Sorry there isn't a musical accompanyment... but... I got lazy and don't have any songs on this computer... so deal ;-)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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



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).




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.







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





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!












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.
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