I have arrived in Kuwait City!

It was the longest journey i have ever had, left brooklyn at 7:30 am on Sunday arrived in Kuwait 6pm on Monday. It wasn't too bad,i tried sleeping in lots of curled positions and got lots of neck and butt cramps. As soon as we got close we peered our heads out the window to see what our eyes could see and it was a whole lot of sand, rippled with a few tumbleweeds, brown is the color of this town from the aeroplane.

Super anxious to get a sense of what this country is like, i was quiet walking off the plane into the airport. It was a pretty severe contrast to what the outside landscape looked like to what the inside of airport is like. I have a feeling this is going to happen a lot, my pre-judgements about this place are going to be turned on their head a lot.

anyway, the airport is chrome shiny-ness, super clean everywhere. there were traditionally clothed muslim men with the checked scarves on their head and the little ropes on the top that look sorta like a halo, it's funny to have the connection with these scarves as a fashion of brooklyn!,They also were these long long shirts/dress thing that goes all the way to the floor and usually it's white. I was noticing how beatifully the men walked, they didn't move their shoulders at all, it looked like they were gliding across the floors. i realized that it must be cause the don't want to trip over those long hems and it keeps them having great posture. the women are with their heads covered, some their faces, but they were beautiful they had intense make-up on and super cute hand bags, then there are tons of military, there is still military present in kuwait but most of them are coming through kuwait to go to iraq. but the most beautiful thing was this family sitting next to me and sean at the visa desk, the little girl is coloring my little pony pictures and the little boy has a little elmo doll, I liked that. Then the call to prayer came over the loud speaker, i am use to hearing this in brooklyn but it always totally distorted, this was like someone was singing right next to me, it made me stop. it was beautiful. i wondered why people weren't reacting, arene't they hearing this lovely man singing, and shouldn't they be praying. as we left to get in the car i saw a room about the parking lot where all these men were in fact praying.

So i have done absolutely no prep for coming to this country, sean has a whole page of words in arabic that he is practicing, and is reading a book called the short history of islam. But i have done zero, the only info i had to go on is what the state dept website said and the nervousness of my mother and grandmothers voices after they heard i was coming here. I defiantly had the sense that there would be anti-american sentiment, and frankly that is why i thought they brought us. But Deborah from the embassy said the majority of Kuwaitis' actually have very positive feelings towards Americans because Bush helped in their liberation. So it's actually quite comfortable here for americans. Why don't they put that on the state dept. website? First judgement shattered.

We are staying in the holiday inn, there is every american franchise here, apparently there are more McDonald's here than anywhere else, considering the size of the country. (it's the size of NJ). But the holiday inn is pretty special, there is a chinese , japanese, middle eastern, indian restaurants all in the hotel, all the amenities, it's super nice. I am really just excited sleeping horizontally.



Sean and i got to walk by the persian gulf tonight, there was a boardwalk, stray cats and big buildings with lots and lots of lights. I did get to see the moon. I like seeing the moon, it makes me feel like he follows me where ever i go, and then i think that he is also following everyone else and where ever they go. he's such a busy dude!



Well, i will try and update daily as my mind is expanded in this place. I did forget my camera and the converter to charge my computer. but i have a super smart phone that might turn into a camera and video. Tomorrow there is an iraqi band playing at the festival that we are playing at. I hope to catch them.

Green-Wood Cemetery

I ride by the Green-Wood cemetery nearly every other day on my way to teach. Recently the spring aroma has been so incredibly seductive though i never could spare the time to go in, until today. Apparently Green-wood was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries and by 1860 Green-Wood was attracting tourist as huge in numbers to rival Niagara Falls. I appreciate that a cemetery of dead people was as popular as Niagara Falls, did people go here for their honeymoon like Niagara falls? Green-Wood is 478 acres and has a huge collections of 19th- and 20th-century statuary. Its so weird to feel such spiritual rejuvenation by being in a cemetery full of dead people but that's how i felt today. It reminds me of playing around the abandoned cemetery around my grandmothers house. The statues here were incredible, little angels and cherubs, and jesus, the angels out numbered jesus by a lot. I noticed on the tombstones, by a striking number, that women outlive men! i know that has always been said but i saw the stats with my very own eyes. Lots of them were by 20 years and this was in the 1800 and early 1900's. Women are built to last! My favorite were the weeping willow trees, they really look like they are weeping over these graves and like they are comforting the souls by hovering so close to the ground. When i die plant weeping willows around my grave. I spent a total of 4 and 1/2 hours there today wondering amongst such beauty and feeling gentle, peaceful comfort in this ancient burial ground.

