Chocolate Tea and Fat Cats

Guess what?! I finished Tales of a Female Nomad today! Hoooray!
It was interesting to read Rita's wrap-up to the book. She explains that she has changed most of the names of people she writes about, and I think that is very considerate. I like how she winds up spending more time with her children and considers spending more time in the States (for her family's sake). I do think it is very admirable that she shares her children's books with people everywhere she goes.
It reminds me of Dolly Parton's book club where she sends kids an age-appropriate book every month til they're 5 (I think 5...don't quote me on that detail). Reading and literacy are so important, so I really appreciate that Rita serves communities with books. I know a kid (he's 15 or 16) who can speak 3 languages, but he can't read any language...how scary that must be! Kudos to Dolly and Rita for their reading projects :)
After practice and babysitting, I met Kim's bestie Julie, who works in Augie's theatre department. I felt bad I was late, and still in my running clothes, but at least I made it. Julie has a very cozy home that is painted in all different colors. I really like the use of color in her house; the kitchen is reds and oranges, and then the living room is warm brown and tan. Very nice. She has the biggest pet-size cats I've probably ever seen in person. They could practically be bob cats. Wow. And there's 4 of them.
I'm a picky eater, and very specific about what I like when it comes to food. Every now and then I try to be polite and/or bold, but generally I stick to what I know tastes good. Wanna know what I like to drink? Water and chocolate milk. Yup...that's it. Rarely pop or juice, never alcohol, and definitely not coffee (NASTY!) So when Julie offered me tea, I instinctively said, "No thanks." It's not that I don't think Julie makes great tea, it's just that I don't like tea so no matter how great it is (for tea standards), I likely will not like it.
Being a generous hostess, she presented me with a huge cupful of chocolate tea. I tried. I really did. But I just couldn't do it. I took a few sips and really wanted to drink it so I wouldn't hurt her feelings, but I just (I'm sorry, Julie) didn't like it. But I did try chocolate tea.
Julie visited with us about theatre and social change theatre. She mentioned Grass Roots and the Laramie Project. She also spoke about Fires in the Mirror and she really wants us to watch the movie so we can see Anna Deveare-Smith in all the characters.
She is really passionate when she speaks about the beauty of taking on a character and showing an audience how he/she lives and expresses and feels. She once played a dying cancer patient, and she thinks it was beautiful to have the opportunity to play such a part.
She spoke about how some people can best help a community by traveling, not making close connections, and offering what they can before moving onto their next community. That reminds me of Rita from Tales of a Female Nomad. Except Rita does seem to form pretty instant connections with people; yet she serves a society and then quickly moves on.
Other people do better by staying in a close-knit community, forming lasting relationships, and continually offering their services. She mentioned this when Holly spoke about small-town roots and living in a little world. Some people are frustrated when they feel trapped in a small town or tight community where they cannot see more people and reach out to other cultures. I don't think that's bad. I think that some people learn far more from someone they've known for a long time and built trust with than with a traveler who may have just as much to teach.
I think both types of people are equally important. While the first type may travel the world and directly affect thousands of different people with their art/teaching/etc., the latter type may form relationships with the first type, indirectly affecting just as many lives.
Good thing for balance and variation in the world :)