Dear readers, I am back to continue my blog! I left you a few months ago with what seemed like a final chapter. And it was, for my time in Afghanistan...
I still miss Afghanistan. Intensely sometimes. Sometimes in the middle of the night, or when I'm practicing cello, or when I'm all alone and lost in thought. I can never predict when I will be hit with brutal force, by a memory, a smell or a feeling that reminds of that heartbreaking and extraordinary country. Yet now, after five months, it's all starting to seem like a vivid dream. It's hard to even picture myself there, or to remember how it felt exactly. I do hope to go back one day to rediscover the country and its many beautiful mysteries. Hopefully soon.
However, new adventures await! I am excited to announce that I will be embarking on a new journey and starting a brand new chapter. In a few weeks, I will be moving to Kingston, Jamaica to join the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica!
NYOJ is a unique and important program serving disadvantaged youth in challenged areas of Kingston. Working towards social change and community enrichment, the organization offers after-school music instruction, ensembles and classes. Their method is based in part on Venezuela's El Sistema, a transformational movement which has taken the world by storm. I am honored and excited to both share what I have to offer, and to learn about the people, the culture and the country of Jamaica.
Please look for my first entry (with pictures!) about Jamaica within the next few weeks. Like Afghanistan, it will be a fascinating journey and I do hope you will join me as I discover Jamaica.
I still miss Afghanistan. Intensely sometimes. Sometimes in the middle of the night, or when I'm practicing cello, or when I'm all alone and lost in thought. I can never predict when I will be hit with brutal force, by a memory, a smell or a feeling that reminds of that heartbreaking and extraordinary country. Yet now, after five months, it's all starting to seem like a vivid dream. It's hard to even picture myself there, or to remember how it felt exactly. I do hope to go back one day to rediscover the country and its many beautiful mysteries. Hopefully soon.
However, new adventures await! I am excited to announce that I will be embarking on a new journey and starting a brand new chapter. In a few weeks, I will be moving to Kingston, Jamaica to join the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica!
NYOJ is a unique and important program serving disadvantaged youth in challenged areas of Kingston. Working towards social change and community enrichment, the organization offers after-school music instruction, ensembles and classes. Their method is based in part on Venezuela's El Sistema, a transformational movement which has taken the world by storm. I am honored and excited to both share what I have to offer, and to learn about the people, the culture and the country of Jamaica.
Please look for my first entry (with pictures!) about Jamaica within the next few weeks. Like Afghanistan, it will be a fascinating journey and I do hope you will join me as I discover Jamaica.
