Archive for April, 2009
Swine Time
Since I now live a few hours away from the capital, Iʼm lucky to not have much to report
on the Swine Flu outbreak. Itʼs still business as usual in Xalapa, though this morning I
couldn’t help but gulp when I saw a group of surgical-masked ladies power walking
towards me in the park.
However, some of my friends are doing a great job of capturing aspects of the Mexico City frenzy that you wonʼt see on the news. Check out some of their photos and blogs below:
Easter Break and Celebrations
It is almost the end of the university Easter break, which I so often wrongly refer to as “spring break” even though we are rapidly descending into winter here in New Zealand. Because my Māori culture class was on hold for two weeks, I had the opportunity to travel around New Zealand a bit. A highlight was completing an awe-inspiring 14 km hike in the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (unrelated to music, I know, but I’ve decided to put a picture up anyway because it was so beautiful).
Why Clothes are More Important than Food
Talking to the children during a group discussion
I strongly believe that any time you enter a community with the goal of “helping”, you should work closely with that community in determining what issues need to be addressed and how to address them.
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New Town, New Guitar
Since moving to Xalapa, Veracruz, I have been studying with a new music teacher: Ramón Gutiérrez of the band Son de Madera. He holds classes in the same workshop where he builds his studentsʼ instruments, like this jarana.
Greetings from Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz! This is where I’ll wrap up the
final months of my Fulbright year (which, for the record, is going by way too fast) by
looking at two very vibrant, and very different, styles of regional music: the son jarocho
and danzón. Iʼm a few weeks into my son jarocho lessons (along with a bunch of 11-
year-olds) and have just brought home my new jarana, a small guitar hand-carved by
my teacher.
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Men in Tights
Here’s a clip from my trip to Guanajuato, a city known for its colorful winding streets and
narrow alleyways. Getting there from Mexico City only took five hours, but when I
stepped off the bus I felt like I’d been through a time machine. The architecture alone
makes you feel dizzy, visually stacking centuries of colonial Mexican history all the way
up the hillsides.
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