Truth...as best as I can tell it.

3/30/10

“I release. I set it free. The good comes right back to me” - Sung by Rachel Hollander

Oh my god. OH MY GOD. So I did it. I taught a legitimate, coherent dance class! This weekend I was so stressed and then I just went in, started and even the teachers wanted to learn how to salsa! The kids were practicing, even though we had moved on to another activity! I think I just needed one awkward first class to get me going. Then again, I learned a lot from MYO and I learned from my research yesterday morning.

Okay, so also, Harry – the guy at my internship who reminds me of Kyle – asked me if I was interested in being a part of an artistic thing about HIV and AIDS!!!!

So, while I hate to admit it, inspiration hit me during class today:

HIV
Affects you and me
It’s an ‘us’
Kind of problem
Why can’t they see?
Black, white,
Yellow, red,
Gay, straight
Bi or
Whatever
It’s affecting
Us all and
It could be
Forever.
If we don’t do something
Now to change it
Speak up, speak out, educate. Rearrange it.

***

So, I forgot to mention that during my rural homestay I worked in the fields. I ‘harvested’ as my grandma called it. It was really, really hard and really, really painful and really, really hot. I don’t think I ever thought it was easy and I’m pretty sure I knew I’d never be good at any kind of farming because I’m such a city girl...
HOWEVER
I realized why people used to sing in the south during slavery in the United States. Singing is probably the only way I’d ever get through a whole day of that kind of work. I think that’s what intrigues me about music – it’s what draws me to music. It has a healing power – a re-energizing power. It just has POWER. I love it.

What else I think is interesting is several people on our program have told me the one thing they really wish they could do is sing and I understand why, though I think anyone can sing (ABSOLUTELY ANYONE WITH PRACTICE)...but it’s the highest form of expression I think and I think we all have music within us. I think it’s the true voice of our inner selves. Think about it: the first thing a baby learned how to do is cry, neh? Crying is singing. It’s music without lyrics. It comes from the soul.

So...
Back to today.

I got to see Alvin again. YAY! I missed him. Then, this evening I went to a seder – at an orthodox temple!!! IT. WAS. AMAZING!!!!!

I thought it would make me really homesick but it actually made me so relieved to be around Jewish people again and have another common language besides English (Hebrew). I didn’t think about it before, but going with non-Jews made me realize just how much I really DO know about Judaism and how much Love I have for the customs and traditions.

We met this amazing couple from Israel who SO kindly showed us around and talked us through stuff. I even taught a little Hebrew to my friends!

One guy came up tome and said, “Are you Jewish?” I told him yes. He said, “I could tell.” And he was telling all the other guys (in Hebrew), “See? I told you, she’s Jewish.”For the first time someone knew. I’ve always had to explain the disconnect between the way I look and the culture I grew up with. “Well my mom’s Jewish, but my dad’s not and I take after his Irish looks, but he’s big on being educated about all kinds of religions, so I’ve kind of celebrated everything and...”

But this guy didn’t associate it with ‘race’ or any kind of looks, he just knew. He could feel that I was passionate about celebrating something that connected me strongly to home. I don’t celebrate because I look Jewish, I celebrate because I like being around friends and family – Jewish or not. I like sharing food, songs and laughter. I like to see how others react to the food and I even like cooking (sometimes). Somehow, he got that.

That made me feel good.

“All the Love. All the Light. All the God that’s within me.” –Sung by Rachel Hollander