like a foot taller than everyone else I know, makes me wonder what this place does.... Maybe it's something to do with living 20 feet below cea level.....
Oh and the tap water tastes better than bottled water!
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our hotel is in Rotterdam and is
absolutely gorgeous, I have no idea what they would have to do to get
upgraded from 4 to 5 stars, it is fabulous! Right in the heart of the
city. I thought that was an exaggeration, but literally any direction
you walk in from the hotel, you will find shops, clubs, cafes and
everything.
Before going on a trip, I usually go online and check out the place
and see what I want to do and see what the place is like. I didn't do
that for this trip. I thought I was coming in with no preconceived
ideas. I picked up a Lonely Planet on Western Europe in London and
skimmed through the Netherlands pages and didn't get anything.
Here are some notions I thought I didn't have until I got here and saw
the place (and this is Rotterdam I'm talking about. We are going to
Amsterdam tonight... me and the guys, we'll see what that's like!)
1. I thought the Netherlands was a big flat country full of tall pale
blond people who all look alike.
It's flat. The people are generally tall. That's about it. The
Netherlands is small. There are fields and windmills.... and cities.
Last night was the World cup game between Holland and Portugal. We
bought some orange scarves and hats and stuff and joined the
merrymakers to watch the game. A whole street one over from the hotel
was cordoned off and all the clubs on that street (about 7 in 100
metres of street) had tents out front and a jillion TVs and people
watching them. The people... it was unbelievable. How come no one ever
told me how beautiful Dutch people are? There were the tall blond
ones, yeah, but there were black peoople, white people Asian people,
Latin American people, Arab people.... and every single combination of
them you can imagine! And all of them were beautiful!!! The guys with us on the tour wholeheartedly agree.. it's not just the guys who look good, the girls too.
2. I guess I expected that even in a cosmopolitan city, there would be stratification among the races.
Seeing different types of people all together, but in a country where the natives are pale and blonde, without realising it, I expected prejudice and separation between the groups of people here. One thing we noticed at the nightclubs was that you would hardly see a group of people all together of the same race. Interracial couples seem to be the norm, in fact, I didn't see any couples with 2 people the same race, except for the Dutch people. From our limited observation on that night we also realised that they like black people. We weren't looking at racial tolerance here, it was more than that. I have seen an insane amount of interracial blending here, people of mixed races, couples, friends, groups... I didn't realise how unfamiliar this was until I saw it. It's sad that it's so obvious. It shows how much it is lacking everywhere else. We were talking about it the other day, and it is really an amazing feeling as a black person to be walking down the street and not feel antagonism or hatred or a sense of superiority from the people around you. How refreshing!
3. I thought all the cities we'd be visiting would look similar, or feel similar or something...
Rotterdam is so different from everywhere I've been. It's the biggest port on the face of the planet. But that's not the difference, in fact you can't even see the porty stuff from where we are. The interesting thing is the bicycles. They are everywhere. Everyone rides bicycles. There are thousands of them. Every street has a bike path, they even have their own traffic lights. There is a clean feeling in the air, probably because of the bicycle traffic instead of cars. The streets are clean, the air is clean. Everything is clean. The people are all fit and healthy. I've never seen so many healthy looking people! The thin people don't look anorexic and scrawny, just slim and fit. There aren't many fat people. The portion sizes in restaurants are normal, not crazy big. Everything about the place seems so wholesome. Out in the country all the animals are big. The horses are big. The cows are biggeer than any I've seen. even the pigeons and the seagulls are big. This plus the fact that the people, on average, are like a foot taller than everyone else I know, makes me wonder what this place does.... Maybe it's something to do with living 20 feet below cea level.....
Oh and the tap water tastes better than bottled water!
The Rest of London
On Tuesday we had our concert at Acton Town Hall in London.
As expected, attendance was low. There were about 200 people there.
With the tube strike on and the streets crowded with people using
above-ground transportation, it wasn't surprising.
