Doors opening, closing and revolving! Mind the doors!

One door closes,  another door ......... opens

Phewy!

One of the joys of this blog is the fact that occasionally as I push the "publish" button, the answers come into my mind, or at least the process of writing the blog unblocks my thinking.  As Martin said to me today, I probably ought to withdraw some entries as things change so quickly, he is right of course, but wrong as well. Reading the blog is you sharing in my thinking and entering into my confusion, doubt and general getting stuck in revolving doors!

"If it ain't broke don't fix it"

Well that is true, but what if you don't realise that it "ain't broke"?

Onam Festival Food of Kerala

Calcutta Chamber Orchestra

Having (I hope) sensitively let Jossefet go, and encouraged him to make the most of the fantastic opportunity he has in Brussels, I turned back to my original plan for this 10 year adventure!  I had decided to not go to India and wrote to my dear Indian "brothers" Simon and Sunny and apologised for the change of heart. Sunny wrote back fully understanding my situation but mentioned that his brother-in-law was getting married on August 27th and that the date was partially chosen because I would be in Kerala ...... I also realised just how much I enjoyed being in India and that it was 6 years since I was there. I looked at the finances and realised that I was pretty much on track and that I had no real excuse for not going (well not a financial one anyway!)

Panos Karan - Carnegie Hall

Also, I wrote to the Calcutta  School of Music to casually ask about my proposed residency with the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra ~ I am supposed to be there from September 3 to October 7 working with the orchestra and teaching in the Music School ~ most unusually (for India) I got a reply within 20 minutes telling me that my visit was awaited with eager anticipation and that a grand fundraising concert had been planned for October 6th and I would be conducting a Mozart Piano Concerto with an international soloist. The soloist is Panos Karan, of Greece but living in London ~ International Prize winner, Carnegie Hall Recitalist, St.John'sSmith Square, Academy of St Martins~ top flight!  Phewy!   Just the type of challenge I will relish, the challenge being getting the players up to scratch and to give a really stylistic performance.

Panos, soon to be following my baton!

So a quick rethink note to Simon and Sunny and I am on course for trip to India, including a wedding, the festival of Onam in Kerala, 2 x 3 day train journeys (Kerala to Calcutta), 5 weeks in the hustle bustle of Calcutta and some concerts!   Sunny has already found out my trains for me and is also looking a cheap air tickets .....

Th train starts bottom left Cochin and ends top right Kolkata (Calcutta) 3 days, 3000kms!

If you don't like crowds Calcutta is not for you!

Now I am on a roll ......

Then serendipitously I find a website that lists about 200 projects in Latin America requiring volunteers abouyt half of which that offer very low cost accommodation in return for volunteering!  I wrote about this in my last blog!  (It's old age, I repeat ,myself!)

But, but, BUT,

The Music Project - Trujillo!

On re-looking I find a lovely project, almost tailor made for me.

Teaching music in a music conservatoire in Trujillo, Peru.  This is a pukka conservatoire, with orchestrasm choirs, instrumental teaching and awards degrees etc.  No messing!  They also run a project to enable poor kids, to learn music and develop their talents and hopefully have a career, making a living in music.

Well, considering the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra is made up of 22 orphan boy/youths/young men who were all origianlly taught at the Oxford Mission Orphanage in Calcutta, I know what this type of training can do for good!

So immediately I have written two emails one directly to the Director of the Conservatoire, and the other to the organisation who arrange the placements. "Otra Cosa Network" is actually based in Warwick! and the directors have alovely house in the costal suburb of Huanchaco 20 minutes bus ride from central Trujillo, which is both a volunteer house and their office ~ just like CasaSito here in Antigua. 

Click here to read a story about these fantastic people   HERE

Now Trujillo is the colonial jewel in the crown of Peru, and Huanchaco was a fishing village and still maintains the most anceint forms of fishing, today it is a summer resort and surfers paradise (never mind)....

Trujillo

The beach at Huanchaco

So I am hoping  that the conservatoire like the idea of me teaching there and Otra Cosa approve my application, I will be accommodated in the VolunteerHouse with a twin bedded room with private bathroom (single occupancy for £4.30 per day!) ........ 

So if all goes to plan I will be back from India mid October and after a week in Uk would leave for Peru around October 22 for a six month stint .................... but what about the Andes Mountain Villages School?

Well, one of the tricks of all this, as I am finding out, is working your way around visa regulations. Whereas I can get a 183 day visa on entry to Peru (easy) it turns out that Ecuador is particualrly tricky you get a 90 day tourist visa free on entry but can only enter once in a year and the stay is a maximum pof 90 days. However,  the 90 day visa can be extended but it is a nightmare and applying for a special visa prior to entry for alonger period is a bigger nightmare and very expensive. 

Peru 183 days visa

So, my cunning plan is  183 days in Peru and then a jaunt up through Peru  along the Andes into Ecuador and along to Salasaca for about 3 months then a connecting flight from Quito to Trujillo and then back to the UK!   (But this is next July and subject to change!)

Huanchaco

I have crossed everything in the hope of getting to work in the Conservatoire!

Oh yes, and for the 2013/14 season ........  the Amazonian Jungles of Bolivia, the Amazonian Baroque Music Festival, and who knows maybe some more music and volunteering rolled into one.  I also wantto see if I can participate in the "Systema" Music system in Venuzuela! ....... So much to do, so little time!

But, but, BUT,

for now,  I am giving up my house and moving back to the Volunteer House on June 29th, saving a truck load of money and plan to use the time left to really, really push my Spanish as I will need to be pretty advanced for the work in Peru!  The volunteer house is actually very conducive to study and of course I get to practice my Spanish everyday with the staff!

Hasta Luego Amigos!