Life In Beijing

Last year, I promised to write a final blog for my journey across Asia in 2008.
I wanted to talk about the United States, which was my final destination.
I never got around to it, and maybe I knew somehow that the journey would never end...

I came back to Los Angeles, after completing a loop around the entire world.
For about 6 months, I worked on two developments, one is "Intarsia Media, Recordings and Media Co." as well as "The Interethnic Arts Foundation". Both are intermingled with the first one geared toward business and the other towards philosophy and education. For Intarsia Media, I developed a 60 some page media site that shows all the projects I put together (Approx. 30) which are are some sort of rendition of my art approach called "Interethnic Art". You can read more about it on the websites, just search online.

Well, then I know that after laying the groundwork for these projects, that I am getting ready to integrate into multiple languages should come to Beijing. Because in Beijing your dream can come true.

I packed my bags, sold my car, payed my bills, closed my insurance accounts, moved out of Los Angeles and stayed a couple months in Colorado with my mom and dad. During that time, Kurt Bauer and I as well as Arnie Swenson did some music projects and several successful performances in Denver and Boulder. Arnie even threw cat toys at the audience.

Then, I put my life in three suitcases, with a Rubob and Ghirjek and guitar and headed to Arizona to visit my cousin in Phoenix. After that, I stopped by LA and played a show with the Band Elephants With Guns before shipping myself on April 7th to China. I also went to see my sister at work, she is an instructor in the Orange County school system, this was for my future part-time commitment... (more later).


Above you can see a Ghirjek, a Uighur instrument I bought in Kashgar from a shop.


This is a Rubob, a Uighur instrument I bought in Kashgar from a shop.

The first three days in Beijing, I got myself used to living in a huge place. This is actually the first time I have lived in another country as an independent.

I got an apartment in Fuchengmen near the Haidian district where there are lots of trees, a panda in the Beijing Zoo, and the Xinjiang Hotel etc.

I got a cell phone at the post office, and also got some hangers for my clothes. I put up my rugs and Atlas as well as pictures of my grandmothers family in Nebraska. I am in their disposition now, I came for greater oppurtunity. So, Thomas Friedman said the World is Now Flat in a recent economic analytical sonata. I am going to fold it in half and see what happens.

I made contact with the important artists. And a chance encounter with Harold from Sweden.

True Miracles (I have been here for 2 weeks, so think about that too.)

- I walked up to the 3rd floor in the elevator of a hostel (I was not staying at) to check my email. Had I been a second earlier or later, I would have missed him coming from his room towards the elevator. We made eye contact and knew right away, it was my friend Harold from Sweden. He was passing through just staying the night. He had left Taiwan where his Fiance lives and was getting ready to board the transiberean railway back to Scandinavia. I was shocked, and still can't believe it happened. We went out and got some hamburgers at McDonalds. (Its a Japanese thing we picked up in Waseda University where we had schooled together years ago.)

- I supposed it would be cool if I could get Askar to say happy birthday to my father on the phone... I went to his concert and remarkably he walked up the stairs looked right at me, we said hello, and his wife turned over and said you must be Andy. Since there are so many Ghirjek students, it was chance that she knew about me already. I met Adil Jan (ghirjek master) and his wife Aigul (Ai is Uighur for moon, and Gul is uighur and many other south and central asian languages for Flower). So, I called my dad and he said hello to him and then he sang him happy birthday!


This was a great performance, on stage was seven professional musicians, you can see Adil Jan playing Ghirjek here too.

- They had Coors Light (they have it on rare occasion) at the bar I went to with a colleague from the school at which I teach

- Askar's little brother introduced me to his girlfriend, she is Japanese and is from Ishigaki... this is a very small island in Okinawa I lived for a short time in college. There I studied the Shansen (a Okinawan instrument) while helping the JIRCAS facility translate their sugar cane research report into English. His brother is in the vineyard business, it may or may not be uniform.

- Inadvertently heard the word Huda, its another way of saying Allah.

- Contacted Alan AtKisson CEO of AtKisson and Associates. He wrote an interesting book called Forsaking Cassandra and the thought and concepts of sustainable development. Just so happens that he will be here in a couple of weeks. We may get a chance to do some musical performing...

- Met a friend of Askars from a ranch in Northern New Mexico that lived in Xinjiang (learn the word!) back in the 80s. Amazingly, I wonder what kind of a place Xinjiang was 25 years ago, it must have been interesting. Anyway, he is also working on the environment problem doing climate change research in India, Nepal and Tibet. He gave me his card and I gave him my card too.

