I was so excited about getting to Australia, an English speaking country, where if I was lost I could ask anyone and where I new what I was eating, I travelled with a girl I met , the whole of the east coast, it was amazing I saw some amazing sights and did some terrifying things.
The communities were very similar to those in England, the cities were busy and no one has time for anyone. But I got myself a job working on a ranch, in the out back, as a cow girl...it just has to be done. I was picked up in a big car by a lovely lady. I soon lost my signal and was travelling through the rolling country side. We travelled away from civilisation for about 2 hours! Soon we came to the ranch, by itself in the middle of nowhere.
I was woken at five in the morning to start work; I have never worked so hard in all my life! I was up every morning at 5am, “work doesn’t stop just because its the weekend here!” Barry said. We would ride the horse for about 6hours in the morning herding cattle up the mountains, sounds easy!
In the afternoon once or twice a week would ride up to some friends of the families, with all the dogs, for lunch. Sometimes they would come to us. It was lovely, everything homemade and home grown.
The only thing I did find different was that, men and women do the same work; you have to learn to be good quick, anything you don’t know you practise. You learn a different way to carry something if you find it too heavy. The girls are one of the men, no excuses. I found my body being pushed to it limits. Riding a horse free handed and guiding it with my feet is not something I was used to, I learnt how to lasso too.
The people who live here, live together and built there community together. Nothing is too much trouble and everyone knows everyone.
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Life in Brazil
When I was in Brazil I spent most of my time in a place called Florianopolis, I lived with a Brazilian family and worked at a school in a Favella (slum). The family’s daughter spoke good English but no one in the family spoke a word of English, and when I first arrived there I didn’t speak a word of Portuguese. However, this didn’t stop us getting on and using body language and sign to understand each other.
I worked in the school all week and then spent my weekends exploring with the other English people that worked at the school with me. These people became not only my friends but my family, we would sometimes call each other just to hear someone speak and not have to concentrate, and you tend to find yourself with a headache from trying to concentrate so hard at understanding people.
I remember watching an episode of Mr Bean whilst away, and even though he doesn’t actually speak in his sketches, I was comforted knowing that he was English and when he coughed, sounds stupid, but I knew it was an English cough! This whole time made me realise how well we communicate with each other and how well it doesn’t matter what community you’re from there is no divide unless you let there be.
Working in the school really opened my eyes to a world I had not seen before, I’m not sure that many people by the age of 19 can say they have worked with drug lords children in Brazil.
The community there is very strange as on the maps the places where these favella’s are, are actually not even marked but look like they might be a field or something. The police don’t drive there at all, and when they do it’s generally with bullet proof cars (strange).
The actually community that they live in however, is very protective of each other and each others children, they were more than happy for us to be working there as they saw that we only wanted to help. We did have to make sure we wore our t-shirts though, so they didn’t shoot us...needless to say I felt like attaching mine to my skin! The only time the community was disturbed was if a family fell out with another. One of the teachers would say how terrible it was in the evenings; as you would often hear gun shots through the night...can you imagine that!
While I was there I was lucky enough to see a drugs run, we had gone to the shops with some children to get some milk and rice for lunch, it was the children that stopped us crossing the road again and told us what was happening, basically on the tops of roofs set all over the favella were boys about 16 years sitting down, but one was standing. Then one by one they stood up and sat down, where ever the one stood was, was where the cocaine was being taken to, next we saw the police, heard a gun shot and then all the boys got down and the next thing we saw was a black car pulling at 100mph out of one of the back roads followed by another three cars all the same going in different directions. This was the scariest and most amazing thing I have ever seen.
To think that it was 9 and 12 year old children looking after us was surreal, we were there to teach and look after them not the other way round, it just showed me the kind of world there is out there and how others live. It made me understand why these children hardly showed any emotion towards violence at school and why many of them became so violent towards the others so quickly. In my time there the trust and bond between the children and me grew and the day I left, was one of the hardest ever.
I worked in the school all week and then spent my weekends exploring with the other English people that worked at the school with me. These people became not only my friends but my family, we would sometimes call each other just to hear someone speak and not have to concentrate, and you tend to find yourself with a headache from trying to concentrate so hard at understanding people.
I remember watching an episode of Mr Bean whilst away, and even though he doesn’t actually speak in his sketches, I was comforted knowing that he was English and when he coughed, sounds stupid, but I knew it was an English cough! This whole time made me realise how well we communicate with each other and how well it doesn’t matter what community you’re from there is no divide unless you let there be.
