Belgium and the end of my tour

This is the last entry in this blog. It shouldn't be, but it is. After The Netherlands, we travelled to Belgium. It was a whirlwind of a week, full of many VIPs and an interesting community service project. Many alumni were in Belgium since the European Headquarters is here in Brussels, Belgium. We got to meet many of them and it was fun to see all the different cast years represented. We had to look our very best most of the week because of all the VIPs. AS far as community service goes it was the most unique project I've ever done. We built a cosmogollum for children in Chile to give their hopes and dreams to. It s 4meters high and looks like a giant wooden robot. In the front there is a door leading to a hollow area over the location of the gollums heart. Here is where the children put there hopes and dreams for the gollum to protect. After the unveiling in the city of Leuven, it is to be sent to Chile. It was a unique expereince for many of us. Now onto the show...or at least the first 20min of it. Here in Leuven we had our largest audience yet with close to 3000 people in attendence. We had a guest performer, Sandrine, who was spectacular, and it was shaping up to be an awesome show. The lights go up, the music starts and we burst in to view with as much energy as we've ever had. the cast gathers for the country introductions and the audience goes wild. The lights go out and I walk off stage like I always do...except this time instead of walking down the stairs, I missed the stairs because I couldn't see them, and fell off the stage and landed sideways on my ankle. I'm taken the emergency room and x-rays are taken. The nurse comes in and calmly tells me I have broken my ankle in two places and require surgery. So after many tears and a phonecall home it was decided that I must go home to have the surgery - and with this news my tour ended just as quickly as it started. The cast continued on to the Philippines yesterday where they will spend the next four weeks. I miss them and cant wait until our reunion. I will never forget the people of Cast B 2007. Nor will I forget all the incredible experiences this tour has allowed me. I am so grateful to have been given this chance of a lifetime, and I know the lessons I learned will stick with me forever.

GERMANY (revised)

I must first apologize for the long delay in writing. Internet has been scarce as well as time. This blog is going to be long - you are hereby warned! BUT keep reading anyway!!! Germany (and Europe in general) has been a very new experience for me. Here a just a few things that are different; EVERYONE smokes - and there are few if any laws against it. You have to pay to use the restrooms in a lot of places. The bread and cheese is much better in my oppinion, but they eat fries with mayonaise?!?! Europe is also a land full of beautiful architecture, ankle twisting stairs and languages that all sound greek to me. Germany is no exception. Most of Germany is very hilly and pretty, with tiny villages on the hillsides. I loved my host families and impressed them with my German (hehe).
During our week in Zell, Germany we had a Hunger Banquet. We began the day by climbing a mountain to a castle (not a bad start right?). Then after some picture taking and enjoying the view we gathered around to begin. Euro pennies were thrown in the middle of the circle after some of the cast had been blindfolded to represent disabilities. They said go and we made a mad dash to collect as many pennies as we possibly could. Some got five, others one, and some got none. Some of the people that had many gave to those who had none. After that we were divided up according to our status and given a piece of paper representing a real person from whatever status we were (first class, middle, or low). Later after a discussion with a monk we were lead in to the room where we were to have the banquet. We sat according to our status; first class at a beautiful table, middle class on chairs and low class on the floor. I was low class. Then Jarrod (a staff member) gave a wonderful presentation on poverty and hunger in the world. It was enlightening and inspiring and deeply thought provoking. Two thirds of the way through staff began to serve the first clas citizens a wonderful meal of meat, potatoes, etc. It was hard to focus as we were all hungry and only they got food at that point. After the presentation the middle class citizens got a meal of meat and rice on plates with utensils. Those of us in the lower class got only rice and salt water on paper plates and cups but no utensils. It was eye-opening and made me feel blessed for everything I do have.
During our stay in Prenzlau we tok a day trip to Berlin. It was quite a sight to see the remains of the Berlin wall that fell 17 years ago. It was also interesting to hear the perspective of each of the host families about the wall coming down, sicnce we were both on the East and the West side of Germany. Some of the group went to the Hollocaust Memorial and were deeply moved by the solomn rememberance. It was a day to just enjoy the city, and enjoy it I did. In Prenzlau we had Cast Appreciation Day. On show day we arrived at the facility prepared to go to work as normal (show days are long and hard). WRONG!! The stage was set up and beautifully decorated and with stars with each of our names on them, we were fed unlimited ice cream and served by our staff at lunch. They also performed a show for us to show there appreciation. Then instead of setting up and doing workshops, we watched ''Old School." All in all it was a wonderful Day.
Now I must tell you that I am officially gone from Germany and off to the Netherlands and its Imigration Week. YAY! Full of Education Workshops and fun. This week we played the Up With People Land game. Since it was immigration week our Education team devised a game to help us really put immigration into perspective. So we were given a status; citizen, migrant worker, legal alien, illegal immigrant, etc. We had makeshift passports that said our status, our job, our housing etc. The goal was to get a job and a place to live by the end of the week. the rest was up to us. We had a border patrol, a mayor, justices of the peace, etc. It was a lot of fun and really a great learning experience. If you lost your passport then you were demoted to illegal immigrant no matter what status you currrently were. you could change your status, you could get married, and the border patrol was very strict. Also during the week we partnered with local high school students to come up with our own immigration policy. It was hard, but cool to do. It was really cool to have the input of the local students, some of whom were imigrants themselves. It really gave us a feel for what its like to have to write policies. There are so many levels and details. We presented our policies to a panel of judges and they voted which one was most realistic. Yesterday we went to Amsterdam. What an interesting city. The architecture was beautiful and the people very friendly. I got to go to the Ann Frank House and see where she and the seven others realy hide. It was very fascinating. I read the book as a middle schooler and am now re-reading it. Well tomorrow we are of to Leuven, Belgium.. It is our last European city and that means that we have only 5 weeks left in the tour. What a ride this has been!