Mt. Airy Fiddlers Convention

/>Mt. Airy fiddlers convention. There’s nothing quite like it. It has just the right proportions, the old southern old-timers, young spirited punks, greasy fair food, the constant hum of the key of A, and good storytelling red necks and dancin’ grannies. Sean and I left New York Thurs morning and drove 9 hours with windshield wipers on high, semi laughing at the fact that we are bout to go for a long weekend of camping in the woods and it was relentlessly dumping rain. We showed up in Mt. Airy and like always I never really know how to get to the festival so we called James Ruchala who now is a proud resident of North Carolina. James just had the unfortunate experience of his brakes going out in his car going out on some mountain pass, everyone’s nightmare but james made it sound like …just one of those things. We met up and made way to his cute little house had a lovely dinner, cooked with nice things from his garden..We optimistically thought the rain would stop while we had dinner but it didn’t so we made our way over to the festival.


We got there in the thick of the rain, didn’t set up the tent just made our way out to see the happening ran into dan from the cankickers and some friendly folks plopped ourselves and played a bunch of tunes tried to avoid the rain that was dripping form the tent and the pools of water all collected in the middle of the meadow. I love playing music with new folks where I have to figure out their groove it’s a fun little puzzle to try to get in sync. Fell asleep that night in james tent both me and sean, it was a sweet little slumber party. Woke up the next morning and found bob Willoughby, he’s my most favorite buddy at fiddler’s conventions I sat with him for basically the rest of that day playing lopey tunes, shootin the shit a lot of the time just having a good hang. He is a great soul.



Made my way down to the field to check out the competition scene. There was a new dance floor this year, solid wood floor for all the flat footers and cloggers. It was a beautiful scene. I went over to get a picture and there was the one old man that stood out. He had a shiny red jacket, brilliant blue eyes and did some crazy moves with his white sneakers was no younger than 70’s. He caught my eye and held out his hand and said ”oh would you dance with me” I really couldn’t say no , though I was wearing big clumsy rubber boots and really have no idea how to flat foot. He was thrilled no matter what my skills where, he said all those old ladies he wears out and they have to sit down, he’s been dancing for the past 8 hours. So sweet.

Made my way to the back of the stage where all the musicians where lined up for the competition. Everyone was practicing up their tune doe the competition, passing a bottle around, standing in a lot of mud, laughing and having a good old time. Half the competition fun is the line you wait in before you play.



The rest of that night was hanging with my next favorite buddy Steve Fagan. His crazy red neck stories always delight me. Like the one about the “English immigrant” who came to the festival one year and played Old Joe Clark for 6 hours straight. Steve got an idea of how to stop this old joe clark playing machine, he decided to torch him with WD40 and a lighter. Apparently the flame length is like 5 feet or something crazy like that. It doesn’t just end there Robbie Roberson felt like the dude that brought the “English immigrant” should be punished as well for bringing such a guy so he shot the 5 foot flame towards the other dude too. Yeah, charming if you heard it coming from their mouth.


The next day was much of the same, steak and egg diner for breakfast, corn dog and French fries for dinner, lots of tune playing and the weather getting warmer and dryer all the time. Saturday was the best day. There was a wedding, a civil war lesson and a renegade square dance. Jamie, John Herman’s son got married. I think it was suppose to just be an engagement party with cocktails and old-time music. But Paul Brown came and said some sweet words of encouragement and the John Herman said “we should just do it now, do you wanna do it NOW?” They giggled, nodded and then the wedding began and at the end they were smootchin and dancin’ in less than 10 minutes. I cried it was sweet.