As we speak:

- I am Jamming the gears of a particular recipe brewed and perhaps still brewing for "death", in the name of god, we cant just sit and watch. I can not just sit and watch... so, its a matter of being a positive "Smart Ass" in the most elusive yet strategic manner. I would like to assume the role of Public Nuisance here, it you know me enough to know what I mean.

- Learning Tangerine (the runner up international business language)

- Getting much more comfortable with teaching young kids

Just Starting:

- Find a way to get my hands on the mystical crocodile fiddle in Western Mongolia.

- Make the concept of Interethnic Art more accessible to young children.

- Get better at the Ghirjek and Rubob.

I made a new friend, his name is Amu, he is also a kindof Host dog at Jiangjinjiu (search it if you dont know.)



My job is "Senior Instructor of World Culture". I am working on an entire year of curriculum at a innovated new learning center. Here are some pictures at work...







Life on the Silk Road, its as exciting as all the lifes that inspired me to come back and do what I will do...

Hosh!

A brief glimpse of Turkestan (Turkey)

The morning I left Uzbekistan, it was pretty early. So I decided not to go to bed, as I feared the possibility of missing my airplane.
I took a taxi to Toshkent Airport and listened to some cool music along the way.

When I got there I checked in and before long got in one of the buses that drove off on the runway and stopped up in front of the airplane.
That was cool and fun.

Got on the plane, and then we took off.
The woman sitting next to me in the plane was from Spain, Barcelona.
We started talking some kindof of mixed language of me moving my hands around and speaking in gibberish with fluent intonation...
she picked up on about 1/5 of what I tried to say and we became friends.
Out the window you could see the stark desert landscape of central and western Uzbekistan... its only relief the two great rivers that once filled the Aral Sea... one flowing in from the north from Kyrgyzstan via Kazakhastan... the other flowing in from the great Pamirs of Tajikistan. The Amu Daria and Sir Daria.... (daria turns out to mean "river" in the central Asian languages.

The banks of the river were dotted with cotton fields irrigated by the river...the river used to make it to the Aral Sea, an inland sea with no escape, but it mostly does not make it any more, the cotton fields are thirsty, and so are people making a living just like back in the United States.

I told my seating partner about that in sign language and she did not understand.
Then we listened to music, I introduced her properly to Yulduz Usmanova and then she gave me her contact info.
She was older than my mom, so she would be godmother to me.



This is a recent song put out by Yulduz Usmanova

When we got to the edge of Uzbekistan, we came upon the Caspian Sea... it was big.
Then on the south side we could see the northern borderlands of Iran.
Then we entered Turkey and I could see the colossal mountains, lofty pigs rising above the clouds declaring marshmellowhood. I think that one of them is where Noah's Ark crashed back when the big flood started to evaporate.


Maybe Noah's Ark is around the summit of that peak above...

The banks of the river were dotted with cotton fields irrigated by the river...the river used to make it to the Aral Sea, an inland sea with no escape, but it mostly does not make it any more, the cotton fields are thirsty, and so are people making a living just like back in the United States.

I told my seating partner about that in sign language and she did not understand.
Then we listened to music, I introduced her properly to Yulduz Usmanova and then she gave me her contact info. She was older than my mom, so she would be godmother to me.


The mysterious triple hopes high up in the sky, what was the deal... and there is the cotton fields barely visable.
There is the northern coast of Iran on the Caspian Sea...

The airplane interior (Turkish Airlines)
The Black Sea in the east

Beautiful Clouds!
The edge of Europe

Then we could see the greatest place on Earth, the beginning and the end of Asia and the beginning and the end of Europe... the announcements made it certain that we were honing in on Istanbul. The sea between the two continents, and therein the two separate parts of the city was being danced and painted to life by the motor/sailboats circling...


The border of Asia and Europe
Western Edge of the Black Sea
When we got to the edge of Uzbekistan, we came upon the Caspian Sea... it was big.
Then on the south side we could see the northern borderlands of Iran.
Then we entered Turkey and I could see the colossal mountains, lofty pigs rising above the clouds declaring marshmellowhood.
I think that one of them is where Noah's Ark crashed back when the big flood started to evaporate.

I landed and got of the plane, bought my visa and went into Turkey.
I got on the train and started talking to some girl, I asked here where to go and she said Tarzim and Borcadda.

So I took the train to Tarzim where lots of musicians set up on the street and play.
I played there for about 2.5 hours and then got on a bus, train, ferry, bus, bus, bus, slept at the bus station for a couple of hours, then got on another ferry and almost arrived at Borcadda...

