We were delighted to hear from three young musicians from Oberlin Conservatory, USA. They wanted to come to Goa to work with Child’s Play and we were happy to have them here with us this January – February. Josie and Sophie Davis (violins) and Jaime Feldman (cello) are spending six weeks with us and they will write occasional updates on their experiences. Here’s the first one. Enjoy!
January 12th, 2014
Greetings from India!
It has only been 48 hours since we arrived in Goa and we have: woven through the slums of Mumbai in a tiny taxi, been swimming in the Arabian Sea, attended a 3 hour class at the university spanning the history of classical music from gregorian chants through John Cage, ridden on and experienced the chaos of local busses, rick-shaws (which are quite rickety), and motorcycles, enjoyed the most delicious Indian and Portuguese food, participated in a round table discussion about the importance of music in the lives of disadvantaged children, learned what it really feels like to be jet-lagged, attended a lecture about the merit of Suzuki education, pursued a beautiful craft fair featuring the work of artists from all over India, discovered exotic fruits at the biggest indoor market we have ever seen, and we have met the most welcoming, colorful, and warm people.
Panjim is incredible – an explosion of so many senses at once. The door to our balcony is wide open and the sounds of crows, cars, and traffic come in with the sea breeze. There are dogs, chickens, cats, cows, goats, pigs, people, cars, bikes, motorcycles, taxis, and rickshaws everywhere honking and swerving, but within all of this colorful bustle, there is a sense of life, friendship and gratitude. It is strange to be in a place where we are a minority. There are very few white people here, and no blonde white Americans. We never realized what it feels like to be so conscious of skin color. It is an eye opening experience in so many ways.
Tomorrow we begin teaching lessons at the Hamara School (an orphanage not far from where we are staying) and will rehearse with our string quartet and the Camerata Childsplay, a small orchestra which we will play with while we are here.
We are having an incredible time and are so grateful for and humbled by the support we have received for our project. We look forward to sharing more of our adventures with you soon.
Love and hugs from the other side of the world,
Josie, Jaime, and Sophie