The concert, however, went very well. We sang about 12 songs with a
short intermission about halfway. The spirit within the choir was
amazing. We had had a really good rehearsal that morning, and we were
really ready to perform. There were some little istakes during the
performance, but nothing so bad that the audience would notice. I was
surprised (though I guess I shouldn't have been) at how the audience
really wasn't getting into it, I mean, after all, it's gospel music
right? But at intermission we went out and talked with them. I saw my
friend Laura, who I had been staying with,, and she was also saying
that she wanted to get up and clap and dance but since no one was even
moving, she felt uncomfortable. I told her to do it if she felt.
The song I did a sol on was about 3 songs from the end, and it's the
first of 3 songs in a gospel medley, which is a really really upbeat,
dancing in the aisles clapping kinda music. It's the kind of thing
where even if you don't dance, you'.ll find yourself moving. Every
time we did it in practice, we ended up standing up and clapping and
moving and getting into it. Needless to say, when I was doing my
little solo (I sing "Come on everybody, let's..." and the choir sings
"Praise the Lord!" twice, and then we all sing "Praise His Holy Name!"
and we do that whole thing 3 times, then I rejoin the choir), so I was
so tired of looking out at a cadaverous audience, I prompted them to
clap along, then waved them to stand. Laura took the cue and jumped up
and before long everyone was dancing :o)
Adrienne Ewing-Roush (who sings a lot of the female solos on the We
Have Come to Sing Praises cd) sang her solo later on in the medley and
she was so dynamic! Everyone got right into it!
At the end of the performance, we reprise the last song and go into
the audience singing. It was such a great way to end, because by then
everyone is on their feet, the choir is mixing with the audience, the
audience is singing along... It was really really nice.
I am completely blown away by the spirit that is created when we sing
together. I knew it would be really cool singing spirituals and gospel
songs, but I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't grown up in
the A.M.E. or any of the churches with strong musical roots. My
parents were both Anglican and when I went to church with my granny,
it was always boring anglican stuff. I had heard about the other ones
and passed by them but never went. I can see how this music can make
you so receptive to the promptings of the spirit, or pretty much
anything that you experience during or immediately after it! During
rehearsals, we have to be constantly reminded not to sing at full oice
and strain ourselves. We are supposed to rehearse sitting down so we
don't get tired but sometimes, the music takes over, and before you
know it everyone is on their feet clapping and dancing, really really
feeling the music, jamming, ad-libbing, it's soooooo wonderful! We
have been moved to tears often as a group - just overwhelmed by it!
Also the fact that there are non-Baha'is in the group makes it really
really special. Joyce, our director is not a Baha'i. She has this
really amazing ability to get what is needed out of each choir member
and obviously knows what she is doing!
I really look forward to the day when I can go to a Feast or Holy Day
and this kind of music is being sung and this kind of experience is
being felt by the people who are taking part in it. When we read the
quotes on music at devotions (which we have before every rehearsal,
carefully planned and chosen readings and prayers) it seems obvious
that this should be included as the music in our Baha'i repertoire
because it does exactly those things that music is supposed to do.
We started the first rehearsal as strangers, but just singing these
songs together has bonded us in a way that I never imagined. I may not
remember people's names, but I feel so close to them because we shared
this.
I won't go on about this.... but it has been great.
As expected, attendance was low. There were about 200 people there.
With the tube strike on and the streets crowded with people using
above-ground transportation, it wasn't surprising.
The concert, however, went very well. We sang about 12 songs with a
short intermission about halfway. The spirit within the choir was
amazing. We had had a really good rehearsal that morning, and we were
really ready to perform. There were some little istakes during the
performance, but nothing so bad that the audience would notice. I was
surprised (though I guess I shouldn't have been) at how the audience
really wasn't getting into it, I mean, after all, it's gospel music
right? But at intermission we went out and talked with them. I saw my
friend Laura, who I had been staying with,, and she was also saying
that she wanted to get up and clap and dance but since no one was even
moving, she felt uncomfortable. I told her to do it if she felt.
The song I did a sol on was about 3 songs from the end, and it's the
first of 3 songs in a gospel medley, which is a really really upbeat,
dancing in the aisles clapping kinda music. It's the kind of thing
where even if you don't dance, you'.ll find yourself moving. Every
time we did it in practice, we ended up standing up and clapping and
moving and getting into it. Needless to say, when I was doing my
little solo (I sing "Come on everybody, let's..." and the choir sings
"Praise the Lord!" twice, and then we all sing "Praise His Holy Name!"
and we do that whole thing 3 times, then I rejoin the choir), so I was
so tired of looking out at a cadaverous audience, I prompted them to
clap along, then waved them to stand. Laura took the cue and jumped up
and before long everyone was dancing :o)
Adrienne Ewing-Roush (who sings a lot of the female solos on the We
Have Come to Sing Praises cd) sang her solo later on in the medley and
she was so dynamic! Everyone got right into it!