Taxis of Istanbul

Istanbul Proper
Istanbul Again

Like a movie, I inadvertently arrived at the very last western point in Asia, and for all practical purposes had crossed the entire Asian continent and Silk Road. I went the western corner of the island and found a beautiful beach. I set up listened to some music and then I swam in the water... the Aegean Sea, was not only sapphire blue, there was not a single wave on it! Too still for it to be on Earth.

In the northwest corner of the island, you could see wind generators, you could see echoes from the future at the edge of the Silk Road.

Here on the island I became friends with Murat, Arnaud and Omar. First I met Murat and Arnaud on the ferry from the mainland to Borcadda, then while we were eating lunch on the island I met Omar. All four of us where having a good time together talking about music and art. Omar is a dance choreographer, Arnaud and Omar are students living together in Paris... out of the three two are from Turkey and Arnaud is from France.

Like out of a dream one fine person stated to me on an evening late there on the island, that I had arrived at the place where the world began. It was in these islands that a tremendous things happened which allowed civil society to develop into what it has today. What an exciting time, and what a neat thing to hear someone say.
My Friend Omar
My Friend Murat
My Friend Arnaud
After not sleeping for many many days and sitting on a boat
The edge of Asia
The Edge of Asia from another perspective
The holmes of Borcadda, peaceful and quiet
Borcadda is so safe that you can leave your key in the outside of the door just like this all day


Four friends on the first and final evening for this time around
The edge of Asia had exactly what I should have not expected to find, must be a good sign
Look at the wind generatorsThere is the Turkish flag in the straight between Europe and Asia, whoa its pretty

Me and Mister Mustache

My journey to Turkey was to make friends with these fellows and before long, it was time to move on to the next place... Istanbul where I would catch my flight to Chicago.

I travelled by ferry back across the straight, then by bus to Istanbul where I tried my first Turkish bath. The experience was erotic (just kidding). That night I sat in Tarzim and played music all night, and in the early morning I met Taylan and Huriye... Taylan spoke English so it was easy to have conversations and they enjoyed hearing my instruments... before they left Huriye gave me a Donald Duck money pouch as a token of her appreciation.

The next morning was hectic, I did not wake up in time because I never went to bed... so I was tired. I went back to the bus station and fell asleep on the bus before I got there... luckily the driver woke me up at the appropriate stop... when I got off of the bus, I argued with the bus station attendants about the location of my digital camera... finally after many hours of arguing... I got my camera back and just in the nick of time to catch my flight back to the states.

I ran to my train and when I got to the airport, I also ran to the check in counter, was one of the last people in the plane and then I was off to the west back to the United States. I slept pretty well on the plane all the way to Chicago.

There will be one last blog after this one, I hope you will enjoy the final blog.

Second Trip to Uzbekistan

When I left Kyrgyzstan my next stop was nextdoor in Uzbekistan. This is one of my favorite countries and it was the second time that I went there.

It was my first time to land and take care of myself in Uzbekistan so I was scared...
after getting there and getting off of the plane I found out that there was nothing to worry about as the country was a relatively safe place despite what everyone says.
I had to wait before going to O'lymalik where my good friend that I met through my study abroad in Waseda University was born raised/now living and getting married. The wedding was just a couple of days away and I was not sure what to expect out of a wedding there...

For one night I stayed in a hostel with a French guy I had met at the airport... we ended up eating dinner together and talking about this and that it was really nice time with him.

His job was also very interesting, he was paid by his travel company to come and check out the local tour circumstances in central asian countries... Uzbekistan was his last stop before returning to France.

I also met Matluba, which turned out to be one of the woman who would properly introduce me to the more relaxed side of Uzbek/Afghan culture... she was also staying at the hostel.

She introduced some good music and good jokes along with Alisha the hostel owner. That night we ate some Uzbek food and had a dinner party in the hostel living room/lobby area...

I also got a chance to hear some really good Tajik music... I had not really paid much attention to there music in the past but in fact pop singers from Tajikistan have outstanding vocal techniques and also stylish stage presence... the stay at this hostel made this all possible.

I also walked down to a record shop to pick up some local music, as I really like Uzbekistan's music... when I was there I saw two men enjoying some Sting in the car they were listening to "Desert Rose" with the volume cranked up really loud. I asked them for some suggestions about good local music and they wrote up a list for me.

I also purchased a tea set as a wedding gift for my friend's (Saidali) wedding at the local Som market. If you are ever in Uzbekistan and looking for stuff to buy including music, this is a pretty good location.

The second day Saidali came to the youth hostel and picked me up and we took a Mashruka bus to O'lymalik. When we got there his parents and relatives where also there and we ate dinner together. This was my second time to Uzbekistan so I remembered everything very well... the house is neat... the yard is in the middle and all the rooms are separated and situated in a square around the yard. The dining table has no seats, you sit on the ground with mats, and if it is summer time it is possible to sit on the porch and enjoy food.

