As far as I can tell, there are three kinds of endings that mark the points along this curvy road of life. First there is the quietly-disappear-don't-realize-it's-never-coming-back kind of ending where life goes on as normal and the possibility of the thing that just ended still exists in your mind. You don't think to say... Continue Reading →
The new year blew in with rapid-fire change, and it was March before I was home long enough to absorb it all. Within two weeks of getting back from New Zealand, I headed to Zimbabwe for a music festival with four of my band students. When we got back from Harare, we had a day... Continue Reading →
RECON CAMPING November 23, 2013 We had a long-weekend in November - a nod to Thanksgiving but on the wrong weekend entirely, so not much use in terms of celebrating with Americans. A couple of of friends and I decided to do a sort of "recon" camping trip in the Ngarandare conservancy, north of Mt... Continue Reading →
Though I have not written much since last Fall, the density of new and interesting experiences in the last six months has been remarkable. Since September, I have not had more than three to four weeks at home before the next trip or adventure, and that's not counting the two car accidents. The accidents are... Continue Reading →
* The title of this post is taken from the children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day" by J. Viorst. The school "Intercultural Trips" have been a highlight each year I've been here. This year I signed up for a trip in which kids would learn mountain biking skills. This included: studying... Continue Reading →
Summer for me ended with the unique and powerful experience of touring the Northeast-Midwest US with the Nairobi Chamber Chorus. Before I get into the experience itself, a bit of background: NCC is an auditioned, mostly a cappella choir that offers an advanced ensemble experience to young(ish) musicians in Nairobi. The average age is about... Continue Reading →
We met them at the airport. It was two o'clock in the afternoon and they had been traveling for twenty-six hours. "You made it! Karibuni! Karibu New York! Sasa? Umeamka? Poa! I'm so glad you all are here!" We gathered the group of twenty-eight travel-weary singers towards one side of the arrivals hall and waited... Continue Reading →
Burnout has been for me a reoccurring feature of the month of May. There is something about the end of a school year that tempts me to push too hard and then taunts me with the shimmering mirage of summer. In the rush to "get it all done", the end seems ever just out of... Continue Reading →
How do you teach a thing, knowing that you will not truly succeed unless something much deeper comes with it? How do you illuminate joy? How do you communicate the meaning of necessary love? And how do you show that, like it or not, we each make a difference? _______________________________ I kept glancing anxiously at... Continue Reading →
In our highly structured and relatively dangerous world, spontaneous adventures for solitary travelers are generally regarded with fear, confusion, or disbelief. Fear: "Why would you DO that?!" Confusion: "WHY would you do that?!" Disbelief: "Why would YOU do THAT?!" Naysayers may sometimes be wise people, so don't throw them off entirely. Still, don't let them... Continue Reading →
Of Wonders & Wanders 
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