At the end of the performance, we reprise the last song and go into
the audience singing. It was such a great way to end, because by then
everyone is on their feet, the choir is mixing with the audience, the
audience is singing along... It was really really nice.
I am completely blown away by the spirit that is created when we sing
together. I knew it would be really cool singing spirituals and gospel
songs, but I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't grown up in
the A.M.E. or any of the churches with strong musical roots. My
parents were both Anglican and when I went to church with my granny,
it was always boring anglican stuff. I had heard about the other ones
and passed by them but never went. I can see how this music can make
you so receptive to the promptings of the spirit, or pretty much
anything that you experience during or immediately after it! During
rehearsals, we have to be constantly reminded not to sing at full oice
and strain ourselves. We are supposed to rehearse sitting down so we
don't get tired but sometimes, the music takes over, and before you
know it everyone is on their feet clapping and dancing, really really
feeling the music, jamming, ad-libbing, it's soooooo wonderful! We
have been moved to tears often as a group - just overwhelmed by it!
Also the fact that there are non-Baha'is in the group makes it really
really special. Joyce, our director is not a Baha'i. She has this
really amazing ability to get what is needed out of each choir member
and obviously knows what she is doing!
I really look forward to the day when I can go to a Feast or Holy Day
and this kind of music is being sung and this kind of experience is
being felt by the people who are taking part in it. When we read the
quotes on music at devotions (which we have before every rehearsal,
carefully planned and chosen readings and prayers) it seems obvious
that this should be included as the music in our Baha'i repertoire
because it does exactly those things that music is supposed to do.
We started the first rehearsal as strangers, but just singing these
songs together has bonded us in a way that I never imagined. I may not
remember people's names, but I feel so close to them because we shared
this.
I won't go on about this.... but it has been great.
a bit of London
Well here I am in Europe, in fact I've been here for a week already!!!
I didn't have time to blog from london so i'll post an edited e-mail I
sent to my parents... stuff in [square brackets] is explanation added
for the blog..
...
I have like 20 minutes to do all my online stuff at this internet
cafe. thanks so much for sending the stuff with Marie. The idea of
shopping is absolutely out of the question. [mom asked me to shop for
some stuff for her] We are all the way up in
Wembley. It takes about 15 minutes on the tube to get to Baker street
and another 15 minutes to Picadilly Circus. half an hour doesn't sound
like much, but since we've been here our longest break has been 2
hours and that barely gives us time to get something to eat.
This choir is unbelievable!!! The songs are amazing, the sound is
phenomenal. Me and Shirley and Marie keep saying how much Dad E [Dad
E, by the way, is the way my dad spells Daddy, which is what I call
him, even though I am 30 years old I still call them mommy and
daddy... mommy tries to ignore it in public, which makes me do it all
the more :o) Dad E took to signing his e-mails "Dad E." which caught
on right away. Mom E. hasn't really worked out so much...] would
love it! I wish he had been able to come, but I guess everything turns
out the way it's supposed to, right?
I met up with everyone on Saturday morning. I had to take a taxi to
the hotel since there is no way I would have been able to carry my
bags on the tube! Everyone had arrived by 2, so i checked in and then
went downtown to hang out a bit. If I had gotten the note and stuff
from Marie, I could have gotten your stuff then, but I didn't get it
until later. We had a meeting at 8 p.m. and then a short rehearsal.
finishing up at about 10:30.
Yesterday we went to the Guardian's grave in the morning. I had never
been before. My last trip here, the day I was planning to go I started
coming down with the flu, and it was pouring, so it didn't happen.
This time, I was supposed to meet Laura and Marco and go, but there
was a big group having breakfast and I finished too late to meet up at
the scheduled time so I got directions and planned to go on my own.
