tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89551302024-03-14T12:24:20.187-06:00Adventures in Dramachitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.comBlogger2036125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-87776003255105988252016-10-06T20:45:00.003-06:002016-10-06T20:45:20.396-06:00Change of AddressLoyal readers,<br />
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I'm giving Wordpress a try since Blogger is turning less and less friendly to the mobile poster. My weekend trip to NYC, which begins tomorrow afternoon, seems like as good as place as any to try a new blogging option. If you'll be so kind as to <a href="https://chitarita.wordpress.com/">follow me over here </a>(chitarita.wordpress.com), we'll see how this goes. If it works out better, I'll tweak the settings to re-set-up the menus and such. For now, though, I've exported this whole blog over to that site. Hopefully the switch, if it must happen, goes smoothly!<br />
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Here's the new address once again: <a href="https://chitarita.wordpress.com/">https://chitarita.wordpress.com/ </a>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-44324466524719742712016-09-28T09:45:00.001-06:002016-09-28T09:45:33.642-06:00Poor BaristasI wonder how they feel when they see a herd of 20 high schoolers come in.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGukDWbs2v-JzI-FMw1L1F3BcqGAbt0cq4MVuAd9lhJ7NU5NRgZzwqODP59EypQxFRzAx5zyAv8f6LlV1WDdb65uYB5upp9y3mokz5Rr1212P3dg_pN5-WO4jrBNXAKsfHVybLw/s640/blogger-image--1806297537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGukDWbs2v-JzI-FMw1L1F3BcqGAbt0cq4MVuAd9lhJ7NU5NRgZzwqODP59EypQxFRzAx5zyAv8f6LlV1WDdb65uYB5upp9y3mokz5Rr1212P3dg_pN5-WO4jrBNXAKsfHVybLw/s640/blogger-image--1806297537.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>But it's a safe, crowd-pleasing choice for their chaperone when we arrive 20 minutes early for the matinee.</div>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-70090757885150325542016-09-22T20:03:00.001-06:002016-09-22T20:03:59.469-06:00Signs of Autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCI9j8hmA_AOlkutbN6aLNsVf6J6sGTOKDFuQpe0cj4vij6VeA0sG1mXavy9kZ9DwvyghysX0YCbzco41-u4WJ9XRZ9NuBZ8QHNV-1eQfbvu-MloR1qWFmyC64yH5WiW0lpUE3g/s640/blogger-image-1164257724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6ldPs3xejCtbCRNDuNBKcSrCNSTWgNo6h75m_TMwO00T-EBw5zN_QohgYaiem9G4fGFyPkGbRLwc6Fv27tFkY7RQ5frtXvP4H7iZw_gwSDt2bDtacVuZ5u3gNaiygBg4J53q-g/s640/blogger-image-1418194622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Homemade Peach Cobbler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6ldPs3xejCtbCRNDuNBKcSrCNSTWgNo6h75m_TMwO00T-EBw5zN_QohgYaiem9G4fGFyPkGbRLwc6Fv27tFkY7RQ5frtXvP4H7iZw_gwSDt2bDtacVuZ5u3gNaiygBg4J53q-g/s640/blogger-image-1418194622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzVtZ9P_k04K0EWBpU2T0vnAly9-eVu1eeWTUjEHfQmIjLDDRTYc9N76lHF_8UY4nj-LZ-zCkO0ryGLkMxs3V6o9LllX19qJnM91Nzz3gU7_CaXO3WlSRH94ygp_B53OTlM83Yw/s640/blogger-image-783347081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzVtZ9P_k04K0EWBpU2T0vnAly9-eVu1eeWTUjEHfQmIjLDDRTYc9N76lHF_8UY4nj-LZ-zCkO0ryGLkMxs3V6o9LllX19qJnM91Nzz3gU7_CaXO3WlSRH94ygp_B53OTlM83Yw/s640/blogger-image-783347081.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A New Class Schedule</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6ldPs3xejCtbCRNDuNBKcSrCNSTWgNo6h75m_TMwO00T-EBw5zN_QohgYaiem9G4fGFyPkGbRLwc6Fv27tFkY7RQ5frtXvP4H7iZw_gwSDt2bDtacVuZ5u3gNaiygBg4J53q-g/s640/blogger-image-1418194622.jpg"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Happily with only one new class this year! (As opposed to last year's three.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A New Cast List</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY23daOPP6TRGdHZBsplNkCY43MR4qPstiwJv8Fka5T04qjv5OAB_r6-vztVsRMqWrZy7zt_Zo6WzQED2RQoG-kTOWGzujfr3Od_tEFnY-x5vbOrWyGQmX2kvbrZTsU-o0I1M01w/s640/blogger-image--1545069866.jpg"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speech Season Sign-Ups</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNLDnLwzqu_jtYxnLT8FKS5hmI6pIbNh01pvPdczhAIU0JK8D4zFxARA6btB4Of6XcpI1qWeYjXuAt-FtZz3qtYIzgUmqOfUka6IBJuLP3smSrT2_Kfo1ZxtCYPr1PuU_kfn_PQ/s640/blogger-image-814550668.jpg"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cat Naps in the Sun Sliver</div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9orpTJ4uhyj2lbSuMYc7z8n66RtUslnPPEX-fb2dnJUK-7rzQgccvI4x861S26pQ74Sq8mKwiSxSHq4P1xRENtSOmyGnok5jzXzE2Y7oaImYKXC5IPKWZj5wS9FM9yoIO0hKnwA/s640/blogger-image-554540159.jpg"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Yellow Aspens Everywhere</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCI9j8hmA_AOlkutbN6aLNsVf6J6sGTOKDFuQpe0cj4vij6VeA0sG1mXavy9kZ9DwvyghysX0YCbzco41-u4WJ9XRZ9NuBZ8QHNV-1eQfbvu-MloR1qWFmyC64yH5WiW0lpUE3g/s640/blogger-image-1164257724.jpg"></div>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-21984406423784901282016-07-27T17:03:00.000-06:002016-07-27T17:03:27.301-06:00Fun Home<br />
I've been curious about <i>Fun Home</i> since it beat out <i>Something Rotten!</i> for the Tony last year, but knowing that it's a musical about "butch lesbians, a funeral home, closeted gay men, and suicide" (as one of the creators put it) didn't make it a priority for me. Still, the TKTS booth had availability and it's at Circle in the Square, the company behind <i>The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee</i> (still one of my favorite musicals); so what the heck?<br />
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It's a good show, yes. It's not one I'll need to see again - angsty family dramas usually aren't. The direction and design are solid, the singing lovely, and it was fun to see a musical done in the round. Was it worth best musical that year? Maybe. I liked <i>Something Rotten!</i> better, but I get the popularity behind awarding the "edgier" show. I spent a lot of it wondering if it should even be a musical, though. The songs didn't add anything to the story or the characters. I think I would have liked it better as a straight play (unintended pun), actually.<br />
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Also, if you're wondering whether it passes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test">the Bechdel test</a> - it does, despite focusing so much conversation on, to, and about a male character; which I found <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fun_Home">ironic</a>.<br />
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<br />chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-80178060929696074232016-07-27T16:49:00.000-06:002016-07-27T16:49:26.690-06:00Breuer and GolemThe Breuer is a new part of the Met Museum. It just opened in March, so it was on my list of Things to See while I am here.<br />
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It was smaller than I expected, and from what I can tell doesn't have a permanent collection. The second floor held an exhibit of photos by Diane Arbus, while the third and fourth floors were dedicated to an exhibit about unfinished art.<br />
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That exhibit was actually quite interesting. It was set up chronologically and included pieces that were disrupted in their process (usually by the death of the artist or the subject) as well as pieces that the artist deliberately left unfinished.<br />
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I enjoyed seeing the different methods of painting artists employed - some painting in minute detail one space at a time, others doing general washes and background details first:<br />
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It was also fun to see such familiar artists' styles in progress:</div>
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The focus of the Breuer is on modern and contemporary art, and my favorite piece of the "Unfinished" exhibit was "Portrait of Ross in L.A.":<br />
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<i>This piece by Felix Gonzalez-Torres is indeed a pile of candy. Here's the description:
"Decay and erosion play an integral role in Gonzalez-Torres's unconventional portrait of his partner, Ross Laycock, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991. The work consists of a pile of candy whose combined weight, 175 pounds, corresponded to Laycock's ideal weight. The otherwise static, enigmatic mound is animated by visitors, who are invited to sample the sweets. As the candy disappears, the pile loses its integrity as well as its regularity, shrinking in mass and weight. Its transformationover time reenacts the debilitating effects of Laycock's illness. Before it vanishes altogether, however, the museum replenishes the supply of candy. Suspended between disappearance and renewal, the work exists in a liminal state of perpetual process.</i><br />
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In the evening I took the bus to the Gerald W. Lynch theater for my next viewing of the Lincoln Center Festival.<br />
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The only thing I knew about this production going in is that it's advertised as "a giant graphic novel come to life!"<br />
