Menuhin, Swarovski, and a tribute to a dear friend

It has been a bit of time since I updated here, my apologies! I am busy now, having started lessons, studio classes, and chamber music rehearsals full swing. There have been parties and other social events that have introduced me to more people, and so now I feel like I've much more settled than before. I played in a studio performance class yesterday, and it was really amazing - there are many talented violinists in our studio, and everyone is so nice. I think, though, that the best thing was when Frau Mathe´(my teacher) said, "You really bring this piece to life, it breathes when you play it." (I played Ysäye's Ballade Sonata) To be told that by someone whom you respect so much is more than a compliment...it means the world! I didn't play perfectly - of course there were missed notes and some screwy rhythms, but it was overall a solid performance. I also had a funny experience with a cordless phone I bought last week. I opened the box yesterday and found no actual phone inside! All the other parts, yes, but not the phone. I thought, eh, maybe this is how Europeans do it (ahem, weird)...but maybe not. I took it to the shop this morning and the salesman was really embarrassed because apparently it was the display model he had sold me and had forgotten to take it from the window. He gave me a Swarovski crystal decorative piece to hang on my cell phone in exchange for his blunder...a bit too girly, as it is pink and sparkly, but it was a cute gesture on his behalf. I also watched Star Wars, episode 4 last night with my friend Frederika. I think Star Wars is an international phenomenon. Thank you, George Lucas, for uniting mankind :) More than I can say for the other George (Bush). Another bit of news that has been difficult lately to stomach is the passing of a dear family friend, Anil Kalke, or Anil Uncle as I know him. His son, Amaeya, was one of my good friends all through middle and high school - they were really close to our family. Grief is especially difficult when you don't have the nearness of family and friends to share it with. But I am thankful for the good friends I have made here - they were so sympathetic and comforted as much as they could. His passing reinforced the importance of family to me...no matter where you go or how far apart you might be, nothing can replace a family. My family is often in 5 separate corners of the globe, but we manage to stay very close-knit. I am really thankful for that. I only wish that someone's passing didn't have to remind me of my gratitude. Halloween comes next week...I wonder what children dress up as here. I will probably buy candy for trick-or-treaters...my first time doing so, as in Boston, it wasn't like any kid was going to ring the bell (which was broken anyhow!) of my student-infested apartment building. I feel old, not trick-or-treating myself. I am reading a great book, too - Yehudi Menuhin's autobiography, An Unfinished Journey. Perhaps it is his deep connection with Indian and Indian culture or the warmth in his words...or his violin playing which words really do no justice to. But I have always felt a deep sense of awe and connection with him. His book is more of an acknowledgement to the people who shaped his life, rather than a recollction of everything he had done and seen. Above all, I think that Menuhin's humility is what strikes me the most about him. Arguably one of the greatest violinists of all time and not a hint of ego. And such an idealist! He writes, "Perhaps the knots left uncut, the briefs unmarked and the ramparts still standing should teach an artist to modify the scope of his aspirations. I have never resigned myself." Just beautiful words. I strongly suggest this book to anyone, musician or not. Take care, everyone - bis später (till later)!

