TRJE week #3

This past Saturday I once again spent a couple of hours (1-3pm) of my afternoon with the kids of TRJE, and let me just say that it wasn't all fun and games. I'm used to having Saturday afternoons before work to either recuperate a bit from the week or sit at my desk in my PJs catching up on homework. It might sound winy, but it's not easy for me to pull myself together an be on for those 2 or 3 hours. And you have to be on. Far from being casual observers, those of us who are spending time with the group as a part of our projects participate in everything the kids do (except the actual practice). We write and discuss and give feedback and participate in the rituals of the opening circle. It was that opening circle that got to me last Saturday. The kids had been assigned group projects by Ketu, and those projects were due Saturday. We had heard mention of them, but did not know what they were. It seems that each group had been given an event in African American history and asked to research it and give an oral presentation on it. The way it seemed to me was that the kids had been given the assignment, reminded about the due date, and then left to themselves. Well . . . kids are kids, and only one of the at least half dozen groups were ready to present on time. This group was made up of two of the older boys in the group and they gave a very good presentation. After they presented, each of the other groups were called and each said that they were not prepared. This really upset Ketu, and he not only added to their assignments that are now due this coming Saturday (I wish I were going to be there to hear them), but also gave a fairly long lecture that made even those of us who are not in the group feel uncomfortable. He told he kids that they did not have enough appreciation for the people who have sacrificed to make their lives safe and comfortable. He said that they are lazy about knowing their own history and that not knowing history is how it ends up repeating itself. He told them that laziness gets people killed. Even though I never had an assignment to present, I felt like I was being addressed. I know that I don't know enough about those who have made my freedoms possible, about for example, those who worked so hard for me to be able to vote and own property and have rights equal to the men in this country. These are rights that I know I take for granted and ones that women in many other cultures and countries do not enjoy. I think that for the next meeting of the group I will make a point to have some names to call out during libation (see TRJE week #2). While it can be very uncomfortable, I think it is important for us to be reminded from time to time of those who cam before us to whom we owe the kinds of lives we live today. No matter what race or ethnicity or gender we are, we all have people to be grateful for.

Project Update

I don't have much of an update to give this week. Last Saturday Ketu said that he would have responses for us and feedback on our projects this Saturday. Dr. Cain seems to think that he will definitely have something to say about my project since it is on a topic that the group has addressed before and that he seems to be something of an expert on. I think that's a good thing, but I have to admit that it makes me a bit nervous. He's kind of an intimidating guy (read above for an example). Unfortunately, I will not be seeing the group this weekend because I am going on Dr. Stapleton's bus trip to see Othello in Chicago. While I'm excited about the trip (I missed the last one), it comes at a rather inconvenient time. I hope to attend one of the TRJE dance rehearsals next Friday (assuming it is scheduled as usual), but will then be out of town for spring break from that night (the 7th) through the following Sunday (the 16ht). This means that I will miss yet another week with the group. Hopefully I can connect with Ketu in some way in the next week and post an update on the project. Wish me luck until then!

TRJE week #2

This past Saturday I again spent time with the kids at TRJE. I met at 1 pm with the group and was there for the opening circle, the creative writing class and about a half hour of actual practice (I had to leave by 4 for work and some of the time after the writing class is the kids lunch break and transitioning to the practice room). I was there for a total of 3 hours. Last week in my post I said that I wanted to ask about the plant that was placed in the center of the opening circle. Well, I didn't have to because it explained itself this week. It turns out that the plant is used to offer "libation." What happens is that one of the kids is chosen to do the libation ceremony (I don't know if this is the proper word, but it is the best one I can think of). That boy or girl then turns to the eldest member of the group and asks permission to begin. After permission is granted he/she says that as libation is offered the members of the circle should call out the names of those people who have gone before and have had a positive influence. These people can be family members such as grandparents who have passed away or any other person who the individual feels has had a positive impact on them or the world. Then the person performing the ceremony sprinkles water on the plant for a minute or two while all of the members call out the names. When no one is calling out he/she asks (I think it was 3 times) if there are any other names. If no one says anything the ceremony ends. I thought this was a really neat tradition and am really intrigued by it. Honoring our elders and ancestors is not something that is highly valued in our society, and I think it is really cool that the kids are learning this kind of respect for those who are older and wiser than they are and who have affected their lives. I also want to say that the houseplant gardener in me really wants to know where the libation plant lives between meetings of the group. It looks like it may not get a lot of light! I really want to ask if I were to find it an appropriate hanging planter if it could hang in one of the studio windows, but I'm not sure how to bring it up! Anyway, after the opening circle we had the creative writing class. This week we mostly listened to some of the kids read pieces they have written and offer feedback for revision and addition to them. It's amazing how many of the kids seem to have real talent, especially for writing poetry. As young as they are they write some really good and really interesting things. I feel a bit out of my element since I can't write poetry at all (at least none that is any good). After the class, the kids took a break for lunch and rest before switching to practice. As I said above, I only saw about 30 minutes of actual practice, but it was really cool. The group was going over the program for a performance that they had on Wednesday, so there was a lot of organizing and talking. I only saw them run through a couple of songs, but those were very powerful to watch, especially the dancers. One of them is a girl I will just call D (both to respect her privacy and because I would probably spell her name wrong) and she has so much energy in her dance. It was really great, and I hope to get a Friday off of work so that I can see a dance practice. I would love to see more of the practices/performances soon and may try to stay to watch some this coming Saturday. So . . . that was week 2, more later.

