Daylight

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Despite all of my third world grumblings about living in a "developing country", despite the totally bizarro world that is the IU House, and despite having to occasionally tolerate a few socially castrated Americans who use this place as a safe haven for their weirdness; there is one thing here that I have discovered to be a saving grace. Witnessing incredibly talented people engaged in the reciprocal nature of sharing their unbelievable gifts has been Kenya's redeeming quality.

Two time Grammy Award winning singer Sylvia McNair brought her talent here this week in the form of a concert in the courtyard of the AMPATH building. The AMPATH building is a microcosm of life in Kenya. When you first walk in you are confronted with long, low lit, gray hallways that extend endlessly into corridors, offices, waiting rooms and stairwells. There are frequently patients waiting to be seen sitting on anything they can find as they overflow into the hallway from the designated check in areas. The scene seems hopeless and the suffering unending as HIV positive adults and children seek treatment. But if you choose to venture down that ominously heartbreaking hallway you will discover an absolute treasure in the heart of suffering--an open air courtyard in the middle of the building. The courtyard shares it's gifts of blue skies and sun light with each floor via open wrap around balconies. Similarly as you visit the various offices, labs, and administrative divisions the original perception of despair begins to fade and gives way to hope. The Kenyans and Americans that occupy this building in various capacities have made enormous strides in containing the HIV pandemic. Each participant bringing their own unique gift, each participant choosing to be a part of something greater than the individual successes or monetary gains that their talents could surely yield.

Sylvia chose the courtyard of the AMPATH building as her venue this week. Her performance was amazing, resonating a series of songs in several languages that radiated out of the vibrant courtyard and through the dismal halls. She seemingly crafted a song for each individual in the multi-national crowd, which sat captivated on every balcony of the four story building. I know that I should really stop with the prison movie references, but I could not help but think of the Morgan Freeman quote from Shawshank Redemption:

"I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

I can only imagine what Joe and Sara Ellen Mamlin felt to hear their friend and one of their favorite performers bring such a gift half way around the world. I think they were happy to hear a piece of home, I think they were happy to be able to share that with so many people. There is a picture below of Joe leaning against a wall, swaying slightly to the music. The look on his face was that far off gaze of a man who is enjoying a moment on a personal mental oasis.....physically standing right in front of us but cognitively and spiritually a million miles away.

Observations:

1. Quality control does not exist here. I have had "ketchup" (here called Peptang) at least a dozen different times and each bottle tastes totally different.

2. Nobody in the world does milk shakes better than the United States, and nobody screws them up worse than Kenya. I'm currently writing a letter to the president of Kenya requesting that he make the first amendment to their new constitution a ban of milk shakes.

3. Music, culture, and art forms that flow from the heart transcend linguistic barriers and serve as the common language of humankind.