Tonight I just had my 4th drumming lesson. I'm FINALLY understanding the drum language and the ways the beats and different drums talk to each other. I'm taking 1, maybe 2 djembe drums home. Definitely brought an extra luggage to carry back African art.
I got a kick out of tonight's lesson because of the neighborhood boys who joined in. They were ages 4-9 years, and while they were initially rude to me last week, I decided to be bold in befriending them. They, and other locals around get a kick out of an Asian face here. Anyhow, as I was drumming with the teacher and my friend, the little boys starte banging the rhythms on tin cans and even a random phone receiver. One of them started dancing and moving around, it was really great! I could tell some of them were a natural for dancing and drumming.
I'll try to put up a picture of them for this blog. I've been having problems loading up pictures as it takes FOREVER and doesn't always work. I might even put up pictures online after I'm back in New York.
After being here for a little more than a month, I'm finally used to life here and starting to enjoy it. Of course I only have 3.5 more weeks left to really enjoy it and I'm sure I'll miss it a bit and be sad to leave. Yet I still look forward to coming back, and will most likely be ready to come back once the time arrives. Next week I'll be in the village placement with my friend Becka- this means we'll be living in a village, not the compound, with an African couple in their house. We'll be doing daily life activities there- digging yams, helping at the orphanage, learning basket weaving, and eating whatever they cook. Sounds quite exciting minus the bathroom bit. I'm really not looking forward to the bathroom, some of my fellow volunteers who've been to the village placement said the only unpleasant part was the bathroom scenario. Eeek!!
Must upload pictures now, hope they work!
~T :)