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And, oddly, that is exactly the right description for it. The set, most of the props, and even some of the characters are all projected onto the cyc or onto carefully placed flats. The actors are thus limited to a two-dimensional playing field, since they can't move too far downstage without ruining the illusion, but the staticness just enhanced the graphic-novel feel.<br />
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The best way I can think of to describe it is as if "Blue's Clues" was run by the Shockheaded Peter people with an anti-Apple message.<br />
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Here's a video with some bits:<br />
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It was weird, vaguely creepy, and clever enough that I'm adding 1927 to the list of theater companies to keep an eye on. In fact, Jason - want to go to Pennsylvania next year to see Opera Philadelphia do <a href="https://www.operaphila.org/festival/performances/">their version of <i>The Magic Flute</i></a>? Or, even less practically, want to go to Berlin to see this company do a double-billing of <i>Petrushka</i> and <i>L'Enfant et les Sortileges </i>at <a href="https://english.komische-oper-berlin.de/schedule/opera/petruschka-lenfant-et-les-sortileges/1747/">Komische Opera</a>?chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-56062229608041736642016-07-25T16:59:00.002-06:002016-07-25T16:59:30.887-06:00Introvert MondayI was sore, exhausted, and pretty dehydrated when I got home after the theater last night. The unrelenting heat wave and the stress of travel (albeit a minor and welcomed stress, but a stress nontheless) made me head-achy and a bit tired of people.<br />
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So, I asked myself what would make me happy today. Then I had a serious talk with myself about the fact that what makes me happy is totally fine and it's perfectly alright for me to do it. Then I did a small load of laundry in the bathtub, fixed their leaky showerhead, and repacked my suitcase to help convince myself that I've earned the right to do what makes me happy.<br />
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Then I got a big glass of ice (glorious ice!) water, put a chair directly in front of the air conditioner, and read. I did a good yoga session in the livingroom, then returned to the chair and read some more.<br />
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I thought about looking inot discount tickets for whatever shows' are not dark on Mondays, but found that I just wasn't especially excited about any of the prospects. Instead, I took heed of the fact that I haven't been able to fully drop my shoulders or keep my jaw unclenched in a few weeks. So, I decided to take my ticket money for the night and put it towards a massage instead. Conveniently, there's a massage literally next door to this apartment building. That was especially handy when a big, thunder-clapping rainstorm hit just as I was paying my bill. I returned to the apartment soaking wet, but feeling better able to relax than I have in a while.<br />
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So, no show or photo or food recap today (although it was pretty great to get to have my cereal-with-fresh-blueberries-and-banana-slices combination again). Still, it was a very nice day.chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-5342509195429006192016-07-25T16:47:00.000-06:002016-07-25T16:47:19.629-06:00Sunday - Movin' On UpI checked out of Founder's Hall in the morning and hauled myself and my stuff up to Midtown. I rented an apartment for myself through AirBnB, and I was really looking forward to a non-shared place with a kitchen.<br />
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After unpacking, I headed to the nearest grocery store, was appalled to find cereal costing $6 a box, and got the bare necessities, reminding myself that it's still cheaper than eating out for every meal.<br />
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I spent the afternoon in Soho, exchanging a dress I got in May and walking around the Sunday afternoon bustle, then back to the apartment to take a cold shower and change for the theater.<br />
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Lincoln Center's Summer Festival is going on, and my first show with them is a production of "Merchant of Venice" from the Globe.<br />
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The show was at the Rose Theater at Colombus Circle, a venue I hadn't been to before. It's actually attached to a high-end mall, and it was a little strange to walk past clothing stores to take an elevator to the seventh floor for the balcony section. I arrived early to pick up my ticket from the box office, grabbed a slice of pizza from a shop on the corner, and settled into my center-but-total-nosebleed seat.<br />
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The show was fine. The more I see of their work, the more I recognize the Globe's distinct acting style. It's hard to explain - classical, with a certain vocal cadence, I guess. The set was gorgeous and the lighting made good use of the cut-out Moroccan-style wall that made up the backdrop. Jonathan Pryce was by far the best at delivering his lines - he was surprisingly skilled at articulation and delivering the lines with clear meaning and understanding. The actor who played Lancelot Gobo was very well cast and did an excellent job on his "fiend/conscience" scene, mixing well improv with the scripted lines.<br />
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Aside from that, the show was unremarkable. It played up the tragedy of Shylock's forced conversion, ending with him sobbing through his heavily-Catholic baptism ceremony. They didn't shy away from the racism of the time, and played up Portia's bias most of all. I haven't seen that choice before - she's usually played so likeably that her prejudice is buried under her cleverness. Here, though, her scorn for Jessica and the pleasure she took at punishing Shylock in the court scene were obvious.<br />
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The production we saw last summer in Stratford was much better - more nuanced and interesting. <br />
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Also, the suitor from Arragon did not have a Pomeranian; tight-shirted, muscular attendants; or a guitar accompaniment. I find every production that does not have those things in it sorely lacking.chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-31555191836735018902016-07-25T09:42:00.003-06:002016-07-25T09:42:45.619-06:00Saturday - Institute FinaleFor our last official day of the NEH institute, we met outside Sahadi's Grocery store in the "Little Syria" part of Brooklyn.<br />
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We had a tour of the store from the current Sahadi who's running the place (she's the third generation to do so). It's a pretty cool store, actually, with a variety of Middle Eastern foods. The kind of place I'd shop at if it was at all convenient.</div>
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Afterwards, a woman who is a local historian/genealogist took us on a tour of the neighborhood. Honestly, it wasn't too interesting - just a lot of "You see Building A there? It's where Building B used to be, which was where Locally-Prominent-Guy-Not-Known-At-All-Outside-Of-The-Neighorhood used to live."</div>
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Remember how the ward I went to last week met in a chapel-wthin-a-normal-building? Here's a mosque doing the same thing:</div>
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I'm guessing they use the upstairs windows for the minaret.</div>
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It was hot, hot, hot, so we were ready to get inside and get cool drinks by the time the tour ended at noon. Sahar had arranged for a lunch for our entire group at <a href="http://www.tripolirestaurant.com/">Tripoli</a>'s. We took over the basement restaurant and they brought us plate after plate of delicious food.</div>
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We students had written a group ghazal as a thank you for the directors of the institute, so as seems fitting we recited our individual couplets over Turkish coffee and baklava; then said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.</div>
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I picked up a discount ticket for "An American in Paris" at the TKTS booth.<br />
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The main comment I've heard about this new-ish production is that it's beautiful. And it really was lovely visually. Christopher Wheeldon directed and choreographed the show, with an entirely rewritten book and several "new" songs. The "new" songs actually just affirmed why they were so less well-known that the Gershwin standards, but the show reminded me just how much I like Gershwins' music. I became quite the fan after seeing "Crazy for You" in high school, and Rachel and I have enjoyed many a Gene Kelly movie.<br />
