Cats cradle

With many GLOBErs either travelling around the States (foreigners), back home with their parents (locals), or recovering from Halloween on a Wednesday, not much was happening this weekend. So when I was phoned and asked if I wanted to go to a local concert I said yes. 20 minutes later a ride showed up, and 2 GLOBErs and I headed 10 minutes down the road to Cats Cradle.

Cats Cradle is a music venue / bar in the neighbouring town of Carrboro. Looking more like an abandoned warehouse than a concert hall from the outside, it has hosted a number of prominent names over the years, most of whom I have no idea who are anyway, but who have featured on Roskilde. Or so I was told. Inside was the same. A large, dim-lit single room, somewhat akin to a barn, hosted several shabby wooden tables, chairs, a basic bar, a couple of couches in one corner, a large sounds system in the middle of the room, and a stage on the far end. A $10 cover got us past a friendly bouncer, and another $4.25 got us a pint of North Carolinian craft IPA. A country / folk rock band was playing (a genre I was told was bluegrass) which was surprisingly good. More surprising was the fact that although it was 8:30 and the first of 3 bands had just started playing, it was pretty packed. That and the crowd was comprised of everything from college students to old, bearded men, to dating middle-aged couples.

Walk 5 minutes west on Franklin street and you'll hit Carrboro. You'll know you are there when the shops stop catering to college students and start targeting aficionados. Organic eateries, local products, farmers markets, that kind of thing. My friend characterized Carrboro as "granola" (as in the cereal, somewhat akin to müsli), inhabited by the kind of people "who'll buy an organic, vegan salad and feel that the quadruple price is a bargain". Initially I had a very different understanding of granola: someone described a tartan bow-tie as being granola, so when I saw a fraternity cocktail with all the guys dressed up in colourful chequered bow-ties, I deduced that granola = frat guy. After complimenting the first 6 frat guys with "Great outfit, you are so granola!", I realized I was sorely mistaken. 

The main band of the evening was Mipso Trio (which tonight was a quartet, but anyhow). A band of 3 UNC graduates, they played a mixture of everything from rock 'n' roll to folk, indie, motown and bluegrass. The crowd adored them, they were immensely entertaining, and when they gave their final encore it was past midnight. 4 solid hours of entertainment for less than $20 dollars in total. To listen to their music / download it, check out their website: http://mipsomusic.bandcamp.com/album/long-long-gone

The evening is somewhat telling of Chapel Hill. There are all these great events which we can go to for almost no cost, learning a lot about American life and culture in the process, but we have no clue about the potential at our doorstep. I suppose one should take responsibility for one's own experiences, but when living on South Campus with mainly freshmen, concerts, art exhibitions, fine dining and rural experiences are not top of their of list of things to do. Access to a car, as well as the underground nature of most events, is also a deterrent for foreigners. In Hong Kong we spent a lot of time travelling abroad, and our city experiences were obviously touristy: skyline, Mong-kok, street food, ladies market, hiking, etc. In Copenhagen the immersion in a large city allowed for exploration on one's own, but many foreign GLOBErs also took time for international travel. In the US it is different. We have required attendance for classes, weekly assignments, group work in every class (all impairing our freedom to travel), and flying in American is ridiculously expensive.

I feel that the Americans are paramount for showing us the Chapel Hill area. They are busy like the rest of us, but finding interesting stuff to do in the Triangle area is harder than figuring out how to find the Colosseum or the Arc de Triomphe. Some of them have been great, and they have truly made my stay inexplicably better. With GLOBE graduation in 5 weeks time, I hope these individuals continue sacrificing their time and effort for my sake. Sometimes it takes nothing more than a phone call and a 10 minute lift, but the effort is highly valued. Thank you. You know who you are - stay awesome.