Boston Strong

Hello fellow blog readers.

I have to apologize for not writing in a while. I found it impossible to write anything during last week due to the events that were happening in Boston. Things have quieted down since, but the stress of the end of my first year as a masters student is closing in, and I have papers to write, presentations to give, and a recital to play. Not to mention work, preparing for an audition and an upcoming gig.

I was going to try to give an update of the events that happened last week, but words have failed once again to describe mix the of emotions and events, ranging from terror, to hope, to healing, to strength...leaving Boston with the slogan: Boston Strong.

There was one blogger, a friend of a friend who found the right words, if you would like to read up on the thoughts and feelings of one fellow Bostonian.

I will resume the posts when my year comes to an end, but until then, I feel that I must take a breather from blogging, just for a little while. After my recital, the running will continue.

And if you'll be in Boston in early May, you are cordially invited to my recital. Leave a comment if you would like some more information. :)

I'll see you soon!

Boston Marathon 2013

The chilling images from yesterday were still with me when I woke up this morning, and will continue to be with me throughout my whole life. Seeing as my blog this month has been geared towards running, I would have been at the finish line yesterday if it wasn't for a trip to New York. While walking around a different city, I received a massive amount of text messages (from all over the US and even other countries) asking if I was okay, and it wasn't until I turned on the TV that I realized the sheer gravity of the situation. What was amazing, though, was the response of people over social media offering help, kind words, and prayers to the people effected by the horrible and tragic events of the explosions that happened during the marathon, one of Boston's oldest and greatest wonderful traditions that will now forever be changed.

I know we've seen enough of this horrific event on the news, but this video does contain graphic images and strong language. Even though the tragedy happened so quickly, you can still see people rushing toward the crowd trying to help the injured.

Since I feel as though none of my own words can do justice, I would like to share with you some of the posts I saw on Facebook yesterday. If you see your post here and would like me to take it down, add your name, or anything, please leave a comment or message me.

A friend from Texas wrote, "What I remember most fondly were the beautiful concerts and plays in the parks, free for all of the public, and I truly pray most of all that their shared communal experience of joy, art and friendship not be hindered by such an atrocious act. We love you Boston!!!"

A friend who recently moved away from Boston wrote, "Hoping everyone finds some peace tonight and gets enough rest. Much love to my big ole Boston family, I'm so glad you are all safe!"

A fellow musician and student shared a link and wrote: Thank you to everyone who tried to reach me today. I was a block away from the area just an hour before the bombs went off and would have stayed to watch the race had I not had a midterm to take at 3pm. Feeling very grateful for that midterm right now and so relieved that my friends and teachers in the marathon are okay! My thoughts go out to the victims and their families ♥ Amazed at the strength of this city...

Amazing Acts of Kindness in Boston

An old roommate of mind who lives elsewhere, but who is from the area wrote: So incredibly heartbroken over what has been happening in Boston today. Comforted to see that everyone I know and love who were running in or watching the marathon are okay

Click here to read a fellow blogger's beautiful response.

More responses from friends:

"The Boston Marathon is always held on Patriots' Day, which commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War, where terror was abundant and frequent. Boston will rise from what has happened today, and will become stronger for it, just as our ancestors rose up to battle for their freedom as well as ours."

"At this point, I do not even want to turn on my television or watch the news. This hit too close to home."

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided"

"Today, there are not republicans or democrats, northerners or southerners, yankee fans or red socks fans... we are one, brought together by our sadness and are united in our quest for peace and comfort for the city and victims in Boston today."

"To all the loyal Boston readers out there, and everyone else who is affected by today's tragedy in Boston, please never forget that we have the power. We have the power to remind ourselves at every moment that cowardice never, ever wins. My deep condolences to all the families affected by this random act of cowardice, and my encouragement to ALL of us to distance ourselves further and further from the reaction of division and violence. Moments like this give us the chance to choose light and love, and boy do we need that now more than ever." - Joyce DiDonato

Another friend wrote: My 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Lawless taught us to say a little prayer when we heard a siren, which I frequently still do.

Unfortunately today I could not keep up. Praying for everyone in this city.