Project Update

OK, first of all this week I want to give you an update on my project. As saw from my last post, I have been spending time with TRJE. (More about my second week there in a minute.) I really enjoy spending time with the kids. They're really cool. But, that is about as far as my project has gotten. It feels like it is taking forever to get off the ground. Part of the reason for that is that we have not yet gotten feedback on our proposals from Dr. Cain (should get some this week), but now I am also waiting for feedback from one of the leaders of the Ensemble itself. Dr. Cain told us (all of us who are working with TRJE) after class last week that Ketu, the artistic director and co-founder of the Ensemble, had asked (for the first time since she has offered the service learning option for C&C) to see our proposals and offer feedback. Dr. Cain asked our permission to share them with Ketu, and we hope to hear something from him as soon as this weekend. We are not sure what kind of feedback he will give, and Dr. Cain thinks that there is a possibility that he has some ideas of his own for what he would like to see our projects address. Though I am open to going in a new direction, I hope to get some direction soon so that I can really get to work. I'll let you all know as soon as I know.

TRJE

OK, this week I promise to stay on topic! Last week was a bit of a digression, but who doesn't like a good digression. I know I do. Anyway, this past Saturday I began my service learning with the Three Rivers Jenbe Ensemble as promised. I managed to find the right building after only one (extended) extra block and only a little bit of panic. I got there around 1 pm and was able to stay until 3. This time included the check-in circle and the creative writing class held by Dr. Cain. Next time I hope to be able to stay for at least some of the practice after the class, but last week I had a family obligation. Anyway, like I said, the first thing that we did was join the check in circle. Dr. Cain, Leigh, her daughter and I were actually the first ones there so we removed our shoes, (I wasn't planing on a "no shoes" rule and am glad I didn't wear one of my many pairs of holey socks!) sat on the floor and waited for the others. Soon the kids began trickling in. They arranged themselves in a sort of circle on the floor, and when it looked like everyone was there the check in began. Right away everyone was asked if they had any guests, and we (Leigh, her daughter and I) were introduced along with the three guest of one of the boys. We were asked to stand and introduce ourselves and tell a little bit about ourselves. Then the kids were asked to lead the group in their recitations which seem to be something along the lines of a creed. Then the kids were asked if they had any announcements, concerns or celebratory items to share. Several shared good grades they had received in the past week or progress they were making in school subjects that had been troubling them and one girl asked for help with her French class. After everyone who wanted it had been given the opportunity to share and receive a response, the topic changed to the upcoming calendar and important dates for the next few weeks. The kids were then dismissed to either practice or the creative writing group.
I really enjoyed this check-in circle time, and it allowed me to see right away how comfortable the group is with one another. While there was a certain order to the proceedings, it wasn't too orderly, and the kids acted like kids fidgeting and moving around comfortably. They were also really comfortable sharing not only their successes with each other, but their problems too. I thought it was really neat that the girl who is struggling in French felt that she could bring her problem to the group and ask for help. Her problem was handled with an immediate suggestion that she attend a couple of weekly meetings of a French speaking group and report back. Another interesting thing I noticed was a somewhat scraggly spider plant growing in a pot inside a straw hat that was placed in the center of the circle. I did not ask what the plant was about, but I plan to this week.
Once we had left the circle in the dance studio room and arranged ourselves in another room we had introductions again. Then we began writing. We guests wrote along with the students. The topic for the day was African Americans who have made a positive impact on the African American community (this was the chosen theme since February is Black History Month). We began by all thinking of an African American who we thought has had a positive impact. We shared these verbally and then were instructed to come up with a list of traits or qualities of a person who has a positive impact on the African American community. These traits could be those of our chosen person or anyone who fit the bill. After also sharing these, we were instructed to pretend that it was 30 years in the future and we were writing to share the impact some person (again our chosen person, another or a fictional person) had made on the African American community. These could be in any form we chose and could be partly or completely fictional. I chose to write mine in the form of a daily newspaper article. One girl wrote a beautiful poem that she read to the group. The rest of the kids writings were handed into Dr. Cain to be revisited next time. The final goal is to come up with finished works that can be read to the check-in circle.
I am really glad that I have chosen to work with this creative writing group. It is amazing some of the insights that the kids came up with during our writing and discussion. It is unusual to see high school and younger kids not only thinking about things on such a real and deep level, but also feeling comfortable sharing their thoughts with a group of their peers. This is just another example of how this group holds together. Also, I can already see that the kids have real talent. I was told that the girl who wrote the poem also writes song lyrics. That's something I could never do! I think it is going to be very interesting and a lot of fun to work with this group of kids.

