Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Yoga, lunch, music, dance, blackberries, beach, and rain

Saturday July 28, 2012


We came across a beautiful bride who got stuck by rain. Later they got her an umbrella and she rushed away. 
                     



  • As the ferry landed at the Massachusetts Bay Lines dock, my Turkish friend and I rushed through out the crowd trying to get into a nearby shelter from the falling heavy drops of rain. We were coming back from Spectacle Island where we had lunch on professor Bruce's house-boat, "Verandah" and walked along the whole beach of the Island. We had blackberries we picked from the trees on the Island and we enjoyed watching people dance on the music played by the band professor Bruce hired to entertain people who came to spend the weekend on such a beautiful Island that once upon time used to be a trash dump. 
  • Our trip started at 10:30 a.m. as we got on the train towards Long Wharf. In the middle of our trip, the train driver announced that we had to move into another train since the train we were on had a problem. The system here always surprises me. They are so quick in fixing things and finding other alternatives to keep the wheel moving. In Yemen, it takes forever to fix a thing. That's why Yemenis are so patient that they resign to the tough conditions of living. Anyway, as we arrived to the dock, we got our tickets and boarded on the boat. I got used to sailing without getting seasick. My first trip on a boat to Cape Cod was a disaster but after that trip, I enjoyed all my other trips on the sea. Once we got our feet on Spectacle Island, we took some pictures and started searching for fun. People were all around: some on the beach, others on their boats, and many other visitors were just walking up the drumlin summit. 

My friend after the Yoga class


It was such a wonderful weather. We joined people who were practicing Yoga. To tell the truth, I never thought Yoga is that difficult. It really needs a lot of effort to perform those slow motion postures. Well, it was a great experience, though. After Yoga, the Island seemed to be more lively. People started dancing on the rhythm of the music playing by the band on the boat. Those people really know how to have fun. We also dance, but only men would dance in public. As for women in my country, they show their talent in wedding parties before other women. Dancing, singing, and even drawing are considered to be forbidden by some Islamist clergies especially when they are done by a woman. They say God is beauty and he loves beauty. Nonetheless, they say these forms of art are forbidden. They must have Schizophrenia, I guess.  I guess those clergies would say enjoying watching people dancing is forbidden as well. Well, I committed a sin and enjoyed the show. 

Tt's lunch time. Thanks God we're invited for lunch on Verandah. That would save us some green papers. Thanks to Professor Bruce for the delicious food he prepared. Wait, I thought he would offer some fresh fish but we got chicken and beef instead. The food was so tasty that I forgot all about the thought of fresh fish. Living in a house boat seems to be interesting. I love nature. The sea always haunts me with its endless wavy blue carpet. It's another world that's hiding a lot deep inside. 
Those people never get tired of dancing. We stopped for a while before having our walk all around the Island. We came across some trees of blackberries. My friend picked us some. They were very tasty. She made me a necklace from some pinned leaves. That reminded me of the old days when I used to go to my village and pick up flowers from the mountains. I would make necklaces and bracelets with those flowers for my cousins and I. Those were the days. 


It's just amazing to sit and look

As we came to the other side of the Island, people had started moving to the dock and getting ready to board on the boats. We were supposed to wait until the 6 o'clock ferry, but luckily professor Bruce could get us on another that was just leaving. As we got on board, it started raining. It was cool. The day was coming to an end and the people looked so happy. We knew that we are going to get wet since we didn't bring our umbrellas. Yet, it wasn't a big deal. We rushed into the crowd of people and made our way to the train station but as we did, we came across a beautiful bride who got  stuck by the rain. Later they got her an umbrella and she rushed away. I couldn't miss shooting her with my camera while she did so. That was something so beautiful to end the day with.  To see a bride is definitely much better than coming across, let say, a crow. As we got to the train station I noticed a man playing music and in front of him there was a box and a poster says: "GREECE BAILOUT FUND". That was so funny at least to me and something worthy to shoot. When we arrived home, we were wet, tired and happy. 






" Spectacle Island: From a Trash Dump to a National Treasure









"It's trash!" I said while watching professor Bruce discussing with his students about the 
artifacts they've found on the Beach of Spectacle Island. He was calling these artifacts “TREASURE”. 
I think the word “trash” got him mad because he seriously looked me in the eye and made it aloud enough to hear every single syllable of the four English words he uttered.
“IT IS A TREASURE.”






In a couple of minutes, he gave me a lecture on how this Island become a national park and how many decades it took for these seaglass and artificats to become a national treasure. A treasure that's meant for decorating Spectacle Island Beach and for visitors to enjoy while on land. I came to know you cannot take any piece with you home. 

One cannot believe that such a beautiful Island used to be a trash dump. Once determination set, man can bring life back to nature. I have seen many beautiful things on this Island. I’ve even tasted the wild blackberries growing on its drumlin summit. They were very delicious. “How could an Island that was covered and built up by dirt produce such tasty blackberries?” I thought. 





Very tasty


I found many artifacts and interesting seaglass. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to get a blue marble. Yet, what I learnt about this Island was much valued to me. To set one’s goals and find out what is the best way to implement the ideas into actions. One can learn from others and try to figure out other ways on other lands that can bring back life to people and nature. I found the spirits of people who had a mission to make a difference walking along with me on the Spectacle Island beach and whispering into my ear, “God is beauty and He loves beauty.”



--Arwa"