on american soil

the purpose of this blog is not to say anything profound.  all that needs to be said is that i am in berkeley writing a blog when i should be sleeping.  boo jetlag!

and about my trombone, i walked onto the plane in taipei with it on my back and nothing was even mentioned about the size.  on top of that, nothing that i brought back from malaysia in my checked bag was broken either.  good work china airlines.

i hope you slept wonderfully!

same same but different

as i sit in the airport in taipei, not only am i accompanied by my backpack, but my trombone as well!

the entire morning had been filled with anxiety over whether my trombone would cause trouble at the ticket counter, first gate, first screening, second screening, or at the gate of the plane. it can almost become a game right? i bet the gamblers out there would go crazy betting on the winning location!

i was told that i might have trouble getting it on the plane at each stop, but was told they would let it slide through. if nothing else, i would have to gate check it. i was very thankful for each step but still anxious over the final stop, the flight attendants. turns out, my horn was treated better than i could have ever imagined. they were concerned that i would sue them if it was damaged while in the cabin, so i signed a waiver and all was well. once i put it in the overhead compartment, they even surrounded it with pillows! needless to say, it is just fine.

the next step is facing the flight attendants here in taipei. we will see!

i board the plane around 2300 and will arrive in san fran 4 hours earlier.

have a wonderful day!

sad departure

just as i wrote about the things that excite me about my return to the states, i would like to spend this time discussing what i am sad to leave.

amazing food; nasi kandar, indian, japanese, vietnamese, and the list goes on. yesterday i mentioned that the spices here cause my stomach to react unfavorably, but that does not mean it isn't worth it. for those that know me well, you might be thinking that i just like that it costs about 3USD for a huge meal. while i really like the prices, that just allows for more frequent indulging.

100PLUS. americans have gatorade. malaysians and singaporeans have something better called 100PLUS.

a view of mountains out my window. i know i will have the view at camp of the woods this summer, but it definitely doesn't exist in new haven or missouri.

amazing thunderstorms almost daily!

32C (90F) and humid. i never thought i would say it, but i love it.

respect and kindness. we all know that doesn't exist in the northeast. well, it doesn't really exist in a lot of the usa, but we sure make it look like it does.

the brass section of the mpo. not only has their great playing been fastastic to work with, but their kindness and welcoming of me into the section for 6 weeks has made my stay comfortable, exciting, and something i won't forget.

a steady paycheck.

a steady job.

monkeys on the golf course.

cheap taxis.

having my bed made, dishes washed, and new towels brought daily.

there is so much i will miss about this place that i can't even begin to put into words at this time. give me a few weeks after my return and i will be able to tell you more.

(the pictures are of me teaching english to a couple girls in cambodia and the boy i mentioned a few posts back that immediately brings a smile to your face. he does doesn't he!)

excited return

with the departure date approaching, i have been thinking what i am excited to return to and what i am sad to leave. today's post will list in no particular order, with occasional discussion, the things that excite me about my return to the states.

i need a steady diet of food that is much less spicy for a couple weeks. my stomach has not been feeling the best as of late, and folks in the orchestra say that it can take a couple months to fully adjust to the different spices.

easy communication with friends and family is something that i took for granted while in the states. i didn't realize how blessed we are to have cell phones and computers, and, really, a three hour time difference is not that inconvenient.

baseball! while at chili's the other day, i was able to watch a game of the world baseball classic, but that is all i have seen. you may think that the season hasn't started yet, but i beg to differ. spring training is in full swing and the world baseball classic is bound exhibit great baseball. there is no doubt that i have daily explored the espn, mlb.com, yahoo, and si.com websites.

auditions!! .....just kidding.

being tan while everybody else is just now breaking free from winter will be a sweet feeling. i won't have to say anything to rub it in!

i can't begin to explain the shock and immediacy of the gag reflex that took place the first time i tried the yogurt at the hotel. thank you, nate tighe, for saying that yogurt is the best thing for you stomach while failing to mention the 'no sugar' bit. yogurt with sugar definitely makes the list of things i am excited to return to.

i just want a properly cooked egg. generally, i am a guy that doesn't mind runnier eggs, but when the whites of the egg aren't cooked i get a little grossed out. also, fried and over-easy are easily confused.

pork pepperoni. well, for that matter, new haven pizza.

watching 24 and the office.

the cherry blossoms in dc.

i can't wait to share all of my experiences with everyone. what i have experienced during my time here has not only shaped me musically through my time with the orchestra but has also shaped me as a person through daily encounters of all types. everything from being given a fried banana by a group of boys in cambodia to thaipusam to joining in worship at church has been something that i wouldn't trade for anything.

