The Arrivals Part 2- 10 Augusto 2007

Karla, Juan and Oscar arrived from Nicaragua and emerged from customs about a one hour and twenty minutes after landing. That was good cause my train to the airport had been late. The were glad to be here and Juan has some English so between my broken Spanish and his broken English we did alright. I took them to a restaurant as we had a couple of hours before the next group would arrive from customs and the hotel didn't have rooms till 3pm. I gave them envelopes with their per diem in cash for the day. They signed for them and we all ate. We split the bill, used the restrooms. I tried to buy dollars with my left over Bolivars. I had asked and the gal there said they would buy them but when I brought them to the the booth, they said oh, Bolivars no they didn't by them and no foriegn exchange would take them. We then when down and soon met, the group from Ecuador Tatiana, Wilson, America, and David Pacheco (who likes to go by only Pacheco). I call the Hotel van shuttle and we went to the Hotel, the Hampton Inn South. I tipped the driver $20. It was a nice reception and I got everyone settled in their rooms and then returned to the Airport to pick up Franniev from Venezuela. She had come alone as the other person from Venezuela had had a longer wait for a Passport and had to book on a different flight. I got Fanniev to the Hotel and returned for Bladimir and Lenia from Bolivia. Bladimir's door key didn't work and we had to go up and down three or four times till eventually they had to open the door manually and I had to to Juan's things and Bladimir had to wait in my room as I returned to the Airport (now 10pm) for Leonardo from Venezuela. We finally got everyone settled and the people at the hotel were great. It was midnight by the time I got to bed, which would have been okay but I had to have everyone in the Lobby at 4:30am for a 5am departure to the airport...

10th THE ARRIVAL (S) Part I

Not everything goes as planned today. I'm up at 7, showered and dressed almost ready to go...Dad has ordered a typewriter which needs un packing and setting up. I begin. Marie (who has a day off and her sub is in) comes in saying urgently that she needs help. I'm outside in seconded looking at a flat tire on her truck. It's really flat with a big nail. Would I change it for her. I get the jack and other equipment out. We get the spare out. I raise the jack at the point I believe it's meant to be raised. The lug nuts are on so tight I have to jump on the wrench to loosen them finally get the tire off and the truck is too low to get the other tire back on or even the flat back on. The jack is raised as far as it will go...I'm covered in dirt. I call AAA and they say they will be there in an hour. It's 8am my cab is due in 15 minutes. I rush back and shower again and change. The cab calls he is lost. Triple AAA has come. Maire says cancel the cab she'll take me. I cancel the cab. Marie gets me to the train station 15 minutes and...the train is delayed for an hour due to a truck breaking down on the rails. A long wait. A nice ride, arriving at the airport at 12:30. No one out from Customs yet.

Thursday the 9th

Up at 7am to eat with Dad and then phone and e-mail catch up. I was still doing that when Dad and his helper Marie were in the car ready to leave for lunch. A nice lunch out at Seafood place on a lake and then some shopping. Returned home and then went out to pick up movies for the evening. We watched 3!! Found I would take Tri-Rail to Miami airport at 9 am. I would get there at 10:45 to meet a flight at 11:30 the passengers of which would have to go through customs, so plenty of time. Ordered a cab for 8:15. To bed at midnight.

Wednesday August 8, 2007 Off To Florida

On Tuesday night, I stayed at the Days Inn in Tukwila near the airport and the hotel the group will be staying at. It was fine. I caught a cab to the airport at 4 am. I had been upgraded to first class for both segments of the trip and it was all fine. I arrived in West Palm Beach at 5pm. Called my father (where I will stay till the morning or the 10th) and went to the cab stand. They asked me if I want to pay by the meter or a flat rate for $45. They reminded me it was rush hour. I took the flat rate and ended up the sole passenger in a stretch Limo!! Never done that before.
A quiet evening with Dad.

