This past weekend, for the first time ever in my life, I was invited to a charity event held at the world-famous Bitter End in NYC where I joined about a dozen other NYC musicians and a some singers where we performed our hearts-out for Cancer. "Exile to Mainstreet"~a classic Rolling Stones album was the main repotoire for the night, while later in the evening, other Stone songs filled the fairly packed venue.
My friend Ashley, who I met while I was Editor-in Chief of the William Paterson Literary Magazine~Essence, which is not a copy-right infringement on the African-American magazine, since it was named that long before I was even a secretary to it.~Yes, this was addressed to every, single editor who was ever in charge of the magazine (tangent over). As I was saying, my friend Ashley, who studied voice/recording at William Paterson, invited me to watch her perform at the Bitter End (in the West villiage). Since she knows I can sing, and I think the Rolling Stones are pretty cool, next to the Beatles (insert the song stupid cupid), so I asked the organizer if I could sing. The conversation went like this exactly:
Me: Hey Sam. Is it OK if I can sing?
Sam: I don't know can you?
Me: (smiling) Yes!
Sam: Well, then yes, you can do songs with us.
EXCITED ON THE INSIDE!!!!~but kept my cool the whole time on the outside.
Ashley and I sat in the back corner with the set-list. I circled the songs I knew that I definitely wanted to sing~"Tumbling Dice," "Shine a Light," "Soul Survivor," and "Sweet Virginia." Ashley wound-up doing a few others, but that was because she was already a designated voice for the venue. Keep in mind, the only songs we knew what to do were the ones from the album. Oh and I didn't exactly practice, I listened to the album from start to finish earlier in the day when I was sending-out some resumes and doing some ETS work.
I looked-out into the audience hoping to see some faces I might recognize since I sent some invites out earlier in the day to some people from hs, and I also posted on FB. I thought I saw someone from Korea in the audience that I knew from Jeonju~a Scottish guy, who I actually apologized for posting mean pictures/videos before he went back home because I have been in that position before to know what its like to be publically ridiculed for no reason, too. Or to have my reputation almost tarnished. Other than seeing and smiling at Jeff, I didn't recognize anyone else. :(
The organization we were singing for is called: Pretty much this organization runs some of the best Cancer treatment centers in NYC. Continuum~http://www.chpnyc.org/services/cancer/index.html
Taking part in something about Cancer, of course touches on some personal connections to relatives that have died of the disease starting with my mom (58), my aunt (60's), my cousin Dave (late 30's), my Uncle Bobbie (50's), of course, I am also reminded of some amazing survivors~who all range in age and different circumstances, some overseas some in the States.
After the album was completed, time for the encores. Again, no practice involved. We rocked through "Satisfaction," "Gimme Shelter," "Wild Horses," and a very awesome ending with "Sympathy for the Devil." I sang back-up to all of these. It was truely an amazing experience. The video will eventually be posted with the performance.
Singing isn't anything knew. I always sing in the car, shower, walking (if I'm not already listening to something), and pretty much any time. Not to mention, I sang in two bands in Korea~the band with no name~since the original name was a direct Charlie Sheen quote~and eventually people decided to find it no longer funny (Vatican Assassins) to I forgot what we wound up changing it to. The other was Carpe Delirium. I wrote an original song based-off of the story book, "On the Road," and one of their songs already scored~ of course art has loose interpretations. Failed to mention, I was trained to play the violin when I was younger and slightly voice trained when I did acting school on top of baton twirling on top of sports. I sang in the synagogue chior a couple of times. So, like I said, singing isn't anything new.
The other part of the weekend consisted of going to www.buffstock.com. The two-day exclusive artist gathering brought-in some of the fresh, new artists in the area and other parts, too. The Larney's gorgeous home is offered and used for the location~a vast acreage home where tents/hammocks are laid among the Christmas tree farm patch, a river walk occurs in their back-yard river, races, volleyball games, slip 'n slide, endless food, memories, and of course, all of this is brought to you by the artist participants. Of course, a stereotype of among performers is that we're egotistical maniacs, who have our heads in the clouds and not on Earth~not so. If anything, some of us are too open-minded and down to Earth for most to realize.By the end of the weekend, I was offcially welcomed into the artist family in the New York area. No, I did not perform any songs at Buff-Stock, but I tore-up the dance floor, rocked volleyball (thank you Fair Lawn All Sports Vball in the early years), and enjoyed getting to know some of the fresh new talents on the stage by simply playing Mad-libs and obviously enjoying their music.
