Pictures. Goodnight.

3 september, 2010

Show yesterday. Not a lot of sleep. Show today. Danced, enyojed, feet hurt but heart didn’t. Here’s some random pictures from Hopi. Goodnight.


After the mud fight in the field on sunday this is what we looked like!


We went to a football game friday night. My first game ever! Our host sister painted us and we cheered like crazy (even presented a little cheerleeding and made the audience do the wave etc).


The last day I made swedish panncakes but they turned out to be squares..


On our way on the truck, on the corn field.


During the hair-washing while we got our Hopi names.


Me peeling corn.

Hopi

31 augusti, 2010


Rain


The plaza where Yapaha took place.

A part of the village in which we were staying.


A part of the village in which we stayed, again.


At our community impact day my group cleared out and old storage house on a schools property. We found a bunch of stuff we didn’t want to throw away. Some we gave to kids and some we kept. This mini version water color palette I kept for myself.

The house my host dad grew up in.


One of the many beautiful sunsets. This was by the way the view from our kitchen.


A glimpse from the village when the sun set.


In the corn field, putting up scare crows.

Beautiful little girl with moonlight.


Hands.


The best sunset was watched with good friends and a guitar.


Chris.


A grass hopper.


Host dad showing us which blue corn is ready.

One must feel it to understand

31 augusti, 2010

I can’t describe the experiences I’ve had in Hopi. One must see it, smell it, taste it, hear it and most importantly feel it to understand.

How would I describe Yapaha, running down on the dusty plaza in the village, screaming and trying to catch corn, cereal, nudles and tupperware from young Hopi boys? How would I describe when we got our hair washed, and we got real Hopi names, getting accepted into the family, as real Hopis? How would I possibly describe the Nanha mud fight, the ride on the back of the truck in 65 miles per hour, with our feet hanging out or the time when we got pulled over by the police? How would I describe what we saw in the Kiwa that late night? How would I describe the sunsets, the sunrises and the nature, the view, the smell of Hopi tobacco and the sound of the wonderful music? How would I describe the hours in the field or when the turkey died and I had to carry it, how we picked fresh chili from the garden or how we walked to the water spring and I tasted the best water I’ve ever had?

I will not describe it, but I will tell you (eventually when I take my time) and I’ll do my best not to make you understand but to make you interested enough to go by yourself and therefor be able to understand.

Next stop: Hopi!

23 augusti, 2010

The week is over. The week we’ve been waiting and preparing for. Over. Done. Färdig. It went by so fast, and it turned out to be a good week. After the shows today we did strike and went home. I have been packing and doing laundry and I’m now going to bed. My plan was to upload pictures before leaving tomorrow, cause I will most likely not have Internet for at least a week now. Next stop on our tour is Hopi nation! I am so excited. But as much as I’m excited I’m also tired right now. Therefor: pictures can wait. So, until next time (which probably is in a week):

  • Take care!
  • Make love, not war!
  • Be jealous with me being in Hopi!

Babye!

En fin morgon. Och livet.

21 augusti, 2010

Jag har haft världens mysigaste morgon. Gick upp halv sju eller så, trots att det är lördag och jag har min enda sovmorgon någonsin typ, och tog på mig snabba skor. Gick ut och sprang med Joshua Radin i mp3′n. Fin musik till en annars så tyst morgon. Solen, som reste sig långsamt över bergen, värmde mitt morgontrötta ansikte, väckte det till liv.

Efter en dryg halvtimme fånger en handskriven skylt mitt intresse. ”Garage Sale –>”. Åh. Låter mina fötter föra mig i pilens riktning. Passerar ännu en skylt och följer riktningen den leder mig. Hamnar i ett garage hos en trevlig kvinna. En handfull människor är redan där. Jag kommer in, svettig i shorts och sportbehå, och tittar nyfiket omkring på alla saker. Hjälper en dam att bära in en stor kruka i hennes baklucka. Pratar med kvinnan som har garage-sale-en. Jag frågar om garage-sale-s är populärt in USA. Hon frågar var jag kommer ifrån. Vi pratar lite om Up With People och om min fascination över faktumet garage sale. Jag vill väldigt gärna köpa en fin bricka med gröna löv på. Den kostar 50 cent. Jag har inga pengar och ingen plats i resväskan så jag tackar för mig, lämnar garaget, låter Joshua Radin få vara sountrack till min sista springfärd hemåt. Ny energi.

