What follows is the documentation of the first performance of Sofia’s Six.
Our first night in Diyarbakir (read Joe’s blog for more on how that mistake happened), April, Julia, and I shared an evening commiserating together about how much we didn’t want to be in this city. We all had a weird feeling about the place in general, and that combined with the fact that we’re staying in a ghettotastic hotel (with bathrooms to match) and have less than three dollars per day for food for each person…well, let’s say none of us were particularly pleased to wake up this morning.
Grant said that while he was praying about what today should look like, he got an image of the group of us playing worship music from 11 am to 3 pm, and being completely done by 4. Since Julia and I are not particularly musical, the two of us went grocery hunting and hotel price checking while the rest of the crew headed to the main square to begin busking and see what happened.
Less than an hour later, Julia and I were walking past the square and saw our four musician/artists with a crowd of locals around them. Our jaws dropped. Apparently music brings people together more than we expected.
We finally met up with the rest of the team later for lunch at 1:30, by which point they had already received free tea, free sesame bread, 30 Turkish lira in the guitar case, and an invitation to see the city. Seriously?
The audience was energetic and excited, and Grant passed the jimbe around to a few school boys (who, I have to be honest, might have put some of our drumming skills to shame). We had a few conversations with the three English speakers who were there, and then we headed back in for lunch.
When Sofia’s Six went out for round two, Julia and I went searching for bus information to our next town. When we got back, the band was gone. We knew that they were going to be out with their new friend seeing the city, so we headed back to the hotel and mellowed out until they got back. Dez gushed about the mosque they saw and the markets, and then Joe talked about how their guides took them to their uncle’s house, which was apparently practically palatial.
And then Grant dropped the best bomb ever: we were welcome to stay in that house for a night or two. For free.
The tour continues.