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Theater Amigo in the US - The Participants

The visiting participants:

From Bolivia:

Both of these people work with Teatro Trono an ensemble based company run by Ivan Nogales.

Yhovani Bladimir Mamani Paco 27 years old Lenia Esmirna Orellana Gomez 16 years old will be 17 on August 23rd.

From Venezuela:

Leonardo Hidalgo Gibbs 21 years old is training as a professional actor at college in Caracas Franniev Alejandra Ramos 16 years old will be 17 on August 21st wants to go to be a veterinarian

From Ecuador:

WILSON ANTONIO JIMENEZ LOOR 21 years old training as a professional actor at college in Quito AMERICA FERNANDA GUARANDA MORA 25 years old a teacher and dancer/actor CAMILO DAVID PACHECO RUALES 21 years old a teacher and actor

TATIANA ELIZABETH ARROBA CHIRIBOGA 35 years old a dancer, teacher and chaperon on this trip

From Nicaragua:

Karla Vanessa Acevedo Nuñez 37 teacher and dancer/actor.

Juan Carlos Barberena García 24 dancer/actor Oscar Francisco Valladares Hernández 18 actor

In the US some of the teachers and organizations are:

Kerry Skalsky Seattle, Actor, Director, Stunt Man Christian Swenson human jazz Rose Cano Actor/Director/Teacher affiliated with Langston Hughes Cultural Center George Lewis, Actor/Director/Teacher Freehold Studio Theater Sheila Daniels Actor/Director/Teacher CHAC and Cornish College Michael Rohd Sojourn Theater Portland J. Walters Hand2Mouth Theater Portland Rebecca Martinez Portland Actor/Director/Teacher Olga Sanchez Miracle Theater Portland Jorge Folgueira and Tony Duran FITLA Los Angeles Michael John Garcia Cornerstone Theater Los Angeles

Cultural events will include: Theater trips: Young Frankenstein (Seattle), Richard Foreman Mini Festival (Portland), Misanthrope(Portland), Taming of the Shrew(Ashland), Wicked(LA), and Cirque du Soleil(LA).

Other events include Native American Dance, Museum visits, Imax, Disneyland, city tours, backstage tours, viewing rehearsals and more.

Three times there will be ‘public sharings’. Brief evenings of cultural exchange in an open forum situation. Hopefully those interested in Latin American Theater, Latino Theater in America and others will attend. In Seattle the evening is being hosted by Cornish College of the Arts on Thursday August 16th at 6pm. Room 109.

Hal Ryder coordinated these tours.

Phase II is in count down mode

After leaving Nicaragua, and knowing that Phase II was happening, I traveled on vacation to Aruba...then visited parents in Florida and California, coming back to Seattle the end of June with no real place to leave....Cornish had meetings that first week and the Department of State hadn't released the funds yet to us. Actually that took till the beginning of July. So we are scrambling like mad to get the program together. There are some wonderful things coming up. A great number of guest artists, master teachers, cultural events and more. Suzilah, Inc is prepared to commit to filming Phase II and is still working on raising funds for that. Some of the events planned are seeing two Broadway Musicals, Young Frankenstein in Seattle and Wicked in Los Angeles, Seeing Harry Potter in Imax 3-D, Disneyland, Tilicum village (a ferry ride to Blake Island, Salmon dinner, and a native American dance presentation. Master classes by many artists, visits to museums sight seeing tours, Taming of the Shrew in Ashland. I've been busy, booking teachers, venues, events, and hired John Wilson to help me and he's been organizing the schedule doing research and helping to organize translators and transportation. I fly down to Florida on the 8th of August, and everyone flys in on the 10th. We all fly to Seattle August 11th. Then Seattle August 11-17; Portland August 17-22; Ashland/Medford August 22-23; Los Angeles August 23-28 when everyone flies home. I'll fly back to Medford on the 29th and meet Dallon and we will take a couple days to drive home. Then School starts the day after Labor day. It's busy!! But good. Stay tuned for more.