Working in the school really opened my eyes to a world I had not seen before, I’m not sure that many people by the age of 19 can say they have worked with drug lords children in Brazil.
The community there is very strange as on the maps the places where these favella’s are, are actually not even marked but look like they might be a field or something. The police don’t drive there at all, and when they do it’s generally with bullet proof cars (strange).
The actually community that they live in however, is very protective of each other and each others children, they were more than happy for us to be working there as they saw that we only wanted to help. We did have to make sure we wore our t-shirts though, so they didn’t shoot us...needless to say I felt like attaching mine to my skin! The only time the community was disturbed was if a family fell out with another. One of the teachers would say how terrible it was in the evenings; as you would often hear gun shots through the night...can you imagine that!
While I was there I was lucky enough to see a drugs run, we had gone to the shops with some children to get some milk and rice for lunch, it was the children that stopped us crossing the road again and told us what was happening, basically on the tops of roofs set all over the favella were boys about 16 years sitting down, but one was standing. Then one by one they stood up and sat down, where ever the one stood was, was where the cocaine was being taken to, next we saw the police, heard a gun shot and then all the boys got down and the next thing we saw was a black car pulling at 100mph out of one of the back roads followed by another three cars all the same going in different directions. This was the scariest and most amazing thing I have ever seen.
To think that it was 9 and 12 year old children looking after us was surreal, we were there to teach and look after them not the other way round, it just showed me the kind of world there is out there and how others live. It made me understand why these children hardly showed any emotion towards violence at school and why many of them became so violent towards the others so quickly. In my time there the trust and bond between the children and me grew and the day I left, was one of the hardest ever.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Sorry
I have been informed that some first years did attend the story telling evening.
I am not going to take back what i said before as i do feel upset that there was not more support across the board, including teachers however, i do know that this is a very stressful time, however i am glad that the people who came did enjoy the evening...we have had some brilliant feedback.
I was commenting more on the community within a university setting, I know that as a department we work possibly the most closely, i like this. I also like to feel that everyone is supporting each other.
The new degree has changed things, even when talking to first years they feel it, i have the contrast in the warm ups, the physical theatre want to be physical, the applied theatre want to focus more on drama and the drama seem happy with a mixture, this make it very hard when going into a class and trying to think of a warm up that suites everyone.
So to the the first years that came thank you very much for your support, you were clearly mixed in with the rest of the rabble.
Thanks again to all who supported.
I am not going to take back what i said before as i do feel upset that there was not more support across the board, including teachers however, i do know that this is a very stressful time, however i am glad that the people who came did enjoy the evening...we have had some brilliant feedback.
I was commenting more on the community within a university setting, I know that as a department we work possibly the most closely, i like this. I also like to feel that everyone is supporting each other.
The new degree has changed things, even when talking to first years they feel it, i have the contrast in the warm ups, the physical theatre want to be physical, the applied theatre want to focus more on drama and the drama seem happy with a mixture, this make it very hard when going into a class and trying to think of a warm up that suites everyone.
So to the the first years that came thank you very much for your support, you were clearly mixed in with the rest of the rabble.
Thanks again to all who supported.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
The sound of laughter
Firstly thanks to all who attended our storytelling evening last night, we were overwhelmed by the amount of support that we received.
We made £110 in the end, which is amazing, as we our minimum we wanted to make was £40, so you can imagine how thrilled we were.
Last night, for those who didn't get to see it, was an evening Bex, Kat and myself put together to raise money for out Drama in The Community project.
We wanted it to start out like a fairytale story and then change into our personal stories, all the stories had a meaning and a moral, some were funny and some were emotional, but i personally felt that they were all really thought provoking.
I was so nervous when it came to my piece, what if people didn't laugh? Luckily-they did. I thought how nice it was to see everyone laughing, at this moment in time we are all so tired and stressed but for one hour last night, i felt that everyone forgot there problems came together as a group of people and laughed.
I did however think this morning that i didn't see one first year there, this was upsetting, in all my years at St Marys i have always supported all the performances and think its a shame that there is a clear divide between the first years and the second and third years mainly because of the degree change but they just don't seem to have got on with us this year. Maybe its just me.
Any how i really enjoyed performing last night, and that's thanks to all that attended for making it such a good night.
Thanks
We made £110 in the end, which is amazing, as we our minimum we wanted to make was £40, so you can imagine how thrilled we were.
Last night, for those who didn't get to see it, was an evening Bex, Kat and myself put together to raise money for out Drama in The Community project.
