It had to happen.
The classic 'learning language' stuff up.
I was trying to ask a guy how he hurt his foot, he was limping around the room, so I asked my American friend for the translation into spanish.
Turns out I asked him 'Will you marry me?'
I have never seen such a shocked look on someone's face!
His jaw dropped and he jumped out of his chair, pushing it to the side as if I was about to attack him! It was hilarious, and of course my American friend was rolling around the floor laughing. Me too, after I realised what I said! His reaction was gold! I knew something was wrong while I was saying it, some of the words I knew already and thought they didnt fit but I just trusted him to have told me the right thing....hahaaa I should have known...
THEN
I am walking out of the house later on that evening, and down the path I say to the same guy with the sore foot that I feel so embarrased for what happend. I'm searching for the words in spanish, I think its similiar to the english word, in desperation I ask my American friend for the translation. I say 'Estoy embarazada', sounds pretty similiar to the english version so I take it as it is. Turns out I just told him 'I am pregnant'. The real version is 'Estoy avergonzado'
OH MAN TWO HITS IN ONE NIGHT!!
I have to learn this language fast!
It was good to have a laugh about it that night because more and more with each day it feels like a huge mountain to climb. And its getting to me, how useless I feel in many contexts and the frustration that comes with not being able to express yourself or connect fully to others. I am trying to fit in as much language learning as I can, but with the schedule we have there is not much time, and just absorbing this new environment has been huge for me. Getting used to the power-cuts has been quite fun, we had a big one today for most of the evening, during our Ayyami-Ha celebrations with the Baha'i community tonight we ate and socialised in the dark, bumping into each other occasionally. A typical Chongon moment!
Normally I'm shattered at the end of the day, but it is a priority to learn the language. How can I work on a project about communication if I can't even communicate with the people? oh the irony. I have found a language school in the city, it's at least an hour's bus ride to get there, but I think it's the only way.
The forum on Friday went well. We had about 45 people show up, not as much as we were hoping but its a beginning. When it came to question time after the film was shown, over half the audience (mostly youth) left. So that is a huge question, how do we make the forum portion of the evening something that the youth would want to take part of? Having the questions on a projector screen, does it distance the audience too much? Does it become like a 'school'? The other big learning is around the medium, when the project used theatre before it turned to film (about a year ago), they had huge audience's 200+ people and during the forum time everyone engaged in the dialogue at a high level. Now with the film, the audience seems quite passive and almost removed. Does theatre effect people more than film? Or is film more powerful because it works on a subliminal, sub-conscious level where the individual identifies with a character and wants to be like? Is it more powerful to leave that with them in their minds or to discuss the issues it brings up?
Tomorrow we have a big consulation about it, so let's see!
I am moving into my new home tomorrow, in the heart of Chongon. For the first week and a half I have been staying with a family, so it has been a gentle introduction! The new place doesn't have internet yet, so perhaps no blog posts for a short while! Till then...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
start spreading the news...
Katty and I spent a lot of today trying out all the possible ways to let the people of Chongon know about the Media Project's cinema forum tomorrow night, a free event where one of the previous films will be screened at the community hall, and afterwards a forum will be held about the issues and questions it brings up.
We tried everything from putting the poster's inside triste-moto's (three wheel taxi's that are very popular here, 25cents per person for a ride! oh yeah!), and one guy wanted one on the front of his motor-cycle and then drove off yelling 'Vamos al cine!' 'Let's go to the movies' to everyone on the street! Hilarious! And then we went to the one and only local high school to advertise the film as part of it was filmed there (which i have to add, has 60+ students in ONE class, and really run-down facilities...major eye opener thats for sure)
We tried everything from putting the poster's inside triste-moto's (three wheel taxi's that are very popular here, 25cents per person for a ride! oh yeah!), and one guy wanted one on the front of his motor-cycle and then drove off yelling 'Vamos al cine!' 'Let's go to the movies' to everyone on the street! Hilarious! And then we went to the one and only local high school to advertise the film as part of it was filmed there (which i have to add, has 60+ students in ONE class, and really run-down facilities...major eye opener thats for sure)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
reflections after 7 days
Wednesday already. Exactly one week since I arrived in Guayaquil. The days feel really rich here, and much longer than in New Zealand. It's the absorption period of course, everything is still really fresh and new, and the language difference definately takes it out of you. But I'm getting by. It feels like I've been here for a month already.