Another response from a fellow Bostonian: Thanks to everyone checking in over the course of the day. Obviously, we still don't know all that much, but it's a relief knowing that many of you are safe tonight. Please keep in your thoughts those that were affected by today's events. It'll take a while, but we're gonna get through this.

Another article: Boston Marathon: All My Tears, All My Love

"Cowards: This is BOSTON. We fight injustice, promote enlightenment, and celebrate athletic achievement. You changed none of that." - Scott Kirsner

"Marathon Monday in Boston is supposed to be a day of celebration of people's athletic achievements, and for this year specifically, also a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting this past December. It's horrific to think that this year it will likely be remembered for the tragic events that unfolded today. I can't even imagine why someone would even think about doing something like this, especially during a marathon of all things and in such a lovely city as Boston. Let's hope this whole thing clears up soon and we find out how and why this all happened. Good night y'all, sleep well."

"We are not afraid.

You will not rattle us.

You will not change our way of life.

You may test our faith in freedom but it will not falter.

We love each other and our love makes us stronger than you."

"it is 2AM and I still can't believe what happened."

When you finally think that you've lost all faith in humanity, don't forget about the Heroic First Responders who put themselves in harms way to help the wounded.

And what Obama said when he addressed the nation:

"On days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats—we are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens."

"Boston is a tough and resilient town. So are its people. I'm supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward as one proud city. And as they do, the American people will be with them every single step of the way." - President Obama

Boston will overcome, but the memory will be with us forever:

"I can't seem to shake off this heavy sadness I've been carrying since yesterday. It seems like a night of sleep and a sunny day should just erase it. Though it is beautiful to see how people are finally working together, openly loving and appreciating one another as our race should. I also hope that people all over the country can continue to respond to such a horrific act by continuing to open their hearts and act out of Love, not with identically destructive feelings. 

Everybody needs a wake up call to finally feel and do what we know is right. Keep it up friends!"



I have been living in Boston for the past 6 years, and I am proud to call this beautiful city my home. Most of my friends are from Boston, have lived in Boston, or are in the immediate area, and seeing everyone pull together and help each other was very moving. I am so lucky to have family and friends who care about me, even enough to send a quick text message from across the country, down the street, or in another country to make sure that I was okay. I love you all, and Boston will be okay.

Let's all remember the innocent lives lost, and lives that have been changed forever.

All in for Boston.

Spring Things

I had the most lovely weekend.

What is better than spending time in one of your favorite cities, with someone who actually lives there who can show you some pretty awesome things? Things, that even though you've been visiting Manhattan since you were 10, you never knew existed.

Seeing as one of the most notable things about this weekend was seeing Das Rheingold, the first opera of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle that I've been obsessed with for years, I'll start with the second most notable thing about this weekend: The weather.

Flowers blooming in the old railroad tracks of the High Line. 

The weather was gorgeous. It was the first time in a long time that I could actually feel spring approaching, saw some flowers blooming, and had a marvelous time walking around the city. Not to mention that the company present was one of the reasons why this weekend was so great.

Other reasons why this weekend was amazing?


1.) The High Line.

The High Line is an urban park, built along on old rail line that is elevated above the streets of Manhattan, so that it actually goes past the windows of apartments (a good reason to keep your living room clean). Aside from adding a new perspective to how you look at buildings, it also offers great views of the Hudson, street traffic, and modern architecture. It runs from West 34th street to the Meatpacking district, where we caught a few minutes of Nummer Negen, the day I didn't turn with the world. It is essentially a video of the artist who created it, standing at the north pole for a span of 24 hours, slowly rotating in the opposite direction that the earth is spinning. The video was about nine minutes long, and I started to get really cold just by watching only a few minutes.

The concept of having seats overlooking a New York city street. Pretty cool. 

2.) Learning a lot about modern architecture.

Architecture is an art form, and I learned quite a bit just from seeing a few buildings along the High Line. The building in the picture below that is all the way to the left is the IAC building, designed by Frank Gehry. It's inspiration is...a sailboat; a glass schooner of a workplace. I really wish I had taken more pictures, but I was having such a great time that I didn't feel like constantly documenting everything. I guess next time I should find a happy medium.

Beautiful buildings. Architectural genius.