These are a few of my favorite things

So. To continue with the Sound of Music theme I thought I would share with those reading this blog that I had Schnitzel tday for lunch here in Germany. To Americans it resembles something like a breaded and fried porkchop. It was quite scrumptious. It came with friend potatoes and a salad. Today was our CI day here in Zell, Germany and what a fun day it was. I was part of a group of five people that went to an Elderly Home and visited with the residents. We took some of them to a wonderful Puppet Museum that was hidden in the woods and then we went to lunch at the restaurant were I ate Schnitzel. It was fun to try and understand the German and for them to understand my english. Communication was difficult but amusing. Hands were flung in every which way and I realized for the first time what a language barrier really is. Tomorrow is show day - YAY! It is supposed to be sold out so we will see!!! Until next time...aufweidersehen!

PS: the pictures of the puppets are coming. they wouldn't load to the blog properly. I will have them up soon

The Hills are alive with the sound of...Up With People???

Welcome to what is quite possibly THE most beautiful place on earth...SWITZERLAND!!!! What a perfectly charming little country. Charming is really the best way to Describe the beauty of Switzerland. It is peacful but active and rustic with a modern vibe. The people are amazing, the food is incredible, and I got to play "mountain women" for two days up in the Swiss Alps. It was an amazing oppurtunity, but I have never been so dirty. For two days we worked on a farm helping a family with building a trench for water and cutting down small shrubs in the way of the cows. We had to take a cable car to get up to the house, then had to hike another 40minutes up to the work site. On the hike we passed a beautiful waterfall and had some absolutely glorious views. It was spectacular. On Monday we had a regional learning day and went up Mount Pilatus on the highest cogwheel train in the world! It was SOO cool! At the top it was foggy but still incredible. It was like being on top of the world. We had an educational workshop about Teamwork today (thursday) that really helped refocus the cast and re-evaluate were we are at as a cast. We played some team building games and had an egg-drop contest (my team's design won of course ;) ) It was fun and a great learning experience. Tomorrow is the show, Sunday is a free day and Monday we leave for Germany! So until now Aufwiedersehen darlings (just thought I'd through in a Sound of Music qoute for all you fans!!!)

