*I have a camera. I like taking pictures. Here are some of photographs from my recent life stuff.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Kirby Kaptures: Catharsis on the Mall
Tag: art
Monday in a Picture – Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
One of the hottest tickets in town is to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It’s the newest of the institution’s museums, having opened its doors in 2016. While I heavily anticipated the opening, I started for service a few months before the grand opening. The internet and friends shared some of the hype and hoopla with the museum first opening. The long lines. The massive visitation numbers. The quality of the museum itself. The forethought put into its curation. I knew that I had to go. I thought that I’d just be able to walk up and get in. Passes are still needed to get in, as the museum is still drawing very high numbers of visitors.
One of the ways to get tickets is from the daily release of same day, timed passes (which are released around 0630 EST). The passes are free, and they are usually claimed within ten to fifteen minutes of release. I woke up early and tried to get passes for several days, but the internet decided it wasn’t my time. One day last week, I woke up a bit later and decided to check the website for passes. Lo and behold, there were some available. I successfully claimed a pass, got dressed, and had breakfast before excitedly biking down to the museum.
It was suggested that I start on the lowest level and work my way up. This allows for following the journey chronologically. The exhibit begins with history of African kingdoms and royalty, and includes snippets of everyday life for many West Africans whose descendants would be enslaved. Along the walls and in the background of the exhibit were the details of several slave ships that crossed the Atlantic. The museum does an amazing job of telling the story of the African journey to America including a highlight of a vessel carrying captured people that shipwrecked off the coast of South Africa. Walking through the levels allows one to walk through history with several artifacts on display. As I approached the end of the chronological history, I shed a few tears. There was something special about seeing parts of my life and childhood highlighted in a museum. Something special about hearing Tupac as the musical backdrop to the 1990s display.
For lunch, there is the Sweet Home Cafe. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s very tasty. I had the shrimp and grits, and it was delicious. Going up to the second floor, there was an exhibit on hip hop culture and an interactive experience with call and response stepping. I spent most of the day (> 5 hours) at the museum and didn’t get to see it all. I definitely plan to return once I get more passes. The above photos were taken during my day at the museum.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
The World’s Greatest Airport
Yesterday, I had a long layover in what some consider to be the world’s greatest airport, Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN). As I’ve previously written on this blog, I’m a huge fan of long layovers especially when the country offers visa free entry and decent food. Singapore ticks the necessary boxes. While I was looking at various things to do on a 16 hour layover, I found the usual recommendations for tourist sites and good eating around the city. However, another recommendation kept resurfacing: the airport itself. I never thought of an airport as an attraction.
After landing, I was headed towards immigration to head into the city when I noticed a kiosk advertising free Singapore tours. I stopped by. During the day, there are free heritage tours to the city. In the late afternoon and evening, there are free city lights tours. My flight arrived just in time for one of the late afternoon city lights tours. The tour was led by a local tour guide named Daryl. About 20 folks from all over the world joined Daryl’s group and boarded an air-conditioned tour bus to the city. Daryl taught us about some of the history of Singapore while pointing out some of the famous sites. One of the stops was Gardens by the Bay. The massive garden features super trees, which are concrete and metal structures in the form of trees that are home to various plant life. At night, they are brilliantly lit. Not too far away is Satay by the Bay, a food centre with various types of tasty local cuisine. After 2.5 hour jaunt around the city, we were headed back to the airport.
When we returned to the airport, some of us decided to check an art installation in the airport called Kinetic Rain. The installation features several copper-coated droplets moving artfully in sync.
The airport is home to different gardens including a cactus garden and a butterfly garden. For the tired feet, there is a plethora of foot massagers. There are several lounge spaces with comfy chairs to relax. In Terminal 2, there’s what they call the Entertainment Deck. Several video game stations are set up for the traveler’s leisure. The selection of games is pretty good, as well. Around the corner, there was a room with computer gaming and an arcade-style setup for various (mostly fighting) games. In Terminals 2 and 3, there are small movie theatres. Each has a daily rotation of 5-6 movies. There are also several computer terminals set up for internet browsing in addition to free WiFi.
All of the above mentioned stuff is free. There are paid options as well. For example, there’s a gym, a few spas, and several paid lounges. For those that need to rest in more traditional settings, there are hotels in the airport. One of the hotels has a swimming pool available to their guests, and outsiders (for a fee).
After my short stay in Changi, I can definitely see why it’s considered the world’s greatest airport. It seems to be an airport designed by someone who spent too much time in airports twiddling thumbs thinking, “there has to be a better way”. It absolutely challenged what I thought an airport was, and could be. Of the airports that I’ve been to, Changi just might be the best. It’s definitely the most engaging. It’s also the place that I’d most want a long layover, or a flight delay.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Monday in a Picture – The Mural
Some months back, a fellow PCV began planning a commemoration event called Walk The Nation. In 2008, a PCV in eSwatini organized a 200 kilometre walk to bring attention to the high HIV incidence in the country. The commemoration event was designed to look at how far the fight has come, and how much more needs to be done. Several PCVs participated in the commemoration of Walk The Nation by having events in their respective communities. Some volunteers showed documentaries while other marched and had discussions about where we go from here. Some volunteers were given paint to complete mural projects. Luckily, my community was given paint and associated supplies.
At my local high school, I spoke with students about HIV incidence and how far eSwatini has come. When I introduced the mural possibility, several students were excited and began working on concepts and drawings. Last week, our students (and a few recent alumni) completed the mural project. My hope is that as the student body sees this image, they will remember that education can lead them to any and all places.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Monday in a Picture – Bushfire
eSwatini is home to the Bushfire Festival, a three day music-focused event that attracts people from all over. This past weekend, the 12th edition of the festival happened. There were thoughtful conversations around warm fires. There were high energy performances that made me remove my sweat-soaked shirt.
The Bushfire Festival invites participants to bring their fire as a call to action. Artists from all over the world perform on four different stages. The live music selection included rap, soul, country, instrumental and traditional. The photo above features Sands, a native son of the kingdom, serenading us with his soulful music. There was also an amazing array of DJs that kept the party going until the early morning hours. Personally, I was elated to see my favorite DJ in eSwatini, DJ Mkay.
Another cool thing about the festival was the plethora of PCVs who visited from other southern Africa posts. It’s nice to meet and chat with people who are having similar, yet vastly different, experiences. It was also great to promote Beards of Peace Corps and take new photos for the project.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
What is Kirby Doing?: Stories from life after Peace Corps eSwatini 