With over 600 pictures and many experiences to write about, it has taken me some time to post this web site. I will probably be adding to it as things come to mind. Already, several people that we met on the trip have sent us material that can be included here.

"You will not be able to make any changes to your coverage unless you have a life-changing event"... That's one of the statements made at a recent Human Resources session at work, referring to health care sign-ups. In the HR world, things like marriage, divorce, pregnancy, and death qualify as "life-changing." Indeed, they are, but how many other experiences outside those narrow choices are truly "life-changing"?

If we think about it, meeting certain people can be life changing. Vacations and trips can be life changing. We might not always know why or how right away, but someday we will realize that our lives were richer or took a different path as a result of some specific event. And whether or not we have health coverage is, most likely, a secondary concern (as it was during this trip).

This trip will no doubt require much reflection as I consider how it has changed me. What follows is a pictorial journal as well as some brief commentary along the way. Soon I will add some audio and some extended commentary about the pivotal discoveries. Go to photo journal.

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How I got involved with this group…

The second most frequent question during the tour was about how I got involved with the Bodó Band. (The most frequent question was why Katalin's viola is held vertically and played using chords).

My involvement with the group started in March 2003 with Katalin checking out my web site, and contacting me via email. I have a "musicians wanted" form on my site that I use as a means to audition new talent and meet new artists. The form has had mixed reactions from visitors to the site, and I've had a wide variety of respondents.

My focus of late has been international collaborations, mostly from India. At the time I was also enrolled in a class called Intercultural Communications, which sparked an interest in working with other cultures. When I read Katalin's response to my web form, and after checking out their band web site, I was intrigued and agreed to meet with her sometime. The Bodó Band went to Mardi Gras, and I was recovering from my seasonal sinus colds, so we didn't meet right away. At the end of March, Katalin invited me to attend a music and dance gathering outside of Millville, PA and that's when things started to get interesting.

Read more...

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Financial report

Upfront costs for the trip included a new cell phone ($99) and cellular plan ($40), new backpack ($79) and DAT tape for recording shows ($47). My plane ticket was $200 (round trip).

My own food, drink and necessities for the two weeks averaged about $15 per day. About $150 went toward gifts and non-essential purchases.

Bass rental was $87 split three ways among three band members. We spent over $300 on gas, which was split among the four of us (the band and Alex).

I took a two-week loss in pay ($560), and I will pay interest on a $500 advance I took on my signature loan to cover the trip. I also lost an additional day of work ($72) after we returned since we got in late and I was exhausted.

We made about $400 per person after all of the gigs, which obviously made the trip very much a financial loss.

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Note on the photos:
All photos below were taken with a Fujipix 2600 digital camera. This is the second trip I've taken with this type of camera. The first was with my brother's when I went to Maine. I was so impressed with the performance that I asked for my own, which I got for Christmas 2002. I am continually amazed by the power and flexibility of the Fuji.

Photos have been resized, but not retouched except in a few cases where that is noted. Photos were taken by me, Alex, Richard, and a few others along the way. It should be obvious when I didn't take the pictures because I'll probably be *in* the picture.

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