3.) Kafana

After a long walk through the East Village (we did walk in the wrong direction for a little while), we finally found Kafana, one of the coolest restaurants I've ever been to. Cool for me at least, seeing as it's strictly a Serbian restaurant, and I've never actually had Serbian food. I've also never really heard anyone speak Serbian before, and I'm happy to say that there was plenty of that as well. I had to look up the menu, because there is no way I would have remembered what I had. We started with an order of Lepinja sa kajmakom, traditional bread with a cheesy spread (even though I have issues with lactose, it was totally worth a few bites). For dinner I had dimljena vesalica, which was smoked pork neck...dude. Amazing. I even got to try some Cevapi, which is another traditional dish that was apparently - because I wouldn't know - spot on with the way it was supposed to taste. Topped off with a refreshing beer and lots of water, it was the perfect end to our quest through the city. (We also stumbled upon a little tea shop, that was totally cute and unrefined yet homey). 

4. Central Park. 

Until now, my favorite moment in Central Park involved eating a gingerbread cookie with some hot apple cider around Christmas time last year. I've never really experienced the park in the spring, and now my favorite moment in Central Park is the following: Simply eating lunch that we ordered at the Boathouse Express Cafe, sitting outside, in the sunshine, and talking. We shared an order of french fries as well, and then walked it off through scenic park.

That's the other thing about this weekend. There was a lot of walking. I didn't exactly run, but oh man was I walking. 

Like a Fairy Tale. 

Those are just a few note worthy adventures that were had this weekend, not to mention seeing Rheingold up close and personal, eating more amazing food, listening to even more great music, having great conversations, and having time to practice in the midst of having all this fun.

And I leave you, with a really great song. "No, I regret nothing".

Running is Real and Relatively Simple...

…but it ain't easy. Stated by Mark Will-Weber (runner and author of a few running books-who knew there were running books out there?), and verified by anyone who has ever tried to run. I have a confession to make. It's been two days since I've run...but let me explain. 

The first day, I was feeling way too ambitious, and for not running or going to the gym at any point in the recent past, I was pretty sore the next day. 

The second day, I thought "well, I need to keep up my challenge", so I went on a shorter 20 minute run.

The third day I thought, well maybe a shorter run will help...and plus, it's Easter, and I'll be eating way too much later, so I need to get a run in now. Happy Easter by the way, this is only a small sample of some of the amazing food that we were able to partake in, as well as a photo bomb:

Well, on the fourth day I had trouble performing simple tasks, like going down stairs...since my quads were pretty stiff and still sore. So I took Monday off. 

And by my own fault, I procrastinated on a paper so I had to take today off as well. 

The good news is that today I did have to complete the 15 minute walk to and from my apartment twice, and walked all the way to my rehearsal venue which is 15 minutes away from school...and then I walked all the way home after my brain became mush from taking 10 pages of notes. 

So right now my brain needs a little break to digest, and my ears need to listen to something that isn't Dvorak. Turns out, there is such a thing as too much Dvorak. It's too much of a good thing though, so I suppose it could be a lot worse. 

I also thought it would be a good idea to run when I got home, to clear my head and try my chances at not getting mugged, but it's way to windy...like, wind tunnel windy...like, icy wind tunnel windy. 

So instead I will indulge in a different kind of back breaking exercise: cleaning my room. 

And then writing a paper. 

It's going to be a long night. 

www.collegetocareers.com

Running Sucks

The problem I've always had with running is that I hate doing it...but at least I don't run like a girl. We've all seen those people out there with really awkward strides, but hey, give them credit because at least they're trying. I'm fairly confident that I have a normal looking run, due to running around a lot in my childhood, my brief encounters with playing soccer, my years playing tennis, and now racquetball. But please, if I have an awkward looking run, be a dear and tell me.

So I have been running now for two days. In a row. My first day was a little overkill. I ran from my place in Allston down Commonwealth, cut through the BU campus, took the pedestrian bridge over Storrow Drive, and ran on the bike path by the Charles. The weather was gorgeous! I could feel myself physically getting a little tired, but eventually the endorphins kicked in and I suddenly didn't hate running as much, imagine that. And I felt great for the rest if the day.



