I was up early and reading/watching TV for awhile. I had only one class today, and it was not until the second session, which began at 9:55, so I took my time getting ready and leaving for school. They have come to let me take classes by myself now. More and more I am becoming a part of the school. The new has worn off, which is actually fine with me. I am another of the faculty here, and the students treat me with respect when they see me, welcome me when I come, and engage in conversations (still limited a bit, but improving) when I am in their classes. I am not a novelty anymore; I am one of the teachers.
So I did my lesson. This was a third year class and one I had been with only once before. During this second time with them, as noted without a regular faculty, I discussed cultures. I told them of Stompdancing and Powwowing, explained to them the differences. Showed them some videos from YouTube. We had some dialogues about different cultural aspects of a nation; I got a few of them discussing with me some things from Danish cultures; over all it was a good session, but I felt certainly not as dynamic as the three I had yesterday. Good nonetheless.
Following this class I worked in my office for a short while before returning to the flat briefly and then going into town for some lunch. I walked around the city centre for a while just looking and enjoying some of the street musicians who were playing. There is always music in the streets here. These musicians are quite good too. Remember the ones I described form Copenhagen. I think traveling to Denmark to walk the streets of the cities and listen to the street music is a worthy trip.
Following my short lunch excursion I returned to the flat and tried to read, but I grew sleepy, so I violated one of my own rules of no afternoon naps. I kept it short however, as I had a concert to go to tonight. More of the faculty invited me to a concert at the Esbjerg Music Conservatory. Tonight’s performances were a benefit to raise funds for UNICEF. I must say the performances were magnificent. Four different groups or entertainers performed. The first was a group of students at the Conservatory who played and sang some Danish jazz. Now I know that sounds like it should be an oxymoron, but let me tell you they were good. Of course the songs’ lyrics were all in Danish, but the music was universal. The next performer was actually a Danish comic. Now this was interesting for me; I could not understand a word but I know good timing and rhetoric when I see it. This man’s delivery was excellent, regardless of the language. Comics are rhetoricians, in their own way. The last performance before intermission was a jazz trio, yep more Danish jazz: the Martin Schack Band. WOW! These guys rivaled anything I ever heard on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. This group was amazing. They played on the three numbers, and their set was over far too soon, but while it lasted it was awesome.
Intermission was pretty good too. Champagne, Danish chocolates and cookies. I met a few parents of the students I had been with over the past three weeks. They were all happy to meet, told me their children had been talking a lot about me – in a good way.
Soon it was back to the concert hall for the final performance of the evening, a short opera titled The Love Story, with the performers Dorte Tagmose, Mette Korsgaard, Helle Christensen and Dominique Moralez. The operetta was phenomenal. Moralez is a famous opera singer from South America who met and fell in love with Helle Christensen, who was a local girl from Esbjerg, or at least she attended the Conservatorium here until a couple of years ago when Moralez heard her sing. The two started dating and now they travel the world singing together. And let me tell you they can sing.
Following the performances I was invited backstage with some of the faculty to meet the performers. We talked and drank champagne for nearly an hour, then all too soon it was time to go. The faculty with whom I rode this evening brought me back to my flat where I eventually found my way to bed. This was a good day.
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