calling matt and mom and seeing them in may.

seeing emily the same day i leave kuala lumpur, though 24 hours later.

entertainment

things take place in a third world country that i had never even thought about. among the many things that take place, one of the funnier things that i saw was a man on a motorbike driving through the middle of town with a live pig strapped upside down to the back. first of all, it was strange to see a pig because pigs don't exist much in malaysia. second of all, this pig was strapped down so tight that its legs weren't even moving! all i know is that in a matter of 10 seconds, i heard the most amazing squealing of my life, saw an immobile pig strapped to a motorbike, and witnessed something that nobody else on the street even gave a second thought.

you know how children possess the power to make you smile? it doesn't matter if you have had the worst day ever, but, if you see a young child smile, laugh, bonk his head and look confused, or burp, you can't help but smile. it is just a fact of life. let me tell you something...there isn't a child in america or happy baby youtube clip that has made me smile as much as the children in cambodia. i was just walking around angkor thom when out of nowhere a little boy was running straight at me wide-eyed while smiling so big his mouth was open and his tongue was hanging out. i just wanted to grab him and do a few airplanes, but his brothers and sisters were sitting on a wagon 20 ft away. his powers were being used, and we were smiling like crazy. because we didn't know what else to do, we walked on towards some remote ruins. we made it only about 50 ft before he ran at us again, this time not stopping until he got to us. mr. cutie was barely old enough to speak cambodian and definitely didn't know english, but he knew the universal sign for piggy back ride. i pointed to my back and lowered myself. he climbed on, and we were off, both of us smiling all the way!

as a tourist in cambodia, i was approached by easily 100 women and children trying to sell me souvenirs or food. some of them were successful and many weren't, but the items they were selling never ceased to intrigue me. it didn't matter if i had seen the same bamboo flute 50 times, i wanted to buy another. the thing, though, that caught my eye almost more than anything was a printing on a shirt that was at every tshirt stand. the printing had the words "same same" on the front and "but different" on the back. everytime i saw that shirt i would look at sam and ask, "what could that mean?" finally, while walking through a market on wednesday, i asked a young gal what it meant. she just looked at me like i was crazy until she realized i was serious. at that point she began to laugh with her friend. i asked again, "we see that shirt everywhere, but what does it mean?" she knew plenty of english to carry on a conversation, but all she could do was laugh. thinking at this point that it can't mean something politically, which we had considered as a possible meaning, she just said, "joke. it's a joke." could we have possibly been that dumb? sure enough, we had overthought a joke, a joke that i still don't get.

mike, sam, and i decided to get a massage on wednesday night. we nearly felt obligated because the most expensive hour-long massage is a mere 7USD. the conversation during the hour was quite amazing, and, along the way, the girls started calling mike "michael jackson." then, trying to simplify english, mike, meaning to say that he enjoyed talking with the children selling things at the temples, said "i like little children."

have a great day!

catch up blog

it has been a good while since i have blogged, and, though i would love to tell you all about everything, too much has happened to fit it all in one blog. the purpose of this is to simply catch you up all that i have done and "let you know i am alive and well."

i had a weekend of great concerts last saturday and sunday. sergio tiempo definitely proved himself to be a very fine pianist.

after a great concert on sunday, a trip to chili's was in order where a lot of chips and salsa were consumed. i was also asked to go on a 3 day trip to cambodia with sam and mike.

monday was spent practicing, exchanging money, and packing for a trip to cambodia.

tuesday morning, we flew for two hours northeast to lose an hour and arrive in siem reap just one hour later, 8am. upon exiting the amazing airport, we were greeted by our cab driver and complete poverty. if the government is trying to give the impression of wealth by the airport, just one step outside of the airport shoots it down. as a tourist, we were sure to check out angkor wat and angkor thom. seeing those sights more than took up the day.

the following day, wednesday, was largely spent walking around siem reap.

what needed to happen happened on thursday: i practiced my trombone. buzzing on the mouthpiece is a good thing to do, but it does not substitute for at least 4 hours of playing.

friday, the low brass got together at 2pm to play for a while before grilling. i like burgers and tossing a frisbee.

all of that brings us to today, saturday. richard kaufman is conducting the mpo pops concerts both this weekend and next. i love the movie "hook," and we are playing music from it. i don't think i could be happier than i am while playing that piece.


because i care so much about you all, i will blog tomorrow! and since the last few blogs have been serious or boring, i will write a blog filled with only funny stories...or at least things i find entertaining.

(the top photo is from the south side of bayon. the photo of the school girls was taken while on our tuk-tuk ride wednesday evening.)


have a fantastic day!