Archive for November, 2008
Audio Flipbook: Weekend in Acapulco
Ok, I know that a weekend on the beach doesn’t have much to do with my research project. But my trip DID get me listening to more tropical music upon my return, and now I’m itching to share some of it here. The only downside to listening to this music is that it underscores how freezing it is in Mexico City right now—I’m literally typing this with mittens on.
Audio Flipbook Tip: To view in fullscreen, click the 
Greetings from Uganda!
Hi everyone! I’ve just completed my first full week in Uganda and so far so good. For the first few days of my stay my primary focus was on… overcoming jet lag. Uganda is 8 hours ahead of Washington DC and for some reason my body interprets that as needing to wake up at 3 am every morning and stay up! Needless to say I’ve been feeling pretty exhausted during the day. I am happy to report however, that, as of yesterday I’ve been sleeping through the night and waking up at a much more reasonable time (7 am).
Other than adapting to the time difference, I have started meeting with HEALS staff and begun planning the Needs Assessment that I’ll be conducting with the children participating in the Hip Hop Therapy project. The Needs Assessment will take place some time between early December and early February while the kids are on holiday from school and have more free time. For the next two weeks or so, I’ll be working on developing the Needs Assessment curriculum and meeting with child-centered Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) with programs in Northern Uganda to get a sense of the tools, exercises, and activities they’ve found to be useful in working with war-affected youth.
I’m really excited about finally being in Uganda and getting my project started and I look forward to sharing my experience with you!
Thanks for reading!
Making the mariachi
Here’s a quick summary of how the School of Mexican Music works: Every day students show up at 4 p.m. and buckle down for four hours of non-stop music study. They clap out esquemas rítmicos (rhythmic schemes) to dozens of Mexican music styles, sing scales and practice complex strumming patterns over and over again. They leave at dark, instruments slung over their shoulders, and go home to practice more before class the following day. Repeat each week for three years, which is how long it takes to complete the program.
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I have arrived in Mali!
I have arrived in Mali! The red earth, the bustling traffic of taxis and mopeds zipping around town, the music blaring from corner radios, and the beautiful River Niger welcomed me in to the capital city, Bamako, where I’ll be spending the next 7 months.
After a whirlwind three weeks of visiting my family and friends and after a series of increasingly painful goodbyes, I took off on a series of flights that took me San Francisco – Atlanta – Dakar – Bamako.
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