Apparently, 146 is the magic number.  After signing up 146 days ago, I'm finally on the path to getting one alivenotdead entry under my belt. wooohoooo! 

Got back a few days ago from Shanghai filming the International Music Festival. Everything went pretty smoothly, two interviews, and two days of outdoor performances by several Chinese ethnic minority groups and foreign artist groups. For me, most memorable was a conversation I had with a group of Yi ethnic minority performers from the remote regions of Yunnan.  It was their first time in Shanghai, and it appeared to me to be their first trip anywhere beyond the mountains. Dressed in their multicolored hand embroidered costumes and grass braided slippers, I wonder if they themselves felt a little strange amongst an audience of t-shirts and jeans. But then again, in this day and age, even the people of the mountains wear t-shirts and jeans in everyday life. Their traditional costumes are reserved only for special occasions.

After their performance, we sat in the bleachers together and watched a traditional dance from a group from Guinea. Their energetic songs, bold dances, and even they themselves were a sight for the Yi's. I remember one woman said  to another excitedly, "look how black their skin is!"  Haha, it was clearly their first time they had seen a race so different from their own. It was an eye opening experience, and they watched intently and applauded passionately.

Different people, different cultures, and different languages, all brought together by music.