We did so, and just like when I was in Xinjiang, we enjoyed all the fresh summer melons... there is even melons here in Uzbekistan I have not seen elsewhere that are the sweetest I have ever tasted.

We talked about recent about dates and family news then they asked me to play my Rubob a little bit... I played a couple of songs.

After this, we went to bed and the next morning the wedding (2 day event) would begin.

We woke up to the sound of brooms sweeping the courtyard at his house... and I knew it was an important day. We ate breakfast and then some friends started coming over to get ready to go to Tashkent together in a big bus.

During the first part of the wedding all the men would go together to meet the all the men in the woman's family for lunch. We wore formal attire and rode in a bus... and there was drum and horn players that saw us off both before and after getting on the bus.

The bus did not have any air conditioning so everyone became really sweaty really fast but we got to Tashkent within an hour so it was not so bad. During this lunch with ate Osh (pilaf) except this time it had some sort of really sweet fruit inside of it, I am not sure what it was called. Tasted good anyway.

After the lunch Saidali was presented a formal traditional clothing that was also worn the next day during the second part of the wedding. During the lunch several prayers were sung and other greetings exchanged. Most people in Uzbekistan are Muslim by the way.

We road the bus back to his house after that and I mentioned to Dema (another friend) that we all about to get back in the oven to get cooked again. After we got back we would take a break from the celebrations in the evening there was a carrot cutting ceremony that I did not attend... instead I went with Muhrat and Dema to the swimming pool. After that we talked about economy and job philosophy for several hours before proceeding to an internet cafe where I helped them create their first email accounts.

On our way to the first part of the wedding in Tashkent. (Saidali and the best man)

(This music group sent us off in the bus)

(The woman did not participate in this event, but they also saw us off)

(Saidali after getting on the bus)

(Mahmud sat next to me and explained some of the details of each part of the ceremony)

(After we got to Tashkent we saw this wedding ceremony.)

That night I stayed at Mahmud's house, which was really nice as I got a chance to know him and his family much better. I met his uncles sisters grandmother and nieces as well as mother and father... quiet different than Saidali's family but also very very nice.

We ate several delicious meals, and he showed me the addition that he was building on their house... he was working on it together with his father and uncle.

The next morning we went to Saidali's wedding... we woke up at about 5:15 am at sunrise and we walked to his house. It was nice to see the early morning sky and O'lymalik, Mahmud's house was actually right next to the local beer brewery.

When we got to Saidali's house we ate the pilaf breakfast... all the neighbors were invited as well about 150 people showed up, and I heard that the chef who prepared the breakfast started cooking at about 2 a.m. The food was really good again, and there was also live musician's playing classic folk songs with lyrics highly relevant to a wedding day.

(In the morning on our way to Saidali's house)

(The musicians that played music at the wedding.)

(Saidali's brother in law helping bring in the fresh naan.)

(Saidali's sister bringing in the fresh naan.)

(The pilaf chef, appearantly started cooking at 2 a.m.)

(Another shot of the pilaf, it takes a lot of food for all the people.)

After the breakfast me and Mahmud left and went to the bizarre and picked up some chickens and some fruit and took it back to his parents house. We said grace before we took the chickens life and then we sat down with his father's brother and several others over the course of the next couple hours. Many of them were employs in the local mining company, they asked about my real opinion of the situation in Uzbekistan... I said the employment was a bit rough but the overall quality of daily life was pretty good. I am not sure what they thought about my response, but I think that they were expecting me to say that it was not that good.

(Picking up some fresh fruit at the bizarre.)

(The best fresh fruit, wish I knew what it is called, so sweet and tender.)

Mahmud's family (I stood in the backrow, and we printed this picture out the next day.)

After that we took nap and got ready for the wedding, we put on our best clothes and caught a mashruka bus for downtown.

Mahmud after getting ready for the wedding

Andy after getting ready for the wedding

Also brought my rubob to play at the wedding.

First glance at the wedding cake

The musicians summoning the wedding ceremony and setting the mood



Finally the car arrived with the bride and groom, everyone was excited to see her since it would be the first time for most of his friends.

When we got there we quickly helped bring in the naan and started taking pictures, before long the limousine would arrive with the groom and bride. Once they arrived, I took a picture as Saidali got out, put on his gown and took the bride out of the car. They both looked really nice and everyone was excited. The musicians were also playing the songs again and upstairs a professional band was set up and ready to go.

