When I last left off, I was on my way to Los Cabos. The rest of my Mexican experience was so outrageous, I don't think words will be able to adequately express how much I adore that country.
Los Cabos:
I arrived in Los Cabos, where we learned our cast would be split between Cabo San Lucas (the resort area) and San Jose del Cabo (a more residential, less touristy area). I was allocated in San Jose del Cabo... with a wonderful family and their 6 year old daughter, Yoalli. Yoalli is such a special little girl... I have so many stories of our giggle sessions... I could write forever. Although my family didn't speak English - my time in Cabo will always bring back amazing memories of touching moments. I had deep conversations with my host mom... sometimes lasting for hours. We talked about love, and life, and people, and my reason for leaving my world behind to embark on this journey. Yes. I know... she didn't speak English. I don't speak much Spanish... but somehow, when it is forced, one finds a way to make things work. I don't really know how to explain it, but as was similar in most of my cities in Mexico... language becomes a seemingly insignificant aspect of communication. Smiles, tears, and exaggerated gestures transcend all languages... and compensate for those awkward silences that you can't find words to fill. And even though neither party speaks the other's language perfectly... its as if you reach a mutual understanding, if from nothing else... the respect you gain from knowing how hard everyone is trying. In Cabo... I saw sea lions while on a cast cruise, watched a sea turtle peek up out of the water...and so much more. I drove across the arroyo (riverbed) with my host dad each morning -a bumpy ride considering it was an unpaved area full of cacti, vacas, roadrunners, and crater sized potholes. Fortunately for us... obstacles don't really matter - because ... in Mexico things just are the way they are. If something is in your way... you go around it... there are no right and wrong things in terms of traffic... everything just goes. Oh. Also in Cabo, I ate fish tacos in the morning, tried enfrijoladas (which quickly became my favorite Mexican dish), and drank lots of agua de jamaica. And... to top off an awesome week... I watched Yoallis very first loose tooth lodge itself in her hamburger while we were out to dinner... and then caught her reaction on video! Cabo was difficult. The juxtaposition between the rich and the poor was heartwrenching. We went to the invasiones... which is basically a squatter camp of *homes* constructed of a piece of plywood with ripped sheets stapled to the sides for a wall. We played with the games, and I learned that true happiness is a matter of perspective not possessions. They had nothing. Literally... nothing. And yet, they smiled, and laughed... because they saw themselves as rich... surrounded by their families - with something to call home. That philosophy, which permeated every city in Mexico... is something I found particularly beautiful about their culture... and will definately influence the way I live my priveledged life back in the States.
Tepic:
Tepic was totally different then Cabo. The area was lush in green vegitation.. but it wasn't coastal. We experienced a lot of rain while we were there (which became a haunting theme of our Mexican tour... to the extent that we contrived our own rhyme we'd sing each showday "rain rain go away, come again another day... viva la gente wants to play... rain rain go away!")... and of course, the streets flooded. We were welcomed into the city in the most fascinating way... OUR OWN PARADE. Yes.. our host families had dropped off costumes for us at the local mall.. which practically shut down for our arrival. Everyone (I'd say like 1,000 people) gathered in the center of the mall around a catwalk. There were men on stilts, and people juggling.. and a chinese dragon... etc... all for us! We then had to wear these fantastic costume collages and strutt our stuff in front of the ENTIRE CROWD to crazy music. Our host families could then identify their students by which outfit they wore! In Tepic, I lived with an older woman and her 2 adult daughters. They were awesome, and doted over us every chance they got. My host mom was a sweetheart as well. Unlike in Cabo, in Tepic I actually had a roommate. Her name was Rina.. and she is from Finland! We got along well... and it was great getting to know a castmate who I hadn't previously spent much time with. With our sisters, we went shopping, out to dinner, clubbing, and even on a boatride to a lagoon (created by a volcanic crater). We swam there... and it was awesome... the water was cool and refreshing... as was the free Corona (in a can!!!) that each person got as a complimentary gift with a boat ticket. Sweet.
Culiacan:
Culiacan was my most emotional experience in Mexico. While there, we worked with children with cancer... taking them to a beach, building sandcastles, and teaching them to swim. They were so spirited, and full of life, even though some were probably staring death in the eyes. I learned from them -that ones life should be measured in its quality, not quantity. They too were happy although acutely aware of their sometimes grim situations. They were our biggest fans... and when I had to hug some of them goodbye after spending a week getting to know their little personalities... I cried. It was hard, as we stood 107 strong on stage (as cast B)... to come to the realization that for some of these innocent children, this would be the last performance they'd have the chance to see. It was subsequently one of our strongest shows to date... full of energy and emotion - so that they'd remember us, and the feeling of that night.
Also in Culiacan... my absolutely amazing brother Jorge. He and I became so close over the week... he was one of those people I just connected with. Since he spoke English, I could more effectively communicate with my family... because he could translate. Also, I could have deeper cultural conversations - as we could communicate verbally. It was such a relief to be able to express myself. I learned so much through our late night conversations... which extended often into the wee hours of the morning. We went clubbing, and I was introduced to a lifestyle that I was largely unfamiliar with. His friends became my friends, and together we had bunches of fun. Saying goodbye was so difficult. I know we will continue to keep in contact... but still - it would have been nice to stay a while longer - We were told the city was dangerous. And to an extent, I suppose it could have been/was. But behind the *danger* was this incredible place, full of people who were so excited to have us there - as messangers of positivity and peace.
Hermosillo:
Ah... Hermosillo. Totally different from Culiacan... though not different bad... just... different. In this city, I was allocated with Paulina... she is from Mexico.. and speaks English super fluently. Again, this made conversation between my host family and I much easier, as my limited phrases could be elaborated on by someone who actually knew how to conjugate and make sense of my jibberjabber. In our home, we had four little siblings, all under age 10! There was Omar (9) and Natalia (7), and the twins Camile and Ximena (both a year old). The kids were adorable. Our dad would sing us banda music on the way to drop off every morning. The kids would take turns reading out of a prayer book, to ask for safety on our journey. We would drop them off at school, then stop by dad's tortillarilla (tortilla shop) prior to heading to our drop off destination. On my free day, I had the opportunity to help make tortillas in the tortillarilla... and I got to watch and cheer on my host siblings as they competed in a swim meet! It reminded me of the times when I got to watch Nikki swim back home... except I only saw like one blonde child at the whole pool ;-)
With the one little one, Ximena... she was so funny. Everytime I'd be exasperated and utter my authentically Mexican "Ay ay ay"... I'd hear a little echo from the next room "ay ay ay!!!" and then a sweet giggle. She'd then poke her pigtails around the corner to see if I had heard her. Adorable. Oh. And Camile, her twin... had an infatuation with me and Paulina's luggage. She would be fascinated by our clothes, and continually rummage through them when given the chance. At one point she even snuck into my room, and emerged wearing my #1 shoes (my most fancy)... they are like 3 inch high black heels. So cute!!!
Other things that made Mexico memorable...
~The heat was BLAZING. Over a hundred almost every day. Our venues were outdoors... which meant lots of hot performances under a setting Mexican sun. Wouldn't trade that for the world... that's for sure!
~Driving is CRAZY~!!! Seriously.. traffic laws and signs are merely regarded as suggestions. It is nothing to drive up on a sidewalk to avoid a hole in the road. Stop signs mean yield to the traffic that you KNOW got their ahead of you... or gun it to go ahead of those who arrived at the intersection with you. Vacas (cows) are all over the roads. Very few roads are paved... and the ones that are, generally are too busy to be taken. There are speed bumps in the middle of all roads... randomly. Its quite interesting. Oh... and there aren't street drains most places, which means the few times it rains, it pours - leaving drivers waist high in waters that they patiently wade through until the waters subside.
~Mexican time - is not on time. We started every show so late... because if we had started remotely close to the time that was scheduled, we'd have been without an audience. At first, I found this particular cultural difference difficult to get used to. And yet... as I spent more time with my host families there... I began to embrace it as something that reflects the priority they give to PEOPLE. If they see a friend... they talk. If they miss someone, they visit. It doesn't matter if something is scheduled. Life can wait... but people take precedence. What a neat quality, ey?
~Toilets. Honestly, I have never experienced a greater frustration in life than I did with my Mexican bathroom issues. Firstly, let me say that sometimes you have to pay to pee. That's right. There are tolls on the bathrooms, so you pay 2 pesos to go potty! Furthermore, this price does not include toilet paper. NO bathrooms in Mexico... unless the place is an Americanized anomoly... have toilet paper in the stalls. Instead, you must remember to constantly carry a roll of toilet paper on your person (in your purse)... unless you want to be stranded. And of all this toilet paper drama... most interesting is that due to the old plumbing systems in the majority of Mexico... you ARE NOT.. under any circumstances... allowed to flush the toilet paper in the toilet. It is disposed of in the waste basket in the bathroom. This is fine in families where the bathrooms are maintained... but in public places, you can imagine the stench. No me gusta.
Also in Mexico;
I played with sea turtles (baby ones!) as we prepared them for their release into the sea (there were hundreds and they were only a day old!!)
I had my passport checked more times than I could count
I thought I was going to die on the windy roads with cliffs on each side
I painted stadiums
Experienced the Mexican Independence Day (which is a pretty fantastic celebration)
Met important people (like governors and such)
and interacted with locals (IN SPANISH) daily.