Mardi Gras AKA Fat Tuesday

I had originally planned to again make this week's posting on West Africa in anticipation of my project and service learning experience; but, as you can see by the title of this post, I changed my mind. I decided instead, in honor of Fat Tuesday, to post a little bit about a tradition that has become (in part) and American tradition. Last year I was able to go down to New Orleans with my boyfriend, Ryan, and some friends of ours for the Mardi Gras celebration there. We were not able to stay for Fat Tuesday itself because of work and school obligations, but we spent the weekend. I was unable to go this year, but Ryan and many of the same friends from last year were. Both years were a great time, and I'm sure we will make every effort to make it back in the years to come. So, because we had so much fun, I decided to do a little research into the history of the holiday (and it is a holiday, not just a big party) and share what I found with you all. Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French and is technically only the last three days of the celebration. The full celebration, called Carnival in many countries, runs from Twelfth Night (twelve days after Christmas) to Ash Wednesday. In practice most celebrations run for one full week before lent, but some Mardi Gras celebrations begin as early as January 6, at the feast of Epiphany, and end at midnight of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The actual date changes from year to year and is always 46 days before Easter. It is a celebration primarily observed in Roman Catholic counties and locals. It is an opportunity to celebrate and indulge in food and drink before the the Lenten season begins. It is traditionally marked by parades including floats, pageants, masks, costumes and people dancing in the street. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold representing justice, faith and power. The most famous Mardi Gras celebrations are held in New Orleans, La; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nice, France; and Cologne, Germany. Like many Christian holidays, however, Mardi Gras has roots in the pagan tradition and was originally associated with spring fertility rights. The first American Mardi Gras was celebrated near modern day New Orleans on March 3, 1699, and he first official parade organizations there didn't begin to form until the mid 1800s. As I said above, the celebration in New Orleans is now one of the most widely known in the world, and I can tell you that it is a lot of fun. While it is (by tradition as I pointed out) partly about indulging in food and alcohol, it is also about just being glad to be alive and celebrating life with friends. I loved the time I spent in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and think that it is something that everyone should experience at least once. Here are some pictures from this year and last.

Bourbon Street is where the majority of the party takes place. The parades run on a street perpendicular to Bourbon and go on for hours.

This is what Bourbon Street looks like at night during Mardi Gras.

People pay to rent balconies like these to get a good view of the festivities. A few bars have free access.


This is the group who were at Mardi Gras '07. I'm in the middle back in the pink fuzzy hat.

This is part of the group from this year. My boyfriend Ryan is the second from the left.

The big thing at Mardi Gras New Orleans style is the hurricane, so if you want to honor the holiday and have a drink in celebration, here is a recipe:

1 oz wt. rum
1 oz Jamaican dark rum
1 oz Bacardi 151 rum
3 oz orange juice
3 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 oz grenadine syrup
crushed ice

Mix all but ice and pour in glass over crushed ice, garnish with fruit

*factual information on Mardi Gras found at History.com