Home for the holidays

It's been a wild few weeks since I last posted here. From Boston's first blizzard of the season to celebrating Christmas at three different homes in two days, time has been short. With that said, I wanted to provide a little update on how everything is going on several projects:

1) In Good Faith

The original score is completed and I'm currently in the process of submitting it to the College Emmy Awards. I don't expect anything out of it, but the process of applying alone has been a great learning experience. The documentary was turned down by the Big Sky Documentary Film Fest in Colorado recently, but it would have been a great surprise for the film to get such an honor. The film is being submitted to several other festivals including a local Boston festival where it may have more of an opportunity to be seen.

We are also working on scheduling a new premiere screening at the Roxbury Mosque. However, the high holy days and now the recent conflicts in Israel-Gaza are delaying those efforts. Hopefully, things will settle down and I will have more information on the event. Until then, my thoughts are with both the innocent Israelis and Palestinians caught up in this nearly century's old conflict.

2) For Others

Also currently being submitted to the College Emmys by Naz Keskin, the producer of the film.

3) Fulbright ETA to Turkey

I haven't heard anything back from the IIE yet, but many have said that my application seems very strong. Over this break, I said good bye to my Turkish tutor, Mehmet, who is returning with his family to Istanbul. I will miss him and his help, but I look forward to possibly visiting him next year. Mehmet also introduced me to Soner, another Turk studying at BU looking for help with his English. Hopefully, Soner and I can find time this semester to meet for tea and help each other out.

I've also been following my friend Emily and her blog from Turkey. She has been telling me a lot about her friends who are ETAs and how their experience has been going. I emailed one of her friends and hope to get to know him, and how he has organized himself as a teaching assistant in Turkey.

4) Graduate School

I thought I would add that I am beginning the Graduate school search for the 2010-2011 academic year. I'm hopeful to find a solid broadcast journalism or journalism program in New York, Chicago, or Washington D.C. So far, schools that have popped up on my radar are Columbia U., NYU, Northwestern, BU, Emerson, American University, University of Maryland, and Syracuse. If anyone has any thoughts on these schools, I'd be happy to hear from you.

New Documentary: For Others

It seems like only yesterday I was submitting posts every three or four weeks. Hooray for six posts in December (so far!). Anyways, now that the semester is winding down, I wanted to share a very cool documentary four friends of mine and I made for Prof. John Michalczyk's Documentary Film class. For the film, we followed four members of 4Boston for several weeks. A short synopsis is below. Thanks to 4Boston, and everyone at Jackson Mann for letting us into their classroom to film.

"In an era where individualism and the survival of the fittest mentality exists everywhere, four students from one of Boston's elite universities give up four hours each week to provide assistance for adult education. Each week, they give the men and women they teach hope by assisting in English as a Second Language and GED prep classes."

This film was made possible by the Salmanowitz Grant for Moral Courage in Film and Boston College.

Acclaimed BC show takes stage for final time

Boston College has taken the phrase, "The show must go on," to another level with its current show, "A Dancer's Christmas." The show in its 28th and final run includes professionals, students, local talent, and children, some cast members have been involved for the entire run and have seen their family grow up with the performance.

Directed by Fr. Robert VerEcke, S.J. of Boston College, "A Dancer's Christmas has been sweeping audiences off their feet since Boston College first built its theater in 1981.

Türkçe Kahve Akşam or Turkish Coffee Night

Last night, I had the privilege to visit the Turkish Cultural Center's (TCC's) Coffee Night for the second time. It has been a great time going to coffee night, and this one was also very well attended by Turks and non-Turks. Each month, the TCC holds a "Coffee Night" where everyone gathers to together to learn a little about Turkey and enjoy some excellent Turkish cuisine, tea, and of course, coffee. According to my friend from BC, Sibel, the food included Turkish Pizza, some interesting Turkish cookies, macaroni salad, another kind of Turkish salad that was very good, and also yogurt. It was all delicious.

