Hello! Wanted to update you guys on what's happening so here it is.
The weather was actually nicer here than in New York when I got here, though that's changing rapidly. Today was spent hustling around some sticky hotness (granted, only in the mid- to upper 80's) and makes me feel just a tad more white than everyone else here. Which isn't obvious, otherwise - right?
WORK FOR LOTS OF MONEY ABROAD PROGRAM
So it's been fairly busy since I got here. Last week was a symposium on the Arab Uprisings, so I did that on Thursday/Friday. Really interesting and a great way to kick things off. I met most of the staff I'll be working with and everyone is really nice, helpful, and smart.
I'll be working on public policy institutes in the region, researching how they work, how they get stuff done, etc. There are a bajillion such institutes in the U.S., but they're fairly standardized and vetted. Not so much here. This is my task.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Saturday I went to a neighborhood called Bourj Hammoud, which is very Armenian. All you really need to know is that Armenian food is different and very good, with cured meats, sausages, dumplings, I'm drooling, blah blah blah.
ANYWAYS. I go to this one sandwich shop and order a cured meat shawarma.
I receive a ticket which says, in English, CHICKEN SHAWARMA.
I try to give my ticket to a sandwich man (the process of getting your sandwich at stands here), but am having trouble getting one's attention. Finally one comes to me and just hands me a bag.
I go home, open the bag, and discover that it is not cured meat, nor chicken, but LAMB. delicious and in no way what I ordered.
MINNIE THE MOOCHER
I'm staying with Emily's parents on campus. Since Peter's the prez, he has a house on campus and they host lots of events. Today there was a reception for kids from abroad (mostly U.S., but also elsewhere) who studied at AUB for the semester. I insinuated myself into the reception via Peter's good name and did the lion's share of eating the reception food (which was copious).
However, the other day they had a reception for some women's league that hosted samba dancers and Pakistani musicians. I was sitting in my room, farting my time away, when all of a sudden the mingling noises dwindled, someone spoke on a mic, and this samba band started blasting away. Samba music has lots of drums.
THE PAST COMES BACK TO VOICE YOU
There's a new art gallery that AUB is opening up, filled with the collection of one family whose ancestor was a notable painter from 100 years ago. The stuff's really cool and Kathy's made friends with the British lady whose restoring all the works. Got to see her at work the other day and it's pretty cool, she's got big goggles that help her as she daubs magic stuff on the art to make it not dirty (like at the Sistine Chapel when we were there).
At the same time, the local branch of an Italian tv network is doing a documentary on the painter, the art, and the collection. They've recruited the British conservator and a couple art people to do voice-over for the thing but they needed someone to do the basic narration. How my name came up I have no clue - I'm guessing my understanding of English and free time were my assets - but they hooked me in, too.
So, years after my last voice-over job (for a traveling puppet show when I was in 9th grade), I have made a brief resurgence in my voice career. The people at the tv network doing the editing, pressed for time, have accepted my vocal talents as a mediocre stand-in to complete the documentary since the gallery opens in a few days. I expect it to be my voice-over swan song, bittersweet and random though it is. WTF.
OKAY THAT'S ALL. I'll update when I have more weird things to tell you.
Love you lots!!
The weather was actually nicer here than in New York when I got here, though that's changing rapidly. Today was spent hustling around some sticky hotness (granted, only in the mid- to upper 80's) and makes me feel just a tad more white than everyone else here. Which isn't obvious, otherwise - right?
WORK FOR LOTS OF MONEY ABROAD PROGRAM
So it's been fairly busy since I got here. Last week was a symposium on the Arab Uprisings, so I did that on Thursday/Friday. Really interesting and a great way to kick things off. I met most of the staff I'll be working with and everyone is really nice, helpful, and smart.
I'll be working on public policy institutes in the region, researching how they work, how they get stuff done, etc. There are a bajillion such institutes in the U.S., but they're fairly standardized and vetted. Not so much here. This is my task.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Saturday I went to a neighborhood called Bourj Hammoud, which is very Armenian. All you really need to know is that Armenian food is different and very good, with cured meats, sausages, dumplings, I'm drooling, blah blah blah.
ANYWAYS. I go to this one sandwich shop and order a cured meat shawarma.
I receive a ticket which says, in English, CHICKEN SHAWARMA.
I try to give my ticket to a sandwich man (the process of getting your sandwich at stands here), but am having trouble getting one's attention. Finally one comes to me and just hands me a bag.
I go home, open the bag, and discover that it is not cured meat, nor chicken, but LAMB. delicious and in no way what I ordered.
MINNIE THE MOOCHER
I'm staying with Emily's parents on campus. Since Peter's the prez, he has a house on campus and they host lots of events. Today there was a reception for kids from abroad (mostly U.S., but also elsewhere) who studied at AUB for the semester. I insinuated myself into the reception via Peter's good name and did the lion's share of eating the reception food (which was copious).
However, the other day they had a reception for some women's league that hosted samba dancers and Pakistani musicians. I was sitting in my room, farting my time away, when all of a sudden the mingling noises dwindled, someone spoke on a mic, and this samba band started blasting away. Samba music has lots of drums.
THE PAST COMES BACK TO VOICE YOU
There's a new art gallery that AUB is opening up, filled with the collection of one family whose ancestor was a notable painter from 100 years ago. The stuff's really cool and Kathy's made friends with the British lady whose restoring all the works. Got to see her at work the other day and it's pretty cool, she's got big goggles that help her as she daubs magic stuff on the art to make it not dirty (like at the Sistine Chapel when we were there).
At the same time, the local branch of an Italian tv network is doing a documentary on the painter, the art, and the collection. They've recruited the British conservator and a couple art people to do voice-over for the thing but they needed someone to do the basic narration. How my name came up I have no clue - I'm guessing my understanding of English and free time were my assets - but they hooked me in, too.
So, years after my last voice-over job (for a traveling puppet show when I was in 9th grade), I have made a brief resurgence in my voice career. The people at the tv network doing the editing, pressed for time, have accepted my vocal talents as a mediocre stand-in to complete the documentary since the gallery opens in a few days. I expect it to be my voice-over swan song, bittersweet and random though it is. WTF.
OKAY THAT'S ALL. I'll update when I have more weird things to tell you.
Love you lots!!
This blog is awesome. I can't wait to read more of your adventures!!
ReplyDeleteAlso you doing voice-over work is amazing. Now you can add that to your resume - right under swim suit model. You are a random magnet.
yeah, I was thinking about that. "model AND voice-over talent?? we need him immediately for that foreign policy job!", said the HR director at some company.
ReplyDelete