Later found my self sitting in the forest section of the hill with 3 fiddles and banjo we played fiddle tunes, ballads and then for a moment the mt. airy festival dissolved into the background and we were completely engrossed in a heavy conversation of the civil war, slavery, abolitionist. These guys were civil war re-enactors and historians. I love old-time musicians! Then it was off to the renegade square dance. It was the square dancing I have ever done. The dances were great and both the callers and the musicians rotated so was always fresh.



Then it was getting on 5 am and I headed up the hill to tuck myself in for the last night in Mt. airy. The moon was bright and full and shone over the meadow and fiddles where still going and part of me thought I probably could stay up till the sun came up but I just stood and listened for a while then crawled into my tent and fell asleep and that was Mt. Airy fiddlers convention for me.

Lumii's at folk college

This has been an amazing experience. Yesterday we taught a workshop named "putting the unusual in your sound". At first we said what on earth do they mean by this??? and then we realized that this is exactly what we do the best and above all other workshops that we have ever taught this one sorta suits us best. We pieced together each part that each of us play then built it section by section and for us it was even so fascinating to see what everyone plays individually. I think i felt a reflection of wow i'm so proud of what we do. Anyway, we got them playing hip hop beats and playing one note like you mean it. It was really great fun. Then benjy and i taught our class Ilan's Tune as we call it. Sax, 3 violins, mandolin and dulcimer. It's a rockin band they came up with ideas for arranging, which included ending the tune with vocal percussion sounds and walking off stage. Such professionals. called themselves Vlad and the impalers.

Sxip and Rima did a workshop on pushing boundaries, they did cluck old hen with guida, mandolin, fiddle and guitar. This fiddler was awesome she rocked like rima, literally came up with lines that rima would have played, a little fiddle rima coming up.





But dang this experience was amazing, the people that put this on and come to it are music enthusiasts and they are into learning new stuff, they don't have those confidence things and can't do something new. they are funny people they laugh alot. The other teachers there were truly inspiring too. Joel Macabeus who is a singer-songwriter played amazing charming funny songs, then songs with a cause and songs with a story, really moving. Then this awesome oldtime band called orpheus Supertones, made really excited to get down to mt. Airy fiddlers convention.
This camp has a lot of work to do on the food situation,i ate chocolate coffee floats 3x's a day, wait...ok that wasn't the bad part. Nevermind, i was happy with coffee floats 3 times a day.



A pretty funny moment was walking up campus sidewalk and hearing "you are my sunshine" sung by over 100 people holding their instruments and posing for group photo. funny and sweet.

And to top it all it's perfect springtime weather. On friday i walked by the peonie patch and they were tight little blossoms on sunday they were in full bloom releasing all their infectious scent. It was such a flashback from my childhood. I remember waiting for the bus at the end of the lane and watching the same progression. For a few days the peonies would be covered with ants crawling all around over the tight buds then one day magically they would burst and it was one of my most favorite smells, right after the honey locust smell that came out of the 4 trees in our front yard. Ahhhh, springtime.

Luminescent tour

Lumii's are at a folk college for the weekend. I just got back less than a week ago from a tour in central america with hoppin john for an entire month and jumped in the van to go out with lumii's to do a weekend of workshops in middle pennsylvania. It was great driving here, we stopped to get crappy food at a gas station and were happily surprised that in front of this gas station the Lion's Club had set up 5 pits for BBQ chicken. A full chicken, potato and applesauce meal for 7 bucks served by some lovely grannies and grandpa's. Was so happy that those kind of experiences can still happen in America, it's not alllll conform corporate bullshit.



We arrived at this sweet little campus where the lilacs are in full bloom and the smell is of fresh green grass. It's really relaxing and beautiful. Folks here are average age of 45. We arrived late and just walked straight into the first workshop we were greeted by 20 students ready to learn gypsy fiddle. There was a dulcimer, mandolins, fiddles, guitars, flutes, penny whistle and auto harp all ready to learn. What a trip. Then we were ushered to our dorm room, they were actually quite clean and nice, this is definitely not some crazy party school. Anyway, at some cafeteria food and then performed a 40 minute set. Sooooo nice to play with lumii's again. I am so deeply connected to this band i can't even explain it. It feels good to be back in it again and have a fresh new perspective. Afterward we did a jam, doing random world music music, led by us. It sounds like it would be a terrible experience but it actually was nice.

