In the three days since I last wrote my project has multiplied and expanded at least three-fold. Getting started was the hard part; now I’m just going with the flow and seeing where it takes me. Already I’ve had three madal lessons with my teacher, and he has made it very clear on more than one occasion that he is willing to help me out with anything I need, above and beyond just madal lessons. I’ve met his family—his wife, mother, father, little boy, and nieces and nephews—and they’ve invited me to participate in picnics, outings, and festival celebrations with them. The little boy is learning to call me ‘uncle.’ My madal technique is improving; I can consistently make the ‘tang’, ‘tok’, ‘dhing’, ‘kha’, and ‘dhang’ sounds, and I’m practicing rhythms that incorporate each of these
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