We wanted it to start out like a fairytale story and then change into our personal stories, all the stories had a meaning and a moral, some were funny and some were emotional, but i personally felt that they were all really thought provoking.
I was so nervous when it came to my piece, what if people didn't laugh? Luckily-they did. I thought how nice it was to see everyone laughing, at this moment in time we are all so tired and stressed but for one hour last night, i felt that everyone forgot there problems came together as a group of people and laughed.
I did however think this morning that i didn't see one first year there, this was upsetting, in all my years at St Marys i have always supported all the performances and think its a shame that there is a clear divide between the first years and the second and third years mainly because of the degree change but they just don't seem to have got on with us this year. Maybe its just me.
Any how i really enjoyed performing last night, and that's thanks to all that attended for making it such a good night.
Thanks
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Smelly, Hairy and Horrid
Ok so nothing is smelly, hairy or horrid (unless you count Bex), but i clearly got your attention!
Come and support us please!!!!
Storytelling
'Life's not always a fairy tale'
? Waldegrave Drawing room
@ 8pm
£2
You'll laugh and cry...what could possibly be better?
Come and support us please!!!!
Storytelling
'Life's not always a fairy tale'
? Waldegrave Drawing room
@ 8pm
£2
You'll laugh and cry...what could possibly be better?
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Leicester wk 2
When we first arrived at the school we were really excited about being back. We decided this time we were going to look at forms of communication, the way people communicate.
We talked about all the sense's and how they are used to communicate, from verbal communication to non verbal. We spoke about how what we wear says something to others as well as our body language. I tried to pick someone out in the class who didn't look interested and mirror them and ask the class what they thought my body was communicating, everyone in the room soon changed there posture and attitude.
We did a warm up game that me and Kat did last year in T.I.E where we each wrote down 3 statements about our self and then asked the class to put which ones they thought went with each person, i don't think they got one right more than once! Then we said how its easy to judge people at face value but that actually, 9 times out of 10 could be wrong. Then we said that we hadn't come in to judge them however if they gave us a reason to think other than good thoughts that was on there own shoulders as we would only be judging them on there commitment to the work.
We talked about all the sense's and how they are used to communicate, from verbal communication to non verbal. We spoke about how what we wear says something to others as well as our body language. I tried to pick someone out in the class who didn't look interested and mirror them and ask the class what they thought my body was communicating, everyone in the room soon changed there posture and attitude.
We did a warm up game that me and Kat did last year in T.I.E where we each wrote down 3 statements about our self and then asked the class to put which ones they thought went with each person, i don't think they got one right more than once! Then we said how its easy to judge people at face value but that actually, 9 times out of 10 could be wrong. Then we said that we hadn't come in to judge them however if they gave us a reason to think other than good thoughts that was on there own shoulders as we would only be judging them on there commitment to the work.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Georgino
Right I've just got back from Brazil, for those of you who know me you probably know i lived there for a while working in a school in a favella (slum) Anyway i went on holiday with my parents for two weeks there over the summer and went back and visited the school i had worked at.
This is the story of Georgino.
Georgino was 16 when i met him working at the school as a helper, his father had been shot and his mother had died of AIDS two years before, he was living with his elderly Grandmother and his older brother, His brother was/is a drug addict and would constantly beat Georgino up for money.
Georgi was such a hard worker and got on so well with the kids and us, when i returned last week i asked Mearo the leader of the school what had happened to him, He said that Georgino had gone and got and education and worked his way up over the last few years at a local radio station and now was earning a very very good wage!
I'm telling you this because I'm wondering for someone brought up in such a hard community where everyday was a struggle or physical and emotional stress, how come he is such a lovely person and has gone on to do so well.
I think that this puts into perspective any ones issues or problems!
I just wanted to share that with you all xxxx
This is the story of Georgino.
Georgino was 16 when i met him working at the school as a helper, his father had been shot and his mother had died of AIDS two years before, he was living with his elderly Grandmother and his older brother, His brother was/is a drug addict and would constantly beat Georgino up for money.
Georgi was such a hard worker and got on so well with the kids and us, when i returned last week i asked Mearo the leader of the school what had happened to him, He said that Georgino had gone and got and education and worked his way up over the last few years at a local radio station and now was earning a very very good wage!
I'm telling you this because I'm wondering for someone brought up in such a hard community where everyday was a struggle or physical and emotional stress, how come he is such a lovely person and has gone on to do so well.
I think that this puts into perspective any ones issues or problems!
I just wanted to share that with you all xxxx
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