Sibel and I had some very interesting conversations. We had the chance to sit at a table with a rabbi, a Turkish woman working as a Nanny in Boston, and Katie, a graduate student studying social work/theology at BU. Later, I got pulled away from that to talk with my friend Kasim. We went on a fruitless search for more coffee and tea. Kasim said that there was a saying in Turkey, "When you find that the food you were looking for is empty, it's a sign that the woman in the house is mad at you." So clearly, we were not doing well by the end of the night. Luckily, we did find some water.

Unlike the last coffee night (which was just before the election), most of the conversations ended up about where had everyone been, and what places had Kasim seen since he had been here. All in all, another great coffee night, and looking forward to the next one. Below is a picture from the evening.



From the left: Kasim, Myself, Yusef, and Sibel
In the back with the camera: Sener, head of the TCC

Christmas in heaven

Borrowing a line from Monty Python's Meaning of Life, I use it in the title of this post describing what I felt like listening to the spirited and joyful sounds of the BC Chorale at the Trinity Chapel last night. From the first note in Joy to the World all the way until the very last Hallelujah, I was blown away by the concert. I just want to say congratulations to all of my friends in the Chorale on a truly amazing show. Also, cheers to the wonderful BC Symphony Orchestra who may be one of the best kept secrets at Boston College. You all did an amazing job.

Below are some pictures from my standing room only non-seat.

Turks turning up everywhere

In all of the things I had expected to happen during the whole process of applying for the grant to Turkey, one unexpectedly favorable outcome was how many Turks I would find at BC and in the area. Since beginning my Turkish studies in the summer, I have come across over well over 20 Turks at BC, BU, or Northeastern. Sure, you can say, "Matt, you've been hanging around a lot of Turkish places this semester."

I'd tend to agree on that except for two things.

1)I worked for a year and a half on a documentary about the Muslim community in Boston and never met as many Turks as I have now. Of course, I wasn't really looking as I am now. But, number two is even more peculiar.

2) I have found Turks in my classes(non-Turkish related), the Improvisational Murder Mystery Comedy group I'm in, and many other random, totally unrelated groups I have been in at BC for the past few years.

Of course, all of this has been great. I've been able to practice my Turkish, and been introduced to the country by and wide group of amazingly nice people. I just wanted to reflect on how amazingly lucky I've been to find so many people from Turkey through so many random and unexpected connections.

Also, it has been reported that Barack Obama was briefed on Turkey in the past few days. According to the Turkish news source, the report spoke about the "importance of Turkey in the region. Brookings and CFR experts recommend Obama to develop Turkey's mediating role to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute."

A little on the light side

First, a little update. I've been currently distracted with a full fall semester course load, a short documentary project on the Boston College 4 Boston program, and an improv performance that I've severely neglected the blog. But, the good news I guess is that my posting can only get better from here.

Also, some very exciting news, I recently found out where all the Turkish English Fellows were placed this year. According to my list, the fellows are in Denizli, Gaziantep, Konya, Erzurum (2), Izmır, Adana, Balikesir, and Trabzon. Stay tuned for some more specific postings on what each city is known for and looks like, etc.

With that said, I also came into a bit of luck last week. The BC Intersections Program offered an iPhone to anyone who could make the funniest two minute video that incorporated the word "Intersections" and a BC faculty member. Below is my WINNING entry, enjoy!

State's financial future may rest in ballot questions

Barack Obama and John McCain dominate national headlines, but for Massachusetts voters, the most important decision they make may be yes or no. Three questions are asked of Massachusetts voters, including whether or not the state income tax should be repealed. Some believe that this will force government to be less wasteful while others see the 12 billion dollar cut as a severe risk to public services in health, education, and police and fire departments.

