Tommy

Sorry no updates in a while...we've had no internet! So sad to us. I'll post the cities we were in once I remember them :-)

I've had a bit of a cold this past week, and one afternoon dreaded my workshop because I wasn't feeling that great vocally. But my class ended up being SO cool. I played a game with my kids called Bang. There was a boy named Tommy who is autistic in the class who had a special aide. It's cool in Italy because most kids with physical and mental disabilities are in the classrooms with everyone else. I've seen that go poorly in the States, but here it's great because the other kids really do want to see the kids with difficulties succeed. They help explain things and cheer them on and their aides are usually very involved. Anyway, we were playing Bang and Tommy had to be eliminated. I looked at his aide, and he acted like it would be fine, but Tommy freaked out and had to be taken out of the classroom. I was bummed because I thought he wouldn't come back. But he did come back once he calmed down, right before I started explaining the rules to the more complicated version of Bang. So I made sure he understood the rules and let him get the hang of the game and he got pretty good at it! In fact, he ended up being in the final round--the big shoot out between him and this other kid. I was so nervous. I have never wanted anyone to win a game like I wanted Tommy to win Bang. The whole classroom was cheering him on! So it's the last round, and I say, GO! and they were so close...in most cases I might call it a tie. But the whole class, even the kid playing against Tommy are pointing at Tommy, saying he was faster. So I say, Tommy, you are the CHAMPION!!! And I have never seen more excitement come from a child. He's screaming and jumping and his face looks like Jon's on Christmas morning when he got his first electric guitar and the whole classroom is cheering and piling on Tommy and the teacher runs to the middle of the circle and picks Tommy up and spins him around and kisses him a zillion times (these things are fine in Italy). It was so cool. It was amazing to see how happy he was, but just as cool to see how encouraging and excited his classmates were.

So then we all pulled ourselves together and carried on with the workshop. It was awesome because Tommy was really engaged for the rest of the workshop and really good at the games we played! Such a bright spot in my week!!

ROMA

Quick story I forgot to mention about Rimini…After the conference we did in Rimini, a teacher came up to me and asked if I could sing the first song I taught them (it’s from Robin Hood). I said, sure, and she pulled out her cell phone to record it! Ha. She said she wanted to let her daughter listen to it. So, I’m officially a recording artist now :-)

So last week in Rome was supposed to be pretty easy. No sketches, a half day on Thursday and Friday, etc. The English days we did were hilarious. We usually don’t do English days with young kids, and we had Wednesday and Thursday booked for English days with 1-3 Primaria (Kindergarten through 2^nd grade). The first class I was in was 3^rd Primaria, and I expected it to be fine. I was even with another girl in my group. However, our kids were INSANE. I physically had to pull them off of each other because they were in full on brawls. And our teacher left as soon as we showed up. So after that we convinced the teacher to let us do Three Little Pigs for the youngest classes. But the next day we had more English days. So we show up to the classrooms Thursday morning, and they’re THE SAME classes we had the day before! Not only were they crazy classes, but we had only prepared one 2 hour workshop for their age. We had to just improvise a 2 hour workshop. Interesting day…

We also found out Wednesday night that Caroline (one of my tourmates) has vocal nodules. She may not be able to finish out the tour! Since last Wednesday we’ve been performing in 3 instead of 4. It’s been fine, but challenging and sometimes hysterical. Challenging because, for example, in the show Three Little Pigs I have to play pig #1 and #3. I have to do about a million quick changes. Literally for the whole show I’m either on stage or quick changing while also doing music cues or set cues. We did that show twice today, and I was also the storyteller both times because now Kay has laryngitis. AND I had to give a workshop to 45 5 year olds in a gym. Now I’m chugging tea and honey like it’s my job.

Hysterical because, for example, we do an opening song for all the fairy tales that introduces each of us. Usually the song goes, “Jason, Kay, Caroline, too, I’m Rebecca, how do you do?” In three, we’re supposed to sing, “Jason Kay, Rebecca, too. Theatrino, how do you do?” Well, the first time we did it, it went, “Jason, Kay” and then I sang, “Caroline, too!” I don’t know if that’s clear. But basically I introduced myself as Caroline because that’s how I’m used to hearing the song…

I’ve been getting to see Rome a bit in the afternoons and on weekends, which is SO fun. I’ve been to the Vatican City a couple of times now (even went for Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday! It was cool because I got to go into the main dome of the church where you usually can’t go if you’re just sightseeing. I didn’t really understand much of what was being said—just the occasional catch phrase—but it was still nice to go to church!) I’ve tried to go to the Sistine Chapel 3 times now, but it’s always closed when I go! Hopefully I’ll make it sometime this week…I also went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Coliseum and Forum (but not inside…saving that for when Michael comes!), and general shopping and gelato eating :-) I’m hoping to go to the Villa Borghese before we leave, too! Last weekend we were going to try to scalp tickets for the Rome v. Milan soccer game. How fun would that have been? Turns out tickets sold out in an hour, and would have been mad expensive. Furthermore, then game ended at 0-0 (how does that work?). So I bought a 3 euro Roma tee on the street instead.

I also went to see Alice in Wonderland (in English) last night. So good! See it! We met up with another Theatrino group that is in Rome now, which was really cool. We hadn’t seen anyone else since January, so it was fun to get back in touch! We head out from Rome on Friday (we’re depressed) and to Milan (we’re depressed). We’re not sure how long we’re going to be North, but we’re trying to get over ourselves and promise to do lots of sightseeing there, too!

When In Rome...

Some facts: 1. We have a kitchen in our Rome flat. 2. They don't do real cookies in Italy. 3. Cookies are one of my favorite foods. 4. I am one facebook message away from the recipe for the famous Beth Bridge cookies (the melt-in-your-mouth-cry-your-eyes-out-they're-so-good chocolate chip cookies).

So what do I do? Make cookies of course!

Exhibit A: COOKIE FAIL.

Why? I don't know. But I'm SAD about it. For starters, along with cookies, here in Italy they don't do brown sugar (a key ingredient to the above mentioned cookies). When I asked for it, I was shown brown cane sugar, which is basically just regular sugar that looks dingy. However, in glorious Rome I found a specialty shop selling special English foods--for a very special price. In that shop I found brown sugar! Hooray! So I bought it, and all the other ingredients I needed for the cookies. However, in our kitchen we don't have important tools like measuring cups or hand mixers. But I made an educated guess about a cup of this and that...and beat 4 sticks of butter with a wooden spoon until my arm almost fell off. The resulting "dough" looked, and tasted like chocolate chip cookie dough! Tragically, baking the dough produced Exhibit A, the crispy cookie pancake.

Moral of the story? Eat more gelato.

One thing I've noticed about Romans is that they like big hair. This makes me feel right at home. Just like the sign in Tracy's Hair on Main says, "The bigger the hair, the closer to God." Well, there must be a lot of saints in Rome. I got my haircut near our flat the other day, and post styling I fit right in there with the best of them. The stylist blow dried my hair upside down, and made it enormous. It was hilariously big, and strangely square shaped, and everyone in the salon went BELLISSIMA and sent me on my way. Good news is, post wash I look less like Carrot Top and more like me again.