I ate foods raw (shrimp!)
And learned to appreciate 50 cent Coca Colas.
Overall.. my Mexican experience can be summed up in one sentence
"So incredible, I know I'm going back."
I have many homes in Mexico... and can't wait to visit.
Friday, October 10, 2008
To all my faithful friends...
...yes, I am alive!
Wow... its been forever since I have updated everyone on my incredible experiences here with UWP - I'll do a few posts tonight... a general, a Mexico, and an American post.
So. Where to begin?!?! LIFE IS CRAZY! We have been so busy since La Paz - as a cast we have bonded so well - we truly are a family. There are so many things that are unique to Up With People culture, that really distinguish our interactions from those in the general population of people.
~We are forced to reflect - many times, every day. It is amazing how much you learn about yourself, about others, and about your capacity to learn in general when you are actually given the time to process an emotional activity- or a challenging conversation.
~Awkwardness promotes growth. Okay... so that's not exactly how they phrase it within the education team... but that's basically what it boils down to. Surviving those experiences that push us out of our comfort zones - forces us to be flexible, adaptive, and more confident in our own capabilities.
~Communication is essential. Conversations here, are so... blunt. There are times when they are superficial... and there are moments where they are deep and philosophical. And yet, regardless of the type of conversation... the fact that it is people from 22 nations attempting to reach a respect, understanding...and common ground is miraculous in and of itself. But people here are honest. We have to be... as we have no choice. We are together...all day every day for 6 months. If you can't be honest, you aren't being real... and if you aren't authentic in a situation, you can't possibly be maximizing your experience here. Learning how to have the difficult conversations has been hard... but such a valuable life skill.
We still have our workshops to refresh our minds about life in the *real world*... this program really does force you to have a worldly awareness...and become conscious of your role as a global citizen. We are in the middle of a workshop series which deals with relevant social and environmental issues. Among them: pollution/recycling initiatives (ask the family... they witnessed my week long trashbag briggade... it was unpleasant to carry, and even more unpleasant to smell), human rights, poverty/hunger, religion, etc. It keeps us mentally refreshed to have those engaging conversations... where you can have insight into the perspectives of such a diverse group of people.
We have also been working dilligently to refine our dances... and to develop our Stand For Peace cirriculum. The Stand For Peace project is an UWP initiative which takes us into school systems (grades 3-8) with a specific agenda of games and activites designed to promote peace, respect, and understanding. Working with the kids is so awesome... the program is well received - especially by the little ones... who are so curious about the array of people who come parading into their classroom to play with them. I love it!
Wow... its been forever since I have updated everyone on my incredible experiences here with UWP - I'll do a few posts tonight... a general, a Mexico, and an American post.
So. Where to begin?!?! LIFE IS CRAZY! We have been so busy since La Paz - as a cast we have bonded so well - we truly are a family. There are so many things that are unique to Up With People culture, that really distinguish our interactions from those in the general population of people.
~We are forced to reflect - many times, every day. It is amazing how much you learn about yourself, about others, and about your capacity to learn in general when you are actually given the time to process an emotional activity- or a challenging conversation.
~Awkwardness promotes growth. Okay... so that's not exactly how they phrase it within the education team... but that's basically what it boils down to. Surviving those experiences that push us out of our comfort zones - forces us to be flexible, adaptive, and more confident in our own capabilities.
~Communication is essential. Conversations here, are so... blunt. There are times when they are superficial... and there are moments where they are deep and philosophical. And yet, regardless of the type of conversation... the fact that it is people from 22 nations attempting to reach a respect, understanding...and common ground is miraculous in and of itself. But people here are honest. We have to be... as we have no choice. We are together...all day every day for 6 months. If you can't be honest, you aren't being real... and if you aren't authentic in a situation, you can't possibly be maximizing your experience here. Learning how to have the difficult conversations has been hard... but such a valuable life skill.
We still have our workshops to refresh our minds about life in the *real world*... this program really does force you to have a worldly awareness...and become conscious of your role as a global citizen. We are in the middle of a workshop series which deals with relevant social and environmental issues. Among them: pollution/recycling initiatives (ask the family... they witnessed my week long trashbag briggade... it was unpleasant to carry, and even more unpleasant to smell), human rights, poverty/hunger, religion, etc. It keeps us mentally refreshed to have those engaging conversations... where you can have insight into the perspectives of such a diverse group of people.
We have also been working dilligently to refine our dances... and to develop our Stand For Peace cirriculum. The Stand For Peace project is an UWP initiative which takes us into school systems (grades 3-8) with a specific agenda of games and activites designed to promote peace, respect, and understanding. Working with the kids is so awesome... the program is well received - especially by the little ones... who are so curious about the array of people who come parading into their classroom to play with them. I love it!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
A Treat.
Sorry there isn't a musical accompanyment... but... I got lazy and don't have any songs on this computer... so deal ;-)
Leaving La Paz
Well.. we did it.
Tomorrow, I leave La Paz and head to destination LOS CABOS. I thought for sure, that Cabo would be my favorite place on tour... but the more I think about having to leave La Paz, the more my heart hurts. I don't want to leave this host family. I love it here. The people are amazing..
Our show had probably a good 2,000 people in attendance. The children would stand in the aisles and dance with us. Here, we are like little celebrities. I am not even kidding... they treat us like royalty. People stop us on the street during community impact activities to sign things, and to give hugs to the cast of "Vive la Gente"... they jump up and down, and stand and take pictures with us. They come out of their houses bearing gifts when they see us in their communities. One even invited a few of us into her home to talk to her family. Its really insanely amazing.
I speak much better Spanish now than i ever did in school. You really do get better with practice. At home, my host parents often speak to me in Spanish. I told them when I arrived that I was determined to be more fluent in the language before I left. It is working. Just hearing people talk all the time in a new language, you pick it up bit by bit... and can understand a lot of unfamiliar words just through context. But yeah. Lots of people have been going on interviews... TV, radio, you name it... its around us. We were doing a community impact project the other day... and unannounced... like 5 different stations/newspapers all arrived... and put us on the spot. Our cast is on the news nightly. Its like we have a personal paparazzi at our events... esta muy bien. ;-)
Our show went well... despite some minor glitches here and there. It was a miracle that we even had a show, given the weather of the day. It rained...yes... rained. Fantastic little drops poured from the skies. Good, in that it kept us cool during our outdoor "rehearsal".. bad, in that it made extra work for the tech team, who had to reset everything do all lighting and sound checks over once the rains stopped. We hardly practiced all day.. because it was impossible due to safety reasons to do anything full out. We were in a baseball stadium, so getting wet was unavoidable. We changed in the sand, grit, and mud... and made it happen.
It was awesome. I danced with a little girl with Downs syndrome, and she told me I was beautiful. It made my night. Also, I got to see Osmara sing up on stage... she is so sweet. And she even remembered me!!! - I went over prior to the show, to say hi... and asked if she knew who I was ... she replied "si..." and then held up her little hands and started to sign to me, as we had at the BTS show. Amazing. I am so glad that we could give back to this community, and these people, who so lovingly have opened their homes and hearts to welcome us... as more than just Vive La Gente... but as host sisters, brothers, and children.
Strike for the show wasn't complete until like... 2am. Made for a really long day... but well worth it. Today, I slept late, because my host parents are awesome like that... and let me wake up on my own. My mom took us shopping- and I got a tortuga (turtle magnet, made of shell) and some jewelry. We then stopped by my dad's work, as well as the Government Palace (where she gave us an awesome history lesson... because she is a teacher and is muy inteligente) and headed home briefly to freshen up. We went to the movies - which was fun, and much cheaper than such an excursion in the States. Finally, we stopped at a super yummy Chinese restaurant on the way home. Can I just tell you what an interesting feeling it is... to be sitting in a CHINESE restaurant... being waited on by Mexicans... and reading the names of the Chinese foods... in Spanish. Once in a lifetime expereinces... of this I am positive.
Our rains... apparently came from tropical storm Julio. It is moving up the Baja peninsula.. it may cause further issues for our cast tomorrow, as we are scheduled to depart La Paz for Cabo at 1. The storm, is in Cabo currently, and has flooded many of the roadways. You see, because it doesn't rain here much... the roads have no drainage system. Because of this, the water collects into massive puddles (and flowing streams) in the streets. Whole streets are washed out, and inaccessible in the rains. Hopefully, we don't get stranded...
Adios for now...
Pictures to follow :-)
Tomorrow, I leave La Paz and head to destination LOS CABOS. I thought for sure, that Cabo would be my favorite place on tour... but the more I think about having to leave La Paz, the more my heart hurts. I don't want to leave this host family. I love it here. The people are amazing..
Our show had probably a good 2,000 people in attendance. The children would stand in the aisles and dance with us. Here, we are like little celebrities. I am not even kidding... they treat us like royalty. People stop us on the street during community impact activities to sign things, and to give hugs to the cast of "Vive la Gente"... they jump up and down, and stand and take pictures with us. They come out of their houses bearing gifts when they see us in their communities. One even invited a few of us into her home to talk to her family. Its really insanely amazing.
