Music and Fulbrights

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So last night I had the distinct pleasure of attending a traditional "horse-head fiddle" (morin khuur) concert. It was really really awesome and I was impressed by how the fiddle has the ability to sound native american at one stroke and then distinctly mongolian in the next. There was even a musician from the United States who played a melody about horses (he was very, VERY good) and he ended his performance by informing the audience that "I LOVE MONGOLIA!" (in Mongolian of course.) The audience was SO tickled by this and I was proud to be an American at that moment, if only to bask in his brillance for a moment. The range and versatility of the music was very moving. I was especially interested at how deeply Mongolians are affected by music. My co-worker Chingee was sitting next to me and a gentlemen came onto the stage and they announced that he was inspired to write this song while thinking about the progressing desertification that Mongolia is experiencing. It was a very sad and provocative melody and Chingee actually began to cry. It was actually a very moving experience. She later told me (as she escorted me to the pharmacy, I have a cold) the legend of the horse-head fiddle:

The origin of the morin khuur is that a shepherd named Kuku Namjil received the gift of a magical winged horse; he would mount it at night and fly to meet his beloved. A jealous woman had the horse’s wings cut off, so that the horse fell from the air and died. The grieving shepherd made a horsehead fiddle from the now-wingless horse's bones, and used it to play poignant songs about his horse. (Wikipedia)

For more information about this fascinating instrument: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matouqin

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After the concert I met some "ex-pats" who had been seated behind me during the show. Two of them turned out to be here on Fulbright scholarships and one gave me his card so that I could contact them later. Would be interesting to talk with a Fulbright about his take on his experiences here. So guess I've met some more people though I've been anti-social the past few days because I've had a cold.

Funny side note on that... every Mongolian who has learned that I have a cold has become very, very concerned for my well-being. Each one has asked if I will go to the doctor and it's taken some reassurance that no, it's just a cold, and that I will surely survive. But then again, this attitude is perhaps understandable considering the harsh temperature and climate of Mongolia. Being sick here could potentially become something much worse if not taken care of. I was also alarmed by how many people told me I should be taking antibiotics. I didn't want to be rude, but I wondered if any of them knew that antibiotics do nothing to help the cold and/or flu becuase they are viruses and not bacterial infections. Very interesting...

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