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The set and lighting designs were effective, but also very reminiscent of a ballet set, relying mostly on the backdrop and a few flats to create the atmosphere to allow for a lot of empty stage floor. They relied heavily on projected sets, most of which worked very well. I want to have a word with all of the designers who think that projecting a giant blossoming flower is an okay thing to do because no. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should, and it ruins the moment.<br />
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What I really loved was seeing a musical where all but one of the dance numbers were done in the contemporary ballet style. It was... not jarring, but something like that... to see "I've Got Rhythm" done without tap shoes. I really liked the change, and it reminded me why I extended this trip just so I could see Wheeldon's new ballet Thursday night.<br />
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However, dancing and visuals aside the show was just so-so. It got boring at times, the plot is dated, the characters are flat, and there's nothing that feels new in it anymore. When Lise declared solemnly that she has to chose between following her heart and doing her duty (a decision which was spelled out very clearly for the audience at least five times), I wondered if there's been a show where the answer to that question is to do your duty. I'd like to see that Disney movie or comedic musical. (And I don't think "Pirates" counts.)<br />
<br />chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-54888398693665891172016-07-22T19:47:00.001-06:002016-07-22T19:47:24.544-06:00Friday - Untermyer Gardens<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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We all met at Grand Central Station today to take a train to Yonkers, home of <a href="http://www.untermyergardens.org/">the Untermyer Gardens</a>. Despite the 95+ degree heat, we were there to see the Persian walled gardens.</div>
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The president of the gardens gave us the tour, and his pride in the place was obvious. Given the state of disrepair we saw in some parts, I can only imagine how much work he and others put in to get the gardens to the state they are. Still, as he waxed rhapsodic outside the walls about how this garden rivals the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra, I wondered if he might be a bit too biased.</div>
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The answer is yes. Yes, he is.</div>
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The gardens are pretty spiffy. They're definitely one of the better ones I've visited in America. I'm just an annoying travel snob who couldn't help but compare it to the Alhambra, the Taj Mahal, Versailles, and Peterhof.</div>
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I kept it to myself, though. I didn't want to be <u>that</u> annoying.</div>
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What I enjoyed the most about these gardens was how dang American they felt. In other words, these were feats of art created and cultivated by a particular group of people. No, these were put together by people who traveled a lot and, as they did, picked out what they liked best about each place and stuck it all together at home. The president may beam as he talked about the "Grecian-inspired columns that offset the Persian geometry," but come on. It's a collage.</div>
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<b>Interesting Things</b>:</div>
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Actually, I learned quite a few interesting things about Chahar Baghs, including that this type of garden is called "Chahar Bagh." Here are a few highlights:</div>
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<li>One reason the tessellating pattern is so prevalent in Islamic art is because of it's eternal nature. The endless pattern is an homage to Allah's endlessness. </li>
<li>The number four is highly significant in these gardens (notice how they're divided into quadrants?). This symbol probably came through the Zoroastrians to the Persians to the Muslims. It refers to</li>
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<li>The four seasons</li>
<li>The four elements</li>
<li>The four winds</li>
<li>The four cardinal directions </li>
<li>The four "rivers of life" (milk, honey, wine, and water) </li>
<li>The four rivers that walled in the Garden of Eden</li>
<li>and more! </li>
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<li>Also, the 4-sided shape is a representation of earth, while a circle represents heaven. </li>
<li>"Paradise" has a Persian etymology - pairi = "around" and diz = "to make/form." Which means that "paradise" is a term that meant the place that is surrounded by a wall. Which is super-interesting to me philosophically and is definitely something I'll be looking for a chance to tease out in a future Sunday School lesson.</li>
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<b>Photo tour!</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The intrepid tourists. It was hot and sunny - just right for visiting a place inspired by ruins in other hot and sunny places!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Persian gardens. Looks good, right? You can't even see the giant hospital that looms over it to the left.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the gardens. There's a bas relief of Artemis above the door because... nature? Hot divine chicks? <br />Because why not.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverse side of the entrance. The president said the triangle is an homage to <a href="http://amazingancient.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/darwaza.jpg">the Lion's Gate at Mycenae</a>. Because why not? He also said they have no idea what the vent above it is for. "Maybe fire?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you walk through the entrance, you immediately face this classic Persian lineup. If it looks familiar, it's because they designed it after a trip to the Alhambra.<br />The addition of the weeping beech trees on either side was nice both for their framing and for their shade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group spreading out. I think this may give you a better sense of the (small) scale of the place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway down the central path. You can see two sphinx statues on top of columns at the end. Because why not?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sphinx columns provide the backdrop to a small outdoor stage. On either side are Greek-style porticoes. Because why not?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And outside the Greek porticoes are Chinese lions. Because why not?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flowers were really lovely and well-tended.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like the Taj Mahal, this garden only has three walls. The fourth side is open to a terrific river view (the Hudson, in this case). Also on the fourth side is a Greek temple. Because why not?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The temple had a mosaic Medusa on the floor, which is in the midst of restoration. "Our climate isn't so great for mosaics," the guide explained.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently, the owners went to Lake Como at one point and really liked the cyprus tree-lined path to the lake there. So they told their builder to give 'em one just like it when they got home.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside of the walled garden is the "Temple of Love." Apparently it's a thing because John Lennon was photographed there:</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The teachers in our group who are over 45 were lining up to recreate this pose. Because why not?<br />
The rest of us admired the view.</td></tr>
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<br />chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-45454838042608327282016-07-21T17:49:00.001-06:002016-07-21T17:49:39.335-06:00Thursday - Institute LogisticsWe didn't have any official lectures/seminars today. Instead, the day was devoted to discussing some of the questions that have been raised (such as: What is the difference between Islam and Muslim?) and planning for the project we are each required to complete as a part of the NEH grant. I have more than a few ideas for ways I can apply what I've learned, so I'm not anticipating this being a difficult task. They also brought in four teachers from the last institute to share what they've been doing in their classrooms with the materials since then.<br />
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<b>Food of the Day:</b> The "Street Treat" taco from Tac and Roll, an Asian/Mexican fusion restaurant. That particular taco was Thai-inspired and included grilled chicken, a "Wang Alley" marinade, sweet chili sauce, pineapple, jalapeno, and cilantro.<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day</b>: Lavie, one of my fellow participants, teaches at the University of Hip Hop in Chicago and is a graffiti artist. He offered to paint the outside of the City Lore storefront, and did so over lunch today. Here's the end results:<br />