What ended up happening however, was that someone asked if I was
going, I said yes, and so we decided to go together, then there was
another group leaving at the same time, we all ended up together. 9 of
us. They had no clue how to use the tube, what tickets to buy, what
english money was, and instead of just figuring it out, they spent the
whole time talking loud, holding up coins like "what's this?" etc...
it was quite embarassing! I ended up leading them around "like
ducklings" according to one person in the group.... One of the tube
stations where we were changing was closed, so we had to take a bus to
the next station and catch it there, coming back i worked out an
alternate route (much to the wonderment of some of the people in the
group). When we got out, it was about a 15 minute walk to the
Guardian's grave and people were
complaining the whole time! It was unbelievable, 15 minutes on a flat
road... these people wouldn't last 2 minutes in Haifa! hehehehe
Anyway, we got there, the day was beautiful, it was really nice.
Laura and Marco came while were there. While walking from the tube
station, we ran into some people who were also going. I was way at the
back because I stopped at a Turkish grocery store to buy cherries and
speak Turkish. As we got closer to the gravesite, I realised that I
recognised the walk of one of the people in front of us. When we were
in the Baha'i information room, I saw him close up and gave him a big
hug. It turned out to be Dick Grieser (the second) whose family I
became very close to on pilgrimage 2 years ago, especially his son,
Aziz (a.k.a. Dick Grieser the third) It was great seeing him again,
and we took pictures together. All said, the visit was really nice.
There are some well-known Baha'is buried there as well. Time was
running short though, and we had to return for the rehearsal.
Coming back, I basically said, I'm leaving now, if anyone is
ready right this minute let's go. 2 people were ready, and about 6
people were like just a minute. I left with the 2 that were ready, and
some caught up, others went in another group, i guess. I was really
frustrated by then because I knew if we left any later we wouldn't get
back in time, so amidst all the complaints about the walk, people
trying to stop at the store, people looking the wrong way and nearly
getting knocked down crossing the road, etc, 6 of us got to the train
station together. We made it back just in time for the rehearsal which
went from 1 to 5.
The rehearsals have been out of this world. 80 people who have never
sung together singing songs that are so uplifting... and all
together... it's amazing. the spirit is just unbelievable. Van
mentioned that he's done these songs with other choirs including the
voices of baha, and it wasn't like this. When we stood up to sing a
song, everyone was moving, there was expression... it's different,
and good :o). Some of the songs have moved me to tears hearing them
done in the group. It really is soul-stirring.
We rehearsed again from 6:30 to 9:30 and then went to bed. (I had a
bubble bath first)
This morning's rehearsal was from 9:30 till 12:15. I got stuff for
lunch from the supermarket, and came back and had crumpets with smoked
salmon and mozarella and avocado. With some bing cherries and
kiwifruit. Nice :o)
We met back again at 2:15 and just rehearsed until 4:30. We just had
dinner, and I'm here now at an internet cafe around the corner from
the hotel, and we have to be back at 6:15... Time is short, but the
choir is going to be great. We perform tomorrow night and I think
we're going to blow them away :o)
Unfortunately there is a tube strike tomorrow though so attendance
will probably be low.
Oh yeah, before I go, I got a solo in one of the songs in the gospel
medley... we had auditions before dinner break :o)
shirley and marie [the other choir members from Barbados] have solos too :o)
I didn't have time to blog from london so i'll post an edited e-mail I
sent to my parents... stuff in [square brackets] is explanation added
for the blog..
...
I have like 20 minutes to do all my online stuff at this internet
cafe. thanks so much for sending the stuff with Marie. The idea of
shopping is absolutely out of the question. [mom asked me to shop for
some stuff for her] We are all the way up in
Wembley. It takes about 15 minutes on the tube to get to Baker street
and another 15 minutes to Picadilly Circus. half an hour doesn't sound
like much, but since we've been here our longest break has been 2
hours and that barely gives us time to get something to eat.
This choir is unbelievable!!! The songs are amazing, the sound is
phenomenal. Me and Shirley and Marie keep saying how much Dad E [Dad
E, by the way, is the way my dad spells Daddy, which is what I call
him, even though I am 30 years old I still call them mommy and
daddy... mommy tries to ignore it in public, which makes me do it all
the more :o) Dad E took to signing his e-mails "Dad E." which caught
on right away. Mom E. hasn't really worked out so much...] would
love it! I wish he had been able to come, but I guess everything turns
out the way it's supposed to, right?
