During the "Year Course Shabbat Weekend" we were planning on doing our own cult showing of the famously bad movie "The Room." For those of you who've never heard of this movie, look it up, and don't watch it alone. It's TERRIBLE. But it's one of those movies that's so bad, it's good. We decided to see if The Room was playing anywhere in the city. We discovered that Friday, June 25, was the seventh anniversary of the premiere of The Room, and it was playing in the East Village. So we got our stuff together and headed downtown.
It was hilarious - to a point. The movie is made better by the audience callbacks - audience members yell at the screen and throw spoons whenever a spoon is seen on screen (which is surprisingly often). There was one kid sitting directly behind me, however, who didn't understand that you pick your moments with callbacks. Bussy, the idea is not to yell "BITCH!" whenever the leading woman was on screen.
In one of the scenes, two characters are sitting in a diner having a conversation. When they get up to leave, the kid sitting behind me yells, "You forgot to pay! JEW!"
I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. I was furious, and then confused. I sank down in my seat. I felt...threatened. I'd never felt like that before. It surprised me, and I started crying, which surprised me more. My friend A, sitting next to me, turned around and got in the kid's face.
"Why the f--- would you think that's appropriate? Do you realize how f---ing insulting that is? F--- you, you IDIOT!"
I left and paced outside, trying to calm down. Eventually, the rest of my friends followed. We got some food and went home.
Why was I so offended by that? I still haven't completely figured it out. I've been called a "dyke" at feminist events during the year. I've had arguments when it was clear the other person was ignorant about my faith or my beliefs or my political views. But we were in the East Village in New York City, the most diverse city in the country. It sucked to realize that the ignorance my grandfather fought against in the South (he was a civil rights activist and director of the south ADL in the 1960s) was still alive in the North. Did he even know why he chose to use the word "Jew" as an equivalent to the word "cheap"? In the 1800s and 1900s Jews in Europe were forced out of their jobs and the only jobs available were unappealing jobs such as banker, moneylender, and jeweler.
I wouldn't expect the kid to know what he was saying. But it's frightening to me that phrases like "Jew you out of a deal" and "she was gypped" exist. We're insulting groups of people that were persecuted and ridiculed ("gypped" refers to Romanis or "gypsies," who were nomads persecuted during the Holocaust). Every expression has a past, I guess, and it's difficult to know when to reprimand somebody for what they're saying.
I'm rambling. But tell me what you think:
Are phrases like "Jew you down" and getting "gypped" equivalent to saying "that's so retarded" or "that's so gay"? How do you react when you hear this? Do you use these expressions?
Travel
April 16, 2011
June 30, 2010: New York Snacks
If I could crochet like this, I'd be done with the baby blanket I'm making in like, five days.
April 25, 2010
Tennessee Williams.
I haven't read or seen much of Tennessee Williams' work, but I'm hoping to change that soon. His work is fascinating, and he was pretty interesting as well.
While in London, we bought tickets to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I wasn't drawn to the play itself when I passed the advert on wall of the escalator leading down to the tube. Here's what drew me in:
The show was incredible. Mr. Jones is 79 years old, but on the stage he's so full of life you'd never know it.
Phylicia Rashad played Clare Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She sang on the show, she recited poetry, she was poised and graceful. She was my TV mom.
After the show I went to the stage door to get autographs. Mom reminded me to ask James Earl Jones if he remembered being honored at a benefit in Boston for the Anti-Defamation League. Mr. Jones received an award with my grandfather at that event.
About a half hour later, Phylicia Rashad came out. I was so excited I was shaking as I handed her my program. I congratulated her, told her how wonderful I thought she was, and then cried in front of her. It was a little embarrassing.
By the time we had lined up at Mr. Jones's car, there were only ten or 15 people in line. A few clutched photos of Darth Vader. As he trudged over to the car he said in his booming voice, "Ah, the few. The happy few." We all laughed nervously.
When it was my turn, I saw Mr. Jones looked very tired. The heart he puts into his characters takes a lot of energy.
He asked what other shows we'd be seeing while in London. We told him we were going to see "War Horse," and he commented that it's a very unique show. I think he fibbed when he said he remembered the ADL conference in Boston, but it was still incredible to meet him.
Oh! Right...
August 11, 2009
Rwanda - Day 6 in the Village.
Friday, June 26.
Seth, Yoni (Jason's dad and brother), and the rest of the extended family and the Liquidnet guys left yesterday to return to the states. We saw them off in Kigali.
