Saturday, 27 April 2013
Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! This is where the real magic happens. We're picked up just after 10am by a minibus full of equipment, then swing by to pick up the Cultural Affairs Officer, Rob Quiroz, to head across town to the School for the Deaf. Yes, you read that right, we are going to do a musical cultural exchange with young children who are either partially, or completely deaf.
We've been assured that not only do many of them have partial hearing capacity, but they've also prepared a skit, and some traditional dances that they plan to show us, accompanied by drum music. So, we figure if they can handle that, then they can probably handle us.
And so begins the most enriching cultural exchange I've participated in to date. To witness the power of music, rhythm and drama to overcome the challenges of the sensory impaired is inspirational beyond words. With the help of their teachers who handled the simultaneous translation via sign language (in both directions) they were just as involved as any other normal kids with all of our sing-along activities... as well as my new "weapon of choice" for spreading joy - tap dancing :-)
And in a true spirit of exchange, they prepared a theatre piece, acted out through sign language (translated for us), which told the heart wrenching story of the challenges young disabled children face within their society - a story of rejection, and lack of faith in their abilities, which of course is redeemed in the end by a few loving folk, including a teacher who show them and their parents that they too can take their place in society through proper education and training. We are quite moved.
And then they get up and DANCE :-) And with a touch of khutzpah, a few of the braver kids come take mine and Jeff's hands to lead us on to the dance floor with them. We close out the exchange with a round of "woo-woooooo!!" blowing the whistle for the A Train, and a little Sweet Home Chicago. By now, I'm drenched in sweat (I mean LITERALLY), and quite out of breath from dancing so much in all this heat - and yet, I've never felt so satisfied in my work. Just when I think it can't get any better on these Cultural missions, they send us to a new place where the inspiration is overflowing in both directions. I wish only the best to these kids, and thank them for showing me their spirit, and how the rhythm and the spirit are in ALL of us. Ommmm shanti shanti. Asante.
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