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<br />chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-43855688849291089172016-07-20T18:02:00.003-06:002016-07-20T18:02:58.626-06:00Wednesday - The Schomberg CenterWe met at <a href="https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg">the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture</a> up in Harlem today.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEh86zMpVQZhM5viYErgmRx99emlYxljbP5jkMwn1i0NdIdzVTXujCMK5khk7h3Ldh1aL5d9CfYwL3JmaZk5iy9PjW4OTBnQ9K46EaJrp8bsaiyb67YQCgvUo5YExxOuWaBmBoA/s640/blogger-image--1790403329.jpg" /> <br />
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<b>Morning Lecture 1: </b>Dr. Sylviane Diouf<br />
<b>Topic:</b> The Call to Prayer and the Blues<br />
<b>Interesting Things:</b> Dr. Sylviane has been researching the links between those two types of music. She presented mainly on the history of the slave trade. In all of the units on slavery I remember from my school years, I can't think of a one that addressed the significant number of slaves who were and who remained Muslim.<br />
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Check out this comparison, though.<br />
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Here's a bit of a call to prayer, if you aren't familiar:<br />
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And here's a "holler" recorded in the 1920's:<br />
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Right?!<br />
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<b>Morning Lecture 2: </b>Imam Konate<br />
<b>Topic: </b>Umm... Basically whatever he wanted to say.<br />
<b>Interesting Things:</b> Imam Konate spoke to us about his work with African immigrants in Harlem. Especially striking was his comments on the impact of accents. For example, he speaks four languages, but has been treated as incompetent because his English is accented. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/nyregion/03konate.html?_r=0">Here's an article from the New York Times</a> about him, if you like.<br />
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<b>Afternoon Lecture: </b>Kewulay Kamara<br />
<b>Topic: </b><i>In Search of Finah Misa Kule</i><br />
<b>Interesting Things:</b> We screened Kewulay's documentary, <a href="http://kewulaykamara.com/finah-misa-kule-the-film">In Seach of Finah Misa Kule</a>, about his return to his village in Sierra Leone to document the storytellers there; then heard a bit from Kewulay about the process, his thoughts, and his hopes.<br />
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To me, the most interesting part of his speech was when he addressed the nudity in the film. The nudity comes in the form of women in the village dancing topless. It's pretty mild, actually, but he is talking to a group of public school teachers who are all to familiar with issues of censorship in the classroom. "In my culture," he said, "in many cultures, to take off your clothes is the biggest form of protest." He explained, "No African man wants to see his mother naked," so when the women have something serious that needs to get done, the women take off their clothes and the men get moving. He talked about a protest held by a hundred or so women to encourage the leaders in the government to sign a peace accord. He said that when the women took off their clothes and began dancing, the documents were signed "right away."<br />
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<b>Food of the Day</b>: Pulled pork sandwich from a Cambodian spot near the dorms<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day</b>: Langston Hughes did a lot of work with the Schomburg Center. They have most of his archives, and a "significant part" of his ashes are interred underneath this piece of art based on his poem, <a href="https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/negro-speaks-rivers">The Negro Speaks of Rivers</a>:<br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-29870942112119637882016-07-20T14:32:00.001-06:002016-07-20T17:41:39.949-06:00Tuesday - Metropolitan Museum of Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Today's excursion was the part of the institute I've anticipated from the very beginning - a tour of the Islamic Art wing by it's curator, Maryan Ekhtiar, followed by a session with one of the museum's educators-on-staff, Deborah Lutz.</div>
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In keeping with the institute's theme, he tour focused on "the art of the word." I appreciated this in the end because the information focused more on pieces that I tend to pass by for the bigger, flashier objects in that section. And for the rugs. You know my weakness for beautiful rugs.</div>
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At one point, they gave us a handout with examples of different types of calligraphy. Our task was to take five minutes or so too browse the collection to see how many of the different fonts we could find in the art around us.</div>
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The first page certainly looked doable: </div>
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It wasn't too hard to spot them on objects like:</div>
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But the fonts on the back were a lot harder to distinguish between:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreZ5HcOjtSdbc2qZ6GLeA-7RyVM2Ge5ELD7F8wGxqwu1PkpmEzTHz3x9qAr0rilnMnRHbSDEJ6uSWKl-Lelc8Lk_X6zBGPIrL7K56yAx0xqfWYmLu12D7TiMDlBqWdWDznq-Qhg/s640/blogger-image-524224033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div>
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It was a great exercise. Because I can't read the text, the calligraphy tends to blend in with the other designs of the object - a series of loops and lines rather than letters. By hunting for particular details, I suddenly noticed the calligraphy on many pieces I've admired before, such as:</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKEacp4-kkYPWsv8r-Fwix1SG0BSLF4VduYLP6M_H0ETfP5UdaKBo9gavsNPUmGXjn0QX2wHCcGBrDLEL42EvS17Ul5s7-wAnr42apdhtriVrxryFfHe9MqDzLakZSkN88wPe9Q/s640/blogger-image--746437377.jpg"><br>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNACT24kdQbL44y4tnllYD45cUtlkEabFVapzJG01Um2Rkx8etMLe-ywKIcSOhyZCswoJhzQWqrIZiCj88fNf0sy54DFVzGxM4UfLbfW54SoL2Tmh9LgyM6WUE6eefoAenZWE1g/s640/blogger-image-2135641230.jpg"><br>
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Maryan told us that this bowl had six different calligraphic fonts on it. I've only found three so far:<br>
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<a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/448672?sortBy=Title&deptids=14&od=on&ft=*&pg=9&rpp=20&pos=169">Here's a link</a> to the Met's better image of the bowl, if you want to hunt for the fonts yourself. <br>
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I had assumed that the writings on these pieces would all be quotes from the Quran. Not so! They often included proverbs like "planning ahead will help to avoid regret" (which is what the white bowl in the first photo with Maryan says) or pieces of poetry.<br>
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My favorite inscription is on this 13th century dish from Iran depicting a wedding processional:<br>
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Around the rim it says:<br>
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<i>If the reflection of your cheek had fallen into the
darkness,</i><br>
<i>Immediately (a hundred suns) would have been checkmated. </i><br>
<i>If
Alexander had put a kiss on your lip, </i><br>
<i>He would have been free from the
search for the Water of Life.</i><br>
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How great is that?<br>
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Maryan explained that most of the inscriptions are very difficult to decipher - that dish took an expert several hours to transcribe and translate. Moreover, it's only recently (relatively) that attention has been given to the inscriptions. In the past, if it was too hard to read they would simply catalogue it as "inscribed on the rim," etc. Now, much more effort is put into detailing what, exactly, each piece says.<br>
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Also, because I can't resist, look at the pretty weavings!<br>
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<b>Food of the Day</b>: The Arroz con Pollo dish I had at a Colombian restaurant for lunch.<br>
