my friend courtney is taking a class on sufism (mystical islam), and she sent this work by rumi to me. i thought it was extremely applicable to my experience so i decided to post it.
(thanks lady).
ONLY BREATH
Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu,
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion
or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up
from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,
am not an entity in this world or the next,
did not descend from Adam or Eve or any
origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul.
I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,
first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.
--rumi
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
"music is the oldest entity..."
“What is music to you? What would you be without music? Music is everything. Nature is music (cicadas in the tropical night). The sea is music, the wind is music. The rain drumming on the roof and the storm raging in the sky are music. Music is the oldest entity. The scope of music is immense and infinite. It is the ‘esperanto’ of the world.” ---duke ellington.
to me that quote by mr. ellington is the definition of music, forget webster's, his words really grasp the beauty of music, from its most simple to its most complicated form.
The main wonder of music, to me, is its ability to bring people together, regardless of race, ethnicity, creed or language, to unify them under the beauty of sound and meaning.
it is as mr. ellington says, the true esperanto of the world.
BTW, esperanto is a neutral language constructed to create an international understanding between people without the hierarchy of language. a goal I truly believe in, as in why should everyone learn english? who decided that? what makes this language presumably better or more neutral than any other? esperanto is the answer to all these questions...but i digress, that's an argument for another blog post, this one is about music.
the way music is appreciated in Istanbul is amazingly profound to me, it's everywhere. from people on the streets trying to earn money, to restaurants and clubs, music is all over this city. yes, music is everywhere, and every city has their street urchins, but there's something unique about the way music permeates throughout Istanbul.
for example, about a week ago I was taking photos of a mosque in ortaköy, oh man it's stunning the architecture is so intricate I took about a dozen photos of it:
and this man, umut, approaches me to ask where i'm from--because i obviously don't have the look of a turk--i tell him the US and he IMMEDIATELY starts talking to me about b.b. king! it was wonderful, we began to talk about our love for jazz and blues, then we went into an intense conversation about classical music, he is a lover of russian composers, as am i, and we spent about two minutes talking about chopin's nocturnes. he plays guitar and i play piano & sing, from there we began to talk about how much we love performing! it was such a unifying discussion, and i felt as though I connected with this man from an entire different side of the world than me, who barely speaks the same language as me, and has a completely different history from me. without our shared passion for and knowledge of music we would have had the same static conversation that i've had with every person that has had the guts to approach someone as different as me.
this is umut by the way, sitting with his guitar, i never want to forget him...:
today though really solidified my longing for writing this blog post, me and a couple friends decided to try "meze" which is different veggies, cheeses and sauces in small bowls that you eat with bread (DELICIOUS). so, on a recommendation from tessa's turkish roommate we fumbled around taksim square and found ourselves in the french quarter. words cannot even begin to describe the charm of this area, and I can't show you a photograph because i didn't carry my camera with me, but it's coming...
picture this, a string of lights on every tree, steps that take you through cafe after cafe with beautiful plush couches and verandas that overlook hagia sophia and the bosphorus, it was bliss. after attempting to eat some cow liver, the owner took us to his bar. it was a burlesque-like stage with a red velvet curtain, there was a curvaceous turkish woman singing with a full band, the only light came from candles, and there were posters of ataturk (of course) and john lennon on the walls. the music was wonderful, i felt like i was in an underground jazz club sipping on gin and listening to a billie holiday-type singer.
but MY POINT.
wherever i go, no matter the time of day, no matter the style of music, and wherever the music is coming from--whether it is the radio, or a live band--turkish people come alive and belt along, dancing, holding eachother, in a truly happy way. it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. there are songs that everyone knows, mother & child, and no matter where they are, or what they're doing they let the music take over their bodies and everyone in the vicinity becomes united.
i know this sounds intensely romanticized, but seeing this happen is an experience, to the point that no matter who i'm with, they express a longing to learn the songs all the turkish people know, to have the ability to sing along and join in on their merriment.
this so far, is one of my favorite things about istanbul.
