Monday, October 21, 2013

Paddy Murphy, Mustang Sally, and a Wagon Wheel.

Sometimes you just need a little taste of good ol', hometown, country fun! However, that is hard to come by when you are living in Beijing, China. I mean, not many local people here can tell me what a "hick" is or what a "barn dance" is. I usually get a good head tilt to the side and a "ShĂ©nme? (What?)". I'm not gonna lie - I miss those times where I say something and someone replies "Oh, you are most definitely from Carleton County." It's always going to be a part of me. Home. 

This past Friday (October 18th) my friend Craig, who is an intern at BCCSC, was singing with a band at a bar called the "Hot Cat Club" in the Fangjia Hutongs. When he explained what kind of a set list they would be playing, I was easily convinced that this was the place I needed to be on that Friday. So off Erin, Brittany, and I went on a search for this little "hole in the wall" I guess you could call it. It's not the fanciest bar, and it is definitely worn out in some areas (like the squatters...I leave that to your own imagination). However, the atmosphere was perfect. Absolutely perfect! 


How can you go wrong when you mix a small bar filled with Canadians, an ice cold beer, plaid shirts, a few french men, an acoustic guitar, a fiddle, and amazing live music featuring tunes like "Wonderwall" "Wagon Wheel" "Chicken Fried" and "Paddy Murphy." Mind you, I was slightly disappointed that the three of us girls seemed to be the only Canadians who knew the song "Paddy Murphy." Guess it's just an East Coast thing maybe? 

I danced, I laughed, I sang at the top of my lungs. And I smiled like a little goof ball the whole way home. My heart swelled. For just a couple of hours I forgot where I was and genuinely felt like I was home again. It's always good to be home.

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