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<b>Photo of the Day:</b> There are three.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbM_KKXzJN8H0BxsLtvPLn4e7x4X3LurlgiCQAiRdY1oH-HpWqYZfiEjlMSFj0RTZLPotZR4BGAtt7ggmiCF9Q432ANidsIT_NmYARmRKuTrMI0xH3IgvjpwkQmVL0Ld6qplMRSw/s640/blogger-image--1755809511.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this in a display of student artwork. Embroidery done by a 12th grader. Very cool!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYM0qZhz4Or1uHzXkc6nDSuMuYoBHe3c8vC91_kmSHEX1OQlxooq-ksqvbz13eSlAYSH6jkh8noYrLFtAoJc-x4GxOGux21YGD7zy5oLs9OnQAGZuzKuXJdX4Kxzr1HgR5ZpNK6g/s640/blogger-image--391814208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It seems a tree enveloped the fence, but when they cut down the tree they left this chunk behind.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV_T4Yw_SVVRyKlJuHD7hMtm6GSmDUeqs3BCfaUCGO-ia3f1tVuSnZaVnb2EE3mJRrnQlUgGkcOB4gosDcBTwlgVZB6Wjigci0m7lcGkOCweu8_Cft_z2yKvxeNGoLAPMtjxkvQ/s640/blogger-image--2144718460.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did laundry at a laundromat! How cosmopolitan am I? The last time I did this was in Rome after the hostel Emily and I stayed at gave us bedbugs. We spent an evening bleaching and hot-washing all of our bedding in a laundromat run by a guy named Cobra.<br>This laundromat did not have a guy named Cobra. Alas.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-26970043678266377652016-07-19T17:51:00.001-06:002016-07-19T17:51:07.940-06:00Fire DrillI was just finishing dinner in my room when the fire alarm went off. Oh, goody.<div><br></div><div>I grabbed my purse/key electronics and headed out my dorm towards the stairs to join the stream of late teens/early 20s coming down the stairs. Five stories later, we opened the emergency door to the outdoors to find ourselves face to face with a gate. A locked gate. With an RA standing on the other side who explained that he "doesn't think that door works." "Go back up to the second floor, then down the other side."</div><div><br></div><div>Okay.</div><div><br></div><div>I turned around and discovered that the door we had just exited through didnt allow reentry, as in didn't have a handle on the outside.</div><div><br></div><div>This does not seem like smart planning.</div><div><br></div><div>Another group of evacuees tried to exit through the non-exit just then, and we grabbed the door before they got stuck between the door and the gate as well.</div><div><br></div><div>Back inside, up to the second floor, across the building, back down the other staircase, and through the lobby and we were free.</div><div><br></div><div>Since that was hardly an optimal escape, at least it was a drill? I guess?</div><div><br></div><div>I'm lined up along 12th Street with all the excitable yutes, waiting to be let back inside.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCmFHL0kWRy-3Yy37inWLSnxrhvyDZ-Ef4H6i0iRogj-yCvDeaK6w3NojMh5yKaf_VGCfKwY2mcRAFgoZt5AKopnuSicDwQfxA8qYqcYoGk4rRi_duy1klRXDErLbVJ0T9q5wFQ/s640/blogger-image--438772208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCmFHL0kWRy-3Yy37inWLSnxrhvyDZ-Ef4H6i0iRogj-yCvDeaK6w3NojMh5yKaf_VGCfKwY2mcRAFgoZt5AKopnuSicDwQfxA8qYqcYoGk4rRi_duy1klRXDErLbVJ0T9q5wFQ/s640/blogger-image--438772208.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>So that's fun.</div><div><br></div>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-25448265639366080672016-07-18T19:19:00.003-06:002016-07-18T19:19:46.074-06:00Islamic Institute Day 6 - Music in Central Asia<b>Morning Lecture:</b> Introduction to the Music of the Middle East
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<b>Speaker:</b> Dr. Stephen Blum
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<b>Interesting Thing:</b> Mostly, I was reminded that being an expert in your field does not make you a great teacher/speaker. It was clear that Dr. Blum knew quite a bit about his field, but it was rather tricky to follow, let alone make stick.<br />
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<b>Afternoon Lecture:</b> Poetry and Musical Imagination in Central Asia<b></b><br />
<b>Speaker:</b> Dr. Theodore Levin<b></b><br />
<b>Interesting Thing:</b> Dr. Levin kicked things off with a lesson in geography. Boy, I am ignorant about that region of the world. Did you know that there's a Muslim population who speak Turkic in western China (Uigher, also named Xijiang)? And that they recently found a bunch of Caucasian mummies in that same region? I didn't.<br />
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Most of his talk was about Shamanism. The part I actually found the most interesting was his description for how he got the videos he showed us of several rituals during the early 90's. "The Soviet Union did this," he said. "They prohibited religion and made it into theater." In other words, these rituals were performed in public and he, as the foreigner, could film them even in incredibly remote villages in places like Kyrgyzstan. When he returned to similar places after the fall of the USSR, he was told he couldn't film, that these ceremonies/rituals were too sacred. Interesting, right?<br />
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<b>Food of the Day: </b>Lunch went wonky and I wound up just grabbing a banana. For dinner I tried a local version of Chipotle. It was fine, but not outstanding. Honestly, the best thing I ate was probably the pineapple chunks I bought at Trader Joe's.<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day</b>: Speaking of Trader Joe's, the one at Union Square is crazy popular. As in, they have 24 cash registers running in the middle of the afternoon on Monday with at least designated employee whose only job is to tell the next person in line which register they should go to.<br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-69291716728710037732016-07-18T18:54:00.002-06:002016-07-18T18:54:46.715-06:00Sunday in New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Sunday was fairly simple - I went to church (which, aside from taking an elevator to the chapel on the fourth floor, looks exactly like an LDS church on the inside), got a gyro from a street vendor for lunch, went to a movie because air conditioning, and found some dinner at Le Pain.</div>
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Photo of the day:</div>
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-22180868425591054332016-07-16T19:01:00.000-06:002016-07-16T19:01:31.047-06:00Markets and HadestownI'm really enjoying this no-pressure, low-key way of enjoying New York. We don't have any official Institute events this weekend, so I started off my Saturday checking out the street market along University and the farmer's market at Union Square. When I felt more like a puddle than a person in the heat, I ducked into the giant Barnes and Nobles for some air conditioning and to check my Hamilton lottery status. <br />
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Unsurprisingly, I didn't win tickets. I figured after a week in New York, though, it was probably about time for me to see some theater. I'm not especially excited about any of the shows running now. Either I've seen the ones I care about or they're on the docket for the next touring season at DCPA. I have been intrigued by <i>Hadestown</i>, though, so I picked up a discounted ticket and headed to the New York Theater Workshop.<br />
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A folk opera retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth based on a concept album by Anais Mitchell, my interest, as you might expect, came from the Greek myth tie-in. It turned out to be a terrific show - well staged, beautifully sung, clever lyrics, and the folk/jazz/blues music was so good that I was googling "cast album" at intermission. (Happily, they just recorded one that should be out sometime soon. Yay!)<br />
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Here's a clip from the show via the New York Times:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="321" id="nyt_video_player" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://graphics8.nytimes.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=100000004462005" title="New York Times Video - Embed Player" width="480"></iframe> <br />
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<b>Delicious Food of the Day:</b>
A tie between the goat cheese/ratatouille pie I had for lunch and the
"Salty Pimp" I got at Big Gay Ice Cream after the show (vanilla soft
serve topped with dulce de leche and sea salt dipped in chocolate)<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day:</b> I'm glad someone gave Gandhi some flowers to carry.<br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-11120582788510141822016-07-16T18:36:00.000-06:002016-07-16T19:36:40.945-06:00Institute Day 5 - Turkish Poetry, Friday Services, and Poetry Duels<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Morning Lecture</b>: Dr. Kemal Silay</div>
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<b>Topic:</b> Understanding Turkish Culture Through Poetry: From Sufism to Postmodernism</div>
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<b>Interesting Thing:</b> We actually got off to a late start because of a group desire to discuss the terrorist attack in Nice. Sahar and Kemal both commented on their grief for the lives lost, for yet another horrible act done in the name of "Islam." As a group we talked about the difficulty of holding discussions about events like this in class, about the difference between Islam and Islamism (and the difficulty of choosing an appropriate term for the Islamic fundamentalists), and about the double standards of people who are quick to put a pride flag or the French flag on their Facebook profiles in support, but there is no mention when hundreds of people are killed in similar incidents in the Middle East. "A human life is a human life," someone said. "But I don't feel like I can mourn publicly for them without putting my job in jeopardy."</div>