cultural tourism, this is what it's all about. forget the monuments, their beauty is fleeting to me, i relish in the architecture of ottoman times, and i can view the trojan horse in troy and think of the profound event that made this wooden horse a monument, but it's the story that makes these relics great, the reason why people fly all the way across the world to see a mosque, or a statue.
and so far, every day in istanbul i'm writing my own story. so, nothing compares to the beauty of experiencing a completely alternative way of life, to live within a city centuries old and feel the history, culture and unity within a seemingly insignificant event such as singing along with a popular song in a restaurant.
ahh istanbul, i've finally arrived.
to me that quote by mr. ellington is the definition of music, forget webster's, his words really grasp the beauty of music, from its most simple to its most complicated form.
The main wonder of music, to me, is its ability to bring people together, regardless of race, ethnicity, creed or language, to unify them under the beauty of sound and meaning.
it is as mr. ellington says, the true esperanto of the world.
BTW, esperanto is a neutral language constructed to create an international understanding between people without the hierarchy of language. a goal I truly believe in, as in why should everyone learn english? who decided that? what makes this language presumably better or more neutral than any other? esperanto is the answer to all these questions...but i digress, that's an argument for another blog post, this one is about music.
the way music is appreciated in Istanbul is amazingly profound to me, it's everywhere. from people on the streets trying to earn money, to restaurants and clubs, music is all over this city. yes, music is everywhere, and every city has their street urchins, but there's something unique about the way music permeates throughout Istanbul.
for example, about a week ago I was taking photos of a mosque in ortaköy, oh man it's stunning the architecture is so intricate I took about a dozen photos of it:
and this man, umut, approaches me to ask where i'm from--because i obviously don't have the look of a turk--i tell him the US and he IMMEDIATELY starts talking to me about b.b. king! it was wonderful, we began to talk about our love for jazz and blues, then we went into an intense conversation about classical music, he is a lover of russian composers, as am i, and we spent about two minutes talking about chopin's nocturnes. he plays guitar and i play piano & sing, from there we began to talk about how much we love performing! it was such a unifying discussion, and i felt as though I connected with this man from an entire different side of the world than me, who barely speaks the same language as me, and has a completely different history from me. without our shared passion for and knowledge of music we would have had the same static conversation that i've had with every person that has had the guts to approach someone as different as me.
this is umut by the way, sitting with his guitar, i never want to forget him...:
today though really solidified my longing for writing this blog post, me and a couple friends decided to try "meze" which is different veggies, cheeses and sauces in small bowls that you eat with bread (DELICIOUS). so, on a recommendation from tessa's turkish roommate we fumbled around taksim square and found ourselves in the french quarter. words cannot even begin to describe the charm of this area, and I can't show you a photograph because i didn't carry my camera with me, but it's coming...
picture this, a string of lights on every tree, steps that take you through cafe after cafe with beautiful plush couches and verandas that overlook hagia sophia and the bosphorus, it was bliss. after attempting to eat some cow liver, the owner took us to his bar. it was a burlesque-like stage with a red velvet curtain, there was a curvaceous turkish woman singing with a full band, the only light came from candles, and there were posters of ataturk (of course) and john lennon on the walls. the music was wonderful, i felt like i was in an underground jazz club sipping on gin and listening to a billie holiday-type singer.
but MY POINT.
wherever i go, no matter the time of day, no matter the style of music, and wherever the music is coming from--whether it is the radio, or a live band--turkish people come alive and belt along, dancing, holding eachother, in a truly happy way. it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. there are songs that everyone knows, mother & child, and no matter where they are, or what they're doing they let the music take over their bodies and everyone in the vicinity becomes united.
i know this sounds intensely romanticized, but seeing this happen is an experience, to the point that no matter who i'm with, they express a longing to learn the songs all the turkish people know, to have the ability to sing along and join in on their merriment.
this so far, is one of my favorite things about istanbul.
cultural tourism, this is what it's all about. forget the monuments, their beauty is fleeting to me, i relish in the architecture of ottoman times, and i can view the trojan horse in troy and think of the profound event that made this wooden horse a monument, but it's the story that makes these relics great, the reason why people fly all the way across the world to see a mosque, or a statue.