Still feeling a little tightness in my legs from yesterday, I decided to go on a short run today. I have since travelled to RI and did a short 20 minute run through my little town in Wakefield. I thought I had packed everything, since I tend to brag about my packing skills, but this time I think it went to my head. I forgot socks. But the great thing about having a shoe size of 6 is that I easily fit into my 11 year old brother's socks. His shoes however, are way too big for me. It's a little sad.

To spend some quality brother/sister time, I ran while he rode his bike. We took my step dads route which went through our neighborhood, through the center of our little town, up hills, and down hills. It was a welcome change of scenery...not that I'm complaining at all about my proximity to the Charles River...but I do enjoy my time at home, and a break from the city every once in a while.

Oh little town of Wakefield...

 

Admittedly, I still have to take some breaks and walk. When I first started running years ago during my undergrad, I was walking more than I was running. Surprisingly, on my first run, I was running far more than I was walking, and the same goes for today. When I walk, I set a brisk pace, and it's more of a break than a "I can't possibly run anymore so I'm going to walk for 15 minutes, and run for three".

 

Running has also made me more aware of the benefits of eating healthy. I'm eating lean turkey on 127 grain bread (if only such a thing existed) with baby carrots for lunch, usually a bowl of Cheerios with soy mik for breakfast, and for dinner I have a small bowl of whole wheat pasta. It's easy to fall into the whole "Oh, it's okay I ran today" mind set and walk into the McDonalds that's disturbingly close to my apartment, but I don't want to undo what I've already done. Granted, I did that last time I ran a lot with Wendy's, but it was okay because I was running. But then I stopped running and kept eating Wendy's...and we all know how that story goes.

 

 

Even though this is a 30 day challenge, I am not going to stop running after 30 days. It usually takes 30 days for something to become habitual, so with that in mind, I am going to keep running, and eventually start training for some races. It's exciting. I'm a runner now. 

An Early Start to April

Here's something I've never done on this blog before. I'm going to start my April challenge early. But before I get to that, I have one more thing to say about this month's current challenge, which for me was to work with young musicians in Haiti. If you will be in Boston next week, I would like to invite you to this event:

There will be a discussion about our time spent abroad working with kids, a video screening, and talk about what MESDA hopes to accomplish in the future. There will also be a short chamber music concert, in which all the music is written by composers from Latin America, as well as a reception to follow, where we will be mingling and talking about our many life changing experiences.


On to April!

It's time to announce my new challenge...which will be (drumroll please)...

..........running.


Running sucks, and I pretty much hate it, and for a lot of people this wouldn't be a challenge. The problem for me is endurance. I've been plenty active. When I was younger I did ballet (no running required), then I moved on to horse back riding (requires strong legs, but no running), and then in high school I was a pretty damn good tennis player (requires running, but in short spurts). Today I play the occasional game of racquet ball, or perhaps spend some time on the elliptical at the gym, but I haven't seriously been on a run since being in my undergrad.

At one point I considered myself a runner, and was addicted to it. Then one day I skipped a day, and got really busy with music, and never continued. My problem with running is that I can't run for very long before I feel like I'm going to expire. I can't even run a full mile without stopping. So here's my plan:

I am going to start like I did when I began years ago. Running for as long as I can then walking for a bit, and alternating running and walking (until I run more than I walk, and then until I don't walk at all). I'll probably have to invest in a stopwatch and time myself for the times that I am actually running to track my progress. The great thing about April is that the temperatures are getting warmer, so I won't be freezing, and I have just the right amount of time to get a little more in shape before bathing suit weather...(yay!).

After spending a month running (not every day, mind you...muscles need a day to relax and heal every once in a while) I am going to start training for a race, so I'll be running quite a bit once I start getting better at it. I hope to find a 5K to run in the summer, and I really hope to some day be able to run a half marathon. If all goes well and I start really working on my times, a marathon could be feasible (a nice goal would be to run in the Boston marathon, since I live in Boston). But all that is a long way off...so I will start one day at a time, one step at a time.

This will end up being a relatively long challenge, but I'm sure I can find some other things to accomplish while running as well, once running becomes a habit again.

http://funny-pictures-blog.com/2013/01/17/lol-running/

The Rest of Haiti

 Okay, where did I leave off?

