Audio Essay Transcript:

Friendship is like an onion. Not many people would make such a comparison, but Naomi Nye’s poem The Traveling Onion inspired me draw this unusual connection.

This summer, I had the amazing experience to travel across Asia.  In the course of 3 months, I danced with the aromas of India, buried myself between the stalls of Taiwan’s night markets, and wandered through the unexpectedly metropolitan Hong Kong as an international student.  I also took a weekend trip Thailand where I snorkeled with phytoplankton.  But as I think back on all those amazing locations, I see faces of friends in every memory, friends who are spread across all of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.  That’s 7 out of the 8 continents.

The onion in Nye’s stew was forgotten, its history taken for granted and its utility diminished through daily use.  A knife can expose the layers, the history, of the onion, but without  interpretation, the onion’s historical travels from India to Egypt to Greece then Italy then the rest of Europe and the world, are entirely forgotten. Even I never cared to think back on where an onion originally came from.  All I cared about was that it was presently in my stew and how it could be presently characterized.   

I come back to UNC with new friends.  Some friends who I have probably passed on the quad but had to cross the world to meet.  As for my international friends, it’s easily keep in contact with in today’s tech savy culture. 

So let’s not forget why memories are valuable.  Yes, attractions and thrilling experiences make interesting stories.  I personally love talking about the seemingly movie-moments of my travels.  But there’s a greater story with each layer peeled back, a certain transparency, that can easily be overlooked for the superficial moments. 

Let’s not forget how we spent all those moments together, immersed in the oriental culture, uncomfortable in 100-degree weather, but relaxed and laughing the whole way through.  Now that we’re all spread out across the world, divided, I hope we stay connected and not, like the onion’s history, disappear. 

The Author's Corner

This project was inspired by my summer travels through India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand.  UNC has given me the amazing opportunity to study abroad.  I've never been west of North Carolina; yet, since coming to UNC I have been to Europe, Africa, and Asia.  With such great experiences come even better friendships.  It's interesting how quickly people go from being acquaintances to friends.  My summer memories led me to create "Friendship is Like an Onion."  The video below will go into further discussion of my project.  Unfortunately, I did not save my original audio essay before updating it, but hopefully the video below will sufficiently note the changes from the first draft.   

Table of Contents

I. Soundlist

II. Audio Essay

III. Improvisation E-Poem

IV. Edited E-Poem

V. The Road Video

VI. Teaching with Sound