I speak much better Spanish now than i ever did in school. You really do get better with practice. At home, my host parents often speak to me in Spanish. I told them when I arrived that I was determined to be more fluent in the language before I left. It is working. Just hearing people talk all the time in a new language, you pick it up bit by bit... and can understand a lot of unfamiliar words just through context. But yeah. Lots of people have been going on interviews... TV, radio, you name it... its around us. We were doing a community impact project the other day... and unannounced... like 5 different stations/newspapers all arrived... and put us on the spot. Our cast is on the news nightly. Its like we have a personal paparazzi at our events... esta muy bien. ;-)
Our show went well... despite some minor glitches here and there. It was a miracle that we even had a show, given the weather of the day. It rained...yes... rained. Fantastic little drops poured from the skies. Good, in that it kept us cool during our outdoor "rehearsal".. bad, in that it made extra work for the tech team, who had to reset everything do all lighting and sound checks over once the rains stopped. We hardly practiced all day.. because it was impossible due to safety reasons to do anything full out. We were in a baseball stadium, so getting wet was unavoidable. We changed in the sand, grit, and mud... and made it happen.
It was awesome. I danced with a little girl with Downs syndrome, and she told me I was beautiful. It made my night. Also, I got to see Osmara sing up on stage... she is so sweet. And she even remembered me!!! - I went over prior to the show, to say hi... and asked if she knew who I was ... she replied "si..." and then held up her little hands and started to sign to me, as we had at the BTS show. Amazing. I am so glad that we could give back to this community, and these people, who so lovingly have opened their homes and hearts to welcome us... as more than just Vive La Gente... but as host sisters, brothers, and children.
Strike for the show wasn't complete until like... 2am. Made for a really long day... but well worth it. Today, I slept late, because my host parents are awesome like that... and let me wake up on my own. My mom took us shopping- and I got a tortuga (turtle magnet, made of shell) and some jewelry. We then stopped by my dad's work, as well as the Government Palace (where she gave us an awesome history lesson... because she is a teacher and is muy inteligente) and headed home briefly to freshen up. We went to the movies - which was fun, and much cheaper than such an excursion in the States. Finally, we stopped at a super yummy Chinese restaurant on the way home. Can I just tell you what an interesting feeling it is... to be sitting in a CHINESE restaurant... being waited on by Mexicans... and reading the names of the Chinese foods... in Spanish. Once in a lifetime expereinces... of this I am positive.
Our rains... apparently came from tropical storm Julio. It is moving up the Baja peninsula.. it may cause further issues for our cast tomorrow, as we are scheduled to depart La Paz for Cabo at 1. The storm, is in Cabo currently, and has flooded many of the roadways. You see, because it doesn't rain here much... the roads have no drainage system. Because of this, the water collects into massive puddles (and flowing streams) in the streets. Whole streets are washed out, and inaccessible in the rains. Hopefully, we don't get stranded...
Adios for now...
Pictures to follow :-)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
This is Brittany (Rhode Island), Humberto (Mexico) and I... we are getting ready for our final rehearsals on our very first SHOW DAY!!! ... Denver, Colorado
This is some of my castmates... all pumped up in the dressing room ~ because, at this point, it was T-45 minutes til SHOWTIME!!
Well, this is us at the end of "Keep the Beat"... I am in the front line (one of the purple people).. splitting center (look center, then right).
This is one of the tourguides at Phoenix Mine... right outside of Idaho Springs, Colorado. What an interesting character he was... with many old miners stories to boot.
This is beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado. The town is so adorable... all colorful with a mountain backdrop. So picturesque.
Here I am, front and center, as we perform a small show to promote our larger production. YAY!!
Hola! That's me... my papa taught me how to waterski at La Playa Balandra here in La Paz. I had so much fun!!! It took me 6 tries to actually stand.. and on the 7th, I skiied pretty far (farther than I expected)... kudos to me for stepping out of the comfort zone.
Beautiful Balandra beach... as the sun set, and we watched the sky change colors. As if you aren't jealous enough right now, I may add that at this point, my "mom" and I were ine warm ocean (over 80 degrees!) having a great conversation about the need to be catalysts for positive change. I was standing between my Mexican mom, and my Danish roommate... as a friend of my "papa" brought me a rum and coke. I stood, just soaking it all in... and realized it wasn't a dream. I truly am here.. in paradise.
This is Sammi... she is a sweet little thing. She and her father had the umbrella next to us at the beach.. with their dog, Sandy. I could tell she was curious, but shy. When Catherine (my roommate) and I were out in the water, she finally worked up the courage to come ask me to play. She spoke no English... and me limited Spanish. But somehow, we talked... and I learned she loved gymnastics and singing, but wasn't so good at dance. I love that about children. Their innocence makes it so easy to converse... even with huge language barriers. She wasn't judging me when I misspoke... (though at times she'd giggle if I couldn't find the words)... but instead, she just did her best to understand me so that we could play.
This is my dad, Alejandro (on the right)... he and his friends taught my roommate and I how to waterski! He is so awesome.. comes home from work everyday, eager to hear how our days were and what is in store for tomorrow. He laughs at me a lot, and says I'm "muy loca"... that means "crazy"... I can't help it. Sometimes, I use really bad spanglish (because my host parents are really helping me converse in Spanish so my speaking skills improve). Other times, its just cuz I do stupid things.... like forget to say "Chile o no chile" instead of "picante o no picante" ... you see, chile refers to those darned green peppers.. and picante means hot. In Mexico.. if you ask a Mexican, NOTHING is picante... however. their mild can best be described as the hottest tobasco sauce your tongue has tasted. Come to think of it... I am quite thankful that with all of the food mistakes I have made this week, I still have a tongue. I think I have resilient tastebuds or something... but they were totally tortured over these past few days!
This is me and my Dane, Catherine. She is one of my roomies here in La Paz. She is great. We talk often and I am really getting to know her. I am gonna miss our chats when I move on to another roommate, in our next city.
Ay.. mi mama. My mom here, is named Malvina...and she is a wicked amazing cook. She prepares all kinds of amazing classic Mexican dishes for us... to give us a taste of her country. Here, we had for breakfast, fresh tortillas, cottage cheese, regional cheese, huevos con jamon (eggs with ham) and frijoles refritas (refried beans). What you can't see is the fresh watermelon and mango she also sliced for us. It is a daily thing to have fresh food, and phenomenal breakfasts and dinners.
Just for jealousy...
Malvina, mi mama. She takes such good care of me here. It is amazing. Here she is in the kitchen. She spends a lot of time there making our food - and getting goodies together for us to take for snack. See the fresh frutas in the front of the picture>>? They were consumed shortly after this picture was taken! ;-)Another story... then I promise I'll shut up. Tonight, was our first Mexican BTS show. It was amazing! I was so nervous... but the crowd was so supportive. Over 300 people gathered to watch us! Some of those in attendance were kids from Mobilize Mankind, who is our benefactor for the city of La Paz. Mobilize Mankind, works to increase accessibility and quality of life for those with physical handicaps that may otherwise limit them.
One little girl, Osmara... touched my heart. As I entered the audience to perform our One 2 One song in sign language, I knelt down to sign to her. Bless her heart, she started to sign back. The adults who were supervising her, gathered around videotaping and snapping pictures. I didn't understand why this was so much more of a featured event than those other UWP cast members who were also signing to children. However, after the show, the director of the Mobilize Mankind program personally found me, to tell me more about Osmara. You see... as of a few years ago, they weren't sure if she could even think... because she demonstrated such little mobility and such. Now she has a motorized wheelchair. She plays on her school's football team, and loves to wear wigs and sing kareoke. I asked her "Te gusta bailar"... and she said "Si, me gusta"... meaning, yes, I like to dance. So we danced a bit after the show.
I think, Osmara has CP... or something similar. She has very very limited use of her hands... as they don't seem to move as easily as she wishes. However... tonight... Osmara signed. With me. She put those little fingers up, and moved those hands to action. She tried, and tried... and sure enough, she did it. People were amazed. I was told it was the first time that she had demonstrated such focus and dexterity.
When we performed the sun was setting over the palms and the water. The stage was constructed beachside, and it was still a boiling 80 some degrees as we took the stage. Here, it is so easy to get caught up in the paradise that is La Paz. But La Paz, actually means the Peace. ... tonight, I feel so peaceful inside. I hope that this little girl's day was that much brighter... because she accomplished what was to her, such a difficult feat. Perhaps she will one day have the opportunity to perform. Until then, I will savor my moments on stage for her... as she reminded me why I am here. I want to make a difference... and to change my world... one person at a time.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Long Overdue...
Hi all..
I apologize to faithful readers... but these past few weeks have been insane. I'll try to backtrack a bit, and bring ya'll up to date ;-)
1st show:
Rough around the edges, but full of passion! Someone tripped a cord in our opening number, causing the music to cut out mid song... leaving the entire cast (and lead soloists) singing acapello as we frantically tried to regain our timing and choreography. Other songs weren't quite as disastrous, however, they weren't amazing... that's for sure. We were proud that we got through it, but it was no secret that there was a lot of work to be done.