I am at an internet cafe and have little time but much to tell. So here goes! I went on a language immersion weekend this past weekend at an old castle along with 20 other new foreign students. People were from literally all over the world - Kosovo, Serbia, Mexico, Belgium, France, Russia, Poland, Iran, S.Korea, Japan, Bulgaria, etc. I was the only native English speaker and certainly the only American. We had all studied German for varying lengths of time but were pretty much novices at it. The weekend was full of activities done in German - think something like Freshman Orientation Week but in German, or Peer Group Orientation but in German. Thankfully, no lame-ass M&M game haha. A lot of fun, but exhausting...and of course we slept late so I was exhausted by the time we returned. I made good friends with a Mexican guy (Dante, flute player - we spoke mostly Spanish together), 2 Belgians (cellists, Frederika and Mathilde), 2 French people (Alice, pianist, and Thomas, tubist), and an Iranian named Arya (pianist - we had some interesting discussions about America and Iran - thankfully he is level headed so we were able to carry on actual intelligent discourse and not just anger although there was some of that on his behalf). I am actually meeting up with them for tea tonight at Frederika's apartment. People were so interested in India, more so than in asking about America. Alice has actually travelled all over north and south India with her parents and could speak just a tiny bit of Hindi! People often told me, "Oh I had Indian food, it was amazing!" They also loved to speak English with me, much to the dismay of our teachers. They wanted to practice English with a native speaker...while I was trying to learn German! Many people also said to me, "It is nice to meet such an intelligent American...that is sort of rare, isn't it? Someone who speaks more than languages, etc? Ah, but then you are not really American...you are Indian!" I had to clear up many misconceptions about Americans ("No, we don't all like George Bush. No, we don't all support war.") At one point, we were watching shooting stars, and Thomas said he likes falling stars, and I said, "Oh, okay, shooting stars, yeah." And then one Polish girl, Ella, joked, "Shooting stars? Ah you Americans, it's always about shooting!" It was pretty funny. Generally, people are really interested to talk with me at the Hochschule - being American, and especially Indian-American is somewhat exotic, I suppose. Today I had my first lesson with my teacher, Frau Mathe´. It went really well - 3 hours well! I was completely exhausted after it. She is going to the U.S. for 2 weeks and returns on the 24th. We have a studio performance class on that date and she wants me to perform in it so I can meet everyone else. I met two other violinists in her studio today, Asli from Turkey and Ingrid from Berlin. They were really nice. She asked me if I wanted to play Handel's Messiah in December with a Baroque chamber orchestra!!! I would have loved to, but I am gone by December 16 and the concert is December 20. Too bad....toooo bad. I would have loved to play. I think, though, that Frederika, Mathilde, and I are going to try and organize Schubert's String Quintet and get it coached as our chamber music. Tomorrow we have German class. There are three levels: Anfängerkurs, Mittelkurs, and Aufbaukurs. Anfängerkurs is the beginner level, and that is what I chose to be in, as my 4 months of German are hardly much. Mathilde and I are going to meet before the class to go to the farmers market. It is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and is absolutely fantastic - some of the freshest cheeses and produce that you could imagine. I also have to open a bank account here and finally bought a German-English Wörterbuch (dictionary) today. I can't wait until I have internet so I can SKYPE home! In the meantime, everyone, keep reading and writing and be well!

Oktoberfest

Today, my cousin, her husband, 3-year-old son named Ahren (a complete darling) and I went to Muenchen (Munich). The festival of Oktoberfest is going on right now, until October 7, and so far, the last week brought a record of 8 million people to Muenchen for the fun. I think that the best way I can describe it is as a large Midwestern county state fair minus the livestock and with signs posted in German + 12 huge tents, or beer halls full of incredibly sloshed (and therefore friendly) people decked out in traditional German dress, which means lederhosen and beer maid dresses. Add a bunch of German beer maids who each carry 6 1 kilogram beer mugs full to the brim on each hand. To describe how strong they probably are, I'll put it to you like this - I would not want to be in a rumble with one of them, even an older lady! It was quite a sight to see. Yes, I had a few beers - 2 liters, to be exact. But the beer is so fresh and light that although it made an initial inebriated impact on me, the feeling quickly wore off during the 2 hour car ride home. Although the drinking and singing along to traditional Bavarian tunes is fun, what's definitely more enjoyable is to people-watch. Drunk people falling all over each other, old couples dressed in traditional garments who you know have seen this for years, and the frequently sighted foreign (usually in this case, Asian) family who wander around with bewildered looks, hoping that their child never drinks this much beer :) Overall, quite an experience - I am so glad I went. My first Oktoberfest! As cliche as it sounds, seeing something like Oktoberfest does help you understand German, specifically Bavarian culture more. I don't mean that in a silly, "Oh-they're-a-bunch-of-drunkies" kind of way. It's more in how people interact, dress, and what they traditionally ate (a LOT of meat - there's this thing called Haxnbrauterei which is a sandwich consisting of a pig's leg. Not exactly my cup of tea, really). My only regret is that I forgot to steal my beer mug from the tent - it's a daring thing to do, and then you have a cool souvenir (otherwise you have to buy a beer mug for 11 Euros from a gift shop). Oh well, there's always next year.