What will this experience do for me? It will certainly help with future performances, while also still substituting, test writing, and gradually trying to find that full-time job. My hopes are high and my faith is strong. There's nothing wrong with a hobbie. After doing something like this, I feel more gutsy and confident.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A Day Well-Spent with an NGO
Being a citizen in a first world country, there are certain things in life we take for granted. For instance, the freedom to speak-out against our governments, the right to believe in whatever religion we want~even if they involve aliens and flying spaghetti monsters, and well the right to have rights. Imagine if these rights were taken away and you're forced to only listen to your god-like ruler. If you say ANYTHING against him, you're thrown into a concentration-torture camp or you get publicly executed in front of your friends and family. On top of this, your food, if you are lucky enough to get any before any military or fearless leader, is rationed to you in bits. Sadly, more often than not, you are not given ANY food because no one monitors it. This is a regular day for a North Korean citizen in any area of the country of North Korea.
While living in East Asia, I have done a fair share of traveling to China and Japan. I got to know more about the part of the world that is mostly ignored or better way to put it, not really well taught about. One of the reasons I went to Korea was to self-educate myself because the Korean War is called the Forgotten War for a reason. Its one of the pieces of history that America is not a big fan to talk about, but ask a Korean about it and you get to hear a mouthful through their eyes and experiences. Personally, I had family members who served in the US military and some fought in the war. Going to one of the DMZ sites on more than one occasion, where my late uncle once fought, was quite an eye-opener (I'm referring to the battle of the Punch Bowl). However, recently volunteering with North Korean refugees and spending a day with the North Korean Peace Organization and attempting to assist in the tri-state area~is a cause that I can not seem to turn eyes away from, especially after everything that I have learned from Korean citizens who were willing to talk about the north vs south situation.
On February 25, I had the opportunity, via a FB event, to venture to Paju, a city in the DMZ limits to launch boxes full of socks towards North Korea. This effort was to put an end to hunger for 6 million people (men, women, and children) in North Korea, while also with a strict message about monitoring food aid for the citizens. People use these socks as a way to barter for food and also to keep their feet warm.
While on the bus to the launch site, I met people from all over the world. We all were talking about our time and travels in Korea and the current politics of the North Korea situation. Some were tourists, business owners (illegally), or teachers. A documentary was being shown to explain some of the termoil in the region. One of the countries it focused on was China. It reinforced China's lack of interest in the issue. In the film, was the actual footage of Chinese guards beating some North Korean refugee women. They were trying to escape to the border. It was no surprise that China, yet again, has negative human rights behavior, but it just blew my mind. Imagine if U.S. border police did that to Mexicans, Canadians, or Cubans?
At the launch site, we all assembled out of the bus and gathered around Mr. Lee, a North Korean defector who managed to escape the tyranny of his own country. He had a great appreciation for all of us taking the time out of a Saturday to join him. He read to us the letters that were placed in each of the boxes. The letters, written in Korean, stated that the time to change is now. They were also words of hope. After letter reading, Mr. Lee did demo of what a box launch will consist of. Each box had an altimeter attached to it. Once the boxes reached a certain height, the altimeters would cause the boxes to burst open and the socks would pour-out from them.
Now the time came to assemble the balloons, which were gigantic, what looked like garbage bags, but a lot stronger. We all sood on a line holding the balloon, while it was gradually getting filled with air. Then, came the tricky part of attaching these balloons to the boxes. Some of us volunteered to sit and hold the balloon while sitting on top of the boxes. I offered for one of them. Little did we realize, an Associated Press photographer was present at this launch. In past launches, North Korea Peace also had Reuters and made some international news cycles.
