The first time I ever volunteered with Earthwatch, I went to the jungles of Costa Rica to look for caterpillars and study their parasites. I know, not everyone’s cup of tea – but I was very excited about it.
Half of our time there was spent at the La Salva Research Station, which is a top-notch station complete with maids & cooks. Hundreds of scientists (and tourists) visit each year, with people coming in from all over the world. The other half of our time was spent at the Tirimbina Biological Reserve, up in the mountains. This was a much smaller station – we had the whole place to ourselves! No staff, no tourists, just three scientists and 5 volunteers.
One of the scientists had brought his music along with him, and had it set up so that we could listen while we cooked and ate our meals or just relaxed after a hard day of searching. The music he chose to listen to most often was by Amos Lee - not local but so mellow and soothing. I enjoyed it so much I looked it up when I got home and bought two of the cds for myself.
And thus was born my practice of bringing home music from each of my journeys to remind myself of the experiences I had and the friends I’d made.
The music from Mongolia was kind of a no-brainer = of course I ended up with some Mongolian Throat Singing by a group called Huun-Huur-Tu. I got to see a performance while in Ulaanbaatar and just could not reconcile what I was hearing with what I was seeing – I do not know how they do it!
My trip to Africa was emotionally chaotic. I did not have much of a chance to look for anything local – but on the plane heading home (a 17-hour journey) I listened to the music channel on-board and came across two that I really liked. Niyaz is an Iranian group that blends medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs with acoustic instrumentation and modern electronics. Sara Tavares was the other one, a singer/songwriter from Portugal with African roots. Both were intriguing, so I looked them up when I got home and got several of their albums.
My trip to the Amazon led me to Eva María Angélica Ayllón Urbina - a female composer and singer, one of Peru’s foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians. Even now, years later, I listen to her music and immediately get transported back to the streets of Iquitos having a few drinks with the group of volunteers to celebrate our time together and say our goodbyes.
While in Lanzarote, the fourth largest of the Canary Islands, we visited a village bazaar and spend a good three or four hours wandering the streets looking at all the wares. At one of the tables I heard music that really sparked my interest, so using my broken Spanish and a few hand gestures, I got the man behind the table to understand that I wanted to know who was singing. He showed me the CD case, so I took a picture and was able to find Juan Luis Guerra once I got home. Juan Luis is known for combining merengue and bachata rhythms with poetic lyrics that often address social issues.
The trip I took to Patagonia to work with the penguins brought me to Adele. I have known of her for years, of course (who hasn’t) but one of the scientists on this trip was so in love with her voice that he played Adele the entire time we were there. Any time there was music going on, it was always Adele. Now I can’t hear her sing without thinking of Hilton, my friend from Portugal, and all the other people I met on that trip.
Last but most certainly not least, Iceland brought me to two new artists: Kaleo and Of Men and Monsters. Both of these are a little bit out of my norm, but both have a unique sound I find really interesting. They can get out of hand with the screaming and electric guitar – but for the most part, I do like their music.
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