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Kemal talked about Turkey's history, looking at its secularism in the poetry that relies on the classical tradition but enables anyone to write it. His lecture became much more apropos when news of the military coup in Istanbul broke later that day.<br />
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<b>Afternoon Excursion:</b> Friday Jummah Prayers at the <a href="http://www.icnyu.org/">NYU Islamic Center</a><br />
<b>Featuring</b>: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_Latif_(imam)">Imam Khalid Latif</a><br />
<b>Interesting Thing</b>: Sahar was really excited when she told us Imam Latif would be giving the sermon at the services we would be attending and, moreover, that we would get to sit down with him for a bit afterwards. I admit my total ignorance about him, but the research I did before the services began certainly justified her excitement, and his excellent and energetic sermon cemented mine. This guy is really incredible. As far as I can see from his credentials and experience, he's an equivalent to to one of the LDS Apostles, yet he's only 33 years old. He is the chaplain and executive director of the Islamic Center at NYU, the first Muslim chaplain at NYU, the youngest chaplain in the history of the NYC Police Department, and he meets with world leaders, including President Obama and Pope Francis, to talk about religious tolerance and peacekeeping.<br />
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He is an excellent public speaker with a style that reminded me of Southern Preachers. His sermon was really lovely, well-structured and he raised many good points. He also apologized to us afterwards for delivering a sermon off-the-cuff on the day of our visit instead of a polished one.<br />
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When we sat down with him, he asked our group what questions we had for him. I've never seen this technique before, but he did it masterfully and I really enjoyed it - instead of answering the questions one by one, he asked for and listened to all of the group's questions at the beginning, then used them to extract a couple of themes to talk to us about. Most of his talk was about how to help students who are bullied for being Muslim (and, sadly, being bullied for many of the schools my colleagues come from goes far beyond teasing - elementary school girls being beaten on the playground for wearing a hijab just a few weeks ago, for example), student who, as he put it, are "forced to choose between either letting go of your identity or being persecuted for your identity."<br />
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There weren't any simple or easy answers, as you might expect, but his insights and compassion were remarkable. I've been fortunate to meet more than one truly spiritual leader in my life - the kind of person who has such grace, wisdom, and love that it's a pleasure to simply sit at their feet and listen. Imam Latif is another one of these individuals.<br />
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<b>Afternoon Lecture</b>: Dave Johnson<br />
<b>Topic: </b>Urdu and Turkish Translations: Faiz and Hikmet<br />
<b>Interesting Thing</b>: This session mostly gave me more texts and teaching ideas. Nothing revolutionary, but certainly helpful.<br />
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<b>Evening Activity</b>: Verbal Duels - Poetry Readings and Competitions<br />
<b>Summary:</b> City Lore hosted readings by five poets with a range of styles. My favorite of the bunch was <a href="http://www.intermediaarts.org/artist-in-residence-robert-karimi">Robert Faird Karimi</a>, who is quite clever, gregarious, and funny.<br />
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After the readings, the poets played a competition with the audience where audience members read them a random excerpt from a classical Central Asian poem and the poets then responded to the excerpt on the spot. It was a fun way to interact with the texts and yet another idea I'll be putting to use in the classroom.<br />
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<b>Food of the Day: </b>Dark chocolate dipped pineapple gelato on a stick. Yum!<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day</b>: I like the contrast of these styles of street art:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EkXhe4LMpjOQX7iZZEdTyVlOGr-FFlSmqLTQt167P9crijIqqFcj19Gqw1i682sUsgMqtEIQUZkxPX_vAHp3xlihROutWbBBfuecEFQpkBcY8pkixoUhUV-hTuAHFoPCrlCPfg/s640/blogger-image-447825420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EkXhe4LMpjOQX7iZZEdTyVlOGr-FFlSmqLTQt167P9crijIqqFcj19Gqw1i682sUsgMqtEIQUZkxPX_vAHp3xlihROutWbBBfuecEFQpkBcY8pkixoUhUV-hTuAHFoPCrlCPfg/s640/blogger-image-447825420.jpg" /></a>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-86199089838363325312016-07-15T16:51:00.001-06:002016-07-15T16:51:47.557-06:00Checking InA quick check-in again - we have another evening event. Tonight it's a poetry reading/battle. I'm super-curious about the battle part!chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-35378172269255220232016-07-14T19:15:00.005-06:002016-07-14T19:15:53.873-06:00Islamic Institute Day 4 - Urdu Ghazals and a Poetry Battle<b>Morning Lecture:</b> Dr. Frances Pritchett<br />
<b>Topic:</b> Classical Urdu Ghazals<br />
<b>Interesting Thing:</b> Ghazals are a form of poetry that messes with a lot of my (Western) ideas for how poetry should work. It consists of a series of couplets which, instead of rhyming with each other, follow the scheme of aa ba ca da ea fa, etc. The couplets each contain a complete thought and, aside from the first and the last, can be reordered as the performer likes. I'm not super attracted to this form of poetry, but it is starting to grown on me.<br />
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<b>Afternoon Lecture</b>: Dr. Frances Pritchett (still)<br />
<b>Topic:</b> Faiz Ahmad Faiz (19th century Urdu poet)<br />
<b>Interesting Thing:</b> We did close readings of a few of his poems, which were fine. Mostly I found Fran's lecture style, which is full of unapologetic humor that reminded me quite a bit of Lois, to be highly entertaining. <br />
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<b>Afternoon Workshop</b>: Zeyba Rahman<br />
<b>Topic: </b>Bait Bazi - Urdu Verse Game<br />
<b>Interesting Thing</b>: Zeyba taught us about the poetry battles that are apparently quite common, especially in Pakistan and India. They happen both formally and informally, and Zeyba described playing it frequently with her cousins and friends while growing up. Essentially, the players are divided into two teams. The first team recites a verse from a poem. The second team then counters with a verse where the first word of the new verse begins with the last letter of the previous. For example:<br />
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Team A: Do not go gentle into that good night./Rage, rage against the dying of the light.<br />
Team B: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow/creeps in this petty pace from day to day...<br />
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We were divided into two teams and, since we were newbies, the leaders opted to allow song lyrics as well as poetry. My side won, thanks largely to the Shakespearean quotes I threw in, the musical theater lyrics, the German/Arabic/Farsi/Spanish poems quoted by my teammates in the original languages, and our sly ability to constantly throw verses at the other team that end in "Y."<br />
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And, yes, once of the times when they threw us a verse that ended in "y," I countered with a bit of "You'll Be Back." <br />
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<b>Particularly Good Food of the Day:</b> Pad Thai. Yum!<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day:</b> I was more than a little excited to find this "pocket-friendly" water bottle: <br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-20764827838298231702016-07-14T18:50:00.000-06:002016-07-14T19:22:40.517-06:00Islamic Institute Day 3 - Hafez, Rumi, Farrokhzad, Translating, and a Concert<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<b>Morning Lecture:</b> Dr. Jawid Mojaddedi</div>
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<b>Topic: </b>Hafez & Rumi (Medieval Persian Poetry)</div>
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<b>Interesting Things:</b> </div>
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<li>In Persian, there is no distinction between masculine and feminine (which, again, raises some really interesting decisions for translators!)</li>
<li>"The Beloved" stands for both a love interest and for God in Islamic poetry. Also, it is usually the Beloved who brings the wine, which represents a deep spirituality.</li>
<li>I also enjoyed this tale I came across. (Part of me really wants to find a way to work it into an upcoming Sunday School lesson. That is the part of me that gets me into trouble with authority figures.): <i>Rabia Basri, a Muslim saint/Sufi mystic, was once seen carrying a pot of fire in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. She explained, "I want to put out the fires of Hell and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to God. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simple for the love of God."</i></li>
