So I want to apologize for another long break between blogs.
I really thought that I had already written about several things that have happened recently.
I still think I did but can not find it. :-/
(Please let me know if you have already read something about the play and community service project that I will write about now.)
This has been a very rewarding trip so far and I can't believe how blessed I am to be doing something so fun and inspiring and then being able to inspire in return.
"Costumes"
A few weeks ago was the Theater Production of "The Wave". It is based on a movie called "Die
Welle(German) which was based on a real life occurrence at an American college. I am very proud of the students because they worked so hard over a three month period to do 2 school performances and 2 public performances in their school theater.
Both Stella and I heard about the play not to long after school started and offered to help. We began by attending auditions and giving our input on who should be cast and as what characters. There were a few girls that sang when auditioning and I found out that there would be a song in the play and was quickly volunteered by the director to help in this area.
The cast was chosen along with the backstage crew, a props team, makeup girls, and a stage
fighting group for a "gang fight" in the play. The weeks went by and so did rehearsal after rehearsal. At least 4 a week for 3 months.
I was able to see a group of scraggly kids slowly progress into actors with characters who worked together as a team to memorize their lines and put together a play to remember.
The play is about a teacher who for "project week" at school unknowingly gets autocracy.
He was hoping for anarchy along with the students but has to change his plans.
He discusses what autocracy is with his students and they insist that it is not necessary to discuss the subject because an autocracy would never happen again in Europe. The teacher sets out to prove them wrong. He tells them that sometimes
characteristics found in an autocratic government aren't wrong but beneficial.
He starts with making them call him by his last name and be more formal. He also has them straighten the desks and stand when speaking.
The students soon choose to all wear white and they then stick together to help a school reject when he is bullied and they only help because he is a part of their class project. They also choose a name for there group("The Wave") and a logo.
Soon the students are behaving with a power hungry sort of pride which is fed to them by the
teacher who is also unaware of his behavior. The students graffiti their logo all over town and refuse students to parties if not wearing a white shirt or if they are not a part of "The Wave".
Little did the teacher know that he and the students were becoming power hungry and getting out of control. The school reject spray painted their logo on the town clocktower and is the
one being effected the most by "The Wave". Being the school reject made him depressed but now having "friends" he feels a part of something and is one of the most loyal members.
Several students refused to conform to "The Wave" and they are ridiculed for it. One of the members of " The Wave" is dating a girl who refuses to join and he ends up getting so fired up and aggressive because of this group that he hits his girlfriend across the face later to realize what he has done and that it is "The Wave"'s fault. His girlfriend and another
student write an article in the school newspaper about "The Wave" and try to spread it around at a party which soon breaks out in a huge fight that including a Neo Nazi gang. The teacher holds a school assembly for only "The Wave" participants and the boyfriend voices his concerns after hitting his girlfriend and his realization as to what "The Wave" has done to him and that everyone has turned into the same thing. The teacher soon realizes what he has done and
apologizes to the class.
All of the class is confused. The teacher explains that indeed an autocracy could happen again and it did. He tells them "The Wave" is over and the students argue insisting that they can make things work and stay together. Finally the school reject(end: read at your own risk. lol Don't read if you wanna watch the movie.) pulls out a gun and insists that "The Wave" go on. A student approaches him and then he shoots the student.
The teacher then talks him into lowering his gun but all of a sudden his turns the gun on himself and commits suicide.
THE END.
It was such a powerful play. The students really got into their roles and the audience couldn't help but get caught up and at times felt a part of the play. I am so proud of them for all that they have done. I am blessed to have been able to help with such an amazing part of the school and I am
privileged to have gotten to know the students on a more personal level. At the end of the performance they gave Stella and myself flowers for helping out. It was so sweet of them and I was caught off guard. I hope to help out with the younger kids' play next semester.
After the drama week was over I had the opportunity to accompany some 9th graders to do some community service for a school in a poor area. I am not going to go into much detail because you can read about it in the United News...I WROTE AN ARTICLE!!!! :-P Its called "A Physical and Spiritual Stamp Through Inspiration". (At least I think thats what it will be called.)
The students painted the school and an artist started painting some pictures and I was able to help. The students had fun making a mess on themselves with the paint and managed to make some of it on the walls. haha. The principal also came and the students were so determined to get paint all over him but he was more determined to not get it on himself.
"Candles and Cakes"
I ended that week with my birthday!!!! Friday night all four of us volunteers ate together and Amber made me a cake!!! :-P Stella and I set out to head to our friend Ghada's house who made me cheesecake!!!! It had one small candle on it and Ghada sang me happy b-day in Arabic. :-P We hung out with her and drank tea while chatting. It is also fun to be around her.
She then told us of a Sushi place to go eat at because I had been craving Sushi. She dropped us off and we met up with another friend of ours. It was a Chinese and Indian restaurant so I had Indian food and Sushi. YUM! Our friend took us home and presented me with yet another cheesecake...I am pretty sure I gained some weight. haha. He had these really cool candles that were pretty much fireworks!!! They were saweet! I received many "Happy B-day"s on facebook from friends here and from home.
"Confusion"
We were told by different people that there would be snow Monday...then some people said there would be no snow. So Monday morning comes around and I got a text message at 4am saying that the school would not open until 10 because of SNOW! Yes it had snowed! I looked on my window ledge and there was almost 3 inches. Then I went back to bed. haha. Then I received another text at 7ish saying that the school would not open until 10 because of snow...I was a little upset because I was sleeping and I already knew that! haha. Then at 8ish I received another text saying that school was closed the whole day...I was happy again and slept some more. haha.
Wednesday night I was in the shower and had one leg shaved...then our power went out! :-/ I wrapped myself in a towel and headed out to find my flashlight. Stella, having also just got in the shower, was also in a towel and we both tried to find out why the power went out. I'm sure we looked pretty goofy running around our apartments in the dark in towels. Haha. We both got dressed and found out that only our apartment lost power. I finally found my flashlight and checked the breakers...nothing out of the ordinary. Our neighbor had the building door man/maintenance man check the power switches in the basement and the power came back on. I finished my shower and Stella decided to wait till the morn to finish hers. haha.
Stella and I have this upcoming week off from work but the following week we will be traveling to Switzerland for a school ski/snowboard trip!!!!!! Keep a look out for snow and crash stories from the land of cheese and chocolate.
I miss and love everyone!!!!
~Amanda
