I lived with the Lee family for the week and my roommate was Tonio, who is our Technical Manager. After we met our family, we went out for a real southern meal-BBQ and sweet tea. After one meal, I knew I would be loving the south.
We started off the week with a private show on Tuesday at Georgia Southern University for 800 students on campus. It was a great show for the university students. We had so many students interview and want more information about how they could become a part of UWP.
The following day, I helped teach some of the cast movement for our new European songs that will be added to our shows in Europe. After lunch, we prepared for a culture fair with the students at Georgia Southern University. I helped teach several world dance classes for the students. We took them on a tour of the world through dance, where they learned African, Japanese, and Mexican dances. It was really fun to see the students so interested in learning about our cultures and enjoying all of the activities.
I spent all of Thursday preparing for a workshop for the following week in Atlanta. Up with People has been working on a curriculum for anti-bullying workshops to facilitate in classrooms around the country. I had the opportunity to facilitate anti-bullying workshops last semester and from the feedback received last semester, a new curriculum was created to pilot this semester. Fifteen students were chosen to train and pilot these workshops in a very diverse school in Atlanta. The whole day was used for us to become familiar with the material in the workshop and to start planning how to facilitate the workshops.
Friday and Saturday were show days. In addition to the two evening shows, we had a sound assembly on Friday afternoon for the Statesboro High School students. It was fun to see the students get in to the music and dance along with us.
Sunday was host family day, which began by going to church. From church we headed to Savannah, GA and had lunch at the Crab Shack along the river. The Crab Shack played fun dance music, so each time we heard the music play, Tonio, the kids, and I would get up and dance around our table. After lunch we walked along the river looking at all the shops. We passed several candy stores and could not walk by without checking them out. As we started walking along the river, we kept seeing other cast members and their host families who had the same idea. We ended up in a little park with 15 of us and our host families laughing and enjoying the day.
Although it was a very busy week with many late nights, I had a great week with the Lee family. We were always laughing at something and enjoying one another's company. Their two children always wanted to play with us outside whether it was hide and seek, freeze tag, or have cartwheel races. There was never a dull moment and I am very thankful I was a part of the Lee family for the week.