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<b>Afternoon Lecture:</b> <b></b>Bushra Rehman</div>
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<b>Topic: </b>Forough Farrokhzad/Poetry Inside Out</div>
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<b>Interesting Thing: </b>Bushra, a<a href="http://www.bushrarehman.com/"> poet, writer, and teaching artist</a>, introduced us to Farrokhzad's poetry. She's a 20th century Iranian poet who writes really lovely imagery. Here's an excerpt I like from her poem "Conquest of the Garden":</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone knows,
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everyone knows <br />
that you and I have seen the garden <br />
from that cold sullen window <br />
and that we have plucked the apple <br />
from that playful, hard-to-reach branch. </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone is afraid
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everyone is afraid, but you and I <br />
joined with the lamp <br />
and water and mirror and we were not afraid. </span></i></span><br />
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Bushra also lead us through an excellent activity where we worked in small groups to translate the poem from which the excerpt comes from Farsi to English. We had a glossary to work from, and it prompted a lot of discussion about word choice, grammar, and imagery as we not only translated the poem, but also worked to find a way to "make it flow." My group's version of the same stanzas went:</div>
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<i>Everyone knows.</i></div>
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<i>Everyone knows</i></div>
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<i>that you and I from that opening cold and grim</i></div>
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<i>a garden we nurture.</i></div>
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<i>And from that playful branch</i></div>
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<i>an apple we pick.</i></div>
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<i>Everyone is afraid.</i></div>
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<i>Everyone is afraid but you and I.</i></div>
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<i>Light, water, and mirror we joined,</i></div>
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<i>and were not afraid.</i></div>
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Also tricky? There's no punctuation in Farsi.</div>
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<b>Special Event</b>: <a href="http://www.tanbour.org/">Amir Vahab</a> in concert performing Sufi songs at the <a href="http://www.poetshouse.org/">Poets House</a>. Something like this:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWRqWjVV5Og" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
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The best part of the concert was the little girl in the apartment just above the Poets House. She spent most of the concert dancing in the window to the music once she figured out that the audience below could see her. Who knew that Beyonce's moves would fit Sufi music so well?<br />
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<b>Adventure of the Day</b>: Being woken at 6 AM by the maintenance crew pounding on our door because a water pipe burst outside my suitemate's window and flooded her room. Like, an inch of water on the floor flooded. My room, luckily, was unaffected.<br />
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<b>Particularly Good Food of the Day:</b> A BBLT from Murray's Cheese (that would be a burrata, bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich that was surely not at all healthy. Which means it was also ridiculously delicious.)<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day:</b> An outdoor concert in the rain? Thank goodness I always carry my Mackintosh square!<br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-17483660303209889952016-07-13T19:02:00.001-06:002016-07-13T19:02:52.681-06:00Evening ChoicesA quick check-in, since I'm getting back late tonight. I went to a Sufi concert:<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YQLvqRj8lzVDdH4gAA7kwCXgtfumImXExtEMkn9K3QEthEXM_sauD23MmoVtX1Cqptaciw2BazJIZjPPvaihMDdicPTK50w6YMLBxpOi_7PFsc1ZAUFpiAsyW1UjxGwgK6FaEw/s640/blogger-image-1597611787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YQLvqRj8lzVDdH4gAA7kwCXgtfumImXExtEMkn9K3QEthEXM_sauD23MmoVtX1Cqptaciw2BazJIZjPPvaihMDdicPTK50w6YMLBxpOi_7PFsc1ZAUFpiAsyW1UjxGwgK6FaEw/s640/blogger-image-1597611787.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Although it was a really tough decision, since there was also this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRePI-AIy7hHPJ4Jf9112BwyrgasPiwWvEx8a1Ir3Q0pst_7q0jRERca3xPqQLVpAv77EJPfq0JmY_-q0gDUR2T9dweENhCWX-8JX2IUfyrJPuN4fY2pDrb2zgVwJaY2sg78Xeg/s640/blogger-image--508253822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRePI-AIy7hHPJ4Jf9112BwyrgasPiwWvEx8a1Ir3Q0pst_7q0jRERca3xPqQLVpAv77EJPfq0JmY_-q0gDUR2T9dweENhCWX-8JX2IUfyrJPuN4fY2pDrb2zgVwJaY2sg78Xeg/s640/blogger-image--508253822.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Talk about Sophie's choice!</div><div><br></div><div>(Or would it be Sufi's choice?)</div>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-14609563595772229302016-07-12T18:50:00.000-06:002016-07-14T18:52:30.499-06:00Islamic Institute Day 2 - Early Classical Poetry and Langston Hughes<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<b>Morning Lecture:</b> Dr. Muhsin al-Misawi</div>
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<b>Topic: </b>Classical Arabic Poetry</div>
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<b>Interesting Thing:</b> Early classical poems (classical as in 6th century AD-1000 AD-ish) include what's called "The Erotic Prelude" ("Nasib" in Arabic), which involves a desert setting where the narrator going searching for his love and finds the encampment deserted, then launches into a "nostalgic ode." For example, this opening from a poem by Imru al-Qais:</div>
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<i>Stay! let us weep, while memory tries to trace<br />
The long-lost fair one's sand-girt dwelling place;<br />
Though the rude winds have swept the sandy plain,<br />
Still some faint traces of that spot remain.<br />
My comrades reined their coursers by my side,<br />
And "Yield not, yield not to despair" they cried.<br />
(Tears were my sole reply; yet what avail<br />
Tears shed on sands, or sighs upon the gale?)</i></div>
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Also? There's a surprising amount of drinking and sex talk (both gay and straight) in medieval Arabic poetry.</div>
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<b>Afternoon Lecture:</b> Zohra Saed</div>
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<b>Topic: </b>Langston Hughes' Notebooks and Photographs from Turkestan</div>
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<b>Interesting Thing: </b>In January of 1932 Langston Hughes was a part of a group of African-American artists, actors, and writers who traveled to Leningrad to work on an anti-racism film. Apparently, the film was not so well researched, given that it reported that the KKK is a group who rescues young black men. Hughes tried to help rewrite the script, but when his efforts were rebuffed the group moved on across the continent instead. Hughes wanted to tour Central Asia, but the tour organizers couldn't make last-minute arrangements. So Hughes hopped off their (still-moving) train when it passed through a rural village in Turkestan, bringing only his record player, records, notebook, and pencil with him. He then spent 6 months traveling around the area, meeting other writers and locals.</div>
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<b>Afternoon Reading</b>: Sahar Muradi</div>
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<b>Topic: </b>Contemporary Afghan-American Writing</div>
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<b>Interesting Thing:</b> Sahar, a poet and the organizer of our institute, collaborated with Zohra on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Story-Thirty-Stories-Contemporary/dp/155728945X">an anthology of Afghan-American writing</a>. One poem I found interesting given the frequent discussion of modesty in the church (and the discussion of how modesty is/should be discussed) included this section:</div>
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<i>...My skirt rebels above my knees and I am reminded with a harsh slap to the thigh that my chastity is your honour.
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<i>My Chastity is Your Honour.</i><br />
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</i><i>There is, it seems (doesn’t it?), so much power in the thin layer of skin between my legs.
