Thinking Time

I find my self a bit regretful that I didn’t use yesterday more wisely.  It was sunny and beautiful til about 6pm. And I was inside all day, and today is rainy…but that’s ok. 

Today I went into the city and saw a matinee. There is a little fringe theater that I found 3 years ago and I saw a really great play there so I wanted to go back again. The play was called: The Drawer Boy. It was a little bit slow at first, but the story picked up especially in Act II. The acting was committed and overall I enjoyed it.

It was rainy when I left the house this morning. But it turned into a BEAUTIFUL day! I was exceptionally happy with the weather! I walked around. Went to Buckingham Palace and sat for a while and read my book. I took a walk by St. James Park. SO BEAUTIFUL. I then walked by Parliament and Big Ben and then up to Trafalgar Square.  I sat there and people watched for a while.  I then headed home before it got too late. 

Traveling alone lends itself to a LOT of thinking time! A lot of PERSONAL thinking time.  I think even more than when I am home. I think that is because my phone is not as easily available.  A lot of my thinking is done as I talk things out.  At home I am constantly on the phone with my mom, sisters, or one of my best friends. I can still call a few people on Viber – but that is only if I have wifi. And I don’t have wifi while I wander the streets of London. So I am left to my thoughts and myself.

I part love this and part hate it.  I will say this much: one big perk to getting married – is actually having a traveling companion!  It is nice to do what I want to do, move at my own pace. But at times…times like today… I yearn for companionship, to be able to share with another my adventures.  That would be really nice. It will happen… for now I have a lot of thinking to do, and what better place to be lost in thought than the streets of London?! 

Blood Brothers

I slept in today, a bit longer than usual.  I have gotten into the habit of waking up at 6:30. Which I actually did wake up that early, then I went back to sleep for a bit longer.  I spent a lot of the day catching up on blogging, contacting some people, downloading some pictures, musing over life decisions, and beginning to think of the daunting task of writing my paper on Rwanda. I am still processing a LOT. I had a few moments of inspiration of things that I need to make sure I include. Did I write those things down… no. and all I have to say about that is, “Kristy Kadish what were you thinking?! You know you have to write things down if you want to remember.”

It was beautiful all day today… that is until I decided to finally head out. Then it was rainy again. I almost didn’t go out today but I talked to my dad and he said, “Why not, go…have fun… I wish I were there with you.

So I decided to head out to the city to do something. I ended up going an getting tickets to see the musical Blood Brothers.

Before the show I got to talk to Miriam for a minute and she told me a little about the show.  It was exactly how she described it! A musical wonder of the 80’s british style! Haha! This show… the electronic sounding drums and the songs that were repeated over and over again! HA! I DID love the 2 main characters! They did a fantastic job! Have you ever seen a group of adults all acting like children on stage? But not just acting like children, but really making you believe that this 30-something year old man is Actually 10 years old!? Awesome! 

Sweet Reunions

Today I set out to wander again… I went to the tower of London 

and walked around, and saw a beautiful church that had a cool little museum in its crypt 

I ended up in the financial district. It is SO similar to New York City here! Just with British flare.

I found a piano that said “Play Me” so I did! It was a rather quite piano, but people stopped to listen to me, and clapped for me. that was nice. Thanks to my couple years of Piano lessons and the 2 songs that I still know from playing in a competition from over 15 years ago. 

I walked across the London Bridge and along the river Thames.  It started raining again. Oh London you and your fickle weather! It was supposed to be sunny today I didn’t bring my umbrella with me either. What was I thinking?  

I found a bench under a covered area to sit on and eat my sandwich and I read. I am reading the hunger games… for FUN! HA!!! I cant remember the last book that I read that I wasn’t assigned to me! I sat there for a good hour or more reading in the cool rainy London air. 

I then went to meet up with George, a good friend of mine.  Seeing him again is so exciting! I really feel like I am living a dream! It was a sweet reunion! We hugged each other for a long time and then went and got some hot chocolate and sat and talked for a couple of hours.  There are people in life that you just connect with.  It is almost an indescribable thing but these are the friendships that are cherished the most. Where you don’t see someone for 3 years and are still as comfortable with him or her as the last time that you were together. You can spend hours talking and never run out of things to say, but when time is suspended you feel the conversation is being cut short cause there is still so much to talk about. George is one of those friends for me. I am very grateful for him. I still consider him to be one of my best and dearest friends, even though we live far away and it is hard to stay in touch sometimes.  It is a joy to see him again!

