Catching Up On The Past Year

I can't believe that it has been almost a year since I posted (sorry about that!) I wanted to take this post to catch y'all up on the remainder of Whim 'n Rhythm's world tour...So here we go!

After Japan we whisked off to Singapore, India, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Italy (then I took a week long sojourn in Brooklyn, New York). Singapore was a strange place. It is difficult to sort through my feelings about this city-state. Yes, it is beautiful. I'll give you that. But it is almost too perfect. The streets are so clean, and there is an eerie calm that settles over this tropical city: a muggy perfection that tends to cling to rather than comfort you. That being said, I did enjoy my time there: the a cappella groups we held a workshop with were so enthusiastic about singing (it was such a joy to bring so many passionate people together and teach each other about music and exchange rehearsal/performance strategies). Whim had a good laugh going on a local news show: it was fun to be interviewed on international television, and to make up "jingles" on the spot to advertise our interview.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would go to India. Throughout my life, it remained one of those far-off lands that I would never go to: something that was built up in my imagination from childhood movies like A Little Princess. From what friends had told me from their travels in India, I was prepared for the worst: the extreme poverty, the overcrowded cities, the chaos...What I did not expect was the beauty, the vibrant cities and the rich culture that also make up India. The clothing alone was art. Women were dressed in peacock blue, ruby red, acid green, and deep lavender saris...I felt like I was wading through a bag of Skittles ("taste the rainbow!"). So many colors! We were lucky enough to stay in the Taj Coromandel hotel in Chennai, and had the privilege of every modern amenity you could ask for. The Yale Club of Chennai hosted a major event at the Taj while we were there, and we were able to put on a nice show for the alums. We were also on Chennai Radio Live, were interviewed for nation-wide newspapers, and in our spare time travelled to the east coast of Chennai to stare out at the Indian Ocean (no swimming though...deadly bacteria...not to mention the crocodiles...) We also visited silk artisans and rode elephants!

Egypt was a dream come true for me. As a little girl, I used to spend countless afternoons daydreaming about circumnavigating the globe. I imagined myself wearing a bright red coat like Carmen Sandiego while heading to places like the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum and of course, the Pyramids at Giza--yellow scarf flapping in the wind. So, from a very young age my ambition was to travel the world...and there I was standing in front of my biggest dream, about to ascend to the inner chamber of Khufu's pyramid.

Eventually, all of Whim made it into the burial chamber, and after all of the other tourists had left, we stayed a few moments longer to sing "We Are" (a very meaningful song for Whim about legacy and fulfilling the dreams of grandmothers and grandfathers). It was a magical moment (at the same time very moving and also incredibly unsettling). I think we were all waiting for a mummy to aparate from the darkness a la The Mummy.

After a very trying 8-hour bus ride through the Egyptian dessert (on a very sketchy bus) we eventually made our way to the Israeli border. After our horrible experience on the bus, the palm trees and expansive waters of the Red Sea were paradise. A few of us strolled out along the pier and stuck our feet in the cool water. The ocean was so clear, we could see tropical fish darting 20 feet below us. There were actually some snorkelers out at 8:00 am already. We caught another bus to Jerusalem and dodged between passerby in the Arab quarter to get to our hostel which had an amazing panoramic view of the Old City: the Dome of the Rock glistened in the afternoon sunlight. I came to love Jerusalem in those few days we were there. As a historian, I was fascinated by how saturated the city was with biblical history. We were walking down the street and saw the stations of the cross marked by placards on the city walls. We also saw signs like "Birth Place of the Virgin Mary, this way." I felt like I was being pelted by historical presence every time I walked by an ancient church or cemetery.

After spending a few nights in Jerusalem, we made our way to Tel Aviv. Jakara and I had wonderful hosts: our host mom was a method actress named Sharon and had a vivacious personality. I loved spending time with her: she was a fantastic host. We also spent a lot time at the beach: the Mediterranean waters are beautiful (although riddled with jelly fish!) Tel Aviv provided us that much needed let-down time before surging on to the later part of our tour.

Soon we made our way to Istanbul (my all-time favorite city). Since I had visited the city before, I spent most of my time milling around the markets, chatting with vendors, sampling loads of baklava. Yum. I have a small obsession with Turkish ceramics, so I did a lot of "window shopping" for patterns (and bought a fare amount too). Highlights include the Independence Day celebrations at the consulate in Istanbul (almost 100 American food vendors!), being escorted around town by U.S. marines, singing in an archaeological site of a Roman Cistern, and visiting a Turkish bath house.

Oh, Italia! The real question is...who doesn't love Italy? It is absolutely fabulous!
We started off in Bologna: the best food! I took a day trip to Ravenna, Italy to see the infamous Byzantine mosaics (thanks for the tip Vincent Scully!) One of the more random stops was to Castel Del Piano, a small village, which is home to a UNESCO heritage men's choir. We sang a joint concert with them, and had a great time (yes, there was yodeling involved).

I really enjoyed visiting Siena. We arrived a fews days after the Palio. I stayed with my friend Lissie's Italian teacher from Yale. He had an apartment in a neighborhood of Siena called Selva (Forest). Consequently, Selva had just won the Palio a few days before and the community was inclined to celebrate in the wee hours of the night by parading back and forth through the neighborhood singing and playing drums. It was really special to be living in the "winning" part of town. The Siena Duomo is the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. The marble work is just stunning.

Then we headed off to Roma! It was incredibly educational, inspiring and fun as always. I loved meandering around, stopping in churches on a whim to discover the most amazing architecture. The World Cup was going on while we were there, so everyone was in a hubub. Did I mention that we stayed in a Catholic convent (curfew at 5:00 pm!) They were incredibly kind to host us, and it was nice to spend the evenings with all of Whim (catching up on the third season of True Blood).

Then we had to say our goodbyes, which of course, were sad because we were losing two of our members before returning home: Jennie (off for more adventures in Europe) and Jakara (starting her Fullbright research in Rome). Somehow we made it back to New York City with all of our baggage. It was raining cats and dogs when we got back (which was like pouring lighter fluid on the flame our our emotions). We sang "Hammond" one last time, and wandered off to our various destinations. I caught a taxi to Brooklyn. I was forlorn to close such a wonderful chapter in my life...I was in a daze when I caught the elevator up into Lissie's apartment (I ran into her Dad as I was coming into the building). I walked into the familiar space: I was instantly stunned into reality by the smell of roasting chicken (it was dinner time). The apartment, although not my home in Pittsburgh, was an overwhelmingly comforting and homey space. As I turned left into the family room, I saw Lissie sitting on the white chair-and-a-half that she always sits in while watching TV. I think she was actually watching The Last Unicorn. She jumped up when she saw me, scream "Oh My God! ASHLEY!" and we gave each other a big hug. It was the perfect homecoming! That evening we met up with Luke and Michelle and went to eat at a southern restaurant: I had a pulled pork sandwich. I think it was at that point--when I was happily eating away at one of my favorite all-American dishes--that I realized I was elated to be back home in the good ol' U.S. of A!

I spent the remainder of my summer (5-week) in Pittsburgh with my family before starting my first year in a history PhD program at Duke University. Just two weeks ago I successfully finished my first year of graduate school and now I am in New Orleans for my summer research!