A Full Day

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So many things today... nancy's thesis presentation, dinner and teaching the tranky doo with Mitchell, lab with Betsy, chats about Kenya with Peter. I have so much that I could say, but I do not feel inspired to write them. I am exhausted from long days full of happy times with friends and learning.

I will share a humbling moment I experienced, however. This morning, I wondered about the appearance (skin color, facial structure, etc...) of Iraqi people. So I googled them. What I found was pictures of people in pain and death. Then I googled "American people." I saw pictures of picnics, happy and healthy children, women in nice dresses... How humbled I was at the stark difference in portrayal.

I feel a bit more capable of expressing myself now, though I will still keep this short, as I'm sure you don't have much internet time.

Teaching with Mitchell tonight was like eating a pickle for the first time. The very strong flavor is almost distasteful, but then you realize that that is the beauty of the pickle. Mitchell likes to "fight" during class. We challenge each others movements, accounts of jazz history, and so forth (although most of the time HE is right). He could easily be taken as rude. Hell, he is very rude. However, he is also honest and very funny. I think the students really enjoyed our dynamic. Also, the tranky doo we taught kicks so much ass. It is really hard and we rocked it.

I've been thinking more about Kenya lately. Now would be a perfect time to go. I could then return to Seattle next year and dance and work if nothing else worked out.

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