Anne was up before the rest of us awoke. Next was Jason, who was filming with Asaf. Jenna and I woke up a bit later and went to the Art House to meet our friend, Uwizeyimana Jackline, or "Jackie." She didn't show up - we had a misunderstanding. While we waited, Jenna and I made bracelets for her. Jackie's amazing. She speaks four languages: Kinyerwanda, English, French, and she's teaching herself Spanish. She's been at it for about a month and she's already almost fluent. Jason and I tried to regain our lost Spanish from high school, and we were able to have a few simple conversations with her.
Uwizeyimana Jackline. She's pretty, no?
A few weeks before we arrived in Rwanda, Jenna's cousin Isabel came to Rwanda with her mother and became friends with Jackie. They made a painting together which hangs in Jackie's family house at the village.
(hmm. Did I describe how the houses work?) There are 33 buildings at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. The buildings that aren't education buildings or the community center building are residential buildings. Each house has a "house mother," and there are about 16 kids to a family. The families are same And they really are a family - they call their family members their sisters and brothers.
Jenna and I wanted to do something with Jackie for her to remember us by. We made friendship bracelets and were planning to do a bigger project, but we ran out of time.
At dinner we found that Tanya had made Challot. The torah portion for the week had to do with God making the earth swallow a person - the wrath of God and such. So Tanya, being and artist as well as being pretty quirky, made a challah demonstrating the Earth swallowing a person. It was pretty hilarious - Jason ate the head.
After dinner Jason, Jenna, Anne and I went to Oneg Shabbat at the home of Mor, Gilboa, and their 4-year-old boxer, Tsuf. Mor and Gilboa have lived at the village for the past 7 months. They're Israeli. And they're wonderful. Gilboa's English isn't great, but he insists on speaking it instead of Hebrew, which most of us understand. Tsuf is the funniest dog I've ever seen - she only answers to Hebrew commands, and she's become the village's farm mascot. The kids love her.
The oneg was really nice - we lit candles, sang songs, and talked about our lives. We left at about 11pm, after seeing Tsuf's impressive trick: in Hebrew, you tell her to sit ("shvi") and then you pat your chest and say in Hebrew, "jump on me!" and Tsufie, the 50-60 pound boxer jumps into your arms. I didn't try it, seeing as Tsuf weighs a little over half what I do, but it was great fun to watch.
I've started watching West Wing with Jason and Jenna - it's a fantastic show.
Tsuf is a talented pup.
July 26, 2009
Rwanda - Days 3 and 4 in the Village.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
This morning I attended a meeting with the house mothers of ASYV. We asked them about the difficulty of being house mom to 16 teens, how they came to give all of their time to be here. Some of them have families and husbands, some had husbands who died during the genocide in 1994. They are here to give, they want to give completely to these kids. They want the children to feel loved, to have better lives than the mothers had at teen age. We talked about the future of the kids and about adding more kids in December. They said the hard part was trying to help the kids who have severe psychological problems and trauma from the genocide. They often find it hard to pay attention when taking care of so many kids and they all really need that attention. When the kids first came and met their new families, they adapted quickly for the most part. Rwandan kids in this generation are familiar with change. The village welcomed and loved them immediately. They bonded with their friends in about a week, but it took them around two months to get used to their housemothers.
We had a lot of free time the rest of the day until around 2:00, when Jason filmed the life stories of four of the kids at ASYV. He helped to tape a Liquidnet parody/promotion of the village.
That evening I joined Anne, Jason, Jenna, and the rest of the family to dinner with Mr. Mutsindashyaka, the head of Secondary Education in Rwanda. Anne was presented with a plaque thanking her for her work on improving education in Rwanda through the Liquidnet Family High School and the Village in general. After dinner we watched a troupe of traditional Rwandan dancers, from whom Anne received a Rwandan basket and Seth received a spear and shield.
25 June 2009 Thursday. Day 4.
This morning we went to a market in the city of Tonga. The villagers followed us around saying "muzungu" and wanting to touch our skin. We were the biggest group of muzungus to ever pass through Tonga. We passed stands of meat, bananas, avocados, mangos, salt, clothing, and live animals. It was very crowded, like an Israeli shuk. I bought a few bolts of batiked fabric for around 10 dollars, or 5000 Rwandan francs. I negotiated the price in the few words of French I knew, plus hand gestures.
We went to lunch at the head contractor's house in Kigali. Two of his nine kids, Claire and Marvin Mugisha, joined us for lunch. Claire is 17 and about 6'3", and Marvin's 14, and 6'1". Before lunch started the contractor told us shyly, "In Rwanda, we have a saying. When you invite a distinguished guest to your home, you give him a cow. And a bull. And my friend does the same." And thus, as Yoni (Jason's brother) said, ASYV acquired four bovines that day.