Newton Music School showcases world class musicians

Visitors were transported into another realm one Sunday when Hankus Netsky and his band, "Another Realm", performed in support of the All Newton Music School. The school serves over 4,400 students of all ages each year. "This place is where people who do pretty much anything on any instrument can come and find the right teacher for them," said Netsky about the school.

Plumbers Union disagrees with Joe the Plumber

Everyone who watched the debate saw Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama reference Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio plumber who McCain says is in danger of being taxed by Barack Obama's economic plans while Obama defends people like Joe who make under $250,000.

ABC News has a great article on their blog about Joe's eligibility and his response.

Another interesting note is that the Plumber's Union, the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe-Fitters, were the first international union to endorse Sen. Obama in January 2008.

Students rally for change at Boston University

The low turn out in elections for 18-25 year-olds may be something to laugh at for comedian Rob Corddry, but the rest of the speakers at Boston University's rally for change saw the issue with more urgency.

On September 20, the BU Democrats hosted filled the Morse Auditorium for a voter registration rally. "If everyone 18-25 voted in the same way people 63-75 did, it would change the shape of an election," said State Senator Ben Downing (D-MA).

Students at the rally hope their efforts will pay off. Vice President of the Boston College Democrats said, "We want to make sure that people translate that enthusiasm to new hampshire directly, and to phone banks, and making sure the people get out the vote."

Allies of BC rally for GLBT

On September 19, 2008, about a hundred students joined the Allies
organization of Boston College in a rally to support of BC's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (GLBTQ)community.

The Allies' new "I Support Love" campaign encourages students to support love at BC in all forms. Several students and faculty spoke out against intolerance and homophobia at BC while many joined in supporting the GLBTQ community at he event. "My best friend's gay and I don't see him as any different than my room mates," said Allies President Diana Nearhos, "It's about being accepting and welcoming of others."

Rules of Debate

Since last week's debates, I've gotten a lot of questions from people I know (parents, friends, mailmen) asking, "Who do you think won the debate?" Personaly, I think McCain won last week's debate in the substance category, but not by much. Obama clearly held his own on US foreign policy, which many suggest is real bad news for McCain. Well, that, and the recent crash in the US Financial markets. Also, I think Obama performed much better on camera than McCain.

In any case, for everyone I know who is excited about tomorrow's debate, here are CNN's "Top Ten Rules for Winning a Debate." Read this to help you judge who wins the next couple of debates.

Oh, and on another note. The Fulbright application was officially submitted as of 10:21AM (PST). Freedom.

Know your candidates, not their rhetoric

During her speech at the Republican National Convention, Governor Sarah Palin became a member of at least one Washington insider group, the rhetoricians. Gov. Palin's speech was nothing new or exciting as she repeated the party line rhetoric most people expected. Her speech touched on topics ranging from her executive experience which Sen. Obama lacks to the introduction of her family as she positioned herself to conventioneers as a trusted member of the "much desired to seem, but not really be" working class.

Ofcourse, political rhetoric is here to stay on both sides of the aisle. However, I only hope that as we try to listen to both sides over the next two months that we remember not to take either candidate at face value. For example, see this article released by the AP about Gov. Palin's questionable rhetoric last night.

With social security, the US's capacity for good foreign relations, health care, energy, and so many huge issues this election, we can't afford to vote on rhetoric alone. Below are some great places to learn more about the candidates without all the pomp and circumstance.

OnTheIssues.org
The Pew Forum
VoteSmart.org

Packing up summer

As I am finishing putting away my computer and tapes, I wanted to say something about this summer.

One, there's never enough time even though everyone spends at least a week's worth of time feeling bored and clutching the remote. And the time you do spend with people is never enough, and you never get to see everyone you wanted.

And, as an incoming senior in college, I've been mulling over exactly what I'm going to do after BC. Sure, I still have a year, and I'm not in the position of many of my friends who are already out. But with a poor economy stretching into the horizon, and no graduate school foreseen for me right now, summer has been a little restless.