After all five boxes were launched, cheers, and applauds of a job well done from all of us was accomplished, it was time to board the bus again. This time we were headng to the Peace Observatory, which is in the DMZ. We walked around the area as far as we could go to the fence. Every time I come to this area, my mind is blown. It is like NOTHING relateable anywhere in the world. The whole grounds look gorgeous, we were able to see the train tracks of where, on occasions, North Korean and South Korean families meet. The gate entrance was covered in flowers, flags, messges of hope/peace in Korean, carvings on the wooden railing (gladly contributed), and just the mood of complete somber. We all had a head full of questions about what exactly could be done with this part of the world, but clearly the answer is left with a group of leaders and politicians that can barely have their own countries function as a cohesive unit (Russia, China, etc.).
Before boarding the bus, I made a stop at the gift shop for some rareities that can only be found at the DMZ. One of them is North Korean soju. What is soju? It is the national drink of the Koreas. Its made from sweet potatoes and its similar to vodka. Though, when you are offered a shot of it from natives, and it does happen on a frequent basis, it goes down like tequila. It has a moonshine effervesiance about it, too and bottled in what looks like rubbing alcohol. Some other oddities at the gift shop were t-shirts. I wound-up buying a collection of flags for my future classroom and some other little knick-knacks for some specail people as future Xmas presents.
Upon arrival back in the Itaewon section in Seoul, Mr. Lee invited us all for a lunch and Q&A session with him. We ate at a restaurant that the Korean President was known for frequenting. Mr. Lee sat with his translator and also organizer of the event, Cessilia Park. Most questions ranged from what is the story of escape to what does he hope to accomplish with his Non-government, religious, group. Some people from the group started to filter out, but seven of us remained. We then went to a roof-top cafe to continue questions, which then turned into a 'How can we start to get organized with this NGO. The seven of us sat there with pads and paper and started to strategize. One member is affiliated/connected to the Canadian government. Plus, she also has a group set-up with the Center for Strategy and Peace. I offered to help outline a letter for the United Nations since I am a card-carrying holder for UNICEF. Plus, since I was heading home to New Jersey, I have access to New York City. However, I have been busy working some part-time jobs and taking care of some personal finances. But I still remain connected to the group thanks to Facebook. I did venture to Columbia University for a documentary that was being shown.
The amount of knowledge gained from this event is something I take to my heart and to the global community. I could not have been more fortunate to have met some like-minded volunteers. It was truly a great way to leave the country I got to know, sometimes even better, than my own.
Update: I was invited by Professor Theodore Cook of the History Department to be on a panel of others who have worked, not necessarily as a teacher, in China, Japan, and a person who traveled around Nepal. We each had extrememly different stories to share with the audience. I also conducted a survey to launch some Education Reform in regards to teaching more about Asia across the board. No matter what experiences I have ever had while working and living abroad, they were all my expereinces and I would never change them for anyone or anything, especially since they were nothing but positive and life-changing.
For more information~visit www.northkoreapeace.org.
While living in East Asia, I have done a fair share of traveling to China and Japan. I got to know more about the part of the world that is mostly ignored or better way to put it, not really well taught about. One of the reasons I went to Korea was to self-educate myself because the Korean War is called the Forgotten War for a reason. Its one of the pieces of history that America is not a big fan to talk about, but ask a Korean about it and you get to hear a mouthful through their eyes and experiences. Personally, I had family members who served in the US military and some fought in the war. Going to one of the DMZ sites on more than one occasion, where my late uncle once fought, was quite an eye-opener (I'm referring to the battle of the Punch Bowl). However, recently volunteering with North Korean refugees and spending a day with the North Korean Peace Organization and attempting to assist in the tri-state area~is a cause that I can not seem to turn eyes away from, especially after everything that I have learned from Korean citizens who were willing to talk about the north vs south situation.
On February 25, I had the opportunity, via a FB event, to venture to Paju, a city in the DMZ limits to launch boxes full of socks towards North Korea. This effort was to put an end to hunger for 6 million people (men, women, and children) in North Korea, while also with a strict message about monitoring food aid for the citizens. People use these socks as a way to barter for food and also to keep their feet warm.
While on the bus to the launch site, I met people from all over the world. We all were talking about our time and travels in Korea and the current politics of the North Korea situation. Some were tourists, business owners (illegally), or teachers. A documentary was being shown to explain some of the termoil in the region. One of the countries it focused on was China. It reinforced China's lack of interest in the issue. In the film, was the actual footage of Chinese guards beating some North Korean refugee women. They were trying to escape to the border. It was no surprise that China, yet again, has negative human rights behavior, but it just blew my mind. Imagine if U.S. border police did that to Mexicans, Canadians, or Cubans?
