Andi McDaniel wrote in the August issue of Ode about a new kind of school near Copenhagen. It has architectural zones based on three learning concepts. They are:

1. Peace and Absorption
2. Discussion and Cooperation
3. Security and Presence

Friday felt like a glorious day. We got the opportunity to participate in an event on the upper deck of the cruise boat. As I told you yesterday, the stage manager of that party was fully cooperative and after we had told him what we normally do in Europe at our events, he decided to give us carte blanche so we could go all the way. We get the control over the DJ's schedule and I even get to become the host of the evening. Yeah, always wanted to be an MC!

Since we already did a performance on Wednesday, we all knew we could do it, and that from our side everything was fully checked. Every idea that poped up got worked out. When we tried to find an interpreter for my MC-ing we find one the best self expressed interpreters. When we are looked for a fan for the Aroma Jockey, we found one of the most fancy fans we have ever seen. The captain tries to challenge us a little bit by announcing that there might be some rain this evening but in the end it didn’t rain at all. All the conditions were there for a blast of a party!   Read more...

Thursday - Jamaica
We used this Thursday to lick our wounds. Everybody did whatever they wanted to do, some went diving in the seas of Jamaica, some saw the waterfalls, some of us went to a Bob Marley Museum, some of us did some other typical Jamaican stuff…

My tour manager had a call with the entertainment cruise director. He apologized for the breakdowns of the night before and offered us two new opportunities. The deaf dancers and the sign dancers can dance on Friday night, when there is a Miami Nightclub party on the deck. And on top of that, we get another chance on Saturday night in the Crypt, which is the nightclub on the ship. Although only 150 people fit in there, and there is not a real stage, it is more a Sencity-like place as our whole concept started in this kind of music venue. Possibilities are growing again!   Read more...

I left you all at Wednesday morning 9 am, here is what happened after that.

10 pm
We are supposed to have a meeting. ‘Supposed’ to because again ‘something’ came up at the cruise management and the meeting gets postponed till 4 pm. That means we will not really be able to check out the Cayman Islands, the current location of the cruise ship. For the first time the vibe in the team declines and a numbness is comes over us.   Read more...

Tonight we will have our party going on! The smaller version of what we had planned will take place at the ice skating rink. Now, remember, we are traveling through the Caribbean, but yes there is an ice skating rink! Not that anybody is skating…..

The Sencity crew is very excited. After several breakdowns and some restrictions from the cruise director, they want to show them what they are capable of. They are so driven that I’m starting to like the idea of having all these restrictions. I might work with that ‘concept’ more often.   Read more...

It’s a weird thing, communication. You might think, on a boat with 6,000 deaf and hearing people, there will be a lot of miscommunication or non-communication.

I wanted to write about that in the first place. At the airport we had some interesting examples of prejudices against deaf people. At the custom service I told the employee that the next people in line were deaf. He looked at them and then asked me: ‘do you know who is mentoring them?’ While I was thinking why on earth deaf people should need mentors anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to tell it to next custom officer again. Behind me, Serhat, one of our deaf dancers was waiting. Still the employee started mumbling to him, without looking at him, asking to take off his jacket. I repeated that he was deaf. She looked surprised and said, ‘Ohhhh, but he looked so cool, I thought, he cannot be.....’   Read more...

So here I am, waiting at the Amsterdam Airport. I am about to fly to Miami harbor to meet the members of my team, including an Aroma Jockey, an Experience Jockey from Miami, 3 deaf dancers, 3 sign dancers from Canada, 2 instructors, 1 producer, and 2 assistants. Tomorrow we will board on one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. For 3 days we will entertain 4,000 deaf visitors on this cruise, the biggest event ever in deaf history.   Read more...

I am still wildly enamored of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love. The title alone is a good formula for creating peace on our lovely Earth.

At one point in her journey, a poet gives her the words which appear below in italics under the rubric “INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEDOM.” My commentary for peace is in Roman type.   Read more...

I want to tell you about me and my mother. Today is her birthday and I want to stand still for a moment and see all that she has given to me and what she means to me.

She was there to love me, feed me and clean me when I couldn’t even say my own name. She brought me to school, nurtured me and taught me how to ride a bike so one day, when the time would be ripe, I could cycle proudly to school on my own. She stimulated me to grow, praised my talents and my interests and wanted me to succeed in life. As all mothers do, she had a time in which she might have wanted me to be more than I had to offer (for the moment). She was there for me to give me hope and keep the family going when I lost my father. She was always ready to reflect on what she could do better, do differently or stop doing for my well being in a phase when I didn't give any attention to my or anyone else's well being. She was there to accept me as I was, while I didn't and it was so easy not to. She was there to talk to me and show me her love in a time when I couldn't let anyone near (she was so persistent it got quite annoying)...

Several weeks ago a friend told me about a concert of Mongolian music that was coming to town. Since I am captivated by the world and its variety of cultures, traditions and mindsets, I ran to get tickets. The show turned out to be a blend of styles, from traditional Mongolian, to jazz, to percussion, to traditional Japanese. The pieces were performed by Mongolians, Chinese, Japanese and an American: a true blending of the world spirit in its many manifestations. But there was something else that made this concert very special. It was given for charity.   Read more...