Category Archives: People

Culture, Ear Holes (music), People, Photos

Mary (Necessary)

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Wow. We went to the Mary J. Blige concert in Virginia Beach last night and it was one of the top 3 performances I’ve ever seen. I own every MJB record, every version of every song. To see her live has been on my Mondo Beyond list for a while and it was worth the wait. I was 19 the year her first album dropped (What’s the 411? 1992) and it is to this day one of the top 5 albums of my lifetime. Me and my 3 roommates listened to this CD for literally the entire first semester of our 2nd year at UVA. Picture us: a black, a white, a philipino and a 1/2 mexican chick all coming of age to one of the most influencial records in hip-hop/soul history with the CD on permanent “repeat” mode. Yeah, it was that good.

It was quite simply an experience. She sang with all of her heart, you could tell she loves to perform and that her work is so obviously the story of her life (heartbreaking, inspiring, soul mending). The closest performance I’ve seen in recent years is Erykah Badu at the Sugarwater Festival in Charlotte last summer. It was the kind of night you don’t want to end (and its 2am so that is saying something).

So tell us…what is the best/most memorable concert/performance you’ve ever seen? and what made it so special?

*photo by Michael Kurman

Culture, Eye Holes (books/film), Laughs, Mexico, People, Travel

Cuernavaca: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

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I was deathly ill for the trip to Cuernavaca, so I don’t remember much but here’s the run down.

The Good: Because I was quarantined for three days, I had ample time to finish reading The Chronicles of Narnia (774 pages!), 100 Years of Solitude, and The Memory of Running (a new personal favorite).

The Bad: I had such a bad fever that I had to put on every item of clothing I had brought with me when I went to bed. I haven’t had a fever like that since 1977. It was that bad. A Canadian nurse that we ran into said there was some type of virus going around.

The Ugly: I sweated through ALL of my clothes in two days and had to stumble around in my exhausted stupor to find a llavanderia (laundry) to have all my clothes washed when my fever broke (3 days later).

When I was finally fit to move among the living, I caught up with Andrea and Jorge at the local spot on the Zocalo only to find that I shouldn’t drink because of the virus. So I watched everyone else drink the (literal) buckets of beer served at the expat hangout. Jorge and Andrea were with 5 others that I didn’t know but was quickly introduced to as the “third amigo” I feel bad saying this but this bar was my least favorite place we had ever been to and I realized it was because it was PACKED with Americans! I mean there were even a dozen African Americans in this place, it was like little Chicago up in there. Fortunately Andrea got us the hook up (yet again) and this dude gave us wrist bands for free drinks before midnight at the club down the street if we made it there by 10:30.

The Good: Andrea’s hook up got us free drinks and we didn’t have to stand in the line outside!

The Bad: Jorge’s idea to spring for the VIP lounge and a bottle of Jack Black at a club whose tagline is: “The Sunny Place for Shady People.” There was no way anything good was going to come of this.

The Ugly: Getting dry-humped and kissed by a VIP interloper (Edgar, pictured above), who I then determined to be rather cute and fairly intelligent so I quickly foisted him off onto Andrea. They made a connection and hung out for the next 3 days until it came time to say tearful goodbyes and she cursed the city of Cuernavaca and its men.

*Bonus: What the hell kind of dance is that Jorge? 

 

People, Photos, Travel

Oaxaca Mexico: I have found my people…pt. vi-x

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Wow. Who knew there were like dozens of brown folks all over Mexico? We ran into this good looking group of Morehouse and Spelman students Wednesday night while having dinner and drinks on the Zocalo (there are more of them in the city). What a great group of students from two of the best colleges in the US. They are all staying with Mexican families and taking classes at the local University. The prospect of early morning classes did not stop them from inviting us out to party. Debauchery ensued.

Efosa (20, GA) John (20, NC); Jessica (19, MD); Eric (20, AL) and Robert (21, GA).

Wednesday: To be continued… 

 

Culture, People, Photos, Travel

Oaxaca Mexico: I have found my people, pt. vi

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Bernadette. Philadelphia, PA. Artist/Student c/o Southern Illinois U. B stayed at the same hostel, you know the one with the BIRDS. She is on an exchange trip with her art program. A totally laid back sweatheart who didn’t mind my 101 questions about her Textiles major and such.