They'd acquire five more before Anne left.
July 20, 2009
New York in Business Cards.
The week before I went to Rwanda, I spent five lovely days in New York. I love the place - when I stepped off of the bus from JFK to Grand Central Station, I looked up and saw the Chrysler building. I was starstruck. I looked up as I crossed the street. I looked up at the sculpture on the front of Grand Central. Jason had to say my name to make me realize he was standing right in front of me.
I didn't take enough people-pictures to post them and tell some interesting stories. What I did, as I'm known to do, was collect business cards from almost every place we went.
So I thought I'd fill y'all in on some of the fun things I did. Based on the cards.
Midtown Comics on 42nd Street. "The best at what we do, Bub." For any non-comic book readers, Wolverine calls people "Bub" in the comics. We had a mighty fine time there. I found comics by the Norwegian artist Jason. There had been a Comic Convention just a few weeks before, and I found two signed Jason comics. Plus, a comic called "Jobnik" by a Columbus author, Miriam Libicki. It wasn't great, but I always have fun at comic book stores.
Sushi a-go-go, a sushi place around the corner from Jason's house. We sat outside so we could people watch and we ended up seeing two of Jason's friends passing by. It's so much fun to people-watch on the upper West side. Everyone's so posh. And most of the people who passed were walking tiny dogs. There's something about seeing a thousand yellow cabs pass you by that makes a gal feel glamorous.
Jason and I met my lovely, lovely cousin Emma at Pinch & S'mac. Pizza by the Inch and Some Macaroni and Cheese. I got a little of both. It was such fun! Being on the streets of New York just energizes me. While waiting for Emma to meet us, I was practically floating around the sidewalk. It was pretty good food, too.
We passed like, twelve bridezillas in Times Square standing outside of a theatre and advertising a new TNT show. They were very smiley. I would've loved to stand there in a wedding dress-actually, I think it would make me sad.
I happily dragged Jason into the Sanrio store. The security guard at the door gave him a sympathetic look as we walked in. One of the themes of the merchandise was "I love Nerds." You'd think he'd like that. Nope, Jason squirmed while I levitated on a pink Hello Kitty cloud and happily bought a key topper - Hello Kitty wearing an orange monkey costume. And that's right, there's now a Hello Kitty credit card. Be still my...wallet.
We then went to Toys 'R' Us. The Barbie castle! We bought candy and frolicked in the loveliness that is TOYS EVERYWHERE.
As we stepped out of Toys 'R' Us, the rain just started comin' down. "C'mon," Jason said, "I think I know a place we can go." We ran and ran, and ended up here - Havana Central Cuban Restaurant, Jason's uncle's restaurant. We had empanadas on the house - I had shrimp, Jason had chicken. It's been over a month (actually, it's been exactly a month) and I can still taste that delicious shrimp wrap. I gotta convince Jeremy to open one in Columbus.
Halloween Adventure, Fantasy Superstore. Jenna and I went to 14th Street. We went to a street fair, bought music from a rapper who uses no swear words, got a pamphlet about yoga, and bought Buddhist prayer beads. We went to an alternative comic shop called Lonely Planet. I found a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi author of Persepolis, but couldn't afford it. Oh, and we went to the biggest, scariest Halloween shop I've ever been to. Seriously, it was scary.
I got to ride the metro! By myself, no less. It was very exciting. I waited and waited and waited for the 2 train. A train came rolling in. I got excited, hopped on, and realized it was the 3. But it all worked out - I got to the Bronx safe and sound to have dinner with my cousin Emma followed by Kill Bill. Then we woke up, cleaned up, and got out, headed toward the city once again.
Emma and I visited the Museum of Sex. The exhibits included animals and sex (with each other, not beastiality. Sorry kids.), Sex and the Moving Image, and...something about sex toys. It was...well...interesting. No, seriously! It was. The top floor was a little much, but I finally saw that Paris Hilton video everyone was talkin' about. awkward...
When I returned home to the Upper West Side (on the subway. on my own), Jason's sister Jenna had to study for an exam, so Jason and I went to see Away We Go with Jon Krasinsky and Maya Rudolph. It was wonderful and sweet and funny. I love love loved it. It's one of my new favorite movies.
And thus was the end of the New York adventure. I absolutely love New York, and I hope to be back soon.
However, the Amtrak from Cincinnati to New York takes around eighteen hours. So next time I find myself with $300 dollars and not a care in the world, I'll go back up. After all, I bet I can find more pretty business cards.
And I'm sure I'll have time to make new memories with some of my favorite people.