Milan continued

Well Milan was an incredible city. All the sights, the sounds, the smells...it's unlike anything else. It was a great growing period for me and I had to adjust to new ways of communication, new public transportation and new culture differences. The food was just ridiculously good and I ate more bread and cheese then I knew possible. I have a new and deep love for Italian Gelato as well. We had a very bsy week with CI projects and two shows. For CI we thought we'd be building a Catwalk but instead we helped prepare for an exhibition of artwork that was being held as a fundraiser for the Amici de Bambini foundation. The shows went well and I got to sing my first (and hopefully not last ; ) ) solo in Up With People...in Italian. Vanessa and I sang Di Che Colore together and it was a big hit with the audience. After the show I got may hugs and kisses which was very uplifting. I was soo nervous to perform an Italian song, but the fact that it wasn't perfect seemed to make it that much more endearing to the audience.. The first night I was struck by the song we sing called One to One. I have always conected to this song, but for some reason I began to think of Melanie and how much this song applied to her life. Her life was singing and the chourus in the song goes "We'll be there. We'll be singing one more song. We'll be there, even though the road is long. When tomorrow comes together we'll be there." It was a very powerful moment for me and I am glad to know that I can always remember Melanie through this song. My host family took us around Milan on our free day and we got to ride to the top of the Duomo (a very large famous church in Milan) and walk around the roof of the Duomo. The only negative thing about Milan is that my body finally gave in after 60 hours of traveling and I got sick. But that didn't ruin my time in a Milan one bit - I loved walking around the city and enjoying the culture. We went to the Castello (castle) and played in the fountain, which was very silly but fun. I can not wat to go back to Italy and see more of it - Venice, Rome, Florence, etc. Now its off to Switzerland!!! The land of chocolate. YUM!

Milano is Milan

CHAO!!! Milan is sooo beautiful (pictures to come!!!) I have just travelled 60 hours gotton 10-12 hours of sleep and haven't showered since saturday morning...itwas Tuesday when we landed for those who care to calculate the grossness factor. However, its totally worth it as I am now surrounded by pasta, cute boys, the best coffee I have ever had, boys, beatiful Italian Villas, and oh yea...did I mention boys??? haha. We started CI today (Wednesday) and its a pretty cool CI. We are working with an organization called Amichi di Bambini; they find families for abandoned kids. We are building a catwalk for a fashion show that they are hosting as a fundraiser! Its cool. Tomorrow we continue working and hopefully we'll get to see a little bit of Milan!! Arividerchi!!!

Viva Las Vegas

I write this in memory of a dear friend who is no longer here. Melanie Goodwin, age 19, died tragically on Tuesday morning. A student at the University of North Texas, she will be missed. She will always be remembered for her kind heart and beautiful smile and amazing voice. The world has lost an angel in human form.




Las Vegas was a fun city. My host mom took us out to the strip and we went to M&M world and to the Rainforest Cafe. We had a great final U.S. show. The energy was awesome for such a small audience, and the faclity was beautiful. During the week we got to work with some awesome community organizations such as the Candlelighters Organization. The Candlelighters is a childhood cancer foundation that supports children with various cancers and their families. It was amazing to see the survivors and inspiring to see the fighters. I can not imagine the strength that it takes to battle such a monster. My mom and brother came to Las Vegas to say hi and to see the show (with me in it this time) and we went to the Hoover Dam on our free day. It was guite a sight. I would recomend it to anyone traveling through Nevada.


Now its off to Europe. First stop?? MILAN, ITALY!! Land of pasta, boys, and expresso. The one downfall??? it is going to take us 60hours to get there...yup. from Las Vegas to Seattle is a thirty hour bus ride, then Seattle to Milan is another 30ish hours with layovers etc. So as the Italians say...CHAO!!