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<i>That little bit of woman</i><br />
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</i><i>scares</i><br />
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</i><i>inspires whole laws and customs.</i><br />
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</i><i>Our thinnest, smallest flesh demands <b>such</b> attention.</i><br />
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</i><i>Imagine the demands of my whole person.</i><br />
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</i><i>Imagine what our whole bodies could do.</i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- From "Astagfurillah (God Forbid!)<i>" </i>by Khalida Sethi</span><br />
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<b>Particularly Good Food of the Day:</b> A sandwich from a French-Creole cafe for lunch<br />
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<b>Photo of the Day:</b> Manhattenhenge!<br />
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chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-4163489205561800692016-07-11T18:13:00.000-06:002016-07-11T18:13:11.953-06:00NEH Summer Institute at NYUI'm in New York City! Again! For the third time this year!* And it's terrific.<br />
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I'm here this time thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to attend a two-week institute on Islamic Art and Poetry. I arrived yesterday afternoon, checked in to my dorm room (yes, dorm room!), then headed to <a href="http://citylore.org/">City Lore</a> for the welcome reception.<br />
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The institute is for teachers. About 1/3 are from the metropolitan area, while the rest of us hail from across the US. There are a lot of English teachers, but quite a few art teachers, a couple elementary school teachers, and, of course, yours truly representing the very first theater teacher to attend this institute.<br />
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This morning we met at the <a href="http://neareaststudies.as.nyu.edu/page/home">Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies</a> (part of NYU, on the southwest side of Washington Square Park) for formal introductions and the first lecture.<br />
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Dr. Bruce Lawrence and Dr. Rafey Habib talked about the Qur'an and about the issues of translation. They are collaborating on a new translation of the Qur'an. I have not heard from a book's translator before, and it was really interesting to consider some of the issues they are dealing with, including:<br />
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- Do you translate the word "Allah"? (as in, "In the name of Allah" vs. "In the name of God")<br />
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- The Islamic God is all things, including genders. So, when you write about a genderless (trans-gender, where "trans" is beyond) diety, what English pronouns do you use?<br />
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- How do you maintain the poetic aspects of the writing when you're translating into a language with significantly less rhyming words than the original?<br />
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We broke at noon, and a teacher from St. Paul, Brittany, and I walked down a few blocks to each grab a bahn mi for lunch (so many dining options!). Then back to the center for a lecture from Mitra Dejkameh on the art of calligraphy. She brought materials for us to give it a whirl, so we played with reeds, ink, and watercolors after the formal part of her presentation.<br />
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Brittany; Sean, an English teacher from a private school in St. Louis; and I walked around for a while. Brittany's never been to New York before, so she was interesting in seeing, well, anything. After I led them to <a href="http://www.pop-bar.com/">Pop-Bar</a> for a mid-afternoon gelato treat (they did not require much persuasion), we wandered through Soho and Chinatown before parting ways. I walked back up to Union Square, and picked up a sandwich from Grey Dog Cafe for dinner and a mini berry tart from Le Pain Quotidient for dessert (again, super excited about the dining options!), then headed back to my sparse dorm room at Founder's Hall to blog and work on my reading for tomorrow's classes.<br />
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Photos!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjg5zySM6FuFh7ppU5VqQ98oMR3KC0IEg28YXgrI7Zwe9_2ilQVJFe5foqc5TIJPBnS3wtLqrjPwnzNCX_Nry_ydBIVWp29cfURoGQFsp0db7yzkj5FwwpYrdPO1k4X2D-h43z5A/s640/blogger-image--1185268887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjg5zySM6FuFh7ppU5VqQ98oMR3KC0IEg28YXgrI7Zwe9_2ilQVJFe5foqc5TIJPBnS3wtLqrjPwnzNCX_Nry_ydBIVWp29cfURoGQFsp0db7yzkj5FwwpYrdPO1k4X2D-h43z5A/s640/blogger-image--1185268887.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dorm room at Founder's Hall. I can see sky from my window!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My calligraphy from today. The blue watercolor was a mistake - the ink wasn't dry enough to obey. <br />It says "Water House" in Persian in four different directions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G0d7ZXRYgl9WsKepUeYqXD8MP7E6M0hxmdQSSWAJOQxrCGIqIDxviQpl_U9qjwo6F4BABJ-p9BlsxIKU6YCfH2sNPpcn3yvrETUlta2AhCXUhBXdD-pyV5JMRDZMKbGmv5nwIw/s640/blogger-image--577983452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G0d7ZXRYgl9WsKepUeYqXD8MP7E6M0hxmdQSSWAJOQxrCGIqIDxviQpl_U9qjwo6F4BABJ-p9BlsxIKU6YCfH2sNPpcn3yvrETUlta2AhCXUhBXdD-pyV5JMRDZMKbGmv5nwIw/s640/blogger-image--577983452.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm... gelato on a stick....</td></tr>
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* Three times in one year is a little excessive, isn't it? Especially when it'll actually be four times once I come back in October with Jason for a little opera?chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-74510164130394790792016-07-11T17:34:00.001-06:002016-07-11T17:34:36.320-06:00Road Trip!Oddly, I'm staying domestic this summer. When I saw I had a few open weeks, I decided to take myself on a road trip to Utah to hang out with some of my favorite people.<br />
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After an quick night at the parents' in GJ, I drove up to Logan to see Andy and Jenn's new digs. They proudly informed me that I was their very first overnight guest. Woot! They were excellent hosts, and we dined out at some of Logan's finest eating establishments, played a card game, and caught up in general.<br />
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After brunch the next day I drove to Sandy to see the Walls. They had just bought and moved into a new house (less than a mile from their old place, which of course means that not only are they in a new stake, but there is an entirely different stake between those two. Utah! So weird!), but you wouldn't be able to tell thanks to Emily's remarkable ability to clean, organize, and generally get things done.<br />
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Caitlyn, their oldest, very kindly loaned me her bedroom for my stay; which meant I got to sleep a la tween for a bit. I had access to as much pink, Paris, and horses in the decor as I could possibly want, not to mention a One Direction poster should I need a boyband fix.<br />
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Man, I love the Walls. They are just an awesome family in general, and I love how Emily and Ben and I can pick up right where we left off despite not living in the same state for well over a decade now. Emily and I stayed up until 3 Saturday night, I joined them for church Sunday, then Emily and Ben and I stayed up until 2 the night night reminiscing about travel, college, and our various creepy past apartments (stories of which include an Indian lamp, a love pit, a hamster grave, a stalker, a poncho, and a SWAT team) (boy, we lived in some awful apartments).<br />
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Monday I met up with Kelley and Janelle at our old favorite Thai place out by Dead President Junior High. Kelley's teaching at the high school our old school feeds in to, so she was able to give us quite an update on how DPJH is doing.<br />
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Janelle and I hung out that afternoon before I drove up to Bountiful to spend the night with Martha, Ronny, and Josh. I stayed in my cousin's bedroom, decorated with origami whales hanging from the ceiling, the kinda-creepy painting of cougar from Grandma Cook's house, and various items in storage (she's on a mission in Milan at the moment).<br />
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Tuesday was more time with Janelle (it was basically a giant mass therapy session for both of us). I had a bit of unexpected time in the evening, so I walked around downtown for a bit marveling at how incredibly different it is, popped into the temple for a quick round of initiatories, then headed back to Martha's place.<br />
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Wednesday I got to have brunch with Annie. It's been an astoundingly long time since we saw each other, so it was lovely to get to catch up with her as well. She's got a 4 year old and twin 2 year olds, which makes me tired just thinking about it.<br />
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Back to the Walls for a bit more Emily time! As I mentioned before, Emily and I went out for the afternoon and found frites walking around Sugarhouse before Ben joined us for the Met broadcast of "The Elixar of Love." We were slightly better behaved with our bedtimes that night. :)<br />
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Thursday morning started off quiet with Emily and I talking while Ben played outside with the kids. Then Logan, their nine year old, cut off the top of his index finger in the door between the basement and the garage. That made things a bit more exciting. And bloody. I kept Sarah (who's 4) outside while Emily and Ben tried to staunch the bleeding, find the tip, and figure out which hospital to go to. Quite the adventure.<br />
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My last rendezvous before driving back to Junction was with Heidi. I haven't been in touch with her for about 6 years, and I really enjoyed having the chance to reconnect.<br />
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Happily, our entire family was able to come together for the 4th of July weekend. We kept it low-key, mostly hanging out at Mom and Dad's house. It was really nice to see everyone, though. Hopefully we get to all get together again soon!chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955130.post-25771387102376392722016-07-06T22:52:00.001-06:002016-07-06T22:53:24.435-06:00This is What I Get...<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...for scheduling a field trip and the spring play performances for the same week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"It's the last week of April," I thought foolishly. "We'll be fine."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMR9Kf_oE5E_pzwEI9G1TUyWl76X6Vhm9W1-5QGLzcq9qs90sgvYZKwdThIPcqfP4WiThplHtUsvizb_xRravSriUygcHM9jll3b47traZLHypjxuKCOad_JVs6GD9-de8pEkAYQ/s640/blogger-image-1557335128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMR9Kf_oE5E_pzwEI9G1TUyWl76X6Vhm9W1-5QGLzcq9qs90sgvYZKwdThIPcqfP4WiThplHtUsvizb_xRravSriUygcHM9jll3b47traZLHypjxuKCOad_JVs6GD9-de8pEkAYQ/s640/blogger-image-1557335128.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Damn you, Ullr. I thought we had a deal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(Huh. Just discovered this never posted back when I originally wrote it. Whoops.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>chitaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06062546029260977131noreply@blogger.com0