We then went over to the church to hang out with some of the singles ward that were there. Then I headed back home before it got too late. 

Ana had made a DELICIOUS dinner! Oh My! They take amazing care of me here! I may just stay forever!

Wishes in London

I ventured into London today. No plans, just going to go and see where I end up.  I decided to start at the Hyde Park chapel.  I heard that they remodeled and I wanted to see it… plus it was a starting point as well as a part of my old stomping grounds from when I was here 3 years ago.  So without a map (I forgot mine in NYC) I thought that maybe some places that I vaguely knew might be a good part to start wandering.

After not being able to go to church for the past 3 weeks it was really refreshing to be in the chapel. I talked with Sister Brooks, a senior missionary. And we shared stories and watched Mormon messages together. It was really nice! I LOVE the gospel SO MUCH and I am SO grateful for my knowledge of the restoration and my testimony!

It started to rain while I was inside the chapel, but once it cleared up I went out to head towards Hyde Park.  Which is one of my favorite places!  On the way I saw a sign for a free photography exhibit.  I LOVE photography! And I love free! So I went in.  The photos were beautiful. They were the “best of travel” photography. And I very much enjoyed seeing the beautiful images from around the world and the photographer in me yearned to go and take photographs of beautiful things, places and people.

I went on to Hyde Park and saw the new Serpentine pavilion. (there is a new one designed every year) and I sat in it for a while and ate for lunch.  Then I went to the Serpentine museum where there is an exhibit of art from Yoko Ono.  There were some interesting things in there… some that I didn’t like, some that I thought were interesting and one thing that I LOVED!!!

WISHING TREES!

There were 4 trees outside of the museum and they were covered in tags that had writing all over them. The tags were wishes.  Anyone could add his or her own wish.  I took some time to read what others had written. I added my own wish. Then I spent more time reading other wishes that were written.

Here are a few pictures of some wishes from the wishing trees.

 

Let me tell you something about Kristy Kadish… I LOVE interactive art!!! LOVE! I know that this probably doesn’t come as a surprise considering that I do and love theatre, which IS interactive art.  But this was Beautiful! There were so many wishes that I read that resonated with me and echoed my own hearts desires!

It was a moment of pondering, reflection and realization.  No matter who we are, where we are from, racial background, political standing, color of our skin, cultural differences, etc… no matter! We all wish.  And Largely… we wish for the same things! Because when we strip away EVERYTHING else we are left with the human being.  And as humans we all have basic needs and desires, that no matter how different we are… we can and do find similarities!

It rained again while I was in the museum. And stopped by the time I was done.  I walked around the park. It is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I LOVE IT!!! I sat on a bench for a while and wrote down some thoughts and feelings in my journal. Much needed pondering and writing time.  I watched dogs running and playing I walked around the Princess Diana Memorial circle pond, I saw the birds, I walked by Kensington Palace and the Orangery. I walked out of the park and started down Kensington Road.  I did a little bit of shopping. Picked up a new cardigan and some sandals.  I walked down the street stopping to walk down little alleys with apartment and saw a BEAUTIFUL house that I want to live in someday! Mostly cause it looks like a fairy tale house. It was BEAUTIFUL! And then ended up taking a bus back up the way I came. I stopped into the madness that is called Primark (it’s a crazy busy discount store… I bought some socks for a really good deal, haha oh and an umbrella) I then headed back home. 

Home… I am staying with the Ishmael family and I LOVE them! The Ishmaels are actually related to one of my mission companions. Which is the initial reason that we had such a great friendship formed right off the bat when I met them in the Stratford ward 3 years ago.  They are a JOY to be with! I am so grateful that they are letting me stay with them! They recently moved to a new home in Essex and it is a beautiful neighborhood!

I am grateful to be here and to have this time off to relax, and reflect.

