Clinics and Amusement Parks in Sule

In case anyone is wondering if I have lost all spelling skills, or am spending each day in a different city, know that the city I am staying in has a range of spellings and pronunciations. It has slightly different names in Arabic and Kurdish, and there is no consistent transliteration of either. Plus it is often called "Sule" for short. I have seen spellings ranging from the proper and somewhat grandiloquent "As-Suleimaniyaa" to the brief "Slemani".

Today was another action packed day. My breathing classes have gotten more and more popular, which is flattering, but there is a lot of attrition once we move into the masterclass segment of the class. It's okay-- I like the smaller group that is more serious, and I'm glad that everyone is taking breathing seriously.

[The next paragraph contains some descriptions of violence in other parts of Iraq]

One of my Kirkuki students came to me today to say good-bye-- he was going home to Kirkuk. He told me that he really wanted to stay but his brother had been injured in a bombing so he had to go. I expressed my shock and distress and sympathy, but he smiled at my translator who smiled at me and said "Don't be so worried-- this is normal for us in Kirkuk".

Suleimaniya has been essentially free from violence, and the city has a normal upbeat vibe to it, but evidence that we are in a war-torn country is definitely not far the surface. Several Iraqis have shown me videos of violence that they have taken with their cellphones. Last night, a guy showed me a video of men getting gunned down by snipers trying to cross a square in baghdad. And today, a student showed me a video from Kirkuk. "These are terrorists," he said, and showed me a video of a bunch of men lying on the ground in front of a wall. Suddenly a man walked across the line with a machine gun firing into them. Not a pleasant image.

Fortunately such things do not really intrude in our work at the academy. Daily sound work with the band is beginning to yield results that I can hear--I don't know if they're obvious to anyone else though. We will probably just do two short pieces in the final concert-- the arrangement of themes from Brahms 1 and the American river songs. I'd love to do the Danse Diabolique but the band isn't quite up to it. The five Iraqi army soldiers who constitute my trumpet section had a private session with me today. They earnestly explained how hard it was for them to read music, and I tried to offer some encouragement and ideas for learning techniques. Each suggestion was met with furrowed brows and very serious consideration. In the end, I expressed my gratitude for their army service and they lined up and shook hands with me. Nice chaps. They're all twice my size.

I also gave a lesson to my little nine year old piccolo player. His minuet in G was much closer to 3/4 today. I had Marc Thayer play it for him on the violin and he was suitably impressed. Marc is a great teacher and gave him some good info and help too. Now if only I knew enough about the piccolo to keep him from jumping the octave all the time...

Afterwards, it was off to the clinic. I had a mole removed from my back just before coming to Iraq, so the stitches had to come out. Also, I've developed a bit of nasty infection on the side of one finger here, so I needed some antibiotics. We went to a regular Iraqi street clinic. There was a doctor there, Arabic, who spoke English (although I had a translator with me in case), as well as a lame older gentleman mopping the floors. The doctor checked everything out, gave me the pills, then sent me into the other room. The guy who had been mopping dropped the mop, washed up, curtly had me remove my shirt ("Uff! Uff!"), broke out a razor blade, and gently and competently removed the stitches, disinfected the scar, and sent me on my way. I paid full price for the visit-- 10,000 Dinars-- around US$8.

I treated myself to a hearty dinner of schnitzel and hummus (one of the glories at Foodland, the fast food place across the street from the hotel). Then I spent the evening at a park in the hills on the outskirts of town. There was a hopping amusement park, with a ferris wheel and pirate ship ride (the ship was adorned with Arabian horses instead of pirates though). Our dancers were practicing their hip-hop moves in the park which attracted a small, bemused crowd of Iraqis. Back to the hotel late-- luckily, I have been sleeping through the night recently so I'm feeling better rested than I have in a while. And it's time for me to rest now. Cross your fingers on internet for me tomorrow!

PS. Many people have been asking about the possiblity of contributing music, instruments, accessories etc to the academy here. Marc, John and I are discussing the possibilities-- things here are rarely simple and we want to make sure that if something gets sent, it goes to the people who need it. But the thoughts are deeply appreciated and I hope we can use your help!