The Wheels on the bus go flat flat flat

OK so the wheels didn't go flat, but our bus did bust a hose and cause a 3hour delay in the middle of nowhere. It was leaking very badly and we had to get off the bus and wait, but did we let that get us down??? Absolutely not – It was 3 hours of playtime!! We had no end of amusement amongst ourselves with the games we came up with. From leap frog to human chains to running around crazy, it was some much needed time to just spend with one another. So the bus comes back fixed and we reload and head off once more. (In case you are wondering we are on our way to Las Vegas, Nevada). Twenty or so minutes down the road the hose breaks loose again so we spent another 30 minutes (roughly) repairing that problem. Now it is late, we are slightly tired and cranky and finally off to our last U.S. city. Needless to say 25 hours is a fair amount of time to be sitting next to someone and so we got to know our bus dates pretty well. We watched movies, talked, wrote in our journal, played I SPY, etc. It was fun finding ways to keep ourselves busy. We arrived in Las Vegas without any further problems and got settled in to our host families. Last night after Host Pick-up, my roommate (Yuri) and I were treated to a fantastic Mexican restaurant. It was scrumptious!! I had some really yummy fajitas. This week is full of Stand for Peace, Community Service and a jam-packed show on Friday with a much anticipated free day on Saturday. I haven’t explained Stand for Peace yet?!?!?! Silly me; Allow me to correct that mistake… Stand for Peace is a peace and diversity training program aimed at middle school and high school students. It uses games and activities and dialoguing to teach students better ways of communicating with each other and the world around them. It helps them appreciate the differences amongst themselves and to better appreciate those differences, which is really what Up With People is all about – pretty cool if you ask me.
I am still amazed at the way my learning curve and growth rate are exponentially increasing. It seems there is no end in sight of the things I have to learn and have learned all ready. I know I say this a lot, but there really is no better way of saying it. It’s hard to say specifically each thing that has impacted me or that has helped me to grow and in what ways, but I HAVE grown so much. I love getting to learn about all these other cultures and I have added many places to my list of places to visit (like Brazil and Uganda). I am anxious to be in Europe. I love Europe (at least the part that I have seen, which would be Ireland), and I can’t wait to experience the different dynamics that comes along with being in Europe. Different food, different people, different measuring system… It’s going to be so much fun. If any of you reading this want an address for me while I am in Europe just let me know. Or if anyone reading wants a postcard just drop me a line!!! I’ll be sending postcards weekly hopefully. Well folks, that’s all she wrote for now. Tune in next time for more adventures in Vegas starring Cast B 2007!!! Until then – VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!!

Environmental Week in Up With People

Portland, Oregon is a very environmentally aware city. As such we felt we should educate ourselves on the environment, the impact we have on it and what we can do to protect it. So on Monday morning we began this little adventure by opening up with some statistics about different kinds of trash and how long they last (plastics being the worst). Then we watched the movie "An Inconvienent truth." It was a fascinating movie that really brought to light the serverity of the damage of our ecological state. It was cause for concern to be sure, so we took it a step further and challenged ourselves to be aware of how much waste we produce and ways to reduce that amount. BUT...this is Up With People and we do things in a slightly more hands-on fashion, and so we were required to carry ALL of the garbage that we produced over four days and then bring it in for a discussion on the last day. Well I thought I'd done pretty well until a thought occured to me... this small amount of trash is just one of seven billion people on the planet, and for just a few days. It made me think how true it is that change really begins one person at time, and that if people don't start changing there attitudes towards our environment, there won't be any more environment to care about. Over all it was a truely enligtning experience. It made me very aware of the litle things that people do make such a big difference.

On Friday we went to Mount St. Helens which is a huge volcano that is explosive and very much still active. It was AWESOME!!!. You can see in the picture smoke rising from the top - hence the label "active". It was a beautiful day and we had an wonderful view of the volcano. Portland was a great host city and I will be sad to leave all the people and sights and sounds here. Next up??? LAS VEGAS!!!!! WOOHOO

Laughter, funny moments, and randomness

It is hard to believe we are almost half-way done with our tour. In less then two weeks we begin our European tour starting with Milan, Italy. Its unreal how fast the time has gone, so I thought I'd share a couple of funny moments from the shows. As everyone knows, no show is ever perfect, but we get as close as we can. One of my fellow castmates, Sophie, who is from China, is an MC for the show, and once during her MC said "hi my name is China and I come from Sophie." It was a definately a blog moment. Another such moment came when Cassidy, from Denver, CO said, "Hi my name is Cassidy, and I am from right here in Denver CO" when it wasn't Colorado at all. These and countless other funny moments are what make this cast so special and memorable. I love the random conversations and the intense dialogues that occur. I know I mentioned this in a previous blog but I'll say it again; I have grown more in the last two months then in my entire life combined, and yet there is still so much more growing I have yet to do. The learning never ends here with Up With People. Its astonishing.