We said goodbye to our host families in Denver the following Monday. They had enjoyed the show... and hopefully their time hosting us... It was hard to say bye to Barbara... 4 weeks is a long time, and Littleton had begun to feel like home. I looked forward to our dinner conversations, and Olympic TVOed gymnastics. Sunday night, I had the opportunity to go with my host mom's nephew INDOOR SKYDIVING. Yes, that's right... for anyone who knows me, I am terrified of heights. But I did it. Amazing. It was the most free feeling...to just fall into an open tube and feel the air lift you 30 feet into the open space.
On our way to Breckenridge we stopped in a small town called Idaho Springs, CO. It was so quaint... words just don't do it justice. We chatted briefly with locals in coffeeshops, while meandering around to see the historic sights of the place. After watching (in horror) as some of my fellow castmates purchased and proceded to eat RAW earthWORMS... it was time to go.
We moved on to a mining area... it was called Pheonix mine. Craziness... the guys there were wild westerners... who lived only by the law of the land. I kissed the lucky bucket.. and panned for gold... and then boarded the bus for Breckenridge.
In Breckenridge, our host codes were related to the Olympic games. I had to find the person holding the flag of the country which hosted the 1988 Winter games. It happened to be the Butler family... they would become my home for the next four days. What an amazing group of people they were. The children (aged 4 and 2) were absolutely adorable... and by far the politest children I've encountered. The parents were both patient, and so willing to open their homes to us. It truly was a life altering experience, even if the stay was a mere 4 days. I hope to keep in contact with the Butlers (and Barbara) as I continue on my journeys. The one boy, Frankie, brought Meron (Ethiopia) and I flowers after our show. A dozen roses each... because he said we deserved it. He looked for us (we were roommates) in EVERY dance, and even refused to watch people dance if they impeded upon his view of Meron and I. Too cute... it was a hard goodbye, and I remained choked up well into the afternoon...thinking of how fortunate I was to have gotten placed with such a neat family.
In Breckenridge, we performed our first REAL show. It was so much better than the last one had been. Plus, we had had a mini show during that week, to promote UWP within the community. So fun!... It was intense dancing there though. The air is so thin, you gasp and gasp and still can't breathe!!! Anyways, the night of the show, we had to strike the set.. host pickup, therefore, was not until 1am~! Until we got to bed, it was after two, and Meron and I woke early to do a load of wash and get showers before another long day. When we said goodbye, we had a matter of minutes before our sessions started... education, dance, culture... etc. At night, we had time to wind down - and a bunch of us set out on a quest to Downtown Breckenridge. It was an awesome little place - we grabbed dessert at Bubba Gumps, and headed back... ending up soaked due to the torrential downpour. Seriously, we looked like drowned rats, but it was well worth it! Its so nice sometimes to just have a group of people to escape with... and talk to.
Our flight to Mexico left early the next morning. We had to leave the hotel (where we had camped out and pulled an all-nighter on the ballroom floor) at 3:30 am. We hit snow on the pass on the way to the airport. What a contrast from the 90+ heat we would experience just hours later as we landed in Los Cabos.
When we arrived in Cabo, we took buses to La Paz. On the way, we stopped at a roadside burrito shack to get some food. I even ordered in Spanish!!! It was muy bueno... we met our host families shortly after arriving in La Paz. Mine is a couple who has two grown sons... My mom, is Malvina, and my dad is Alejandro. Both are the sweetest people you could ever know. They dote over the three of us (I live with Crystal from Wisconsin and Cathrine from Denmark) because we are their first ever host girls. Malvina especially, always says how special it is that she has daughters.
We eat well here. Malvina is an EXCELLENT cook. She prepares breakfast and dinner for us daily.. and gives us treats to hold us over during the day!... On Sunday, our parents took us to a private beach for a picinic dinner where we watched the sun set over the red rocks of La Paz. I also learned to water ski for the first time and found my new favorite food and drink. The food is a type of helado, or ice cream. It is helado con petales del rosa... or rose petal ice cream. As romantic and fragrant tasting as it smells. My favorite drink, is agua con jamaica... which is a type of tea made from the flowers of the jamaica plant. So yummy.. you all must try it!
Oh.. and the food here is nothing like at home. The Mexican food of the states does NOT resemble actual Mexican food... and the fruits of home, are insanely large in comparison to the ones here (which are much riper and fresh tasting). Mangos especially, are so different than what I am used to. But I love it. Esta muy bueno!!!
For our Community Impact work here in La Paz, we are working with Mobilize Mankind... it is a group which tries to integrate the handicapped into the folds of regular society.. and recycle and refurbish the unusable wheelchairs, prosthetic pieces, and other devices of the USA, to areas that need them most. Pretty cool. All profits from our show on Saturday will go towards this organization... and we are hoping to perform to a sell out crowd of about 5,000. Pray for that. This organization does so much good. Oh. And we repainted the entire stadium where we will perform. It is a baseball stadium that had been defaced by grafitti... and so we repainted it, to draw attention to our show, and help out the community. Again, muy bueno!
Something cool? We found a blue starfish today during our regional learning at the beach. Also, the other day (not cool, but interesting)... one of my castmates got stung by a sting ray. Here, they are called mantarayas - scary. They are poisonous. She is okay though... lucky for me, my mom watches for us at the beach and does the 'mantaraya shuffle' in an effort to scare them away.
Tomorrow I have a beach side BTS or back track show... which is basically a small version of our big program for promotional purposes. That's right... its beachside. Be jealous. The water is crystal clear, and the people are amazing. I wish you could be here to live this life. It is muy incredible...
Pictures coming soon...
Abrasos y besos de La Paz, Mexico
(hugs and kisses from La Paz, Mexico)
I apologize to faithful readers... but these past few weeks have been insane. I'll try to backtrack a bit, and bring ya'll up to date ;-)
1st show:
Rough around the edges, but full of passion! Someone tripped a cord in our opening number, causing the music to cut out mid song... leaving the entire cast (and lead soloists) singing acapello as we frantically tried to regain our timing and choreography. Other songs weren't quite as disastrous, however, they weren't amazing... that's for sure. We were proud that we got through it, but it was no secret that there was a lot of work to be done.
We said goodbye to our host families in Denver the following Monday. They had enjoyed the show... and hopefully their time hosting us... It was hard to say bye to Barbara... 4 weeks is a long time, and Littleton had begun to feel like home. I looked forward to our dinner conversations, and Olympic TVOed gymnastics. Sunday night, I had the opportunity to go with my host mom's nephew INDOOR SKYDIVING. Yes, that's right... for anyone who knows me, I am terrified of heights. But I did it. Amazing. It was the most free feeling...to just fall into an open tube and feel the air lift you 30 feet into the open space.
On our way to Breckenridge we stopped in a small town called Idaho Springs, CO. It was so quaint... words just don't do it justice. We chatted briefly with locals in coffeeshops, while meandering around to see the historic sights of the place. After watching (in horror) as some of my fellow castmates purchased and proceded to eat RAW earthWORMS... it was time to go.
We moved on to a mining area... it was called Pheonix mine. Craziness... the guys there were wild westerners... who lived only by the law of the land. I kissed the lucky bucket.. and panned for gold... and then boarded the bus for Breckenridge.
In Breckenridge, our host codes were related to the Olympic games. I had to find the person holding the flag of the country which hosted the 1988 Winter games. It happened to be the Butler family... they would become my home for the next four days. What an amazing group of people they were. The children (aged 4 and 2) were absolutely adorable... and by far the politest children I've encountered. The parents were both patient, and so willing to open their homes to us. It truly was a life altering experience, even if the stay was a mere 4 days. I hope to keep in contact with the Butlers (and Barbara) as I continue on my journeys. The one boy, Frankie, brought Meron (Ethiopia) and I flowers after our show. A dozen roses each... because he said we deserved it. He looked for us (we were roommates) in EVERY dance, and even refused to watch people dance if they impeded upon his view of Meron and I. Too cute... it was a hard goodbye, and I remained choked up well into the afternoon...thinking of how fortunate I was to have gotten placed with such a neat family.
In Breckenridge, we performed our first REAL show. It was so much better than the last one had been. Plus, we had had a mini show during that week, to promote UWP within the community. So fun!... It was intense dancing there though. The air is so thin, you gasp and gasp and still can't breathe!!! Anyways, the night of the show, we had to strike the set.. host pickup, therefore, was not until 1am~! Until we got to bed, it was after two, and Meron and I woke early to do a load of wash and get showers before another long day. When we said goodbye, we had a matter of minutes before our sessions started... education, dance, culture... etc. At night, we had time to wind down - and a bunch of us set out on a quest to Downtown Breckenridge. It was an awesome little place - we grabbed dessert at Bubba Gumps, and headed back... ending up soaked due to the torrential downpour. Seriously, we looked like drowned rats, but it was well worth it! Its so nice sometimes to just have a group of people to escape with... and talk to.
Our flight to Mexico left early the next morning. We had to leave the hotel (where we had camped out and pulled an all-nighter on the ballroom floor) at 3:30 am. We hit snow on the pass on the way to the airport. What a contrast from the 90+ heat we would experience just hours later as we landed in Los Cabos.
