Karaoke Extremes

 Out to a karaoke bar last night with a few folks I met through my Uncle and Aunt.  I'm always down for a little entertainment at the expense of myself and others.  Anticipating some good down home Chilean music and singing it was a bit of a surprise when upon entering I was amongst in majority non Chileno's. And in fact, the bar ended up being a gringo hot spot mostly representing North America.  This was a confusing sight at first because it literally felt like it all could have been going on right back in the heart of the States.  The initial shock faded away however after I broke into my first song, a tune from the magnificent Stevie Wonder.

It was a fun time and I even managed to meet and greet with a few locals by the end of the night.  But there is still something more to this experience that has me writing at this moment…

I guess it must be that this was not the first Karaoke session I'd had In Chile.  And the other experience was with a warm, loving and generous Chilean family of my cousin Matthew's girlfriend Fran.  This particular Karaoke session with Fran's family occurred during the Chilean Independence celebrations the first weekend I had arrived.  After gorging ourselves all day with Chilean BBQ and conversation,  (which  at this time was very limited on my side) we all gathered around a small table with one microphone some tiny speakers and a computer.  It was on!  Soon everyone there, young and old, were singing aloud the anthems of their culture.  I hadn't a clue what was being said but the smiles, music and laughter that abounded spoke very clearly none the less.  What an amazing privilege to be sharing this with a family I just met on the countries most celebrated day!  They made sure I was not overlooked and kindly picked out a Backstreet Boy's tune that embarrassingly enough I knew all too well.  This is certainly a karaoke session to be remembered.

Not really sure where all of this is going besides seeing the beauty in extremes that life exhibits.  Regardless of race, cultural orientation, or beliefs systems we all are susceptible  to binary experiences to varying degrees.  It's so fascinating.  Happy to take pause and reflect on these particular events.  What about yourself, can you think of  events like this in your life?