November 20, 2008: Final Interviews and Final Day

Dear Friend,

Eugen, Tudor and Marius, Luisa, and Maria are the interviews I had today. Starting at five o’clock in the afternoon with Eugen, having a little break before Tudor and Marius, and going all the way to eight o’clock. They all turned out really well. I listened to them after burning them to CDs and realized George had bought a really, really good recorder. Olympus is the brand, though I can’t remember what model. Doesn’t matter, it was a good recorder.

“Empowering the people,” or some facsimile thereof, is what I heard in my interviews today. Giving people the opportunity to take responsibility, make choices, find solutions, and also think about the other person – the person next to you, your neighbor, whoever – are the reasons for forum theatre. And what has being a part of a forum theatre group done for these volunteers? Made them mature. Help them think about solutions in their own lives. Made them feel good about volunteering. All these and other great opportunities they’ve been given. That people can use something they enjoy (theatre) to help others (volunteering) seems, to these folks, the most sensible thing to invest in.

The party was small and intimate. This is the way I like parties. The whole shindig had barely started and Maria wanted me to launch into my State of the Union address (this analogy expands in a bit.) I gave my speech, all the time trying to make sure that I didn’t drag on. As has happened in the past, this turned from being a speech into a discussion, which relaxed me quite a bit. Being able to talk “with” people as opposed to “at” people makes me feel less like a blathering idiot. I probably still am, but I feel less so when others are blathering too (ha!)

Anyway, we had our discussion about “evil catharsis” and how Boal is attempting to demolish it in Theatre of the Oppressed. I also tried to explain, and I think everyone agreed on some level, that catharsis was not inherently “evil.” Catharsis is just catharsis. All this talking, though, impressed everyone so much that they all thought I should become president. I vehemently declined and they all laughed. I did, however, accept the nickname they gave me.

Just about all the guys in the group have a nickname that begins with “coco.” For example, I think Eugen, the originator of the “coco” nicknames idea, has the nickname “Coco Shorty.” I know that Marius has the nickname “Coco GPS,” but I’m not sure why. I once asked Eugen what was the reason behind “coco.” He wouldn’t tell me and I got the impression it was probably something inappropriate. However, I had no way of truly knowing, because he wouldn’t tell me, so I just filed my curiosity under “cross-cultural differences.” All this to say they finally gave me a nickname after my State of the Union address. My nickname is now “Coco President.” I accepted with great appreciation because I knew it was a way of further accepting me into their group. In a sense, I belonged. That felt really great.

I had so much fun at the party, even though it was a goodbye party. I laughed a lot, opened up more than I had before, told them my regrets for not having done so earlier, and also expressed my immense gratitude for their patience and care these past couple of months. Could things have gone differently, even better, this semester? Maybe. Probably. Sure. However, things happened the way they did and I’ve learned so much, as have they. Carmen expressed that it was also brand new for them. They didn’t really know how to conduct this internship either. They were all busy with their own lives, as well, so everyone was trying to figure things out just like I was. That being said, we’ve all learned from this experience and are friends after it. How better to end the semester? I know of no other way.

Blessings.
Kailen