Hello, everyone! Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA
this past week, it’s been incredibly crazy at casa de Khoury (see how I’m
switching things up with a little Spanish? All the Spanish I know, even?).
Also I think I'll go to the Thursday movie showing. I'm going to caffeinate myself like no other in preparation!
In other news, I absolutely loved this
week’s work. I loved looking into the Orchestra and listening to them. Music
tends to bring people together, and it’s amazing that the West-Eastern Divan
has been doing it for nearly thirteen years now. I’ll admit, I creeped on them
a little because I thought it was the Orchestra that one of my friends was in,
but it turns out there’s another that’s similar to it (the Palestinian Youth
Orchestra) so my creeping was in vain. I especially thought it was really cool
that this orchestra is international, though I was kind of sad that they
haven’t played in the Middle East as often as I initially thought they had.
I also didn’t realise that Edward Said was
involved in the Orchestra! I love Edward Said to a probably ridiculous level
(Leah and Kyle can attest to my little excitement attack last week when I read
the syllabus and found out we were talking to Miriam this week). I initially read Orientalism a long time ago, but I keep meaning to re-read it and
this is probably the kick I needed to make a little pit stop at Wells. I loved
reading Barenboim’s in memoriam about his life and personality and his genius
and the fact that he got to meet him,
and then of course we got to read their conversation. When Said talked about
Palestine not really feeling like home anymore because he hadn’t returned in so
long and it wasn’t the same as it had been when he left it, it was really sad. There’s
kind of this expectation of home and your hometown being this constant thing in
your life, where it doesn’t change and the memories of your childhood are still
a reality, and it’s disappointing to go back and find everything has changed.
Said and Barenboim both are excellent writers (and since part of it was a
conversation I’m guessing orators as well?) and so the reading was so easy to
read through and it really resonates with you.
And I can’t even begin to tell you guys how
excited I am to hear Miriam Said speak tomorrow!! :)
I'd love to hear more about the orchestra your friend is involved with! Music is an incredible way to bring people together in a creative way. We're going to be discussing music in the Identity Group and I would love to use you as a resource!!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about Said's feelings about returning home. I can't imagine not wanting to return to the place where I was born! In a way, it is probably better for Said to preserve the image he has, because it might ruin his perception.
She's part of the Palestinian Youth Orchestra in Ramallah! I think she'd be a much better resource than I would be, and since she goes to IU I could put you in touch with her really easily!
ReplyDeleteI really hope he kept thinking of it as the same place he remembered it as too, otherwise it'd be too sad to think about. :(
I love your enthusiasm about Edward Said! I am taking a Middle Eastern history class and we had to read parts of Orientalism, before that I am sad to say that I had never heard of him. I loved last week too. And I agree with you, I think it's partly because music is something that brings people together and that everyone can relate to on a personal level, and also because it might be one of the only ways to express yourself and your feelings and have someone else with no frame of reference be able to feel what you feel. I think that Edward and Daniel's project and the legacy that Edward left is so unbelievable, too!
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