This past week I got to the part in my Peace Corps autobiography where my first counterpart had a meltdown in the middle of class. It was over something really silly: all I did was ask the vice principal if an activity that we were doing in class was fine. The children were getting in and out of a large box. It was totally harmless, but, coming from a country where a parent can sue the school for any number of totally harmless things, I just wanted to make sure that this was alright. The vice principal said it was okay, so I just went back to class and forgot about the whole thing. Unfortunately, the clerk gossiped to my counterpart about my conversation with the vice principal and you can guess what happened after that. Suffice it to say that I was somewhat relieved when the principal said that I could work with someone else.
Thankfully, I got to work with Pomeroy, the best teacher in the school. I transferred to his class right when he was about to go into the Civil Rights Movement, so I got to give an excellent lesson about Rosa Parks. I got him and our students to reenact the story of how she bravely refused to give up her seat to a white man, the act that kicked off the Montgomery Bus Boycott. To date, that is still my favorite class. I look forward to writing about it in the upcoming weeks, as well as my students, who were my favorite people on the island.
I still jot down ideas for my "Fionnuala" series. In particular, I write down details about Max, Cassandra's closest friend, a mysterious and beautiful assassin who, when they were children at the hellish Nineveh Academy, stuck her neck out to keep Cassandra from being killed by the gang that ran the school. I look forward to developing her more as a character once I finish my autobiography.
That's it for now. Until next time, stay posted.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Writing Update 5: Focused Intensity, Islander Style
In an effort to complete my rough draft about my Peace Corps experience before I forget everything, I've temporarily suspended my other projects. Movie reviews have been postponed until further notice and "Fionnuala" is going to be set aside until July. It's really important to me that I write everything down while I still have the particular details clearly in mind. I still remember how I chose not to do that for my Spain trip. Now all I remember are the city names and the people I traveled with. Nothing is worse than not being able to remember an awesome experience abroad and I refuse to let that happen with this experience, which was a major landmark in my life.
I've reached the point where I make it on television yet again. The first time was on Armenian TV with my Peace Corps Georgia friends while we were waiting to cross the border. I'm sure they got some sweet footage of me playing catch in no-man's land and proving that I would have been a Superbowl champion in an alternate reality. The second time was Thanksgiving Day in 2008 on Kosrae, and my family still has the DVD. Like the majority of my adventures in life, this one was completely unintentional. I just volunteered to sing with my village because it seemed fun and reminded me of when I used to impress my friends by singing "West Side Story" songs in 8th grade. I had no idea it was being televised until a few days later, when random Kosraeans started talking to me.
Kosraean: Hey, I saw you on TV, Tulensa!
(Tulensa was my Kosraean name)
Me: Huh? I was on TV?
Kosraean: Yeah, for the Thanksgiving Day event in Lelu. Kom samat ke on! (You're good at singing!)
Me: Really? I got to check that out! Kuloh ma lalap! (Thank you very much!)
After twenty conversations like that, I finally did check it out, and indeed, my handsome young face was given a great deal of screentime. I was fairly decent too, considering I was with people who'd been singing since they were two years old. It was definitely one of my better memories of Kosrae.
I hope to be finished with my rough draft by June 30th. After that, I'm going to edit "Fionnuala" so that I can return to my Peace Corps Memoir with fresh eyes.
Stay posted!
I've reached the point where I make it on television yet again. The first time was on Armenian TV with my Peace Corps Georgia friends while we were waiting to cross the border. I'm sure they got some sweet footage of me playing catch in no-man's land and proving that I would have been a Superbowl champion in an alternate reality. The second time was Thanksgiving Day in 2008 on Kosrae, and my family still has the DVD. Like the majority of my adventures in life, this one was completely unintentional. I just volunteered to sing with my village because it seemed fun and reminded me of when I used to impress my friends by singing "West Side Story" songs in 8th grade. I had no idea it was being televised until a few days later, when random Kosraeans started talking to me.
Kosraean: Hey, I saw you on TV, Tulensa!
(Tulensa was my Kosraean name)
Me: Huh? I was on TV?
Kosraean: Yeah, for the Thanksgiving Day event in Lelu. Kom samat ke on! (You're good at singing!)
Me: Really? I got to check that out! Kuloh ma lalap! (Thank you very much!)
After twenty conversations like that, I finally did check it out, and indeed, my handsome young face was given a great deal of screentime. I was fairly decent too, considering I was with people who'd been singing since they were two years old. It was definitely one of my better memories of Kosrae.
I hope to be finished with my rough draft by June 30th. After that, I'm going to edit "Fionnuala" so that I can return to my Peace Corps Memoir with fresh eyes.
Stay posted!
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