I’ve ticked off a fair amount of authentic American experiences. I was fortunate to attend a baseball game with the OrchKids (yeah… ‘work’), where the Orioles lost miserably, but I was awarded a t-shirt, baseball cap, hot dawg, soda and popcorn which enhanced the overall experience. Locally, I’ve eaten some delicious crab cakes (at Fells Point), tried some raw oysters & clams at Lexington market, and been to an authentic Texas Steak House! Just yesterday, I enjoyed my first chili dog. Thankfully it was from a beautiful micro-brewery, and was quite delicious, despite it’s disgusting-sounding mix of components. A hot dog with mexican chili on top, squashed in a pretzel-bun with cheese whiz dribbled over and crushed corn-chips spilling out of it. Fantastic!
I am having a blast in my adventures at OrchKids. I am loving the connection that is developing through daily interaction with all the kids, and learning to distinguish them – hard as it is with their crazy names (count ‘Low-rider’ and ‘Lovely’ among them). It’s interesting to see them thrive in the OrchKids environment – creatively and socially, and it has been an eye-opening experience getting a taste of their daily life through observed mannerism and contact with parents. Earlier this week I dealt with one child who was streaming blood from her nose. She told me that a boy hit her when she was trying to break up a fight between him and her friend. “My mommy told me that if someone hits me, I gotta hit back harder” she said, looking at me with perplexed eyes. This is a common story here…
The Mash Potangos were very fortunate to do a tango workshop with some of the OrchKids last week. In 2 short sessions with the kids, we were able to teach them a complex melody, a new set of rhythms and put together an ensemble that performed to the other children. We were thrilled to have a professional tango dancing couple come in and show them some tricks! We had a wonderful time, and it was a fantastic experience for us all.
The trio are now turning our focus to San Francisco, where we will be performing a crazy variety of shows in two weeks at the turn of October / November. Check out the details here!