I was saying tonight at the dinner table how I feel like I have finally woken up from a big big sleep. And as most people saw me back in New Zealand, for the last 6 months since leaving China it has been a major transitional time for me, full of anxiety about the direction of my life, my career and priorities - the ususal mid-twenties crisis. And now, even though physically and materially it's tough here (the power tends to go on and off most nights, to get to any major shop takes awhile, and the town I'm living in is pretty poor, lots of rubbish on the sides of the roads, and stray dogs!) but I feel like a weight has dropped off my shoulders. I don't have to worry anymore. I can be in the present and be content. That's one of my 'goals' for this year. To be in the moment and not worry about the future like I have been doing...anyways...back to the moment...hehe
We experienced some big questions today, mainly around the collaborative nature of the project. Is it possible to make a film without one major 'director' as such? Where does the role of consulation come in when making a film? How is a Baha'i-inspired film project different? What are the expectations we have on each other and of ourselves?
At the end of the day, in any collaboration, a decision must be made, and stuck to, 100 percent, even if you were in the minority of the decision. It's in the unity and attitude of the team that counts and that will be reflected in the fina product.
We are also training up others from the community to perhaps run the project in the future or gain skills to start their own similiar project, so that also brings in different questions. How to make those who are training feel a part of the team? How much of the team decisions are they involved in? What are their interests? How can we help build their capacity?
Anyways these are some of the questions I'm mulling on...and many more.
I was asked a question tonight that I know I need to clear on, 'What are my expectations of this project, and of me?' I know this expectation thing can get in the way of the work and my purpose, so it's good that I get clear on it now so it doesn't block my view in the future...so i'm refecting on that. It's a bit blurry at the moment, i can't really pin point what my expectations are right now. maybe thats a good thing...
and another quote that i liked from today, the producer of the project said 'the key is to take advantage of your test'. We were talking about the difficulties that will inevitably arise from being a part of a grass-roots project like this, and in the arena of service, how we view and work with the challenges that will come.
ok enough for tonight. tomorrow is the last day of filming for 'Abuela o yo' (Grandma or me) Hilarious title! And it's turning out to be quite comical aswell as poignant, all about a young boy from this rural town, his desire to buy the latest sneakers (its all about having the latest shoes out here!) and his family's crisis with his grandma's health. We are working with the local doctor of the town playing the 'doctor' tomorrow, and an old lady from the corner store playing the grandma. I'm quite excited, i love working with 'non-actors', they bring a freshness to the work, and perhaps will allow us to get more in touch with the community.
I was saying tonight at the dinner table how I feel like I have finally woken up from a big big sleep. And as most people saw me back in New Zealand, for the last 6 months since leaving China it has been a major transitional time for me, full of anxiety about the direction of my life, my career and priorities - the ususal mid-twenties crisis. And now, even though physically and materially it's tough here (the power tends to go on and off most nights, to get to any major shop takes awhile, and the town I'm living in is pretty poor, lots of rubbish on the sides of the roads, and stray dogs!) but I feel like a weight has dropped off my shoulders. I don't have to worry anymore. I can be in the present and be content. That's one of my 'goals' for this year. To be in the moment and not worry about the future like I have been doing...anyways...back to the moment...hehe
We experienced some big questions today, mainly around the collaborative nature of the project. Is it possible to make a film without one major 'director' as such? Where does the role of consulation come in when making a film? How is a Baha'i-inspired film project different? What are the expectations we have on each other and of ourselves?