Now I need to dive into writing my paper.  But blogging is taking priority over that for now. And I am distracted by my thoughts of wishes as I write and continue to wish. 

Leaving Rwanda

I now find myself in London. As excited as I am to be here I find my heart is… displaced. I think that a piece of my heart will always be in Rwanda!

In Rwanda my friendships were strengthened and fortified among my cohorts. I will always have a special connection now with those I traveled with.  Applied Theatre tends to be intensive work. Intense in many various aspects: time-wise, mentally, physically and emotionally. What a blessing to work with so many wonderful people!

Helen and Chris were so wonderful to learn from to work with, to lead, and to set us all up for success.  I have wonderful things to say about each and every one of my classmates. Each person played an important role in the development of our projects, in sharing the load of the work, in understanding one another, in working for the benefit of the group. I am thankful for the time and talents and efforts that everyone put in to make the work all that it was!

New friendships were developed and all of the students from KIE as well as the KYC are now a very important part of my life. There were so many conversations and sharing of cultures and hopes, dreams and desires. All founded on the common ground of a love for drama and theatre.

Amazing! I cannot adequately describe how I feel and I am having a hard time spelling out all that I have learned and how I have been affected and largely my life has changed.

I am still processing everything.  I spent a good amount of time in Hyde Park yesterday, sitting, thinking, and reflecting. For some reason as soon as my pen goes to paper I have a hard time putting all of my thoughts into written word. Hopefully as I continue to reflect and write my words can become more suitable in describing my experiences. I still have a final paper to write, this experience is counted as schoolwork after all. 

On my faebook status I wrote: “Packing...my heart is breaking! I don't want to leave Rwanda...I will be back! (don't know when, but it will happen!)”

Rwanda is like poetry to me. As I said before even the way that the Rwandese people speak its like poetry! I have not been able to articulate my own poetry for Rwanda yet… but I love what my lovely Amy wrote on the Project Rwanda blog and I echo her sentiment! Read here:

http://projectrwanda.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/echoing-memories/#respond

I do want to share a little bit of what I wrote in my personal journal…

“I knew that Kigali would be a potentially life changing experience. Traveling Internationally always is.

But I didn’t expect it to be this way. I don’t think that I was prepared…Yet I don’t know if I could have been prepared for all that Rwanda was…and IS to me!

The ache in my heart is manifest through the tears that stream down from my eyes as I sit on the plane that is going through pre-takeoff procedures on the tarmac at the tiny Kigali international airport.

As the plane starts to move with a small jerk forward my stomach drops and it triggers more tears.

With this small movement my heart is pulled…forced into the realization that it’s happening… its inevitable. I am leaving the land of a thousand hills… and a thousand smiles (as Jimmy would call it).

Interesting how some of the shortest chapters are the best/most exciting/life changing and impactful…”

Always Remembering our Rwandan Brothers and Sisters

This morning I went with Chris to get some flowers that we could bring to the Kigali Memorial Center with us.  I watched as the florist in her little shop put together a big bouquet of lilies and little read and white roses with green foliage.  It was a beautiful arrangement.  On the front we had a purple ribbon sashing the bouquet, included our message of “Always Remembering our Rwandan Brothers and Sisters.” 

At the Genocide memorial we first went to the mass graves, and placed our flowers there as a group and had a moment of silence to respect and honor all of the lives who were buried there and lost in the tragic events of the genocide. 

The 4th of July is Liberation day in Rwanda. I cannot think of a better way to spend a majority of this day than to be remembering the tragic events of the genocide and honoring the people who were lost. 

We then had time to go through the memorial site on our own.  The building is beautiful and the Gardens are a sight to behold.  There was a significant amount of symbolism throughout the memorial sites. 

The first thing that we saw as we walked up to the memorial center is a flame that burns during the 100 days of mourning.  Which is how long the genocide lasted before liberation day. (which is today!) The fire raised above the middle of a fountain, the water representing life. There were also clay statues of Elephants.  The Elephant is a symbol (in most cultures) of one who NEVER FORGETS.  This is the promise of hope that is often repeated in this place.  

Always remember…Never Forget… Never Again.

