Home is where you feel you belong

This week has been Refugee Week, and with it came the culmination of a significant project I have been working on with my students, THE PLAY (and yes, I have been thinking of it in capital letters for quite sometime!) After a very low-key panto before Christmas, and some poetry writing based on memories earlier in the year; I decided to invite the students to pull together an auto-biographical play. And because they are amazing, and because they know I'm a bit bonkers but it'll probably be ok; they said yes probably without, really, having much idea what I was talking about!

From the humble beginnings of just something hopefully both fun and meaningful (oh, and educational) to do in class, it somehow grew into a major project. Deciding to perform during refugee week, putting out an invitation to schools and discovering how receptive they were, all added up to adding a layer of pressure for it to turn out well!

We spent weeks sharing and exploring our stories, building a picture of who we were and what we wanted to share with those around us. With performances scheduled for the 19th June, we finally pulled the script together less than three weeks before, and our first full, uninterrupted run through (with most but not all of the cast able to be present) was on the Monday before we performed to an audience on Wednesday. There were, I confess, a few sleepless nights. There may have been a few other responsibilities that haven't been fulfilled quite as they should have been.

And so we reached performance day. In the end, they performed three times, twice in the day time to a total of over 300 school children, and then an open performance for a hundred-ish in the evening. And it was a fantastic day! The cast were amazing, the confidence with which they spoke to an audience in their second (or third or fourth) language, the courage and grace they stood up and shared some deeply personal stories, the way they overcame their nerves and upped their game were truly inspiring. The audiences, in different ways and at different levels, were receptive and engaged.

The performances were wonderful, but there were highlights in between too. During the long break between the afternoon and evening performance, we could have dispersed, but decided to stay. We ate together (thanks to the students who brought food to share, delicious!), we laughed and we talked. But more than that, it turns out that, given lots of time, a large space, and access to a PA system, mostly what my student will do is dance! I think we covered pretty much every genre: from traditional Persian, Arabic and African dances, to Baby Shark, via La Macarena and YMCA. There was so much joy in that room that day. And this too, is how friends are made.

I think I did a fourteen and a half hour working day. I was very, very tired on Thursday. I have zero regrets. It was a truly beautiful thing. Given the chance, I would do it all again tomorrow.

At the end of the final performance, I was thanked. Once I'd recovered from the intense embarrassment, I know that what the students said was beautiful and deeply humbling. That they know I have offered them something is clear: I only wish they could at least partially understand just how much they have given to me.

Because I don't really have the words to explain what a privilege it has been to be a part of this project. There have been so many stories, so many words, so many conversations and so many cups of tea. There has been so much trust and honesty, so much love and compassion, so much genuine friendship. There has been so much new found confidence, so much discovered, or rediscovered, self-worth. We have all grown, individually and as a community, through the process. There has been so much lived and shared which can't be measured, and can't really be explained.

The title of the play was "Home"; the strapline, "Home is where you feel you belong". It is truly special to 'feel I belong' amongst this amazing group of people.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrsWdQ5iQyM&feature=emb_logo)

Answers (4)

The latest edition of the Q & A series, inspired by Lydia's Christmas gift.

16) Which seven words describe you best?

When we drew this one out of the jar, I suggested we should do it for each other as well as ourselves: we didn't, but I wondered whether the words we came up with to describe ourselves would be the same as how we are seen by others. 

I also thought it'd be easier to come up with words for others than for myself, and vice versa, so I cheated, and put a call out to my facebook friends to make suggestions: I got far more than seven suggestions. It was also probably not good for my ego.

So, after all that, preamble, my seven words (at least for today, I may feel differently tomorrow) are: 
Enthusiastic, Opinionated, Unconventional, Authentic, Impulsive, Compassionate, Linguaphile

17) What makes you feel motivated and inspired?

I think the two are, in fact quite different: the things which motivate me and those which inspire me may sometimes be related,but are certainly not the same. I think I am primarily motivated by a belief in the possibility of making a difference, however small, to the world around me. Feeling inspired is something different: I am inspired by beauty, by the capacity to love, and by the resilience of the human spirit. Perhaps the difference is that I am motivated by what I believe I can change, but I am changed by those things which inspire me. 

18) What is one dream you have yet to accomplish?

We decided this probably ought to be a personal goal rather than political change (my initial answer of "world peace" was apparently too much of a cliche anyway.) So, just over a year ago, inspired by my students, I decided to attempt to start learning Arabic. Given that I've made remarkably little progress, I'm not sure admitting this in public is wise, but hey ho! I don't suppose for a moment I'll ever be properly fluent, but I think I would like to get to the point of being able to have a basic conversation (there's still quite some way to go!)

19) Can you pinpoint the moment in your life when you were the happiest?

Short answer, no, I can't. Happy moments, yes,many of them, but happiest, in my whole life, that is a very big ask! Apparently, though, it wasn't really a yes/no question! So what sprang to mind, and sometimes it pays to go with gut instinct, was not exactly one moment, but a series of moments throughout last summer: lots of trips, to a variety of places, with different combinations of people I love and with a common thread of a whole lot of sunshine, laughter and friendship.  

20) When do you feel most like yourself?

I think generally, it is when I am teaching. Or, to be more precise, when I am helping someone else to learn or understand something, or even more so, to help them find their place in the world, and feel more happy or confident about themselves and the possibilities before them. I am aware that there is a risk in finding your identity from your purpose or something you do or achieve; but I think its also an indication of vocation; so I guess there's a balance!.

Iftar and Elderflower

It feels like there is a lot on at the moment. Possibly even more so than usual.

Work remains as busy as ever, and together with all our various other activities provides plenty of both stimulation and challenge.

Lydia is going through the unenviable process of sitting GCSEs so I have spent lots of evenings helping revise subjects I haven't had to think about for quite some time.

Global politics is, frankly, somewhat depressing.

My head is, as ever, swirling with thoughts and reflections.

It would be easy to feel overwhelmed, and there are certainly points where I have.

But in the midst of it all have been lots of beautiful moments of community and friendship: and I know I am incredibly blessed to have so many friends around me who keep me sane and make me smile. Amongst all the other things which contribute to my busy schedule, I am glad it includes meals with friends, impromptu pub trips, shared cups of tea ...

A couple of weeks ago, on day 15, the midpoint of Ramadan, I had the joy of sharing an iftar meal with many of my students, a handful of alumni, some volunteers, and other loosely associated folks: more than forty of us gathered to share in good food (so much good food!) and friendship. Iftar meals are a time of family and community, and for those far away from their loved ones, it is important to celebrate with new-found friends. For me, it is hard to describe the beauty of being invited in to those shared moments together.

The following week, some of our northern leg friends gathered to mark the end of the Easter season. We picnicked and chatted. We shared and we prayed. And we walked, because you know, that's what we do. As we walked we gathered elderflower, now turned into cordial, potentially awaiting being turned into wine. It took a long time to go any sort of distance but it didn't really matter. The whole gathering was bathed in sunlight and laughter.

Both those occasions were definite highlights of the last month, many of the other shared moments of recent weeks have been much more low-key: but all of them contribute to enriching my life. I know I am an extrovert - I draw my energy from spending time with others who love me and whom I love, and I am grateful to the many friends who help me to live life in all its fullness!