I met up with everyone on Saturday morning. I had to take a taxi to
the hotel since there is no way I would have been able to carry my
bags on the tube! Everyone had arrived by 2, so i checked in and then
went downtown to hang out a bit. If I had gotten the note and stuff
from Marie, I could have gotten your stuff then, but I didn't get it
until later. We had a meeting at 8 p.m. and then a short rehearsal.
finishing up at about 10:30.
Yesterday we went to the Guardian's grave in the morning. I had never
been before. My last trip here, the day I was planning to go I started
coming down with the flu, and it was pouring, so it didn't happen.
This time, I was supposed to meet Laura and Marco and go, but there
was a big group having breakfast and I finished too late to meet up at
the scheduled time so I got directions and planned to go on my own.
What ended up happening however, was that someone asked if I was
going, I said yes, and so we decided to go together, then there was
another group leaving at the same time, we all ended up together. 9 of
us. They had no clue how to use the tube, what tickets to buy, what
english money was, and instead of just figuring it out, they spent the
whole time talking loud, holding up coins like "what's this?" etc...
it was quite embarassing! I ended up leading them around "like
ducklings" according to one person in the group.... One of the tube
stations where we were changing was closed, so we had to take a bus to
the next station and catch it there, coming back i worked out an
alternate route (much to the wonderment of some of the people in the
group). When we got out, it was about a 15 minute walk to the
Guardian's grave and people were
complaining the whole time! It was unbelievable, 15 minutes on a flat
road... these people wouldn't last 2 minutes in Haifa! hehehehe
Anyway, we got there, the day was beautiful, it was really nice.
Laura and Marco came while were there. While walking from the tube
station, we ran into some people who were also going. I was way at the
back because I stopped at a Turkish grocery store to buy cherries and
speak Turkish. As we got closer to the gravesite, I realised that I
recognised the walk of one of the people in front of us. When we were
in the Baha'i information room, I saw him close up and gave him a big
hug. It turned out to be Dick Grieser (the second) whose family I
became very close to on pilgrimage 2 years ago, especially his son,
Aziz (a.k.a. Dick Grieser the third) It was great seeing him again,
and we took pictures together. All said, the visit was really nice.
There are some well-known Baha'is buried there as well. Time was
running short though, and we had to return for the rehearsal.
Coming back, I basically said, I'm leaving now, if anyone is
ready right this minute let's go. 2 people were ready, and about 6
people were like just a minute. I left with the 2 that were ready, and
some caught up, others went in another group, i guess. I was really
frustrated by then because I knew if we left any later we wouldn't get
back in time, so amidst all the complaints about the walk, people
trying to stop at the store, people looking the wrong way and nearly
getting knocked down crossing the road, etc, 6 of us got to the train
station together. We made it back just in time for the rehearsal which
went from 1 to 5.
The rehearsals have been out of this world. 80 people who have never
sung together singing songs that are so uplifting... and all
together... it's amazing. the spirit is just unbelievable. Van
mentioned that he's done these songs with other choirs including the
voices of baha, and it wasn't like this. When we stood up to sing a
song, everyone was moving, there was expression... it's different,
and good :o). Some of the songs have moved me to tears hearing them
done in the group. It really is soul-stirring.
We rehearsed again from 6:30 to 9:30 and then went to bed. (I had a
bubble bath first)
This morning's rehearsal was from 9:30 till 12:15. I got stuff for
lunch from the supermarket, and came back and had crumpets with smoked
salmon and mozarella and avocado. With some bing cherries and
kiwifruit. Nice :o)
We met back again at 2:15 and just rehearsed until 4:30. We just had
dinner, and I'm here now at an internet cafe around the corner from
the hotel, and we have to be back at 6:15... Time is short, but the
choir is going to be great. We perform tomorrow night and I think
we're going to blow them away :o)
Unfortunately there is a tube strike tomorrow though so attendance
will probably be low.
Oh yeah, before I go, I got a solo in one of the songs in the gospel
medley... we had auditions before dinner break :o)
shirley and marie [the other choir members from Barbados] have solos too :o)
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