Me muero de emoción

Tonight we went to our big formal event--a dinner at the Four Seasons hotel and a private concert with world-renowned cellist Carlos Prieto. He performed two Bach pieces for us and a newly-composed piece. He also told us the amazing story of his cello, and really personified the instrument for us. In studying his work, I have discovered a wealth of classical pieces by Mexican composers, like Ponce or Revueltas. This will be great for my students, many of whom have a single-minded view of Mexican music (mariachi). Mr. Prieto is an amazing individual and it was so exciting for me.

Being a musician myself made me feel a personal connection to tonight's events. Also, being an "artsy" person makes me a little more likely to have strong emotional reactions when music is involved. Tonight was no exception. As I listened to the cello music, I was struck by an intense awareness of where I was and that this experience was very unique--once in a lifetime. I was asked to give a speech this evening (I was so nervous!) and it was requested that I speak on my feelings about being included on the Fulbright trip.

Today is the midway point of our journey, and I realized that even if I come back to México, the magic that is happening on this trip cannot be repeated. My first sense of that was during the Fulbright application process, when I got the feeling that this would definitely happen for me--not because of an inflated ego, but because I believe that when something amazing is about to happen in your life, you just know that it's time. That time is now and I am humbled and awed by everything we have seen and by the enormity of the changes taking place.

Essay also appears here.