At the launch site, we all assembled out of the bus and gathered around Mr. Lee, a North Korean defector who managed to escape the tyranny of his own country. He had a great appreciation for all of us taking the time out of a Saturday to join him. He read to us the letters that were placed in each of the boxes. The letters, written in Korean, stated that the time to change is now. They were also words of hope. After letter reading, Mr. Lee did demo of what a box launch will consist of. Each box had an altimeter attached to it. Once the boxes reached a certain height, the altimeters would cause the boxes to burst open and the socks would pour-out from them.
Now the time came to assemble the balloons, which were gigantic, what looked like garbage bags, but a lot stronger. We all sood on a line holding the balloon, while it was gradually getting filled with air. Then, came the tricky part of attaching these balloons to the boxes. Some of us volunteered to sit and hold the balloon while sitting on top of the boxes. I offered for one of them. Little did we realize, an Associated Press photographer was present at this launch. In past launches, North Korea Peace also had Reuters and made some international news cycles.
After all five boxes were launched, cheers, and applauds of a job well done from all of us was accomplished, it was time to board the bus again. This time we were headng to the Peace Observatory, which is in the DMZ. We walked around the area as far as we could go to the fence. Every time I come to this area, my mind is blown. It is like NOTHING relateable anywhere in the world. The whole grounds look gorgeous, we were able to see the train tracks of where, on occasions, North Korean and South Korean families meet. The gate entrance was covered in flowers, flags, messges of hope/peace in Korean, carvings on the wooden railing (gladly contributed), and just the mood of complete somber. We all had a head full of questions about what exactly could be done with this part of the world, but clearly the answer is left with a group of leaders and politicians that can barely have their own countries function as a cohesive unit (Russia, China, etc.).
Before boarding the bus, I made a stop at the gift shop for some rareities that can only be found at the DMZ. One of them is North Korean soju. What is soju? It is the national drink of the Koreas. Its made from sweet potatoes and its similar to vodka. Though, when you are offered a shot of it from natives, and it does happen on a frequent basis, it goes down like tequila. It has a moonshine effervesiance about it, too and bottled in what looks like rubbing alcohol. Some other oddities at the gift shop were t-shirts. I wound-up buying a collection of flags for my future classroom and some other little knick-knacks for some specail people as future Xmas presents.
Upon arrival back in the Itaewon section in Seoul, Mr. Lee invited us all for a lunch and Q&A session with him. We ate at a restaurant that the Korean President was known for frequenting. Mr. Lee sat with his translator and also organizer of the event, Cessilia Park. Most questions ranged from what is the story of escape to what does he hope to accomplish with his Non-government, religious, group. Some people from the group started to filter out, but seven of us remained. We then went to a roof-top cafe to continue questions, which then turned into a 'How can we start to get organized with this NGO. The seven of us sat there with pads and paper and started to strategize. One member is affiliated/connected to the Canadian government. Plus, she also has a group set-up with the Center for Strategy and Peace. I offered to help outline a letter for the United Nations since I am a card-carrying holder for UNICEF. Plus, since I was heading home to New Jersey, I have access to New York City. However, I have been busy working some part-time jobs and taking care of some personal finances. But I still remain connected to the group thanks to Facebook. I did venture to Columbia University for a documentary that was being shown.
The amount of knowledge gained from this event is something I take to my heart and to the global community. I could not have been more fortunate to have met some like-minded volunteers. It was truly a great way to leave the country I got to know, sometimes even better, than my own.
Update: I was invited by Professor Theodore Cook of the History Department to be on a panel of others who have worked, not necessarily as a teacher, in China, Japan, and a person who traveled around Nepal. We each had extrememly different stories to share with the audience. I also conducted a survey to launch some Education Reform in regards to teaching more about Asia across the board. No matter what experiences I have ever had while working and living abroad, they were all my expereinces and I would never change them for anyone or anything, especially since they were nothing but positive and life-changing.
For more information~visit www.northkoreapeace.org.
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