But, at the same time, summer has been exciting. I've been able to work with great professionals in broadcasting and also do some projects on my own. I've had the opportunity to begin learning Turkish which has been really stimulating coming from a history in dead languages. So, although the end of summer means the beginning of many unknowns, I'm ready for them.

And to my fellow seniors who will be joining me this year in packing up our last summer for a trip into the big unknown. Let's have a blast and enjoy the ride. Next year is still a year away.

Learning Languages...

I've been lucky this summer to have fallen into a Turkish language class in Boston. Prior to the class, my entire background in language has been with the Classics. Although, it was an enriching experience to learn about the ancient Roman and Greek societies. My Turkish class has been a very different class.

The difference is expression. In Latin and Greek, we constantly translated the opinions and verses of Caesar, Ovid, Vergil, and Homer. However, our classes never focused on expressing ourselves with the language. For me, it's been somewhat discomforting when I would sometimes try to find the words to respond to my teacher or name the object on our homework pages in Turkish. However, when the words were found, I felt a sense that I can only describe as a greater feeling of connectedness. An ability to reach out to someone or a group that I otherwise would not be able to fully connect to because of the "language barrier".

For example, I have had many personal experiences with the "language barrier" in my family. Although, my stepfather speaks both English and Arabic, there were plenty of times where I've felt blocked by the wall including when I watched television from Lebanon with my Dad, sat at cook outs with my Dad's friends, and my own ability to communicate with his father(my grandfather) during his time with us. For me, not knowing Arabic always kept me at arms length from being up close with my Dad, his friends, and family. However, I got used to that feeling and worked on other ways of getting as close as possible, without taking the involved step of learning the language.

My work this summer has shown me how much I have missed through not knowing Arabic more completely. With that said, I hope that I will be apply my work in Turkish, but without a doubt this summer has at least given me the chance to see how beneficial the process of learning spoken languages are. It's obviously clear that schools should keep emphasizing foreign language learning although I feel being graded for what is a difficult subject for anyone often makes students disgruntled at the class versus looking at what it's meant to do. But that is another discussion for another day.

That's all for tonight. iyi Geceler! (Good Night for those not up on their Turkish)

Where the Hell is Matt?

Ok, so I'm not talking about me, but I just got an e-mail from a friend about a man named Matthew Harding who has spent another 14 months going around the world and dancing in front of his camera. I remember reading about him maybe a year and a half ago when his first video created another youtube sensation. Anyways, it is a really smoltzy video, but a great look into the world we sometimes don't get to see.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

A New Kind of Tea

I haven't shared anything in about a week, but yesterday I had the chance to visit the new Turkish Cultural Center in Boston. It was a great experience, I was welcomed by my friend Ismail who I had met through my adviser at BC. There we sat and drank some Turkish tea which although strong was very good.

In any case, I had a great chance to talk about Turkey and my thoughts about going with a Turk. We touched on food, the cities, universities, and must dos in Turkey. After talking for about two hours, I was really glad I had come and Ismail has given me a lot to think about as I keep working on these proposals due in October. I think Turks are great people with many stories to tell, and my meeting at the TCC definitely supported that.

After finishing our meeting with a glass of lemonade and some Turkish delight, I look forward to going back for a coffee or movie night. Hopefully, bring a few friends as well.

Besides that, I had a great fourth of July working as a Production Assistant at the Esplanade show. Two straight nights of seeing the Boston Pops and Rascal Flatts from the front row. Plus, I had the privilege to work with one of the best PA teams ever. So, if any of them are reading, awesome job!

That's it for now...

In Good Faith: Still a work in progress

Some people reading this may know about my last documentary, In Good Faith. The documentary screened last April at Boston College for the first time, and has screened again in a few other viewings on and off the BC Campus. It looks like I will need to revisit the edit for music since I do not have a commercial license to use the music in the original version. Luckily, I found a Tufts student interested in helping me out this summer on the project and will be meeting with him tomorrow. Once I have a version that has no copyright violations, I intend to submit it to a local film festival or two, and maybe try to put it on air at a local cable access station. Anyways, I know a few people are asking about the documentary's status, and that's where I am with it. If you'd like a copy, I am currently making up versions by request of the original cut which you can get here.