Yes, I know I promised to fill you in each day on my adventures in Haiti, but on the third day the electricity wasn't working, and I was having so much fun that I sort of...put it off. Thinking that I would finish my posts in Boston, I returned and have been deathly ill for the past week. Now that I'm feeling almost better (or at least, less miserable), I will give you a some what brief overview of the rest of my time in Haiti, with lots of pictures. It's possible I'll get the days confused since they all end up blurring together anyways, so I'll just go by what I sort of remember. Since I've already covered days 1 and 2, lets start with day 3, a Wednesday, doing more of the same kind of thing we had been doing all week...

Mercredi
I started my day with an early morning lesson, it was technically a 45 minute lesson, but we had the room and the whole morning, so it may have turned into a two hour lesson. We then made our way down to the primary school to teach in our big, slightly rickety van. We actually found out later in the week that our van was an old UN vehicle, with a siren, sealed engine, and periscope (for underwater use), so we were really quite safe. After working with my students and practicing in between during a long, hot day at the school, I was able to unwind a bit in their large, chapel-like setting while the orchestra started rehearsals. That evening we ventured out to a grocery store to get some snacks, which were put to good use as we sipped rum and cokes and had chips and salsa.
Then we had the brilliant idea that we should go swimming at the hotel across the street! We found out that we can use the pool as long as we purchase something...a pretty great deal to cool off and feel refreshed. One by one, people started dropping out and got less enthusiastic, so it ended up being me and one other person. When we got to the hotel, they were super accommodating. Pool hours were kind of over, but since it was only the two of us, as long as we didn't create a raucous we could have access. They even asked us if we wanted to swim first and then have drinks, or drink first and then swim. We decided to swim first which was extremely refreshing, and then we sat by the pool with equally refreshing, yet very strong gin and tonics.

It was a very lovely night...too lovely for a Zombie drink. 

Jeudi 

The morning began with our flute player and I heading down to the primary school early in the morning for a pedagogy class with the teachers. We talked about the importance of structuring a lesson, practicing scales, and gave them some resources where they can acquire sheet music, since they lost a lot of music (and so much more) in the earthquake. 

As the week went on, I learned more and more about how the earthquake effected the school, and everyone who was there. It happened during the day while the school was in session, and they lost about 100 lives: both students and teachers. Seeing all those little kids at the school so full of life, I can only imagine how they could possibly live through such a tragedy; but they did. They have done their best to rebuild the school, but reminders of the earthquake are everywhere. These kids and their teachers come here every day, to teach and play and learn together, and there is such a wonderful, strong sense of community. No matter what has happened in the past or present, or what is to come in the future, these young musicians still come to school every day, and they still play Bach, Telemann, Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel, all on instruments that for the most part are shared, because not everyone has their own instrument...it was truly an incredible experience to be a part of. 

What remains of the school's old chapel

After our class, we sat outside and tried to practice up on this little roof deck area, which was not the most productive. It was hot, we were tired and hungry, so for the most part we talked and snacked on the crackers we brought while waiting for the string players to arrive from the Annex. I still managed to practice my excerpts though, and be a good student!

My babies on vacation

Actually practicing. 

 That evening, Pere David took those of us who were up for it (our director, flutist, violist, and I...we self-dubbed ourselves the "Quartet" since we had a "Trio" in the DR) to Hotel Oloffson, a famous hotel and bar in Haiti to see some traditional Haitian music. It was so much fun. By the end of the night I finally learned my first lesson of being in Haiti: Haitian drinks are so much stronger than American drinks. We each had a few Rhum Punch drinks, which were served in little plastic cups with straws, and they were pink and innocent looking. Oh, how appearances can be deceiving.

Rhum Punch

 The music started and we went over to the next room to check it out. I'm not sure whether it was half an hour or four hours, but from the time the music started to the time that we left we danced (probably like crazy people), I lost (or rather, completely forgot about) my blazer, and our violist got his wallet stolen. Our violist had a surprisingly good attitude about his missing wallet, since he took all his major credit cards out as well as his passport. We then continued to dance all night, and then it was time to go home with big smiles on our faces.

Haitian music.