Coban, Guatemala

Coban is my favorite town. It's totally a working class town, people running around with large objects on their head, buses driving like maniacs through the streets, tamales and coffee sold by the dozen on the street corners, people are busy here. There is a huge mayan population here, sean and i went to the indigenous market and it was the feeling of being in chinatown but even a step above that craziness, if you can imagine. Mayans are much friendlier and open than the chinese. Their was plantains, and corn being roasted, tons of vegetables and fruit, raw meat just sitting out in the open, flies where all over it!, traditional clothes, cd's, shoes, live turkey's tied together, 50 lb bags of beans, spices, candles, mayan accessories. Part of the market was under a barn like structure that contained hundreds of booths of merchants, children were running around everywhere, smelled of animals, BO, children, spices and life. Sean played his bones throughout the market it made all the girls giggle and be in awe of this large white gringo in a cowboy hat. The electricity was out all day so once the sun started going down we could hardly see what was happening. We walked out to the street and found this family band playing ranchero music. Which when i heard it i thought it was mexican but i was corrected, the country of guatemala was a larger area and encompassed southern mexico and this is where the ranchero music was born. This family was so beautiful, and was lovely to see women getting to sing and play instruments, this isn't always the case.







It was a rainy day, it's rainy season in guatemala. We got caught in one downpour but were blessed with meeting this lovely mayan women who was selling some beautiful handmade textiles. We ducked into a tienda with her and was amazed with all her beautiful work. Guatemala has the most amazing handmade crafts that i have ever seen. No country compares to the weaving, the pottery, and embroidery.



We started this day at a university with a workshop, we were suppose to have a concert as well but that got cancelled due to the swine flu. It was the first time the university has ever made efforts to connect with the US. There has been a lot of tensions here because of the years of US backed politics in this region that has led to a lot of fighting and death. So it was big day in history. Juan Jose Guerrero Perez runs this school and is quite amazing. He is not only the director of this school of 1400 kids but also is a surgeon and a writer. He wrote a book on the history of this region, from the perspective of the people. He took us on a tour of the catholic church in town called Templo El Calvario. This church is special because it has excepted both the catholic religion and the indigenous mayan religion. As we walked up the 136 steps to the church there were mayan offerings with the catholic offerings. in the church there was a back room with 2 crosses decorated with feathers glued to the cross with wax. it was a dark grey room unadorned but there was writing with chalk. The front of the church thee were some saints and jesus with tons of candles and corn as offerings. It felt really good to be in there. Outside was a fire circle where the mayans hold their rituals. It smelled of incense and fire. THere was a man named Fray Bartolome de las casas.He was a very important man in helping save the indigenous people from slavery and death. By converting the Indians it gave him a place to argue against the Spanish idea that native people were inferior and should be pacified forcefully. And of course many people wanted to kill La Casas for these ideals and they started riots but he was successful in the passage of the New Laws (1542) abolishing the encomiendas. La Casa's was a child when Christopher Columbus began the practice of capturing and sending natives back to Spain as slaves in order to repay the funding for his expeditions. Christopher Columbus is the one who started the Encomiendas which was to give land to spanish colonist along with native slaves to work the land. He was a great and smart fighter against the mistreatment and genocide of the natives by the Spainish.
The Catholic Church has really helped the poor and indigenious people in Central America and still does fight for the rights of these people. Most of what we hear is how many bishops and priest were killed and the reason is because they were trying to help the poor groups of poeple. I never knew how vocal and political the catholic church was and is. Just as a side note i was watching CNN and in Chicago there are a lot of young black men getting killed like 200 or so in the past few years. The catholic church hung the american flag upside down as a symbol and frustration that the police are not taking this matter seriously and more needs to be done to help the black communities that are suffering. He was a white priest. I'm pretty enlightened by all of this information.

Salama, Guatemala

Ladies of the Marimba of Salama, Guatemala, originally uploaded by fiddlesarah.

Our opener for us at the lions club in Salama, was this amazing marimba band. So sweet.