Category Archives: Blog

When my students and I left Beirut behind to explore the tombs of King Abi-shemu and his son Ipy-shemu-abi in Byblos, they asked to take a groupie underground. These deep, overgrown tombs are directly related to ancient Egypt, since an obsidian ointment vase with the cartouche of Amenemhet III was found in Abi-shemu’s tomb, and an obsidian incense box from Amenemhet IV was discovered in the tomb of his son…

In the video above, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale performs a beautiful rendition of “Cheer the Weary Traveller”–one of the many “sorrow songs” referenced in W.E.B. Du Bois’ landmark book, The Souls of Black Folk.

If somewhere in this whirl and chaos of things there dwells Eternal Good, pitiful yet masterful, then anon in His good time America shall rend the Veil and the prisoned shall go free. Free, free as the sunshine trickling down the morning into these high windows of mine, free as yonder fresh young voices welling up to me from the caverns of brick and mortar below – swelling with song, instinct with life, tremulous treble and darkening bass. My children, my children, are singing to the sunshine, and thus they sing,

Let us cheer the weary traveller,
Cheer the weary traveller,
Let us cheer the weary traveller
Along the heavenly way

And the traveller girds himself, and sets his face toward the Morning, and goes his way.

— W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903)

Since receiving an email yesterday telling me to pack warm clothes for an upcoming trip, I’ve been wondering about what footwear I should bring–and now I can’t stop thinking about my travelin’ shoes…

May your sky be always clear, may your dear smile be always bright and happy, and may you be for ever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart…Isn’t such a moment sufficient for the whole of a man’s life?

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky, White Nights

It’s a shame that so many Americans are canceling their trips to Russia, since summer is the best time to go. When I was studying Advanced Russian in St. Petersburg and re-connecting with my Russian roots, going out with friends during the White Nights was one of the highlights of my time living there. Taking a boat ride at midnight on the Neva River to watch the massive bridges open for the tall ships was a travel experience I’ll never forget, and enjoying opera and ballet performances at the Mariinsky Theatre for the Stars of the White Nights Festival was the perfect way to delve into the country’s rich performing arts scene. If you’ve been thinking of canceling a scheduled trip to Russia this summer, you might want to reconsider–and check out the line-up of this year’s White Nights Festival at the Mariinsky Theatre to see what you’d be missing.

One of my tai chi friends here in Beirut moonlights as a DJ—and we both love listening to the Golden Gate Quartet on our way home from tai chi…

The Boston Village Gamelan, led by Barry Drummond, is currently seeking new members. The BVG is a community-based ensemble that performs gamelan music in the Central Javanese tradition. Gamelan are mostly percussion ensembles of tuned bronze gongs and keyed instruments. The ensemble normally meets for rehearsals throughout the year at Tufts University on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Prior gamelan experience while appreciated is not a prerequisite. Rehearsals usually focus on learning instruments and expanding repertoire. The atmosphere is purposefully informal and friendly. The BVG performs 2-3 times a year at Tufts (along with the Tufts University gamelan). In addition, there are occasional performances at other venues. To find out more about them, please visit their website. If you would like to watch a rehearsal at Tufts to explore joining the ensemble, please contact Barry Drummond at barry.drummond@tufts.edu.

Chowing down on home-cooked Indonesian food at gamelan rehearsals and concerts is one of the many reasons why I love playing and practicing Javanese gamelan. This Saturday, if you’re in NYC, you can get a taste of Indonesian food at the Indonesian Food Bazaar in Forest Hills, while helping those in need at the same time–all proceeds from the event will go to support the Ranah Orphanage in Lampung, Indonesia.
Indonesian Food Bazaar
When: Saturday, May 17th from 12-5:00 pm
Where: First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills
70-35 112th Street
Forest Hills, New York 11375

E, F, M, R train to 71st Ave – Continental
Use north exits to Queens Blvd. Walk 2 blocks north along 71st Avenue.

Featured Foods Include:
— Rice platters with iconic Indonesian dishes and made-to-order specialities
— Kue basah (traditional fresh munchies)
— Bibingo-esk: Filipino treats & dessert
— Burmese home-cooked dishes

Here is an article about crystal meth production in Iran–which has one of the highest rates of drug addiction in the world.

My Iranian friends took me for a stroll through this glorious garden, when I was visiting the shrine of Hafiz in Shiraz…

This house of sorrows will become a garden, do not grieve.
Oh grieving heart, you will mend, do not despair.
This frenzied mind will return to calm, do not grieve.
When the spring of life sets again in the meadows
A crown of flowers you will bear, singing bird, do not grieve.
If these turning epochs do not move with our will today
The state of time is not constant, do not grieve…

— Hafiz

According to Manouchehr Manteqi, the Managing-Director of the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), a new home-made passenger plane will join the fleet of Iran Air in the next five years…

When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth,
but find it in the human heart…

— Rumi

This madness rises
out of love, and weeping.
We must not be afraid of
what anyone might say…

— Rumi