April 1, 2008
by Larnies Bowen
Wondering what I’m listening to down here in PTY? Well today’s post is a collection of some of the most popular dancehall/Reggae-Soca songs that you’ll hear on the radio and in the discotecas. This entry’s entitled “Plena Playlist” because Panamanians often refer to Spanish Reggae as “plena.” The term literally means “hit song,” but perhaps due to Spanish Reggae’s overwhelming popularity, the genre has come to be popularly referred to Plena as well. Plena has a number of sub-genres such as Romantic Reggae, Roots & Culture (think Bob Marley), Dancehall (think Beenie Man), and Reggae-Soca.
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March 7, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
YES! We have videos online! These clips are from our 3rd and 4th meetings. The first shows the band playing and improvising over a classical Arabic song called Lama Bada Yata Sanna. Wissam Murad taught the song to the group to give them a taste of the Arabic scales and rhythms and to get them improvising. Clearly he succeeded on both accounts. The song is in 10/8, which for all you non-musicians means that it’s not an easy rhythm, especially for any student of Western music. The students in the band picked it up with no problem. I especially love how you can hear the jazz backgrounds of a few of our players coming through their solos and fitting in perfectly, bringing the song to new places. I’m sure this song has never sounded like this before!
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March 7, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
Hi Friends,
This has been a very hard week. From Jerusalem I can’t hear the rockets or the gunshots but what is happening in Gaza and in the nearby Israeli towns is felt in every corner and seen on every face. For me, the most frustrating part is that many people here are only concerned with the loss of life on their own side. Why does our national identity come so far before our human identity? Over 115 people have lost their lives this week. I sincerely hope we as humans can find compassion for each other and stop this bloodshed.
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February 8, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
Yes. It’s time for an update! Heartbeat is off to a great start in 2008. Despite a “blizzard” and security precautions for President Bush that temporarily shut down Jerusalem, we’ve managed to hold three fantastic meetings. Kela, Yael, Sameera, Tamer, Roi, Fouad, Kareen, Samer, Mohamed, Dana, Ron, Isam, and Rami are VERY excited to e-meet you all soon…
The quick low-down:
The first meeting was mostly intros, names, where we’re from, the kind of music we listen to. Each musician played or sang us a little sample of the music they’re into. My feeling is that people left excited, but still a bit confused as to what this experience is going to be like. I continue to insist that the experience is exactly what the musicians choose to make it… Our second meeting was at the Sabreen Studio in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, right around the corner from the Palestinian National Theater. We took the first couple of hours to get to know each other a bit more and then we split into small groups (about 4 people per group) for a songwriting activity. They came up with some pretty nice stuff. After about two hours, we cut the meeting a bit short so we could walk down to the aforementioned theater and see Wissam Murad and his band in concert. Wissam is a fantastic Oud player and singer with a unique style, blending new and old sounds. The show was stunning. You can check him out at www.wissammurad.com
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February 6, 2008
by Phally Chroy
This entry is about Bosba Panh, a little girl with a not-so-little voice. It is her innocence, unique vocals, amazing talent, and strong sound that has been floating throughout Cambodia for quite some time. There is an interesting thing about this little girl, Bosba, that so many people find magical. Apparently she sings renditions of popular, iconic songs in both English and French, and then adapts them to Khmer.
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February 5, 2008
by Larnies Bowen
Unbeknownst to me, I arrived justo a tiempo for the beginning of the busy season here in Panama City. The holidays were quickly approaching and January marked the beginning of summer so (affordable) housing was/is scarce in this Latin American hotspot. All the newspapers and websites have been listing apartments at upwards of $600 (yes that is USD). And I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t stomach forking over $600+ per month in rent in Latin America. So…I took to walking.
At the suggestion of some family friends who work in real estate, I walked around choice neighborhoods and spoke with the management, concierges, and residents of various apartment buildings in the hopes of locating a reasonably priced apartment. After much walking (and some tears), I found a decent one-bedroom apartment within my budget. It’s not in the prettiest neighborhood, but it’s centrally located—a quick quarter bus ride or $1 taxi ride to the University of Panama and everywhere else I need to be. One major drawback: it was completely unfurnished. (Apparently, in Panama when you rent an apartment you rent just that—an apartment. Most apartments don’t come with stoves or washing machines, or anything.) In fact, apartments don’t even come with lights! You have to go to an office called Edemet and put down a deposit first.
Further complicating the “settling in process” was all of the red tape concerning registering an apartment, opening up a bank account, obtaining a visa, and getting electricity in my apartment—all of which took about a month. Meaning, after it took about three weeks to locate an apartment, it took another three to four weeks until I could actually move in the apartment. I believe my realtor summed it up best when she explained “This is not the states. Everything here is un tramite…a long process.”
Click here to email Larnies with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
December 26, 2007
by Larnies Bowen
Against my fears (and the warnings of my host country contacts), a day after I touched down on Panamanian soil, I found myself stuffed onto a seat of one the glorified school buses (known as diablos rojos) that make up the public transportation system here in Panama City. Clutching the back of the seat in front of me (so much for seat belts…), I took in my surroundings.
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December 14, 2007
by Aaron Shneyer
I’m doing well. I hope you are too.
The past few weeks have been amazingly powerful and eye opening. With some frustration, I’ve learned that the important things can’t be rushed, but will take their natural course, even if that means missing some self-imposed deadlines. I had originally hoped to be sending you videos of rehearsals by now but alas…the good things take time.
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November 20, 2007
by Phally Chroy
So you may have been wondering what ever happened to the person who won the Fulbright to Cambodia?…
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November 16, 2007
by James Collins
I’ve grown to like Johannesburg over the last month. I’ve gotten to know its quirks and charms. I’ve learned about the different neighborhoods and how shacks can be minutes from mansions. I’ve been to many of the malls, where the upper and middle classes mingle, and I’ve been to several of the townships, where the Field Band Foundation comes to life. I’ve become used to frequent power outages and broken robots (the South African term for traffic lights). I even managed to purchase and register a car here, which is a true accomplishment (involving six trips to the licensing office). There are moments when I’m reminded of Los Angeles or even Mexico City as I drive through the various neighborhoods tucked away in my car. But, Jozi, as it is affectionately called, is definitely unique.
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