When we arrived in Cabo, we took buses to La Paz. On the way, we stopped at a roadside burrito shack to get some food. I even ordered in Spanish!!! It was muy bueno... we met our host families shortly after arriving in La Paz. Mine is a couple who has two grown sons... My mom, is Malvina, and my dad is Alejandro. Both are the sweetest people you could ever know. They dote over the three of us (I live with Crystal from Wisconsin and Cathrine from Denmark) because we are their first ever host girls. Malvina especially, always says how special it is that she has daughters.
We eat well here. Malvina is an EXCELLENT cook. She prepares breakfast and dinner for us daily.. and gives us treats to hold us over during the day!... On Sunday, our parents took us to a private beach for a picinic dinner where we watched the sun set over the red rocks of La Paz. I also learned to water ski for the first time and found my new favorite food and drink. The food is a type of helado, or ice cream. It is helado con petales del rosa... or rose petal ice cream. As romantic and fragrant tasting as it smells. My favorite drink, is agua con jamaica... which is a type of tea made from the flowers of the jamaica plant. So yummy.. you all must try it!
Oh.. and the food here is nothing like at home. The Mexican food of the states does NOT resemble actual Mexican food... and the fruits of home, are insanely large in comparison to the ones here (which are much riper and fresh tasting). Mangos especially, are so different than what I am used to. But I love it. Esta muy bueno!!!
For our Community Impact work here in La Paz, we are working with Mobilize Mankind... it is a group which tries to integrate the handicapped into the folds of regular society.. and recycle and refurbish the unusable wheelchairs, prosthetic pieces, and other devices of the USA, to areas that need them most. Pretty cool. All profits from our show on Saturday will go towards this organization... and we are hoping to perform to a sell out crowd of about 5,000. Pray for that. This organization does so much good. Oh. And we repainted the entire stadium where we will perform. It is a baseball stadium that had been defaced by grafitti... and so we repainted it, to draw attention to our show, and help out the community. Again, muy bueno!
Something cool? We found a blue starfish today during our regional learning at the beach. Also, the other day (not cool, but interesting)... one of my castmates got stung by a sting ray. Here, they are called mantarayas - scary. They are poisonous. She is okay though... lucky for me, my mom watches for us at the beach and does the 'mantaraya shuffle' in an effort to scare them away.
Tomorrow I have a beach side BTS or back track show... which is basically a small version of our big program for promotional purposes. That's right... its beachside. Be jealous. The water is crystal clear, and the people are amazing. I wish you could be here to live this life. It is muy incredible...
Pictures coming soon...
Abrasos y besos de La Paz, Mexico
(hugs and kisses from La Paz, Mexico)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Countdown to Curtain Call #1
This is on a break. Our cast is big on massages. Hey... I'm not complaining... be jealous... very jealous.
This was taken on the drive into our CI the other week... I thought it was such a beautiful little scene... it was this meandering stream.. and just lush grass that opened into the mountains. Sadly, only feet away was the damage of that fire...
On the way to CI (it was a long drive...) many games were played. This bunch (who sat directly in front of me... what entertainment)... decided to give themselves tattoos and indicate whether they won or lost games by doodling Ls and Ws on the heads of all participants. Do note that this was all done in permanent marker.
This makes me smile. Too fun. I could try to list everyone's names, but I know I'd spell most horribly wrong. But.. instead I'll list some countries I see represented. We have a Dane, two Mexicans, a Brazilian, two Germans, A Belgian, and a Swede...we also have someone from North Carolina, from New Jersey, Connecticut, and one other... but I forget where she is from... Texas?
Another picture of that pretty-as-a-picture view we got out of our bus windows on the way to our CI.Well everyone... its almost time.
All month we've been working hard- for this coming Saturday.
I can only hope we pull together the passion and energy that our cast is capable of to deliver an amazing show...
Rehearsals have been long this week.. but there were a lot of really positive moments and breakthroughs.
Our staff has really been pushing us to explore our emotional boundaries. Our performance quality has enhanced so much... as each person has really taken that mission to heart... to try and convey through their voice, their face, and their body the essence of why they are here, in this Cast...
Today, we had Steve Faber ... a realllly awesome guest speaker. He speaks on Extreme Leadership... and is also the stepfather of one of my castmates - Kelsey. His annecdotal stories were so awesome and inspirational - as was the speech of Ms. Lee earlier this week.
Today, we caught the WATERBALLOON BANDITS!! Yay for Celiana, our Business Manager on the road - she caught them (with photo documentation!)... and instead of getting mad, helped the cast to get EVEN. So... today at wrap up, she called out Jenny and Maggie and pretended to be thanking them for their hard work with the send-off committee. For their surprise, they had to close their eyes...
And Matt, and I believe Rafa, proceeded to dump buckets of water over their head. There was no escape. They were drenched... but they deserved it, lol. After all the nights I walked to the train station all the way through the 16th street mall in my wet clothes, or damp sneakers from their shennanigans... you bet I was lovingly laughing as they stood dripping like wet little noodles!
Also today, Jochem treated about 8 volunteers to a "Dutch taste test"... What a cultural experience that was, as they bravely tried the Dutch drop they were given. The reactions were priceless. Overall, Europeans loved it, North Americans were split, the South Americans didn't like it... and the Asians/Africans didn't really care that much for it either. I had tried a Dutch drop previously courtesy of Mayke... wasn't a big fan. Its basically like licorice...intensified.
Colin's mom and cousin were nice enough to send the entire cast COOKIES... yep... all the way from Texas, we received a package of snickerdoodles, biscotti, and a chocolate brittle type treat. Loved it. The perfect end to a long day.
Our new venue is beautiful. I am excited to have our first show there. They estimate about 1,000 people will be in attendance.. mostly host families who will be preparing to say goodbye to their "kids" for the past 4.5 weeks. No doubt Monday's host drop off will be difficult. Its hard to change - but on this tour, I suppose we will soon become accustomed to it. It is how we live. Like global hobos with a mission. It is so different than what I am used to. And yet, its nervewracking, and thrilling all at the same time.
For now I will leave you with some cute little pictures (above) that capture the craziness of our cast.... enjoy.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Promised Pics!
This is a typical time in rehearsal. I am all the way towards that clump in the back right... in a purple shirt :-)
On our walk with Cuddles we stopped at the local park... we all decided to try our hand at preset photos... not too shabby, eh?
These are the times I'll treasure... and its why I am so glad they are my first roomies.
Javi and I at the outdoor concert... after dinner Downtown.
A bunch of us girls relaxing on break... we don't get many, so we savor them when they happen.
A house hug :-) at the concert.
Sooo this is why they give us no free time. We have structure, because without it, we act stupid. Here Mayke and I are attempting (successfully) to squeeze into a pair of pants she was given as a gift (ironically from an UWP alumni).
Daniela and I... luv this girl! She always makes me laugh...and we will totally be sidekicks in Hermosilla as we celebrate Mexico's Independence Day!!!
This is what happens when you play with fire.
Three cheers for teamwork. All of the large debris had to be resettled into the ravine things... that way when winter comes around, they can set fire to the leftover wood in there... and have it all in a concentrated location.
All it takes is a little teamwork...
And quite a team we were... as we stand here getting instructions.. and preparing to get down and dirty...
And that we did... every last one of us was covered in soot and ash... as well as scratches, scrapes, bruises, and sweat. Gross... but that's what showers were for. I just felt bad for the guest speaker we had after that (the CEO of UWP..who was brilliantly inspirational by the way)... our stench was potent... and BAD. He was an UWP alumni though.. so he understood - but the people in the convenience store across the street sure didn't... I believe the woman's exact words as a group of us walked in hair a mess, drenched in sweet, and filthy from head to toe "eww... who are you and why are you here?"Another week...
Well, we survived week three of staging here in Denver. The weather is hot as ever (its been over 100 every day!!!). The show is coming together bit by bit, and we are now trying to incorporate all elements (band, lighting, sound technitians, and costumes!). We still don't know who is doing what for the first show... but I suppose that will add an interesting element of surprise to next Saturday ~ our SHOW DAY!!!
Rehearsals are tiring, and can sometimes bring out the worst in people. And yet, I love every second I spend with my cast. They are amazing people - all of them. Each one is sooo incredibly talented. It is just such a pleasure getting to know them, talk with them, and try to understand them for who they are.
Highlights of the week:
Last Sunday, we went to a BBQ at my host mom's daughter's house. She is so sweet, as is her daughter - we ate tons of yummy food, and then talked for awhile. They are even coming to our first performance~!!!
Tuesday, we had our first cast CI. CI stands for Community Impact. It is the main component of the UWP program (the performance stuff is definately secondary). So.. our CIs vary place to place - once we get on the road, we will have CI activities about 3 times each week. Some cities we split up to cover more ground - and impact more of the community. Other times, we use the strength in numbers philosophy - and work as an entire cast towards a common goal. Our CI work is also featured in our weekly shows... through various media things, and photographs throughout the show. This week, our CI was reforestation. A local area had been ravaged by fire a few years back - a park ranger, who had received a letter from her ex husband, set the letter ablaze. Thinking she had it under control, it burned for 4 days in a confined space - and yet, unexpectedly, it jumped a road and consequently destroyed more than 157,000 acres of Colorado's forest. Our job, was to do debris removal, reseeding, and planting. So... we split into three teams, donning our super sexy hard hats... and got to work. I was on the debris removal/reseeding team. We were able to clear about 2 acres of the large burnt wood that was left... we then raked (across the slope of the land - so that the soil would not dislodge and be loose sediment in heavy rains)... and reseeded the entire area. Covering it with hay so that the minimal rainfall that the area receives could be retained... our job was complete. As a cast, we managed to clear and reseed those two acres... pull 60 bags of weeds, and replant 100 trees. All told, we repaired approximately 5 acres of that forrest, in a matter of 4 hours. Good stuff.
