October 22, 2007

Happy Birthday Beth!
Today I woke up and had to get ready for my long day of classes. We had our mental health lecture via DVD and I was able to get the reading for next week completed during the video! It was very productive! Then after class Carrie, Ashley, Alex, Katherine, and I went to grab a bite to eat before heading off for our two and a half hour break between classes. I stopped at the International Office to exchange a shirt that we were given and then I went to the computer lab. It was a sauna in the lab and of course there were no computers, so I had to stand around for ten minutes waiting for one to open up. One finally did and I planted myself at the computer for two hours to type my music paper. It was a successful time in the computer lab because I wrote the entire paper and the best part is that it is due in two weeks! Check that off of the list of things to do! At 2:30 we met Lestie and her husband and we made our way to the Townships for our music class. We went to the house of Dudley Tito a famous musician in Port Elizabeth and we sat in his back shed with this group as they played township jazz music. There was a base player (who’s base came from Sweden as a gift after he lost his leg), and trumpet player, Dudley who plays the saxophone, a drummer (who was my favorite because of his facial expressions when he played), the pianist, and a vocalist. They played many different songs, some in English, and others in Xhosa. The base player told us that the group had been together for over thirty years, and they teach people in the townships how to play the instruments. The also perform concerts in the surrounding area. It was fun sitting there listening and before I knew it, a dozen children were standing outside of the door to listen to them play. They would tap their feet along and watch the musician’s fingers dance along their keys and strings. We sat with the group for an hour and a half, and then we had to head back home. When we did leave there was a large crowd gathering to listen to the music. It was so neat just sitting there watching them sing and rehearse for no occasion other than enjoying the music and playing their instruments. We came back home and I worked on homework the rest of the night! Then, at 10:00pm I was craving bran muffins, so I threw some in the oven and I can’t wait to eat them tomorrow! Now, its time for bed with a little Harry Potter on tape!