and so far, every day in istanbul i'm writing my own story. so, nothing compares to the beauty of experiencing a completely alternative way of life, to live within a city centuries old and feel the history, culture and unity within a seemingly insignificant event such as singing along with a popular song in a restaurant.
ahh istanbul, i've finally arrived.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
the many faces of me.
so, i'm here!
plane ride was so so so long, but i had a whole row to myself. so, i watched some always sunny, read some dorian gray, and looked out the window.
landed and made a huge faux pas, i slept. thus my first day in istanbul consisted of me fashioning a blanket out of a pillow case, hoodie, and towel. while sleeping till the evening. dumb Dumb DUmb DUMb DUMB!
i was actually able to fall asleep around 10, but i woke up at around six to the call to prayer, it was so haunting, especially during that time of morning, i saw a woman racing towards a mosque...
oh well, my second day, now that's what i need to spend time talking about...
it started around 11 am, i ventured out with people i met on my plane ride (one of the girls i met actually ended up being my roomie) then we met other americans on the way to breakfast, so four became seven. as we roamed the bosphorus for miles, we passed fishermen/children, parks, mosques, it was all so insanely beautiful we decided: "hey, let's head to the old city". so we headed there, but the mosque was closing down for prayer so we went to the grand bazaar instead. wow.
i have to make a list of all the things that were said to me/all the names i was called:
1. janet jackson
2. whitney houston
3. chocolate lady, will you be my girlfriend
4. i like black woman, SHOUTED at me.
5. beyonce
6. spice girls
7. random english words just to catch your attention. like, "do you remember me?"
8. and then random turkish i don't understand, but sick aggressive men seem to act the same in the US so we got the idea.
9. aww, one of my favorites was a guy who just pointed at the ground and said: "excuse me is that yours", i would turn my head to nothing and he'd laugh like a hyena, it was cute.
basically, i'm taking all of this not in offense, but calmly "in stride" or whatever the phrase is.
i definitely don't see it as racism, more a mix of curiosity with raging libidos.
the turks are as a whole, so far, such a nice people, unassuming, helpful, polite, my experience is good so far...
on the bright side i found my dream scarf, and it was only 140 lira...
plane ride was so so so long, but i had a whole row to myself. so, i watched some always sunny, read some dorian gray, and looked out the window.
landed and made a huge faux pas, i slept. thus my first day in istanbul consisted of me fashioning a blanket out of a pillow case, hoodie, and towel. while sleeping till the evening. dumb Dumb DUmb DUMb DUMB!
i was actually able to fall asleep around 10, but i woke up at around six to the call to prayer, it was so haunting, especially during that time of morning, i saw a woman racing towards a mosque...
oh well, my second day, now that's what i need to spend time talking about...
it started around 11 am, i ventured out with people i met on my plane ride (one of the girls i met actually ended up being my roomie) then we met other americans on the way to breakfast, so four became seven. as we roamed the bosphorus for miles, we passed fishermen/children, parks, mosques, it was all so insanely beautiful we decided: "hey, let's head to the old city". so we headed there, but the mosque was closing down for prayer so we went to the grand bazaar instead. wow.
i have to make a list of all the things that were said to me/all the names i was called:
1. janet jackson
2. whitney houston
3. chocolate lady, will you be my girlfriend
4. i like black woman, SHOUTED at me.
5. beyonce
6. spice girls
7. random english words just to catch your attention. like, "do you remember me?"
8. and then random turkish i don't understand, but sick aggressive men seem to act the same in the US so we got the idea.
9. aww, one of my favorites was a guy who just pointed at the ground and said: "excuse me is that yours", i would turn my head to nothing and he'd laugh like a hyena, it was cute.
basically, i'm taking all of this not in offense, but calmly "in stride" or whatever the phrase is.
i definitely don't see it as racism, more a mix of curiosity with raging libidos.
the turks are as a whole, so far, such a nice people, unassuming, helpful, polite, my experience is good so far...
on the bright side i found my dream scarf, and it was only 140 lira...
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