Mid week, we took Cuddles for a walk - more like a run... for 50 minutes. We took turns jogging around the neighborhood with the puppy in tow... and then settled down for a bit at the community park. We had fun taking pictures, and trying to do a celebrity photoshoot with the dog - who surprisingly enough, cooperated relatively well :-)
One of the days, we had an educational activity. We have such things frequently... due to the need to minimize/recognize culture shock, be accepting of diversity, respectful of one another, and empathetic to eachother's needs. So... this particular activity was called Cross The Line. It was one of the hardest games I have ever played. The moderator would ask a question, and if your answer was yes, you crossed the line. You then had 10 seconds, to stare into the eyes of the people across from you, who were clearly different for whatever given reason. The questions started out funny... but progressed to much deeper material. It was interesting, yet hard, to see people segregated into such obvious groups. Some shared stories to help explain their stance, or their reason for being across the line... for others, you just stared, and made a mental note to inquire later. By the game's end, many were in tears.
Thursday was a girls night out - we went (and the boys joined us to) to a neat place downtown after rehearsal. We had dinner and enjoyed happy hour - before heading across the street to a free outdoor concert (of a U2 cover band). It is always fun after a long day of practice, to see people in a more relaxed atmosphere.
We also had our first run through with the costumes on Friday - boy was that a hot mess. There were people scrambling EVERYWHERE. UWP quick changes are no joke... some are less than a minute long. There were moments, I was pretty positive I was going to be running on stage sans costume. And oh what an embarassment that would have been.
Friday night, Barbara treated us to a delicious dinner at the most adorable little restaurant in Downtown Littleton. It was a converted old house... and the food was amazing. I had fish that was out of this world... over lettuce with a warm dressing. Yummmmmmmyyy
Yesterday (yes - we have 6 day weeks here, so I was at UWP alllllll day Saturday)... we had hometeam meetings. Your hometeam is basically your safety network within the cast. They are the people who will help load and unload your suitcases and stuff off of the planes, buses and boats - and also the people who you can confide in when you are struggling with an incast issue. Each hometeam has a name (though ours is not yet confirmed)... and we have competitions against other hometeams throughout our time here. Anyways - we had a hometeam meeting yesterday, and it was super emotional. I love my hometeam... and its so nice to have a designated group, and place for sharing the stuff that can really get you down.
Today - I relaxed. I slept in - took a long walk to lunch with the girls, and caught up on my blogging and pictures. Additionally - I practiced... because I am determined to not mess up tomorrow. Its down to crunch time. For dinner, I made Chicken Pot Pie... so that there was no confusion over the fact that the real PA Dutch stuff does NOT come in an actual pie. It wasn't as good as mom's or Nanny's ... but I tried.
Thats all for now.
A picture post is coming... as is an update on my tour schedule which has just been confirmed.
Rehearsals are tiring, and can sometimes bring out the worst in people. And yet, I love every second I spend with my cast. They are amazing people - all of them. Each one is sooo incredibly talented. It is just such a pleasure getting to know them, talk with them, and try to understand them for who they are.
Highlights of the week:
Last Sunday, we went to a BBQ at my host mom's daughter's house. She is so sweet, as is her daughter - we ate tons of yummy food, and then talked for awhile. They are even coming to our first performance~!!!
Tuesday, we had our first cast CI. CI stands for Community Impact. It is the main component of the UWP program (the performance stuff is definately secondary). So.. our CIs vary place to place - once we get on the road, we will have CI activities about 3 times each week. Some cities we split up to cover more ground - and impact more of the community. Other times, we use the strength in numbers philosophy - and work as an entire cast towards a common goal. Our CI work is also featured in our weekly shows... through various media things, and photographs throughout the show. This week, our CI was reforestation. A local area had been ravaged by fire a few years back - a park ranger, who had received a letter from her ex husband, set the letter ablaze. Thinking she had it under control, it burned for 4 days in a confined space - and yet, unexpectedly, it jumped a road and consequently destroyed more than 157,000 acres of Colorado's forest. Our job, was to do debris removal, reseeding, and planting. So... we split into three teams, donning our super sexy hard hats... and got to work. I was on the debris removal/reseeding team. We were able to clear about 2 acres of the large burnt wood that was left... we then raked (across the slope of the land - so that the soil would not dislodge and be loose sediment in heavy rains)... and reseeded the entire area. Covering it with hay so that the minimal rainfall that the area receives could be retained... our job was complete. As a cast, we managed to clear and reseed those two acres... pull 60 bags of weeds, and replant 100 trees. All told, we repaired approximately 5 acres of that forrest, in a matter of 4 hours. Good stuff.
Mid week, we took Cuddles for a walk - more like a run... for 50 minutes. We took turns jogging around the neighborhood with the puppy in tow... and then settled down for a bit at the community park. We had fun taking pictures, and trying to do a celebrity photoshoot with the dog - who surprisingly enough, cooperated relatively well :-)
One of the days, we had an educational activity. We have such things frequently... due to the need to minimize/recognize culture shock, be accepting of diversity, respectful of one another, and empathetic to eachother's needs. So... this particular activity was called Cross The Line. It was one of the hardest games I have ever played. The moderator would ask a question, and if your answer was yes, you crossed the line. You then had 10 seconds, to stare into the eyes of the people across from you, who were clearly different for whatever given reason. The questions started out funny... but progressed to much deeper material. It was interesting, yet hard, to see people segregated into such obvious groups. Some shared stories to help explain their stance, or their reason for being across the line... for others, you just stared, and made a mental note to inquire later. By the game's end, many were in tears.
Thursday was a girls night out - we went (and the boys joined us to) to a neat place downtown after rehearsal. We had dinner and enjoyed happy hour - before heading across the street to a free outdoor concert (of a U2 cover band). It is always fun after a long day of practice, to see people in a more relaxed atmosphere.
We also had our first run through with the costumes on Friday - boy was that a hot mess. There were people scrambling EVERYWHERE. UWP quick changes are no joke... some are less than a minute long. There were moments, I was pretty positive I was going to be running on stage sans costume. And oh what an embarassment that would have been.
Friday night, Barbara treated us to a delicious dinner at the most adorable little restaurant in Downtown Littleton. It was a converted old house... and the food was amazing. I had fish that was out of this world... over lettuce with a warm dressing. Yummmmmmmyyy
Yesterday (yes - we have 6 day weeks here, so I was at UWP alllllll day Saturday)... we had hometeam meetings. Your hometeam is basically your safety network within the cast. They are the people who will help load and unload your suitcases and stuff off of the planes, buses and boats - and also the people who you can confide in when you are struggling with an incast issue. Each hometeam has a name (though ours is not yet confirmed)... and we have competitions against other hometeams throughout our time here. Anyways - we had a hometeam meeting yesterday, and it was super emotional. I love my hometeam... and its so nice to have a designated group, and place for sharing the stuff that can really get you down.
Today - I relaxed. I slept in - took a long walk to lunch with the girls, and caught up on my blogging and pictures. Additionally - I practiced... because I am determined to not mess up tomorrow. Its down to crunch time. For dinner, I made Chicken Pot Pie... so that there was no confusion over the fact that the real PA Dutch stuff does NOT come in an actual pie. It wasn't as good as mom's or Nanny's ... but I tried.
Thats all for now.
A picture post is coming... as is an update on my tour schedule which has just been confirmed.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
PICTURES!!!
This was as Neele and I waited for the rest of our castmates to sign their lives away to the Arkansas River!
Here we are in an old (and quaint) town where we went to a delicious Mexican restaurant... we made friends with a police officer at a traffic light... who gave us special parking permission. And as for the picture, it is of me trying quaccamole for the first time! I loved it (but cound never before get past its nasty green color). 
This was the view from the dome of the capital building!
Looking down on loads of my castmates as they tour the Denver capital building....
Chillin' out between rehearsals ...
Vitor (Brazil) and I!
This was my fantastic group for the scavenger hunt... we walked seriously from one side of the city to another, got creative, and even danced in the rain.
Pre-rafting, this is my roommates and I at Gunsmoke. It is a very historical cafe situated right across from the rafting place. While eating, I read up on the history of the cafe - it was famous for hosting many of the bad boys of the American West. Above me at my breakfast table hung a picture, taken maaaaannnnny years ago, of about 15 men - sitting in almost that very spot. Among them, former president Teddy Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, and The Sundance Kid. Pretty sweet!
This is me with some of the girls prior to our rafting experience - From left to right, we have Eriko (Japan), Bianca (Arizona), me, Riika (Finland) and Rina (Finland).
This is a look back to the culture jam that I had written about. These are some of my castmates in costume as they performed. From left to right: Chihiro (Japan - she is also my language buddy!!!), Ai (Japan)... and a cool fact - in Japanese, Ai means "love", Wichitra (Thailand), and Eriko (Japan). I thought their costumes were so beautiful!