Minutes of logistics planning etc. occurred before they got out of the car.

Finally Saidali got out of his car.

After Saidali got out he had a gown put on by his sisters.

Then he brought out the bride.

And they proceeded into the reception hall, unlike a church.

Coming up the stairs.

And into the room, loud music started playing, and then they walked across this rug.

The groom and bride

The bride and the groom came up the stairs into the reception hall, and as soon as they entered the doors the wedding music began, it was the coolest wedding music sounded a bit like electronic polka beats but much faster, don't think I could ever perfectly describe with the most accurate words the particular feeling evoked by the atmosphere, maybe it was just because I was not used to such wedding music. The bride and groom started walking around the reception in a big circle and the bride repeatedly bowed her head while never making direct eye contact with anyone.

After circling about 5 times an official from the state marriage office offered vows and paperwork was signed followed by an exchange of wedding rings. After that a couple people gave them hugs and they sat down for the dinner reception.

Following the dinner people started dancing and passing money around as a key wedding tradition. His mother and father spoke, several other close friends including myself gave a speech, I did a small musical performance (sang, played my Rubob and mouth harp)

After this everyone started dancing like crazy including myself and we went on for several hours.

It was a greatest feeling to celebrate someone close being married, it was the first time for a close friend to get married... I also met a lot of beautiful women on the dance floor.

One thing that is better about the dancing in Uighur and Uzbek scenarios is that you can dance with men or women very openly and it does not have to imply any kind of sexual thing.

Marriage officer making announcements

Signing of paper work.

Exchanging of rings

First hugs for the new married couple

Vibrant happy souls of mother and son hugging, the energy caught on camera.

Had the official belt along with all the other men put on by the woman.

The couple sits down in the royal seats.

His mother making some speeches at the wedding.

Saidali's mother and father

Professional pop singer singing away.

Wedding cake just on display.

All the men dancing with their belts.

Saidali hugging with his sister.

Saidali and I (too much sweating)

Sitting with cousin of Saidali

Sitting with various family members

Having a drink of Vodka, the soviets left a "scar".

Saidali's mom dancing aroud with money

Singer singing away

First dance of the newly married couple

Another tradition I did not understand

Dancing with Saidali

Back at Saidali's house for the final ritual

Songs were sang as they walked around the fireplace.

After the wedding we went to Saidali's house for a post wedding reception where a fire was started and folk songs were sang as they newly wed couple walked around the fire.

This turned out to be in his mother's tradition (as tradition for wedding ceremony differs from village to village there was a quarrel about which tradition would be observed for this wedding.)

After that I went with Mahmud back to his house and went to sleep, we were really tired, but it was a good tired and even waking up the next day we could feel a sort of good tired feeling in our bones.

This would be my last morning in O'lymalik before going back to Tashkent, we went and printed out some photos and gave copies out.

Saidali and a couple other friends took me to get on a mashruka bus to Tashkent, he mentioned that he would not be able to go out at night for 40 days (after the sun goes down) as part of their observation of new marriage.

I got on my mashruka bus and said my goodbyes, Saidali asked a Russian guy sitting in the front seat if he spoke English and it turned out that he did. I talked to him a bit on the way and we ended up becoming friends I did not think I would see him again this time in Uzbekistan, he helped me find a good taxi back to the hostel I would stay.

Saidali and other friends taking me to get on a bus back to Tashkent.

The Uzbek Flag

Final picture before getting on the bus.

When I got back Matluba and Flow were there hanging out. They invited me to go to the amusement park with them. We road the roller coaster and this and that, it was a good time for sure. That night, I met back up with Omar and Adnan for the first time since I went to Uzbekistan. Omar would leave that night for the United States so we ate dinner together and sent him off to the airport.

At the amusement park in Tashkent with Matluba and Flow.

Crazy hippo

Reunion with Omar and Adnan after being split up in Kyrgyzstan...

I left the next night late and before that I had a chance to meet another friend Aziz. He was also a student in Japan but at a time different than when I was there. We ate lunch at the Bukhara restraruant and then went to a music store where we ran back into Alexander (Sascha). Tashkent is not a small town, so it was an incredible coincidence. Strange world.

From right to left, Sascha, Adnan, Aziz and Andy

After that we went back to the hostel and I got ready to take my plane out of Uzbekistan to Turkey.

The second time to Uzbekistan was a good sequel to the first, overall I can say I have come to love Uzbekistan and think of it as one of the most interesting countries I have ever seen.

The people are generally very nice, very interesting and I feel comfortable amongst them. I like their music, traditions, cuisine and attitude about family and sharing of friends... a good place to discover. God Bless Uzbekistan!