Vendredi

This was our flute players last day, which was bitter-sweet, and a reminder that our trip was starting to come to a close. The two of us went down to the primary school early (which proved to be difficult after the night before) for another pedagogy class with the teachers. There was a funeral being held in the church so we found a room in the back of the school. After the class, she had to leave quite soon after, we said our goodbyes, and then I found myself...alone. It was the first time for the whole trip that I was absolutely and completely by myself. I was safe, because I was at the school which has guards and gates (for the family members reading this), I couldn't practice because of the aforementioned funeral that moved into the back part of the school, so I went inside the church that had cleared out since the ceremony and started to read and listen to music. It wasn't long until I made a friend. 

The Haitian community was very welcoming and appreciative of MESDA group, and it was extremely easy to make friends, even if there was a language barrier. I made friends with a student who goes to the university, who spoke English incredibly well, and made fun of me a little for not knowing Creole. He then told me that I was to learn Creole, so that the next time I come that's the only language we will speak. I have a lot to learn. 

The string players finally arrived from the Annex with my lunch, and lessons began. I had about three students that afternoon, which was pretty usual, but I felt so much more relaxed...whether I was getting used to teaching long days, or just had a lovely morning to myself I'm not sure. Probably both. 

Two adorable Haitian girls, young flute players, that I hung out with.

That evening, the Quartet was now a Trio, and we went out to eat with a friend of our directors. There was always something going on at a nearby restaurant called Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), and that night there was a band playing a combination of jazz and reggae. We also had pizza/pasta for dinner which was pretty darn good, and I avoided the rhum punch and had an ice cold Prestige instead. Since my roommate wasn't going to be around that night, I was the holder of not just our room key, but also the gate key. The violist and I were dropped off outside the Annex, while our director went with his friend to sort of see where things were in Haiti, and to check out some nearby cool hotels.

(To the family members reading this who were concerned about my safety, you should probably stop reading here...)

With every trip to a foreign country, or actually, just life in general...a certain mental list gets made called the "things not to tell mom" list. The following story was on that list, but it makes an exciting story, and may I remind you all...I am still alive, and it wasn't even that bad. So there might have been a slight miscommunication as to which key was the gate key. As I found out the next day, she meant the metal gate to our door, and not the actual gate to the compound. Assuring my director that I did, in fact, have the gate key, they had already driven off, and when the key didn't work...well, we were kind of screwed. 

We started by checking and double checking both keys, because it had to be there, right? No. Then we remembered that there was a doorbell! We rang it. And rang it. And rang it. The doorbell consisted of a low-pitched hum and every once in a while a bell would ding...on the first level. People were staying on the third level. And since Haiti is loud at night, they were all wearing earplugs. Oh wait, we had the number of one of the girls living here! But that number was in a phone up in the violists room. But I had my phone! We called the director since I didn't have anyone else's number, but he was using his Haitian phone, and his american phone was off. Second lesson in Haiti learned: always get everyone's phone number...just in case. Wait I'm kind of small...what if you lift me up and I try to climb over the fence? Not only does that look super sketchy, but there were spikes and barbed wire up there. So there we were: two white people (one of us is technically Serbian, but still...we stuck out), locked out, in the middle of the night...in Haiti. I chucked my wallet over the gate of the compound so it wouldn't get stolen and we took a seat on the stairs, waiting for our director to get back. I was so lucky I was in the company of a.) a guy and b.) a guy who spoke French fluently (helpful when understanding Creole) because had it been anyone else I would have been scared out of my mind. It wasn't even 10 minutes before we were approached. We had also noticed that there were a few policemen directing traffic nearby, in case we had any trouble, and they would maybe help us. So this man walks up to us, and asks us if we were okay (in Creole). Yes, we're fine. He asks us if we need any help. No...we're good, thanks. Keeping our responses short, kind of avoiding eye contact, trying to stay calm even though my mind was on high alert. Then he walked behind us...and I was sure I was going to die. He reached into his pocket...and took out the freakin' gate keys and opened it for us. We had never seen this guy before, but he had the keys. We thanked him profusely, introduced ourselves, and entered the Annex. Yeah...we lucked out. 

