Wednesday, June 23, 2010

benefit

Last night, i had a G2G benefit at the Harlem Library.
Performance, presentation, reception. Two hours total.
Short and sweet (15 min getting in mingle, 30 min performance, 15 min presentation, 45 minutes reception, 15 min strike - load out).
mistakes -
the event was not publicized enough - not enough audience
(i was counting on mt marketing person whom i hired to do it for me, which i shouldn't have)
no good photos taken (????)
the first 15 mins i didn't have a good concept for.
people were bored and waiting around
pluses
good performance, great performers and energy among the artists
(thank you thank you thank you allen, ana, brandon, carmen, chris, lauri, margaret - can i keep you all? wanna be a g2g band? and thank you all the G2G fans and supporters - claudia, eric, stephaine, andre, tawnya, ben)
solid presentation, people listened and reacted
good venue - libraries. hmm i haven't thought of those before
eventbrite is a good way to promote and administer events!
vistaprint is a good print service - i have my gifts (G2G mugs and flyers) printed by them


now - as soon as i get back from ghana, i'll start doing one of these a month.
hitting a different neighbourhood each time.
if i raise $500 each month, which should be attainable, since i'd be set for my next trip.

we continued with an afteraprty at billie's black until 2 am.
it was fantastic. I am so fortunate. I have very special, precious friends.
I was looking across the table at one point - an amazing group of people, all ages and backgrounds, celebrating life and one another in such a passionate, joyful way, and most of them didn't even one another before the benefit.
G2G brought them together.

and i was happy.

now let's go wath ghana beat germany and serbia beat australia.
woo-hoo!!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

some of you

might've not seen echoes and developments of G2G throughout last year:
wonderful arts-electric article:

http://www.arts-electric.org/stories/100101_paranosic.html
my article for juilliard journal

http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/2009-2010/1003/articles/forum.html
and our FB page.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Give-to-Grow/119680858072254?ref=ts
also - a film form of a final performance i produced and performed with the kids in Kopeyia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YPS7-fZdPs.

enjoy.
hmmm - links don't work, wonder why...

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

flight booked

not confirmed yet.not sure what's up with vayama.com
booked yesteday, still awaiting the confirmation.
excited.
looking for prescription for malarone or doxycyclone rt now.
no health insurance, trying to save up and not pay for the doctor's visit.
today bought a few small gifts for the children and my egnlish madams - rejoice and christy.
next is talking to the embassy and the airlines about the computers and allowed baggage. ghanaians tell me - just put them computers in the suitcases. noone will open or care.
two in my carry on, two in each checked bags.
pay for extra bag. that's it.
need to install all the software onto the computers too.
then the final benefit, june 22nd.
leave on july 4th. everyone will be coming into NY, i will be leaving it.
arrive to accra on the 5th, 6PM.
spend the night in accra, continue in the morning.
that's the plan.
later...

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

aaaand - awake!


if any of you are still around, interested and want to keep following this adventure of mine - I'm happy to be back.
after a year of trying to raise enough $$$ to go back to Kopeyia and continue with what made me, by far, feel the most alive and purposeful in the last decade or so, I have finally come close to taking another step. in about a month I will be on the plane to Accra again. and my body trembles with excitement.
Two days ago (minutes after The Sandbook Studio - THANK YOU SO MUCH< ERIC!!!!) told me they would sponsor my next trip, the phone rang.
"It's me. Kofi." i heard the the sweet, familiar voice say. Shyly.
My heart started beating like I had been on a treadmill for about a week. On an incline.
"i wanted to ask you... when are you coming back".
I started crying and I haven't stopped since.
Kofi doesn't own a phone. His mother or sister don't speak English. Kofi, a 10 year old is the head of the family.
Kofi found a phone (someone staying at the Dadbe Center, an american had one), found out what y phone number was, including the area code, and called me.
He called me because I promised him I'd be back by May of 2010, so called to find out why am I not keeping my promise.
I wanted to explain how difficult it was to come up with the $$$ to go, how my grants fell through, including the one form Juilliard that I was SO sure sure i would get,
but he didn't need all the words. He wanted an answer.
"I will be there in July!" I said fighting the tears in my thought form being heard.
Kofi never cries. I have to be stronger.
"which day?"
"5th", I said.
"July 5th" he repeated.
Kofi, dear, i can't wait to see you. Do you need anything form here?"
the line is breaking, there's silence.
"I miss you" he says.
I've had family, friends, lovers say that to me. It's a common thing to say.
But now, it felt like I was hearing and understanding the words fro the first time.
"I miss you too, Kofi. I miss you so much. And I will see you very very soon."

_________
TBC