Rwanda - Day 2 in the Village
23 June 2009, Tuesday. Village inauguration day!
Anne's daughter Jenna and I woke up a little late. We missed breakfast, so we got dressed and went straight to the dedication of the Liquidnet Family High School building. The Merrin and Heyman extended family was there, along with family members of the kids in the village and a few Rwandan officials.
The kids danced and sang a song in Kinyarwanda. The song was one the they wrote themselves. The english translation goes like this:
"Dad and mom, you left me when I was very young, but it wasn't your wish. You left incomplete work, but don't worry, I am alive and all right. Not all people are bad. Now I have got other parents who will come to me. Please, let's join hands together to thank them for the wonderful love they show us."
One of the students, Hazimarc "Marcel," already has music on Rwandan radio. He sang an awesome rap song about hope and family, which plays in the background of a movie the kids made with Jason (more on that in a later post). Here's a link to one of his other songs.
Seth's speech at the Liquidnet Family HS dedication, with the village in the background.
I was crying even before the ceremony started. After the dedication we were taken to classrooms in the school for 20 minutes. Emmanuel taught the class I was in a short physics lesson. He was a great teacher! I'm pretty bad at physics, but he explained everything very well.
On our way to the dedication of the Edmund J. Safra Community Center I met Tanya Fredman, a volunteer who has been living at the village for the past seven months teaching art classes and art therapy. She's from St. Louis and is a graduate of Brandeis. Tanya is responsible for the amazing mural on the side of the community center. Tanya asked me about my interests and we ended up talking until the next ceremony started. I told her that I hope to be an American Sign Language interpreter, but that I still want to be able to help people and travel to Africa to volunteer. She told me about a book called The Unheard: a Memoir of Deafness and Africa by Josh Swiller, about a deaf man who went to Africa as part of the Peace Corps.
The beautiful mural on the Edmund J. Safra Community Center. Tanya designed it and the kids all helped to paint it.
At 2pm officials started arriving: Rwandan heads of agriculture and construction and secondary education, Oded Ben Haim, the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia (because there isn't one to Rwanda), and Stuart Symington, the American ambassador to Rwanda. Mr. Symington is the most American politician I've ever met: over six feet tall, suspenders, Alec Baldwin-esque parted hair, he wore a full suit and tie to the village even though it was close to 90 degrees Farenheit...and he was the nicest, friendliest guy.
We took the officials on a tour of the farm and pointed out the different plants growing there - avocado, clementines, carrots, pineapple, passionfruits, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a few more. Plus the four pregnant cows and the chicken coop for when the village can afford chickens.
The official ceremony for the dedication of the village began at 3:00 and ended at around six. Here is the order of events. I'll explain some of them in greater detail.
July 11, 2009
Monday, 22 June 2009. Day 1 in the village.
The bus ride to the village is an hour-long trip from Kigali. I'm reading "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers" (which wasn't very good). Anne, Seth and Sifa, a Rwandan woman who lived for a while in Boston and who has been working closely with Anne since the village was just an idea, discuss the semantics of a press release about Liquidnet's official statement of the ASYV. Rwanda's first lady, Janette Kagame (wife of President Paul Kagame), will be the keynote speaker at the opening tomorrow (which everyone is excited for!!!).
Anne, being the founder, will of course be speaking as well. There are so many politics involved in the wording of press releases and inclusion of donors in speeches in recognition. I guess it's a good problem to have - having so many people pitching in on this wonderful project that one has to really think to remember them all.
Unfortunately, everyone's taking credit for the project when oftentimes they didn't really pitch in. Anne doesn't worry, though. In fact, she didn't want any credit. There's a mango tree on the ASYV property under which she bought the land for the village from its 96 previous owners. They put up a plaque under the tree. Anne didn't even want that. As she said in passing on our ride to the village, " you can't do things for the credit - everyone else will take it anyway." Do it because it's right, do it because it makes you feel good.
The tree.
Rwanda is beautiful. The hills are lush, full of greenery and fertile red soil. The hills further away are a deep green, but the smoke from the fires that give Rwanda and Uganda their distinct smell (which I love) make them appear blue.
The saying is something along the lines of "god is everywhere during the day, but he goes to sleep in Rwanda." The village is more amazing than I could have ever imagined - the gate has a bright, beautiful sign that says "Agahozo Shalom" across it, there are two incredible murals, and the 32 buildings are painted bright and beautiful colors. The weather is perfect. In the distance one can see those green and blue hills, and two big, sparkling lakes.