Kommer hem, tar e dusch och sitter nu vid köksbordet med en kopp te. Klockan är lite efter åtta och livet är fint. För det är fint nu. Jag blir påmind hela tiden. Inte minst igår. Vi hade i uppgift att förbereda ett två minuter långt tal om en passion vi har. Jag pratade om fotografi och konsten att kunna fånga ett tillfälle, spara ett minne. När jag sedan lyssnade på de andra insåg jag vad min egentliga passion är. Andra pratade om människor, om dans, hopp och om religion. Jag tänkte. Liv. Livet är min passion. Jag älskar livet och de små detaljerna som gör livet vackert, meningsfullt. Som en kopp te en tidig morgon i ett tyst hus. Som nya lakan i sängen. Som morgonljus som letar sig in mellan persiennerna i sovrummet och skapar vertikala ljusgula streck på väggen som vetter mot fönstret. Persiennskuggor, de finaste skuggorna av alla skuggor. Små eldar vid sjöar i skogen, där det är lätt att andas och luften är stilla. Där tystnaden är det enda som hörs och man blundar och önskar att tiden stannade, och det är precis det den gör. Som kyssar i duggregn under oktobernätter. Såna kyssar som gör att man glömmer regnet.

”I want to appreciate every smile i see, every laugh I hear, every smell I smell”. Line, Denmark

Som ett glas kallt vatten efter en dag i solen. Som känslan när man drar handen genom blåbärsris och ljudet det framkallar. Rasslande. Som att bli kramad bakifrån eller pussad i pannan. Som knögliga kullerstenar och tända ljus. Som tillfredsställelsen när man rensar ogräs och drar upp en hel rot, och det framkallar ett litet klickande ljud. Som vintermornar med sjutton minusgrader och glittrande snökristaller. Som vackra solnedgångar där himlen är orange, rosa och lila på samma gång. Som doften av tjära, duggregn, nybakta kanelbullar och majbrasa. Som att stå på scenen och sjunga ur hjärtat. Att påverka människor och inspirera.

Min passion är livet och de små sakerna. Att uppskatta de små sakerna som gör livet fint. Idag ska bli en fin dag. Jag ska uppskatta varje andetag, varje leende och varje skratt jag hör. Jag tänkte citera Line, från Danmark, som så fint igår (under sitt tal) pratade om att leva i nuet. ”I want to appreciate every smile i see, every laugh I hear, every smell I smell”. Det ska jag göra idag.

A show. And some junior mints.

21 augusti, 2010

Today we were at a high school. Had a performance and I participated although there was at least one song I didn’t know. The show was a little messed up but a lot of the kids liked it so it was nice. And it was great being on stage again!

Other than the show we hung out on the high school and spent the afternoon with workshops. Practiced public speaking, media training and how to approach people talking about Up With People.



Aniek, me and Line


Me, Vanessa, Dru, Michael and our host mom Monica, host brother Tre and host sister Kristen went to three different stores to get different stuff for Tres’ birthday party tomorrow. I bought Junior Mints. I’ve seen them everywhere and I just love the package and had to get them (and yes they were good).

A little report

20 augusti, 2010

Yesterday we were at an elementery school and did something we call Stand For Peace. It’s a program where we hang out with kids in their classrooms and do different workshops and activities with them. It was very fun and the kids where creative and active. I loved it. Things that happened:

  • A couple of 12-year old boys came up to us after the session and asked for our autographs.
  • A little girl was to quote Martin Luther King and said: ”As John King said…”
  • I asked a kid to point out Sweden on a world map. The kid points at north eastern Russia.
  • The children got very emotional and serious when we starting to talk about respect. To hear their thin, high pitched voices talk about how the ”older kids pick on the younger” and that ”some people get bullied because of their skin-color or clothes or whatever” really touched my heart.

Today was my first Community Impact project. In every city we go to we to community service or volunteer work. In Marana, where we are now, we went to the Heritage Conservancy Farm. This is an organic farm of 14 acres that provide the local Food Banks with vegetables and fruit. What we did today was to help out with whatever they needed help with. Some of us helped tearing down a broken shade structure and other people mixed cement to build a new one. Myself and a 20 others spent the day pulling weed. It was 110 Fahrenheit today and that was in the shade. Just imagine how hot it was in the sun, where we were. I’m glad I had sunscreen!





Tomorrow is Sound Assembly day, which means we’re having a short show on a high school for 500-600 students. I’ve decided to join although I’ve missed out on big parts of the show and the rehearsals. I’ll do my best! And I can’t beleieve this week is almost over! Hopi nation is getting closer… Exciting!

Tired?

19 augusti, 2010

Exhausted cast b?





Some pics

18 augusti, 2010

Yesterday was regional learning day. We went to Tombstone and Biosphere 2. Awesome!


Tombstone


The rain forest in the Biosphere 2.


Tonô from Mexico in the tunnel under the Biosphere 2.


Today, on our way to a dance studio for promotion, we got stopped at a railroad crossing. For some reason I’m really fascinated by the trains here. They are big and long and a little old (making me think of old western movies) and they go so slowly through the city.

Lightning

16 augusti, 2010