This is Ouray. He represents the Navajo Nation within our cast. Here, he performed a traditional Native American dance. It was intersting to see Chief Ouray's portrait hanging in the capital building... I'll have to ask Ouray if that is who he was named after, as this figure was apparently very instrumental in shaping Colorado's history.
These are the Netherlands representatives... On the left is Mayke, my roommate. Next to her is Jochem, then Marieke, Frederik, Gijs, and Milou. They sang their national anthem... in Dutch of course.Hope you enjoyed!!!
PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM ~ I MISS YOU!!! :-)
More Denver Delights...
This was us before Batman - which PS: was a great movie!So this week has been crazy busy. In fact, I haven't even had time to keep up with my nightly journal :-0...
I'll try to sum up some of the highlights:
Friday we went on a scavenger hunt of downtown Denver. We toured the capital building, which is beautiful. We also ran around like nutballs trying to find all kinds of random stuff (and document it!).
We had seminars on how to do our Stand for Peace workshops in the schools. They are really informative and engaging. I think the kids will have a lot of fun... but also learn a great deal about more positive empowerment and diversity.
We also started blocking for our show. It is so neat to see everything start to come together. From the songs to the dances, and everything in between, I am in total awe of how much we have accomplished here in such a short time.
This week I have made it a point to talk to a new castmate each day. I am trying hard to get to know everyone as an individual... and to be good about writing details down so that I can remember.
Today I went white water rafting on the Arkansas River. It was such a blast - the rapids were class 3 and 4 (the highest that exist are 6, but the highest you are allowed to "run" or ride are 5's... so this required skill). On my raft we had me, Mayke (the Netherlands), Uli-Lisa (Germany), Jordan (Arizona), Collin (Texas), Tom (a host from Denver), and Vitor from Brazil. Vitor only speaks Portuguese, but had the time of his life. He had us in stitches the whole time - and he would throw his paddle into the air after a hard rapid and scream with delight - or scream at the rocks that stood in our way... as if it would make them move. Our raft totally had the most fun.
Birthdays here are a blast. We always do something exciting ~ thanks of course to our birthday crew. On Matt's birthday, he totally got pied in the face. Hopefully someone documented that.. because it made me laugh. It sounds so cool when we all sing happy birthday - because it is requested that everyone sings it in their native language. With 20 or so languages within the cast, it can be quite a mess of a song... but its special. To hear it - all together, as a unified group representing so much diversity.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
This is Barbara and I. She is from Mexico, and is such a sweetheart!
This is the sign that hangs above our rehearsal space. I come here each morning - and spend most of my Denver life inside, slaving away to learn the awesome songs and choreography that will make the magic of our show come to life!
This picture was taken while in line for BATMAN! About 40 people from the cast came to see the film... it was so neat to watch it next to my new friends - as many experienced their first American movie extravaganza. From the back left we have: Ben from the US, Fenna from Germany, Laura from the US, Miguel from the US, Neele from Germany, me, and Mayke from Holland.
How cute are we!?!?! The girls - captured in a brief break during a long day of practicing. From left to right: Paulina (Mexico), Barby (Mexico), Isabel (Germany), Daniela (Mexico), Elizabeth (USA), Savannah (USA), Bianca (USA), Mayke (Holland), me, and Jordan (USA)So much to tell... so little time
I wish I had the time to write all of the funny moments we have here... as a cast, and as a host family.
Mayke made hutspot for us the other night.. its a Dutch dish of mashed potatoes and carrots. It is delicious, and I will be making it when I get home... Anyways, as we tried to understand the name of the dish, Neele asked exasperated "How do you say it in Hollandish?" We all laughed for what seemed like hours. Now it is a running joke. I don't blame her, I often call Mayke my Hollish friend... it sounds so much more natural than Dutch. Its hard enough for me to keep the two country names straight (The Netherlands, and Holland)... why they had to confuse me by adding a totally different name to identify their people is beyond me.
Anyways, that is that. Many such stories occur. We have been teaching Barbara to be sassy. She's even got the snapping thing down. I teach the girls funny American rhymes and sayings... they make me giggle by repeating ridiculously fast tounge twisters in their native languages. Its crazy. Both Neele and Mayke speak 4 languages - at least to the extent that they can get by conversationally. When either Neele or Mayke don't understand an English term (and I can't translate in a way that makes more sense to them)... they translate for eachother since their languages are so similar. They can speak and understand one another's languages. They also both speak French. *sigh* Some day I will be good at multiple languages. For now, I rely on Paulina to translate the Spanish songs... and she and the rest of my Spanish speaking class, will occasionally laugh at my sad attempt to converse with them ;-) I'll get it. Eventually.
Tonight we went to the cutest of restaurants. It was a Japanese cuisine place... with very yummy food. I had coconut fried rice with vegetables and tofu. The couple who own it are sooo very sweet. We made their night when we asked to take a picture with them... for a memory.
Today during rehearsals, we had guest speakers come in from a variety of local non profits. It is such a great networking experience to interact with such an array of successful people... to see how they operate, and to learn from their mistakes and experiences. I am trying to be dilligent about keeping their contact information handy... just in case I ever need to call in a favor, or be connected.
I got mom's package... and was super excited. I shouldn't have been... I knew it was coming today.. but still the feeling of getting something from home was special! And the best part.. my clothes that she sent smell like home. It almost makes me not want to wear them (so I don't have to wash them). But... as I look at the high temperatures we are supposed to experience this week, I realize just how silly that little idea is.
Well, I shall go now. I am making a separate post tonight of pictures. And then... I am heading to bed. We have rehearsal tomorrow until 7:30 at night. An 11 hour day is not so appealing as I reflect on how tired I am just sitting here. Luckily, once I get my butt out of bed, I remember how awesome it is to be a part of Cast B... and I trot myself downtown- and meet my awesome castmates for another day of craziness!
Mayke made hutspot for us the other night.. its a Dutch dish of mashed potatoes and carrots. It is delicious, and I will be making it when I get home... Anyways, as we tried to understand the name of the dish, Neele asked exasperated "How do you say it in Hollandish?" We all laughed for what seemed like hours. Now it is a running joke. I don't blame her, I often call Mayke my Hollish friend... it sounds so much more natural than Dutch. Its hard enough for me to keep the two country names straight (The Netherlands, and Holland)... why they had to confuse me by adding a totally different name to identify their people is beyond me.
Anyways, that is that. Many such stories occur. We have been teaching Barbara to be sassy. She's even got the snapping thing down. I teach the girls funny American rhymes and sayings... they make me giggle by repeating ridiculously fast tounge twisters in their native languages. Its crazy. Both Neele and Mayke speak 4 languages - at least to the extent that they can get by conversationally. When either Neele or Mayke don't understand an English term (and I can't translate in a way that makes more sense to them)... they translate for eachother since their languages are so similar. They can speak and understand one another's languages. They also both speak French. *sigh* Some day I will be good at multiple languages. For now, I rely on Paulina to translate the Spanish songs... and she and the rest of my Spanish speaking class, will occasionally laugh at my sad attempt to converse with them ;-) I'll get it. Eventually.
Tonight we went to the cutest of restaurants. It was a Japanese cuisine place... with very yummy food. I had coconut fried rice with vegetables and tofu. The couple who own it are sooo very sweet. We made their night when we asked to take a picture with them... for a memory.
Today during rehearsals, we had guest speakers come in from a variety of local non profits. It is such a great networking experience to interact with such an array of successful people... to see how they operate, and to learn from their mistakes and experiences. I am trying to be dilligent about keeping their contact information handy... just in case I ever need to call in a favor, or be connected.
I got mom's package... and was super excited. I shouldn't have been... I knew it was coming today.. but still the feeling of getting something from home was special! And the best part.. my clothes that she sent smell like home. It almost makes me not want to wear them (so I don't have to wash them). But... as I look at the high temperatures we are supposed to experience this week, I realize just how silly that little idea is.
Well, I shall go now. I am making a separate post tonight of pictures. And then... I am heading to bed. We have rehearsal tomorrow until 7:30 at night. An 11 hour day is not so appealing as I reflect on how tired I am just sitting here. Luckily, once I get my butt out of bed, I remember how awesome it is to be a part of Cast B... and I trot myself downtown- and meet my awesome castmates for another day of craziness!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Manic Monday
Sunday was indeed a day of rest. I slept in, went out for breakfast to a quaint little place called TOAST, and then grocery shopping. Good stuff. I sat by the pool in the early evening... Mayke and Neele went swimming while I drew for a little. For dinner, Mayke prepared a Dutch (or as I say, Hollish) dish for us... super yummy.
Today was a manic Monday. I will update more tomorrow, but for now I need some sleep. I'll be sure to post pictures as well. HA.. funny story quick. Tonight... I decide to cook tacos for the fam. My intentions were good, but my lack of culinary skill soon caught me in a heap of trouble. I didn't realize that water temperature and such is different here due to the altitude. Apparently, when it says you must boil rice for 45-50 minutes, they really mean an hour or more in Denver climates. Unless of course you don't wanna eat the stuff.. or enjoy getting the nasty starchy stuff stuck to your teeth. Lovely. I know.
A for effort?