Rwandans greet by hugging and long handshakes, and I was greeted by the smiling faces and welcoming arms of the teenagers and housemothers who call this place home and make their new family of Agahozo Shalom Youth Village. I can hardly put into words just how much I have already been affected by this wonderful, loving place built by - as the Rwandan students here call her - "Mama Anne" Heyman.
After we met up again with Jason, I touched up the colorful garbage bins with bright green and bright blue paint. While painting, I met a student named Emmanuel. He told me that he loves math and physics. I was told by one of the Liquidnet guys that Emmanuel's father was training to be a pilot when he was murdered during the Rwandan genocide. He wants to carry on his father's dream and become a pilot.
We had a lovely dinner together of rice and cassava, a white potato-like root (only yummier). cooked and mashed. Our first of about 20 starch and bean meals. I loved it, actually.
The plaque underneath the mango tree (which has yet to bear fruit).
We then watched a rehearsal for tomorrow's big opening ceremony. Officials from Rwanda, Israel, the U.S. and Ethiopia will be there and speaking. After the rehearsal I, Jenna, and Yoni, along with an exhausted Jason (he's been filming nonstop with the videographer, Asaf) joined the Liquidnet family for a "thorns-and-roses" of the day. Some thorns included these:
-we wished there was even more for us to do to help.
-it was hard talking to the kids and hearing their tragic accounts of the genocide.
- and mine: I wish I could have gotten here sooner and could stay for longer.
Some roses included:
-the kids are so inspiring. They know what they want for the future and they are going to work hard to get it.
-watching the village and the ceremony preparations come together.
So now, it's nighttime. I'm sitting across from Anne in the living room of our visitors' house while she types furiously on her tiny laptop. It's about 11pm here (5pm EST), and she's still working on her speeches for tomorrow.
I guess she IS human.
Rwanda.
Agahozo Shalom Youth Village - A Place to Dry Your Tears; Restoring the Rhythm of Life. http://asyv.org/
If you want to learn more about Rwanda and a different view of the village, read Jason Merrin's "Letters From Rwanda," available on the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village website. Here's the direct link: http://www.agahozo-shalom.org/blog/category/letters-from-rwanda/
Go to the website ( http://asyv.org/ ), click on "News and Photos," and you'll find a long, long list of articles, blog posts, and other information from people working on or at the village. I highly recommend you check it out.
Rwanda - Some background.
words in Kinyerwanda.
yego - yes
oya - no
uvuga icyongereza? - do you speak english?
bite? - what's up?
mwaramutse - hi / good morning
June 21, Sunday.
Some quotes and things I learned from Rwanda's Genocide Museum. The museum was very informative and intense. There were quotes and facts, video accounts of genocidaires (those committing murder), rooms filled with bones, and a room with pictures the children that died.
The Genocide museum and the lamp that is lit during the 100 days of the genocide. It was lit while we visited. The genocide lasted around 100 days, from April to July.
On April 21 1994, the U.N. passed a resolution saying they were "appalled at the ensuing large scale of violence in Rwanda." Way to go, U.N. Way to step in.
Romeo Dallaire served as the United Nations Force Commander of UNAMIR, the United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda. He was not given enough troops to make a difference.
Dallaire: "Give me the means and I can do more."
100,000 inmates were indicted for genocide.
"If you knew me and you really knew yourself you would not have killed me." - Felicien Ntagengwa
"Remember this: Nazis did not kill 6 million Jews,
nor did the Interahamwe kill 1 million Tutsis.
They killed one
and then another
and then another.
Genocide is millions of acts of murder." - Stephen D. Smith
We then went to lunch with members of the Liquidnet staff, Tufts University Hillel Rabbi Jeff Summit, and of course, Anne Heyman. They were all talking about "the seven habits of highly effective people, Tufts' "moral voices" speaking program, Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, which broke ground around five months after the idea was born, speaking to Geneva and Paris...I am so totally moved by these people.
We then went to the market, where the Liquidnet guys (funny-yet-professional guys) all purchased drums and played them in the bus. Thanks, guys.
A little view of the capital city of Kigali. Kigali is shaped like a bowl, with hills all around it. Rwanda is called "the land of a thousand hills." It's beautiful.
Afterward we visited an orphanage run by Nuns, many of whom were from India. There was a picture of Mother Theresa at the entrance. We held babies and played with four and five-year olds. They all wanted us to hold them, hold their hands, or play with them. They wanted to be in physical contact with us at all times.
Jason went from there to the village, and I went with Jenna and Yoni back to the hotel to meet their family. A bunch of their cousins, uncles, and aunts from D.C. and New York came to Rwanda to see gorillas and to spend time in the village.
The Merrin/Heyman family is so much fun! We had dinner with them, and they're all friendly and funny.
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