Authored and photographed by McEnroe J.
Cohort: Who am I? Exploring your Ancestral Roots
We began our journey into our ancestral roots by relieving our inhibitions and becoming more comfortable with each other. You might be thinking along the lines of icebreakers or different team building games, but think much weirder...we spit into tubes together! As bizarre as it may sound, it was very interesting to think about the amount of information that will be found about your ancestry merely using 3 spits. After completing surely the most unpleasant part of the DNA test, we sealed our tubes, packed them up, and shipped them on their way to Ireland. We followed up with a bit of research on the ancient groups and drums that pertained to our specific ethnicity. Our group ranged from Ecuadorian, Brazilian, Haitian, and even to Ukrainian roots, which made the research exceptionally fascinating!
The second half of the day was definitely one to remember! We had the opportunity of being taught by a drummer who has had the chance of exploring multiple music styles around the world, but is especially keen in jazz. We started off with a bit of warm up to exercise our senses and then proceeded to try out some different types drums. As evidenced by the pictures, the unique sounds that the drums made was truly engaging. After getting the hang of how the drums worked and the different techniques that could be used to play, we concluded with the task of telling a story through drumming. Some of us were given stories to tell while others dug deep into their imaginations to pull out something worth sharing- I myself was one of them. In all honesty, I had no clue what my story would be until I was halfway through sharing and kind of just winged it from there. In last words, the first expedition day of the Who Am I? cohort was unquestionably an experience, and I reckon I speak for all when I say that I learned a great deal.