It has been brought to my attention that I have not explained how cities work and how we get from one city to the next. well my friends...allow me to enlighten you... We travel by tour bus from city to city with 60 of us crammed in to a bus with one tiny bathroom. We ocupy our time by sleeping, chatting, listening to music, watching movies, and more sleeping. Bus rides are an experience in themselves. Once we arrive at a city we have a city meeting and learn a little about the city. After that we meet our host families for the time we are staying in that city and go home with them to settle in. During our stay in each city, we do community service and perform our show (among other things depending on the city). We learn a lot from our host families and get totaly emersed in the culture of that city. We also usually work in local schools with a diversity and awareness program targeted at middle schoolers. The program is called Stand For Peace.

Eureka was good if only for a few days. We arrived on Monday and left Thursday. then we went back to Oregon and headed to Coos Bay. Both cities were quick and busy with a double show day in Coos Bay plus a Mini Show in the morning. In Coos Bay we were at the Egyptian theatre, which is something like 80 years old and completely fabulous. It was beautiful, and I had a fun host family (as all of them are). Right now we are in Portland, Oregon. It is a fantastic city full of awesome sights and people. my host family is awesome as usual and took us out for a great pizza dinner last night. We have the rest of the week though so I am excited to see what else is in store for us. I love Portland and feel very at home here, and the weather has been awesome! lots of great food and entertainment. Tomorrow is a community service day and we are working with a homeless shelter. It should be pretty interesting. Also this whole wee is environmental week. So today we watched "An Inconvienent Truth" and talked about reducing, reusing and recycling. So until thursday we have to carry a trash bag with us and collect every piece of waste that we create; water bottles, cans, wrappers, left over food we wasted, etc. then we are going to compare everything on Thursday. We have to carry our trash with us all day everyday everywhere we go. Its going to really be a good teaching tool. America is the number one producer of waste - I didn't know that until today. I knew we were bad, but I didn't know we were the worst. Its going to be good to learn more environmentally friendly methods of doing things.

This is what happens when you don't have internet...

So I have been without internet for the past couple of weeks. So I apologize for the delay in anything interesting other then my newly painted toes (which now are back to there normal disastrous state). So to begin… After Sierra Vista, AZ we traveled to the beautiful city of San Diego, CA. What an amazing city. The weather was perfect and I got some great beach time. We had some awesome CI projects and some great cast bonding time. Then on Sunday my host family, Jules (my roomie) and I went to the San Diego Zoo and had an awesome time! We saw Lions and Tigers and Bears (oh my) among many other animals. We had a huge beach party and I got to swim in the Pacific Ocean. From San Diego we went to Corcoran, CA where it was AT LEAST 110 degrees EVERY DAY!!!! It was blistering hot, but I had an amazing host family. I had enough Mexican food to feed a small country but all of it was awesome! It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I love that each host family has something different to offer and teach. It is such an amazing experience.
I am learning so much about myself. It’s hard to put in to words, but I am growing in so many ways. It’s interesting that this growth should happen around my 21st Birthday. Yes that is right folks. I, Laurel Long, am officially and legally an ADULT (enter twilight zone music here)!!! I celebrated my 21st birthday on September 5, 2007 and became an adult. It was a great day full of hugs and friends. I felt so loved. I turned 21 in Winston, Oregon, which is where we went after Corcoran. It was a beautiful change of scenery and weather (it was wonderfully cool). In Winston our big event was to perform at the Melon Festival, which has been a tradition in Winston for many many years. We had TONS of kettle corn, met some awesome people and had 1200 people in the audience. WHAT A RUSH! The energy in the show was amazing. Winston was a small community full of awesome people and beautiful scenery. On Sunday we went to Crater Lake. Talk about beauty!!! I have never ever seen water so blue. Its astounding how crystal clear the water is. It truly made me appreciate God’s hand in the beauty of nature. It was awe inspiring. Today on our travel day we went to the Red Wood National Forest on our way to Eureka, CA. I have never felt so small and insignificant. I couldn’t help but marvel at the majesty of these hundreds of year old trees. It was like they told a story but you had to listen and be silent. At the gift shop I read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss – talk about an activist book. It really resonated with me. I know Eureka has lots more in store for me and I can’t wait to find out what’s next. Until next time!!!