At the end of the day, in any collaboration, a decision must be made, and stuck to, 100 percent, even if you were in the minority of the decision. It's in the unity and attitude of the team that counts and that will be reflected in the fina product.
We are also training up others from the community to perhaps run the project in the future or gain skills to start their own similiar project, so that also brings in different questions. How to make those who are training feel a part of the team? How much of the team decisions are they involved in? What are their interests? How can we help build their capacity?
Anyways these are some of the questions I'm mulling on...and many more.
I was asked a question tonight that I know I need to clear on, 'What are my expectations of this project, and of me?' I know this expectation thing can get in the way of the work and my purpose, so it's good that I get clear on it now so it doesn't block my view in the future...so i'm refecting on that. It's a bit blurry at the moment, i can't really pin point what my expectations are right now. maybe thats a good thing...
and another quote that i liked from today, the producer of the project said 'the key is to take advantage of your test'. We were talking about the difficulties that will inevitably arise from being a part of a grass-roots project like this, and in the arena of service, how we view and work with the challenges that will come.
ok enough for tonight. tomorrow is the last day of filming for 'Abuela o yo' (Grandma or me) Hilarious title! And it's turning out to be quite comical aswell as poignant, all about a young boy from this rural town, his desire to buy the latest sneakers (its all about having the latest shoes out here!) and his family's crisis with his grandma's health. We are working with the local doctor of the town playing the 'doctor' tomorrow, and an old lady from the corner store playing the grandma. I'm quite excited, i love working with 'non-actors', they bring a freshness to the work, and perhaps will allow us to get more in touch with the community.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I wish I had a Mango tree...
Here are a few snapshots of today's filming session at a friend's farm near Chongon. I am now a giant itcy-bite. Note to self - never wear shorts and sandals when filming on a farm in ecuador...haha happy scratching!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Ahora es Ecuador!
It's day 5 of my Ecuadorian adventure. It's incredible how much can happen in such a short space of time. To sum up the last five days into a blog post...ah where to begin...so much change in such a short amount of time!
Well firstly, its HOT. And I mean sticky, sticky hot. 33 degrees at least and 75% humidity. And we haven't even hit March yet which is the hottest month in Guayaquil, the city I am living in. I have arrived at the hottest time of the year, but locals call it 'winter' because it's the rainy season, and well, there is no winter here!
So there will be showers of rain, thunder and then intense sun on and off the whole day. I feel like I'm adjusting to the warmth pretty well, i hear the words from a book by Ruhiyyah Khanum, 'People in the west pay so much money for sauna's, when in the tropics you can live in one for free!'
The warmth of this place is matched by the people. Friendly, warm-hearted and out-going.
Since arriving here on Wednesday it has been bang bang bang, busy straight away! Meetings with script-writers writing the next series of films for the project, consultations with the production team, rehearsals with the actors for the project, and tomorrow we begin filming the next installment.
What is this 'project' you may be wondering. It's called 'Medios para la Transformacion' - Media for Transformation. It was born out of consultations at the Baha'i World Centre about the role of Media and Social Change. The project here in Ecuador is working at a grass-roots level with the people of Chongon, a poor rural area outside the large city of Guayaquil, in creating a deeper discourse and reflection on various social issues that affect them, by using the mediums of video and other art forms such as posters and theatre, and then providing community forums where the video is presented and a dialogue begins.
The project has been running for just under one year already. My role is slowly evolving each day, today I helped direct and train the actors as well as consult with the producers about the overall running of the project.
This is the first stage of the film forums, so there is a lot more learning to be had about engaging the community of Chongon more, especially in the forums, finding ways to really get them reflecting on the issues...I'll be experiencing my first forum this Friday night, can't wait!
It's getting late so thats all for now, we're up early tomorrow filming at a near-by farm. I hope to write a lot more questions and learnings on here, and for you to share your thoughts too!
Hasta pronto!
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