Today was a manic Monday. I will update more tomorrow, but for now I need some sleep. I'll be sure to post pictures as well. HA.. funny story quick. Tonight... I decide to cook tacos for the fam. My intentions were good, but my lack of culinary skill soon caught me in a heap of trouble. I didn't realize that water temperature and such is different here due to the altitude. Apparently, when it says you must boil rice for 45-50 minutes, they really mean an hour or more in Denver climates. Unless of course you don't wanna eat the stuff.. or enjoy getting the nasty starchy stuff stuck to your teeth. Lovely. I know.
A for effort?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Life in Littleton...
Well not much is new here...
The week ended on Saturday (we have rehearsal from 8:30-5:30 Monday thru Saturday, and Wednesdays we have extended rehearsal until 7:30). It is soooo hot here. But I am getting more acclimated with my surroundings. Each day we get off the light rail and round past the Starbucks... then we have rehearsals, which kick my butt!!! I am loving being able to dance though. I didn't realize just how much I missed that over the last 4 years.
On Wednesday, we had the culture jam. I don't think I elaborated much on that before... but yeah... it was pretty much amazing. Getting to see where everyone comes from, is so spectacular. There are so many people, from so many places. And yet, we are all here for the same reason, trying our best to work together as UWP CAST B, 2008!!
Friday night, my host mom had somewhere to be, so my roommates and I roamed around Downtown Denver until well after 9. We had a good time. We went to Chipotle for dinner, cuz I was having a major craving for a veggie burrito. We had to laugh at Neele, as she ordered the "mild" salsa on hers, which wasn't like she expected. I believe her words were "In Germany, mild is not so hot as this. This is burning. I have fire in my mouth." Love her, lol.
Saturday was interesting. We arrived at the light rail in the morning to find that it had broken down at Mineral, which is our station. So, we had to quickly hop a shuttle to another train station and arrive in Downtown from there. Luckily, we made it just in time for morning meeting. Miguel and Gijs's host dad bought everyone in the cast a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Ah how I missed them!!! Also, as a special treat for surviving the first week, Cheryssa and Cecilie baked the cast brownies!!! Yummyyyyy!! Oh. And after rehearsal, a bunch of kids from the cast (like 30 0r 40...) and some of their host families went to watch BATMAN! Loved it! It was interesting... as I sat there sipping my Coke, I looked to my left and right. I realized that I was watching a movie about the all-American superhero... next to Franziska from Switzerland.. and Seong-Beom from South Korea. We don't all speak the same language.. but we ALL jumped when it was scary.. and we all laughed at the jokes. Its funny, how alike we are.. even though we come from such different places.
Well, I've got to go. Its 97 degrees here right now (at 5:15..) so... that to me means it is time for the POOL> ;-)
The week ended on Saturday (we have rehearsal from 8:30-5:30 Monday thru Saturday, and Wednesdays we have extended rehearsal until 7:30). It is soooo hot here. But I am getting more acclimated with my surroundings. Each day we get off the light rail and round past the Starbucks... then we have rehearsals, which kick my butt!!! I am loving being able to dance though. I didn't realize just how much I missed that over the last 4 years.
On Wednesday, we had the culture jam. I don't think I elaborated much on that before... but yeah... it was pretty much amazing. Getting to see where everyone comes from, is so spectacular. There are so many people, from so many places. And yet, we are all here for the same reason, trying our best to work together as UWP CAST B, 2008!!
Friday night, my host mom had somewhere to be, so my roommates and I roamed around Downtown Denver until well after 9. We had a good time. We went to Chipotle for dinner, cuz I was having a major craving for a veggie burrito. We had to laugh at Neele, as she ordered the "mild" salsa on hers, which wasn't like she expected. I believe her words were "In Germany, mild is not so hot as this. This is burning. I have fire in my mouth." Love her, lol.
Saturday was interesting. We arrived at the light rail in the morning to find that it had broken down at Mineral, which is our station. So, we had to quickly hop a shuttle to another train station and arrive in Downtown from there. Luckily, we made it just in time for morning meeting. Miguel and Gijs's host dad bought everyone in the cast a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Ah how I missed them!!! Also, as a special treat for surviving the first week, Cheryssa and Cecilie baked the cast brownies!!! Yummyyyyy!! Oh. And after rehearsal, a bunch of kids from the cast (like 30 0r 40...) and some of their host families went to watch BATMAN! Loved it! It was interesting... as I sat there sipping my Coke, I looked to my left and right. I realized that I was watching a movie about the all-American superhero... next to Franziska from Switzerland.. and Seong-Beom from South Korea. We don't all speak the same language.. but we ALL jumped when it was scary.. and we all laughed at the jokes. Its funny, how alike we are.. even though we come from such different places.
Well, I've got to go. Its 97 degrees here right now (at 5:15..) so... that to me means it is time for the POOL> ;-)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
For your entertainment...
Pretty fantastic, eh?... Today we had more workshops... it was so amazing to hear the cast sing for the first time - it gave me goosebumps!!! I wish you all could see the show. Everyone here is soooooo talented. From dancing to singing (our sweet little Dane, Cecelie, sings like an angel ;-)...)
I am super sore. Dance is really whipping me back into shape... I don't think my body is happy with me right now, but its okay - I'll get over it ... I'm just happy I get the chance to DANCE!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Alrighty folks... finally had a spare second to post some picture. I've taken plenty more, no doubt... but time is limited, so... here is a little of this and a little of that...
Meet my roomies Mayke (L) from Holland, and Neele (R) from Germany. They are pretty much awesome :-)
This was in between modules (placement casting)... we have fun even during the downtime... meet Eduardo from Venezuela, and Merron from Ethiopia!
This was the ampitheatre at Red Rocks... its amazing there.. and the views are breathtaking.
So this is Denver. This is pretty much what it looks like... everywhere!! Dry and very sparcely covered in plants (the few varieties that survive in the arrid weather). Actually, Mom Barbara informed me that the cottonwood is the only tree that grows native to this immediate area.
At Red Rocks, there is a welcome book, which visitors are encouraged to sign. Because it is a performance venue, it was only appropriate that we sign as the stars that we are ;-)
Meet my roomies Mayke (L) from Holland, and Neele (R) from Germany. They are pretty much awesome :-)
This was in between modules (placement casting)... we have fun even during the downtime... meet Eduardo from Venezuela, and Merron from Ethiopia!
This was the ampitheatre at Red Rocks... its amazing there.. and the views are breathtaking.
So this is Denver. This is pretty much what it looks like... everywhere!! Dry and very sparcely covered in plants (the few varieties that survive in the arrid weather). Actually, Mom Barbara informed me that the cottonwood is the only tree that grows native to this immediate area.
At Red Rocks, there is a welcome book, which visitors are encouraged to sign. Because it is a performance venue, it was only appropriate that we sign as the stars that we are ;-)Mayke wrote the beginning... In case you can't read it, it says "We're gonna perform here once too!! Greetings!"... hey.. ya never know, right?
This is a picture that I took during opening session, as the staff and road crew were performing for us to let us see the magic that will be us.. in T-roughly 3 weeks and 3 days :-)
This is my host mom, Barbara. She takes good care of us... and has been a host mom to many UWP alumni! We were at Panera... where we had many *special* moments... like when Neele challenged Barbara to an arm wrestling match.. when Mayke ate her first PBJ sandwich... and this.. where I posed with Mom Barbara in a quintessential *myspace* style.
Some of the girls! - Forgive me if spellings are wrong guys.. but from L - R...we have:
This is a picture that I took during opening session, as the staff and road crew were performing for us to let us see the magic that will be us.. in T-roughly 3 weeks and 3 days :-)
This is my host mom, Barbara. She takes good care of us... and has been a host mom to many UWP alumni! We were at Panera... where we had many *special* moments... like when Neele challenged Barbara to an arm wrestling match.. when Mayke ate her first PBJ sandwich... and this.. where I posed with Mom Barbara in a quintessential *myspace* style.
Some of the girls! - Forgive me if spellings are wrong guys.. but from L - R...we have:Veronika, Louvisa (I think... I'm still working on some names), Cecelie, ME, and Cheryssa
Ahhh... the infamous CUDDLES. Yes. Do note the smirk. The little devil eludes my pictures... it took 73 (no joke... I chased her for sooooooo long) to get this picture. And lo and behold, she actually smiled for me on command. What a dog.
Ahhh... the infamous CUDDLES. Yes. Do note the smirk. The little devil eludes my pictures... it took 73 (no joke... I chased her for sooooooo long) to get this picture. And lo and behold, she actually smiled for me on command. What a dog. PS: You think this is special... you ain't seen nothin' yet... wait until I post the video of she and I dancing. That's right... a dog of many skills, Cuddles dances as well. It is quite fantastic. Even if I do say so myself.
Well.. A lot has happened... but I'll save that for later, because I'm so beat, I think even my BONES are tired.
ANNNNNDDDDDD: For more of my life, do visit the blog of my wonderful roommate, Mayke. See, in the Netherlands, apparently their blog varieties are much cooler than mine (that or she's just wayyyy more technologically savvy). Anyhoo... she writes in Dutch, but posts a ton of pictures of us, as well as videos of our adventures here with Cuddles, Mom Barbara, and Cast B, 2008.
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