Samedi

The wonderful thing about the Haitian students learning music was that their parents were learning the instruments with them, and there was even a parents orchestra! We gave a class in the morning for all the parents, musicians and non musicians alike, on how to practice with your kids at home. We told a few stories of what it was like for us as kids to be learning music, and gave the parents some ideas in case they had any trouble motivating their kids. We had a little time before lunch (the lesson schedule was different since it was a Saturday), so we found a Haitian guide to take us around downtown Port-au-Prince, because Haiti apparently isn't safe when you're a foreigner. Yeah, probably could have told you that from the adventure we had the night before. Instead of describing to you in great detail what we saw, I have a few pictures to tell the story:

Symbolizing Haitian independence 

Downtown view of the mountains

Henri Christophe, key leader in the Haitian revolution 

I soon learned the third lesson of being in Haiti: Jaywalking in Boston=fine, if you're cautious...jaywalking in Haiti=death wish, if you're cautious. We saw lots of other monuments, a museum for Haiti, and an unfinished tower that was meant for snipers, but remains unfinished because there is no army. There was also a big concert going on with a band called Chic Poulet...or "Fancy Chicken". 

We returned to the school, and I had a short sectional with the clarinet and saxophone players in which they were rehearsing the 'Stars and Stripes' Sousa march. They were also working on the Haitian national anthem in another band. After that I quickly ran to the back of the school to work with two bassoon players on their parts for the Handel concert that was to take place the next day. After we finished, we head on over to the concert venue for the dress rehearsal at Auditorium Ste. Rose de Lima which was a beautiful church where there was housing for nuns: 

Me, making use of the shade

The grounds were beautiful, and the auditorium was air conditioned! It was here that we met up with two other students who were joining the MESDA team: a bassoonist and cellist from Harvard, two of the sweetest girls ever. Hung out for a while outside, since it was the greenest, and prettiest place we had been so far, and then it was a little too hot so I went inside to watch the rehearsal. The concert was technically called "Festival de Musique Baroque"...but we referred to it as "Viola Fest". Unfortunately since it was all baroque music, there were no clarinet parts, so I wasn't able to perform, but it was great to watch!

That night, Pere David took us all out to get some seafood. It was the second to last night, and with the end drawing near, and some new musicians there to take over, it was fun to tell them about the week we had, and what to expect. 

The picture does it no justice. We finished three 40oz fish, with fried plantains, rice and beans, and appetizer with spicy coleslaw, and of course: Prestige. 

Dimanche

Our final day. We got to sleep in quite a bit, as we didn't have to leave until around 11. I spent the morning packing what I could, had some breakfast, and finally got ready to attend the concert. Technically I wasn't performing, but I still opted to wear black and white, since I wanted to look nice, and part of the organization. We arrived at Ste. Rose de Lima and the musicians warmed up. The cellist and our violist both played a short excerpt from a Bach suite, and then the orchestra came out. It began with two viola Telemann concertos, and one was a concerto for two violas played by two of the Haitian teachers that our string players gave lessons to. Then our violist and director, who are very good friends, came out and played Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (two violas), and then the violist stayed out and finished with a Handel viola concerto, that was orchestrated by Henri Casadesus which was a gorgeous piece, and played with the utmost musical sensitivity and emotion. 

On our way to the concert...11 people, 1 cello, a whole bunch of violas and a bouquet of flowers. ONE van. 

Brandenburg 6 performance

MESDA Group after the concert

Then we were treated to an afternoon at the beach. While others back home were freezing in the snow, and barhopping in celebration of St. Patricks Day, I went swimming in the Caribbean sea at Kaliko Beach.  

We stopped at a store for some ice cold Prestiges for the ride...

Just wanted to see some palm trees...

Beach, ocean, mountains, sunshine. 

I may have eaten all of this. 

This trip to Haiti was one of the best and most enlightening trips I've ever been on. Working with the students who were so excited, appreciative, well behaved, and respectful was truly inspiring. Seeing Haiti for the country that it is, and experiencing the culture and community first hand instead of staying at some resort was eye opening. And of course meeting everyone along the way was the best part. The students, the teachers, and the other members of MESDA group are people that I will be seeing again...some in the near future, and some in the more distant future, but the music world is a small place, and we are all bonded by our love for music.