Juggling lesson in Lujan, Argentina

Something a little bit fun today!

We just received some incredibly nice words from Cydney, our partner in Lujan, Argentina.

"Circus of Smiles is truly amazing. Paula and Tyler came to Lujan, Argentina last year, where I had the pleasure of helping them coordinate shows all over the municipality. They brought joy and love to some of the most underserved populations in the province of Buenos Aires. These two amazing clowns traveled to and from Lujan for a month, extending their energy and joy to every child and adult they came in contact with. They happened to be in the area during some extreme flooding that left many communities devastated. Instead of staying away, safe and sound in the capital city, these two packed their scarves and juggling balls, took a bus to Lujan and headed for the relief shelter where about 400 people were staying. They provided the comic relief so necessary in moments of such distress, giving the children an evening of play, pure joy and an opportunity to be children again. It was beautiful. The word spread fast and before we knew it, school principals and organizers were calling to see if they could have these two beautiful clowns visit. In total, we visited around 10 different establishments. This was a truly inspirational experience and I will never forget it. They are so talented... but most importantly, it all comes from their hearts."

Thank you Cydney! And to celebrate, here is a video of that amazing first day in Lujan.

Circus of Smiles- Juggling in Lujan from CircusOfSmiles on Vimeo.

Within a few days of a major rainstorm in Luján that caused citywide flooding, we were invited to entertain/distract the 30 or so children staying in a temporary shelter. We arrived that afternoon to some very anxious and excitable children who were thrilled for something to do. We did our audience participation heavy show and then handed out juggling scarves to all that wanted to learn a bit of juggling. As that lesson ended, it became very clear that these children needed to run out a whole lot of energy. We reached into our circus teacher bag o´ tricks and played a lot of silly games... watch Tyler and the kiddos juggling.

Grateful for clown noses.

I wrote a holiday inspired blog and meant to post it just between Christmas/Hanukkah and New Years Eve. That time came and went, and now I'm sitting here in February looking at the draft. But I guess it's never too late to be grateful, especially in public, right?

As this year begins and I reflect back the past two years of clown nosed adventure I cannot help but feel immensely grateful. Grateful for:

The opportunity to travel the world using circus as a way to give back to the communities we visit;

The many folks who have housed us, and otherwise taken care of us, on our journey;

 The inspiring community leaders we have met on our tours, and the tireless work they do;

The people who actually read this blog;

and 

Clown Noses.

Most importantly, what the clown nose represents in the work that we do. To me, it represents the moment we first break down boundaries between us and our audience. It is the smiles that we create on stage, and those that are created for us. It is flattery, inspiration, creativity, and silliness. It is nearly always framed by a smile. Cheers to inspiring smiles, one clown nose at a time!

Happy 2013, friends. Make the most of it!

 

South America tour begins in Luján, Argentina

Circus of smiles has made it to Argentina! Luján, Argentina- to be exact. Though we got off to a slow start, once we started we hit the ground running. In Spanish, there is a saying: ¨arracamos a full¨ which I would roughly translate to starting up at full force. That is how it has been for us here, thanks mostly to the excitement and warm welcome we have received from the Lujaneros (people of Lujan.)

Luján is a city in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, located 68 kilometers north west of the city of Buenos Aires, that is best known for its large neo-gothic Basillica. The town is visited by more than six million people each year. The city is known as La Capital de la Fe (Capital of the Faith). Getting beyond what the tourists see, Luján is a complex area where the neighborhoods, schools, and social services span the map from wealthy middle class to very poor. The town has some geographic lines (rivers, highways, countryside and train tracks) that seem to very clearly divide the different poulations. The places we visit tend to be very patchwork- schools in borrowed spaces, houses built from scraps of whatever people can find, clothes that have been found or donated and (almost always) children everywhere.

We have had the joy and privilege to team up with my very old friend, Cydney Justman. Cyd was one of my closest friends in middle school. After not seeing one another for almost 10 years, we both found ourselves in Argentina doing social/global projects that have now come to feed into one another. She has become our °in° for many harder to reach populations, our confidant, our advisor... basically, Cydney has become our local coordinator in Luján, and we are very grateful! 

This set of projects feel more like sprints than the long distance race that was our Southeast Asia tour. Just yesterday we finished 7 shows and a few hours of hospital clowning in a space of 30 hours. None in the same space, or even neighborhood as another. Some much joy, laughs, and exhaustion already... and so many stories to share. Stayed tuned for anecdotes on lost cameras, swearing toddlers, and conga lines.

Have Heart; Get Out; Do Good...

It's not always so easy.

Two months into this Southeast Asia adventure and I am even more convinced than before that in order to do significant good abroad you need an unlimited amount of a) patience, diligence, and time; or b) an unlimited pocketbook. There are plenty of people out there interested in volunteer work and other ways to give back while traveling to another country, but opportunities are like hidden jewels, you have to buy them or search hard.

I, for one, do not have an open pocketbook- so for me only the first option exists. To do the projects we've done across Indonesia and Thailand (highlighted later) it's been a series of back-roads travel, hard work, research, phone calls, and sometimes even begging. There are a few reasons for why it is so complicated. First of all, there are scams and big money organizations waiting to place you-- for the right price-- clouding the search engines. If you can get past that to doing the research and making contact yourself, often the organizations that would benefit most from the help are the ones too disorganized to accept it. There is the struggle to know where the most help is needed, what organizations are honest, where the money goes, and how to make it happen. All these hurdles can turn perfectly giving individuals away. And if one goes the organized volunteer placement route the first hardship is simply the expense of it- travel lodging, volunteer fees-- you need a pocketbook to match your heart.

For every show we did out here (3 shelters, 3 orphanages, and 4 kindergartens) there was an average of at least 3 hours of research and planning. Not to mention the language gap. Time constraints, applications, studying up, making contact, miscommunications, and lost in translations... Chore after chore, and for what? Children's laughter, stronger communities, a human connection, and a bond across continents and cultures.

It started as two circus performing teachers in Indonesia who wanted to do good and be around children.

We connected with two organizations that support orphaned and poverty stricken children.

Two teachers, two islands, two organizations, and a slick black motor bike.

Hence began our performance tour of Bali and Lombok.