Ever heard of starting a class 40 minutes early?

At 8:20 this morning, Ione and I walked into our classroom to set up and be ready for a 9am start and this is what we walked into – The kids were halfway into playing ‘Wiggalo’, a game we taught them yesterday, our first day with them. We immediately dropped our bags and joined in! At the end of the day, exhaustion got the better of us, but I will never forget the energy and enthusiasm we walked into this morning! Its contagious and addictive.

The kids are just wonderful!!! Even though there are challenges, they make it easy! Being in their midst makes me forget the whirlwind of a weekend we had. We are two days in, and are already amazed by the incredible writing and material they have generated. There is an openness and receptiveness about them that makes me want to work harder, encourage further and push deeper. Oh, and, I have never known bathroom breaks to be over with such lightening speed!! They cant wait to get back to class!

We give them a good laugh when we attempt to speak in Swahili!

St. Margaret’s Academy is in the Kesongo district in Arusha and is a constant work in progress. The story of its creation and growth, all helmed by the powerhouse Mama Tesha, is an inspiring one – I will have to devote another post to her.

We are in a brand new building on the 2nd floor that has a stunning view of hills and nature; lots of natural light and newly painted walls. I love the simplicity of the room and do not miss the over stimulated classrooms that I  am so used to. No blasting air conditioners, just a cool breeze blowing in; no walls full of vocabulary and grammar and Science and Math and English, just a fresh coat of paint.

We leave early in the morning when its chilly and foggy. By the time we are on our way back, processing the day and decompressing, the sun is out, shining brightly. The biggest treat for us is driving back at the end of the day with Mount Meru on our left, majestic and magnificent. It looks different every day. Today clouds circled around the lower half of the mountain and bordered one of its slopes.

Looking forward to what tomorrow has in store…

Meet Ione!

The lovely Ione lloyd

My  partner teacher, Ione Lloyd and I had our third work session this morning. We are two days away from leaving and we seem to be keeping it together for the most part . . . or so we think? Who knows!

I was having a conversation the other day with someone who had lots of questions about this trip to Africa, and the topic of co-teaching came up. I explained how I had just met Ione a few weekends ago, and we’ve been paired up to work together at the St. Margaret’s School in Arusha. And then I went into this extensive conversation about how we had come up with some pretty darn awesome plans for our workshop. But in my heart I know, (and if you’re a teacher, you know this too!) these ‘awesome’ plans will either work beautifully or fall flat! And we are preparing for both.

That’s what I love about Ione. She brings me back to Earth during the times I get too idealistic in our planning sessions. She becomes my mirror of reality at times, reminding me what we are working with. We’ve by now spent hours discussing, agreeing, disagreeing, working, rejecting, re-working curriculum, but we make sure we’re constantly moving ahead. I look forward to teaching with her, and getting to know her outside the walls of Caffe Bene, which, by the way, is a great meeting spot in the heart of Times Square. Despite their slow service, their waffles are worth the wait. Haven’t tried the pastries yet, but they sure look delishh! The cozy library-esque seating area doesn’t get too crowded, and you can actually get work done in the heart of crazy-tourist-town!

The lists are getting shorter, still lots to be done, and exactly 36 hours to go . . . breathing in, breathing out.

A glimpse into the ramblings of my mind.

ITLP Teaching Artists, past and present.
Photo – Reinaldo Green

I leave for Africa in less than a week. There are lists everywhere, on my phone, on my desk, in my head. I keep checking things off of them, but the lists don’t seem to get any shorter. In the meantime, work keeps coming my way. Yep, that ol’ saying about how if you want to book work as an actor, book a trip somewhere and the work will come pouring in; the saying that I thought would never apply to me; well it just did! And I’m grateful, very grateful, but my mind feels like its ready to explode. I’m trying hard to focus on one thing at a time.

I check Facebook, hoping for a distraction – of course it doesn’t work – too much information in my face. And then I look at this photograph taken a few weeks ago at the International Theater and Literacy Project (ITLP)  training weekend, and calmness ensues. These are some of the wonderful volunteer artists who will be joining me on an adventure in Africa this summer. Teams are headed to Rwanda, Tanzania and Cape Town to work with children, introduce them to the Imagination, teach them Theater, create a play with them, and rehearse for a 3 show run – one for their community, one for a play festival and one for their school. There’s a lot of work to be done!

In the midst of all the lists, I keep thinking – however much we came into the field of the Arts to be amidst creativity, expression and the joys of artistry, the other side to it, the business side, becomes a harsh truth if not embraced immediately. I, for one, am constantly striving towards maintaining a balance between the two without losing heart and patience.

The training weekend was a beautiful experience – everyone was there because they WANTED to be there. No one had to leave to head to meetings, or rehearsals, or other mysterious busyness that becomes such a predominant and sometimes even pretentious factor in our lives as artists. This was a generous group of people who were there to Give with no expectations other than the fulfilling and most likely, life-changing experience this was to be. It was humbling to share the room with them.

Back to the lists. . . Sigh!