I was counting down to the Revolution....but now it has started!

Evening all,

My goodness, it really has been a seriously long time since my last post! And yet the time has simply flown by. I could get philosophical about this phenomenon but instead I shall just say that it's probably because it has been an incredibly busy time lately, not least because last weekend was the Festival of Festivals where we started a Creative Revolution!

I have a mere 46 minutes on the clock in which to write up 3 weeks so forgive me if I'm rather brief. Any further questions I shall try to answer in due course..... Perhaps send them on a postcard?! ;)

OK, so the Festival. I must admit that the week leading up to that mighty event I was my usually anxious self. Kassym and I were putting in long hours at work to try to make sure all the arrangements were in place for the GX team and exhibition, the mannequins, and various other details. Add to this the fact that Realife (the local charity we're tehnically volunteering at) was moving office over the course of that same week (which meant a lot of upheaval, lack of omputers and internet) and you'll get an idea of why it was a little busy.

Anyway, despite the blood, sweat and tears (a moment of weakness, I admit), I can proudly say that the Festival was a success! About 3000 people attended over the course of the weekend, enjoying 66 music acts, as well as many other ativities and impromptu performances. The weather was absolutely perfect on Saturday, and although Sunday was a little grey and windy (our tent seemed to be in danger of taking off!), the rain held which was an answer to many prayers methinks! Obviously the success of the weekend was not completely down to us.....in fact, the GX team were just a tiny part of the organisation.....but to have been part of it at all was definitely something I will never forget and I feel I've learnt a lot through the experience. I don't want to sound big-headed but it really feels like we, and also I personally, have achieved something which I didn't think we would. Maybe when I describe it here it won't sound like so big a deal but it's not something I would have seen myself doing had I been questioned about it 6 months ago.

So you probably want a run-down of what we got up to! Well, the main responsibilities of the GX team were to help with the publicity prior to the festival, and then to help out with stewarding duties on site. For the former, the whole team were involved as we all delivered flyers about the festival to some of the houses in Stortford on one sunny Sunday afternoon. I think this was completed rather enthusiastically as it quickly became evident that Kassym and I had underestimated the number of flyers we would be able to deliver in an afternoon when we had planned it all! Kassym and I also helped with publicity by getting posters up in the shops all over town, and also in giving a presentation at a language school, something I think we were both a little nervous about.

At the festival itself, GX was certainly noticeable! In addition to our bright green GX T-shirts (oh, what advertising we do!), we also all donned tricorn pirates hats, kindly bought for us by Tony, one of the directors of Realife. "Why on earth...?!" I hear you cry. There was a point, honest. Well, the theme of the festival was "Let's Start A Creative Revolution" so we wanted to look vaguely revolutionary. We also had our very own tent in which we displayed an exhibition about GX and about Kazakhstan, providing leaflets and chatting to anyone who happened to look vaguely interested. This also provided the setting for our first African drum and dance performance! It had all been a bit of a last minute arrangement, not without its hiccups....Efua and Kofi's car had broken down during the week so they had to make use of taxis. But also the costumes had been left in London so Efua kindly rushed down to the capital on Saturday morning in order to get them to us in time for our first performance. They made all the difference as we felt really special dressed up in the bright costumes. Awesome. Although our first performance left a little to be desired, our second one was a corker and we were all buzzing afterwards. :)

Other GX duties weren't so glamorous but they were necessary, and being volunteers, that's what we were there for. So, car parking, litter picking and entrance gate duties it was. But, in return, we also got plenty of free time to enjoy the festival atmosphere, watch a few acts (Squab, the human beat-boxer/rapper who was accompanied by two acoustic guitars was certainly memorable, as were headliners, Official Secrets Act, with the lyrics "I like her, She likes me" - catchy) and even take part in other ways. Kassym ended up carrying one of the performers on stage in a coffin as part of his act! And Kate and I took part in a performance of samba drumming, something we learnt in one of the workshops. You'd better watch out as when I return to Norwich, this might well be another activity I take up.

And what of the mannequins, banes of my life?! Well, we got them sorted, much to my surprise and relief. Again, a bit of a last minute effort but we had some great support. I'll try to get some photos up so you can get an idea of what we did. We were intially going to go for the traditional eighteenth/nineteenth century revolution look but with very limited resources, in the end we went for the general creative revolution-y look with a bit of punk, eighties, and army style going on. Thank goodness for St Mary's School costume cupboard in which I was allowed to rummage for 20 minutes and where we picked up most of the clothes. Ann (one of the other organisers) also brought along a fabulous blonde afro wig which really complemented one of the outfits! All a lot of fun, I must admit, especially when Kassym and I got to dress up these mannequins on the lawn in front of the Town Council offices. :) Oh, and transporting body parts about the town from the shops also got us a lot of funny looks!

Phew! By Sunday evening, when the festival closed, I was absolutely shattered and yet I was feeling euphoric as we got the bus back to Harlow. It had been a weekend about which I had mixed feelings of anxiety (that all the arrangements would fall into place) and excitement, but it was definitely all worth it. Long live the Revolution say I! I might just be back next year.....

OK, so enough festival talk. What of other things? Well, 14 mins on the clock so sorry this will be a bit of a list. Since I last wrote, we have had a brilliant day trip to London where we hurried round to see as many sites as possible. A few issues have also arisen in the team, but been dealt with. Probably the most significant of these is that one of our members has departed us to return back to Liverpool. And so we are down to 17. It feels a little odd - it's surprising what a difference one less person makes, but I think the team is pulling together well.

I honestly cannot believe that it is little more than a month until we fly to Kazakhstan! The other day, in our host home, we watched the episode in 'Long Way Round' (Ewan Macgregor & Charlie Boorman) where they travelled through Kazakhstan and I think it made both Grace and I even more excited about what's to come! It has been more challenging living here in Harlow and Bishop's Stortford than we had anticipated, and I'm sure it is going to be just as challenging, if not more so when we get to Shymkent but I know it's all worthwhile. Now that I feel like I've made a contribution I'm happier with the way things are turning out. And it sounds clicheed and cheesy but I am learning more about myself and the way I relate to the people and world (both local and global) around me. Not only that but I'm also enjoying getting so much learning from our Global Citizenship Days. The most recent have been about malaria, Christianity & Islam (a highlight was visiting a mosque where we were so warmly received and heard from the girls and ladies exactly what being a Muslim meant to them - it's not the oppressive religion that it's made out to be in the media!), and today was about individuals & society. As one of today's exercises, we had our faces painted and so yes, I'm sitting here in Harlow library with a couple of butterflies painted on my cheeks. I don't feel self-conscious! The point being that we should all be allowed to be who we are, and should be proud of that, so long as we don't encroach on society's natural rules of decency.

Argh! 4 minutes. No time to say more....

And so, with lots of love,
Beth x :)

Prayer points
Praise:
- Thanks that the festival went so so so well!!!!!
- Thanks that I'm really starting to understand and learn more about myself and my values, as well as about global issues.
- That the team is pulling together after Christian's departure.

Prayer:
- For the Mid-Phase Review. Tomorrow we are going to London for one night where we will evaluate how the programme is going for the team so far. Please pray that we will be able to be honest with each other and sort out any problems that we have.
- That Kassym and I will work out what we should do next now that the festival is over.

Thanks! God bless. :)