Out side there were many beautiful gardens – one for women surrounded by protective trees, another rose garden whose paths were made to represent the flow of life and create a journey for reflection.  Another garden was a garden of trees, the trees represented eternity, and even though they are still young- they will continue to grow and be strong and ben seen by all who come.

Among the gardens there were 3 beautiful fountains. First a circular fountain symbolizing the Unity of Rwanda that then flowed into the fountain of division –a fountain shaped like a 6 pointed star there were also clay pot animals sitting at each point facing in different directions showing the division that was created in Rwanda from the Genocide.  Then the water flows to the fountain of reconciliation.  Another circular fountain, in the center there is a mound of stones representing the lives of those affected by the genocide.  Surrounding this fountain the clay animal’s pots are all talking on cell phones – spreading the word to other nations.

I enjoyed the quite and competitive time in the gardens and was able to sit and reflect about my own place and responsibility in humanity. 

I made my way into the museum.

This is one of the first things that I read upon entering:

“This is about our past and our future

Our nightmare and dreams

Our fear and our hope

Which is why we begin where we end…

With the country we love.

It is true! The Rwandanese love their country.  As our tour guide said the other day to us, “It may be small, but we are proud.”

I have read some about the history of this beautiful country, is a stark contrast to the love and peace that I feel here now.

I was well composed throughout the museum.  Going into a room where loved ones were able to bring photographs of their lost ones chocked me up, I felt a love and sorrow in my chest that is hard to explain. 

The next room I entered into was of personal belongings of victims.  Cloth with African patterns that were probably skirts of women, shirts and pants, all hung in dimly lit cases.

I stood in front of a case in which hung a fitted sheet with Superman imprinted all over it, a child’s jacket and… a small vest.  As I looked at the tiny vest I started to think of the children.  And tears flowed down my cheeks. I stood in that moment gazing from the superman sheet to the jacket and back to the tiny vest…fixated on that vest. I was immovable. Wedged in that moment.  I cannot describe the feelings that I had or fully articulate my thought at this time.  As I was standing there in this almost poetically tragic moment I was, in my mind, much more articulate than I am now.  The least that I can say is that I was very moved. 

After we got back to the hotel we all went to lunch.  Most of the group went to eat at another local hotel after we walked around for a bit in a fruitless search for a rumored Ethiopian restaurant.  Bennett, Rachel and I decided to check out another place near by and I got some good beef stroganoff.

We headed back to the hotel to chill for a bit.  We heard about a football (soccer) match tonight at the stadium and decided we wanted to go.  Bennett and I met up with Magic and Jimmy (two of our friends from KIE) and went to the stadium (its only a 10/15 min walk from our hotel)

The Match was the FINAL GAME of the Peace cup and it was the POLICE Fore Team vs. APR Force team (Military) that were competing for the trophy. The match was exciting and the team we were cheering for (APR) won in overtime 2-1.

It was a perfect day for Football! The weather was beautiful and it is so fun to be in a big stadium with so many people.  It was mostly men in the crowd.  There was maybe 1%women in a HUGE stadium that was fairly packed, especially on the side that we were sitting.

There was a group of boys pretty close to us… they had brought a drum and horns and they sang and danced and cheered and blew their horns the whole time.  It was an exciting atmosphere to be in!

One thing that is very different about Rwandan culture is their personal space.  It is kind of like how they drive- if you fit go…There is always an arm around your shoulder and a hand to hold by those that are around. 

As far as personal bubbles… I don’t think that anyone really has one at all.  The other day when we were in the stadium Magic leaned back putting himself between the legs of the person who was sitting on the stone slab bleachers behind him, and even leaned up against his leg.  This was done to a stranger… not someone he knows.  This would be un-acceptable in the US. You just don’t do that, lean up against strangers… and on top of the act of doing it not getting any kind of reaction.

Seriously just bumping into someone slightly in New York on the train can set someone off.  So it is really interesting to me how here that is no problem whatsoever. I Love that people are generally more giving and sharing here than I have seen in most other places.

Anyway- lots of love… I still have SO MUCH to share… but I am REALLY tired and I have a big day tomorrow!

BIG HUGS!