Also, I made a few more connections in regards to Turkey today. I had a long conversation at a coffee shop in Boston with a former Fulbrighter to Turkey this morning. She had lots to say about her time in Turkey, not all of it went flawlessly and she in fact had a tough transition due to some wild unforeseen hysteria when traveling abroad to a foreign country. Although, I'm not going to go into the whole conversation we had here, I will say that it has helped me take a wider look at why I am doing all this.

For the most part, I've always attributed my interest to the work involved with In Good Faith and my sophomore living experience, but I do think that my desire has come also from growing up with my Stepfather whose Lebanese background often helps gives him a wider perspective on things. He took a great leap coming to the US, and ended up getting involved with a crazy Irish family from Somerville, MA. Although he made his "leap" for largely different reasons than mine, I do think much of my motivation for getting out of the United States is from the benefits I've had from just growing up around his culture from a safe American base. Now, I can imagine leaving that safe foothold here in the US to take a greater leap into another culture to continue to grow as my Dad has done for me over the last 20 years.

Here's to the journey ahead of us all...


NOTE: For those wondering why I'm noting this is because I'm right now knee deep in a proposal for my Fulbright grant. I've decided by writing my thoughts as they come, and maybe if there are people reading, you may have your own thoughts to share. In any case, this is a pretty easy way of record keeping so I can go back. I did this once before for my first documentary and it was very helpful.

Turkish Delight

Turkish vocals and instruments played in the background as a group of young students sat across the sunlit Saray Turkish restaurant on a late Friday afternoon. I sat looking over a menu I found foreign yet similar. It was the array of Kebabs I found most interesting offering choices from chicken, beef, lamb, and quail. I was alone, feeling out of place, but also had a sense familiarity with it all.

Why is this scene important? For those who don't know, I have a Lebanese step father who continues to help teach me the lessons of life as he has done for the past 20 years of my life. My Dad is a great cook, and I've had my fill of Kebabs, along with other more uniquely Lebanese en trees. However, until yesterday, the food has always come to me rather than the other way around. Sure, there wasn't a big imposing crowd in the restaurant, and I was still in Brighton, MA where just outside the familiar sights and sounds of Boston resided. However, for a brief time, I felt more than I had ever before of being on the other side of the coin. The side my Dad has known since he came to the US in the mid 80s.

Sitting there, looking at the menu as I practiced pronouncing all the names of the foods in my head. With only two Turkish classes under my belt, that was all I could pretty much do. After the young Turkish waitress took my order, I decided to toss in the Turkish word for thank you (teşek kular). She looked and responded in Turkish asking if I spoke, and I sheepishly tried to explain in English that I was just beginning to learn. I realized that she was also a student, learning English and studying at a local college. So, I tried to use what little Turkish I knew to explain that I knew very little Turkish. I had been in situations before with my father's relatives when I was speaking to someone who didn't have a handle on English, but this was the first time I had some basis to respond in something other than English, although it was a very small addition. Still, it was a very humbling moment but also an profound of trying to reach out in another language for normal everyday conversation.

In the end, my day at Saray's concluded with some delicious lamb Kebabs, Beyti Kebabs for those who know. I was able to meet and share some more kind words with the woman from Istanbul. I hope to be back again, perhaps with a friend and certainly a little more Turkish under my belt.

Note: For those reading who don't know, I am planning on applying for an English Teaching Assistantship through the Fulbright program this October to go to Turkey in 2009. I hope to not only help Turkish university students learn English and about the US, but also I intend to work on a documentary project with Turkish students about Turkey and the issues it faces from their point of view.