Sunday, June 29, 2008

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.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

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.