Culture, People, Photos, Travel

Oaxaca Mexico: I have found my people, pt. v

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Chad, 20, Atlanta Georgia c/o Morehouse College. We ran into this young cutie in BURGER KING! And yes, we joked him about how his expensive shirt matched the decor. It was all love though. It was heavenly (whopper with cheese, please!) and why doesn’t every BK in the US have one of these? Somebody needs to get on that stat!

Family & Friends, Mexico, People, Travel

San Miguel de Allende Mexico: Dilemma pt. ii

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What to do, what to do? Should I skip out on my last week of spanish class, my awesome room at Casa del Tio, sacrifice the security of the internet/technology access I have/need for work? What say you internet?

E-mail #1

Hey,
i am now in Oaxaca suffering from heavy stomack
akes. Getting better as we speak. Oaxaca is a brilliant place, pictoresk and tranquille…you should definetly come here one time… take care for now..

El Magnus 

E-mail #2

Hola Chica
 
como estas? todo bien? y donde estas? todavia en d.f.??
 
yesterday i meet jorge here in puebla. chiiiido!!! tomorrow we go together to oaxaca. we miss you and we want that you come to oaxaca too… comon chica!!! what you say??
 
besos,

andrea

E-mail #3

dia i am now in oaxaca. andrea is here also.this is another amazing place! were staying at a place called casa de arnele. very nice with a great terrace view,much like (but not quite as beautiful)as guanajuatos. dia i really think you should head this way,its got vibe. apparently oaxaca is known for cuisine, international art as well as international music! in fact my first stroll around the place;what did i see? a friggen reggae band (from the island no doubt!) JAMMIN right in front of a cathedral! old people ,young, all jammin to da jam man!it was great. im thinking a week here for me,then im headin for the beach. gotta jam, please tell mirna i said hi!

jorge

Culture, People, Photos, Travel

Guanajuato Mexico: I have found my people pt. ii

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After writing this post about my excitement at seeing my first (what I thought) African American travelers in Mexico (turned out they are French), I decided it would be fun (for me anyway) to document all the African Americans I meet on the road. I’m totally loving all of the international flavor of the people I’ve met. However, one of my personal hopes for this year off is to inspire more Americans in general to travel and particularly those African Americans and Latino Americans that have the resources. Did you know that barely 20% of Americans have a passport?

Kia with Mikkel and Vincento (on the right). Kia is a Philly kid studying spanish at University of Guanajuato and on the lookout for anyone that can give her a run for her money on the dance floor.

Life. Love. Laughs., Mexico, People, Photos

Guanajuato Mexico: Nos Vemos*

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You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.

                                                                                -Outkast      

I was chatting with another blogger/traveler about how every day traveling isn’t a paradise of party and sunshine. Sure a bad day traveling generally beats a good day at work, but traveling this way has its own thorns and trials.

You are all probably sick of pictures of these four but this is likely to be one of the last. I had my hardest goodbye to date on Monday when Mario and Andrea headed down to Queretaro to visit his uncle. From there she’ll head on to Puebla to hang out and celebrate Cinco de Mayo and continue south on her journey. Jorge left a few hours later heading for Morelia on a pilgrimage to take a look around his mother’s hometown. He will also head south in due time. Myrna is still here with me, but things aren’t the same. She is sad too, but she has the salve of her daily life and other friends to divert her attention. Her day-to-day life isn’t much changed whereas I feel like the sky is a little less blue and the fun a little less…well, fun.

I pondered why this goodbye left me feeling “off-kilter” and realized it was probably because I would have to do my homework and buy most of my own drinks from here on out. Seriously though, I think every now and then a group just gels in a way that is inarticulable. We looked after one another and it was nice caring about someone else for a change. When we went out I felt like I could let my guard down a little more than usual because Jorge and Mario had our backs. But mostly it was the companionship, the conversation and the comraderie. The bittersweet knowledge that it would end made our time together burn more intensely, the quiet moments and the crazy moments equally full and perfect. I’ve said hello and goodbye to literally dozens of people the last three months and this was one of the hardest but also one of the most perfect in terms of loving people (and being loved) where they are and when they are, with no other expectations. 

*We’ll be seing each other