Just to give you all a time frame, it is Monday. We have another 2 hours with them in the morning tomorrow. Wednesday we go on a camp field trip to a local field trip, and Thursday late afternoon they perform. It's all ending so, so soon.
Today we had them for 2 hours initially. We began the day by working on the songs that I had spent the last night cutting down on GarageBand, because they were all far too long. We showed the girls the cuts and let them practice the songs and dances. They were a little rowdy, but no problems. Then we began a run through of the entire show. Fabiola was upset with us during the morning because we sent her to the Mariposa leaders for disciplinary action following her inappropriate/violent/terrifying behavior on Friday. So as we were trying to begin the run through, she would do her line, but with the least amount of effort possible. We got super annoyed and we did the classic 'make everyone do the scene again until she cooperates' strategy, which didn't work because this girl thought it was hilarious to make everyone mad and waste everyone else's time. She was being such a little shit. There's really no other way to describe it. So we calmly sent her out of the classroom, told her to sit outside and not come back. She was shocked and repentant, but we still made her leave. The run through went smoothly after that, especially after the girls saw that we were serious about seeing some serious work from them.
We proceeded to give them a short break, after which Fabiola grudgingly rejoined the group, and the next run was much better. The girls were energetic, having fun, smiling, passionate about the work, and we saw lots of smiles and a whole lot of focus. So yes, tremendous success. We gave the girls another break, during which one of the girls wanted me to play the Waka Waka song on the iPod speaker so she could record it on her phone. So all the girls had left and we played the song and I just had the urge to get up and dance, and all of a sudden it became a mini dance/singing party with me, Kelly, and a bunch of the girls, which was super, super fun. The girls were supposed to have health class at 11, but the health teacher came in and realized that we were hard at work, and cheerfully agreed to cancel health for the day. The girls were thrilled and had renewed excitement doing the final run for the day. Overall, a great morning.
Oh, and we now have a title... "Entre Nosotras"... Fabiola came up with it. It means, "Just Between Us", essentially, and the "nosotras" is specific towards women. Really, it's a perfect title.
To give you an idea of what the show looks like, I will be honest here. It's totally random. We've tried to mix up the more serious text/monologue sections with more fun or at least amusing songs or uplifting little poems, just to break it up. We don't want it to become monotonous. So we have in there a little "telenovela"/opera/drama song with these two girls, which is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. We have poems, modern dance, opinion monologues, stories, their kind of dance, singing/rocking it out, and a group section of text/song at the end. It's really nice, and the best part about it is that the girls are so into it at this point. They are taking pride in their work, in us, in the group, in themselves, and it's so beautiful to witness. No matter how this thing turns out (and I'm sure it will be great), we have accomplished our goal. And even better, we have formed lasting friendships with these amazing young women. For instance, we spent the entire weekend in Callejon with our girls. We hung out with them from 4 pm to 2 am on Saturday... went back on Sunday, and then we saw the girls from La Cienaga today after camp. We went back to la Cienaga with them and went to their houses. They showed us a beautiful field out there and we had a picnic and listened to music. It was wonderful. Tomorrow we are going back to Callejon for an extensive tour including each girl's house, and also a trip to La Loma, which is way back into Callejon, with caves where you can swim. Should be fun.
Mainly, I just have to say that I am already super-upset at the prospect of leaving these people. These girls are my sisters, my kids, my friends, everything. We have our moments, of course, but they are unforgettable and inspiring and I will miss them in so many ways. I still have a little time with them of course, but the end is closing in fast, and I can't bear to think about it. What an impression these young women have made on me. It's amazing how much these girls have made me change the way I view my future plans, myself, and the world around me.
I hope you have the opportunity to be inspired, because it sure feels amazing. Love you all.
Anna and Kelly
What a rollercoaster ride. I'm thinking--really about that very metaphor, the up, the down, the speed, the horror, stomach-ache and dizziness and finally, the delight of it. Reading this is all of that and I can't even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to meeting these girls. I laughed OUT LOUD at the picture of Kelly trying to break up the fight, taking the kicks and the punches and Anna--in the middle of it, holding her hair--right there in the middle. That is how I would have painted it. So funny, so very violent too. And then to hear what brought that all on. I would have attacked too--I think.....
ReplyDeleteProud and prideful of all that you've done and thankful for your taking the time to record all of it so we can have an account, some visuals, and then some laughs along with you, but from afar.
But not for long. Got my measle shot today and am loaded up with vaccinations in preparation for anything the DR has to offer.
Love. So much of it.
Dad