DC reporting in, #7: Syrian Music and NBA Basketball

Yesterday was quite an eventful day, as it included both one of the noon concerts of the Library of Congress’ Folk Life Center AND an NBA Basketball outing with some fellow Kluge scholars. The concert was “Traditional Arabic Singing and Oud from Syria,” performed by Lubana Al Quntar and Kenan Adnawi, and the basketball game featured the Washington Wizards vs. the Indiana Pacers (and Lionel Messi, as the Argentinian National Soccer team is in town for a friendly against El Salvador on Saturday and they apparently decided to go and hang out at a basketball game. I felt a bit bad for the other Argentinian players, as everyone was like “who is that? Why are they showing them on the big screen … oooooh Lionel Messi *cheering*”).

But, to keep the report kinda chronological: the noon concert was lovely. I didn’t understand a thing of what Ms Quntar was singing about (as I don’t speak Arabic, sadly), but she introduced the songs really well and thus gave one a feeling for what they were about, and the music itself was lovely. And the Oud is a fascinating instrument with a lovely range of sounds! (And, knowing nothing of Oud playing as I do, I think it was being really really well played)!

The basketball game was sooo close (Wizards 101-103 Pacers). The first half was kinda slow, to be honest, but the game picked up after the half-time break and turned into a nail-biting and close-fought match in the end. (Also everyone present won a free Chick-a-something-or-other chicken sandwich, as one of the Pacers’ players missed two penalty baskets in a row. We think he wanted a sandwich).

Generally speaking I am really glad and grateful to be amongst such an excellent bunch of fellow Klugians here – outings are great fun, and yet if one doesn’t manage to participate in all of them that’s perfectly okay as well. I’m looking forward to all our future shenanigans! (And I’ve been here for four weeks already – which seems not to be possible, somehow … time has just flown by … six more months and then I’ll already be packing my bags, and there’s so much more to research and do and write and and and … eek! :-)).