Week 11 (November 23 - 29): First Thanksgiving

1. Carnegie Hall two nights in a row!

I was lucky enough to be in Carnegie Hall for two nights in a row! The first one was last Tuesday evening (November 24) for the Juilliard Orchestra together with Group 48. The second night (Wednesday, November 25) my friend Laura got two tickets for a Flamenco show courtesy of Fullbright in the same theater in the Carnegie Hall: the Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage.

Carnegie Hall

"Juilliard Orchestra"

The Juilliard Orchestra performed selections from the works of Schumann (Overture to Manfred, Op. 115), Berg (Three Pieces for the Orchestra, Op. 6: Präludium, Reigen & Marsch) and Wagner (A Ring Synthesis). I myself was and still am not familiar with any of these works although this was when our Music Studies class came of use. I guess you do not have to have an extensive background on classical music to be able to appreciate it when it's playing. My favorite was the Schumann piece because it articulated how my heart moved in certain ways. One of the most rewarding things in engaging with any piece of art or literature is finding identification: through the piece you discover that you are not mad or alone.

"Lorca Madly in Love"

"Lorca Madly in Love" was the first Flamenco performance I have ever seen so I did not know what to expect from this particular genre of dance. The setup was there was a guitar and a violin player and a female singer on stage right and a percussionist plus around two male singers on stage left. The center stage was free for each solo or duo flamenco performance. It was one of the most passionate and sensual dances I have seen so far.

2. Port Authority to New Jersey

As soon as the "Lorca" show ended, I headed back to my room in the Residence Hall to get my bags and head to Port Authority to take the 12:15 midnight bus to New Jersey. I arrived a little past 1am and got off at the River Edge Diner Restaurant and was picked up by my cousin.
My cousins sleep really late - they are awesome that way - and it was fun to watch them heat up their "midnight" snacks at 2 in the morning. I probably went to bed around 3am and they were still in the TV room.

3. Thanksgiving in New Jersey
​My relatives usually serve ham as their main dish in Thanksgiving instead of the traditional turkey (their own spin on the American tradition). I helped my cousin prepare the glaze (ingredients: brown sugar, rice vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, etc.) and apply it all over the ham in between heating it in the oven every 20 minutes.

4. The lone weekend
I traveled back to New York the day after and so I had Friday all to myself. It was interesting how I suddenly had all this free time alone and I did get to read a couple of things I've always wanted to read but didn't have the time for during regular class days. But more so, I experienced how it was to be truly alone and not have homework to escape to. Things are beginning to become more complex for me internally as I progress towards the different phases of the program.