My Very First Show and my Very First Pedicure!!!

Today is Sunday the 19 of August and is a free day!!!! WOHOOO!! Yesterday was my first show - and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! During the day I was frustrated with myself for not remembering things I knew I knew, but once those stage lights went up all that was gone and I was in my element! It was truely an awesome adrenaline rush and a great night. The Show went well even if there were a couple of rough spots, and it was so fun to be a part of something so cool. We went to bet at an alarmingly early 1am ; ). Today was a free day and we are having a pool party later. This morning however my wonderful host mother Mary took us for a day of shopping and fun. She treated me and Maria (my roomate) to our first pedicure!!! My feet have never looked so cute!!! The chairs we sat in were massage chairs so it was incredibly relaxing. I can't believe I've never had a pedicure before. It was so fun to be with the girls. Rachael my 8 year old little host sister also got one two so it was even more of a blast. I cant wait to show them off at the pool party later. Time to go get ready!!!!!!

Community Service in Globe/ San Carlos

One of the best components of Up With People is the community service we provide. It is so rewarding to see the impact that we can make. Yesterday’s CI in San Carlos and Globe was no different. The Cast was divided into half for the morning (excluding those staying behind for workshops) . Half went to San Carlos to work on the Apache Reservation doing Project Pride, and the other half stayed in Globe and worked with the Gila County Special Employment Services doing music and dance and an art project.
Louise had me head up those that went to San Carlos Apache Reservation and were a part of Project Pride, which was a Council sponsored event that was put on to get the community involved in cleaning up the business district of the reservation. So from 9-11 all the business were shut down and they were outside renovating their properties. It was great for them to be setting the example, and the council realy hopes this will be carried even further. While we were there we painted and weeded, and mowed and cleaned the whole area. It was such a transformation in the end. It looked 100% better! Then we had lunch and a little time to relax. After lunch we did a BTS (or mini show) at San Carlos High School. It was a little frustrating because the Native American culture is such that they don’t show a whole lot of enthusiasm. The cast did beautifully despite the lack of crowd support and I was proud to be in the audience (since I have been busy doing advance work I was unable to participate). After the BTS we went back to the Elks Lodge (were we were stationed for the day) and had CI wrap up and disscused the day. Later we went to Globe City Park and held a Teen Event for the local youth. It was a chance for us to interact with the youth of Globe, and a chance for the cast to kind of relax a bit. We had food and live music and played some Frisbee. It was great to see all of Louise's and My planning play out and be so successful. It was nice to know that all the work we put in to this week is paying off with great rewards.
Louise was with the group that stayed in Globe. She has a radio interview in the morning and then was driving people around to the different CI sites for the rest of day. Those that went worked with a group of disabled adults that are part of a program called Gila Employment and Special Training Services (GESTS). GESTS is an organization that better prepares physically and mentally disabled adults for the real world. The Cast did some song and dance with them and then did a really neat art project. They traced the hands of the clients and their own and then the clients decorated them and signed them and then they interlocked the hands around an image of a globe. It was really neat. The clients (and the cast) loved it. Then they went and had lunch with the clients at a great Mexican Restaurant called Chalo’s. YUMM. After lunch some of them came and joined the BTS others went and painted an old historic steam engine. It looked great when they were done. Then after CI wrap up they too went to the park for the Teen Event. All in all it was a great day! Again it was super rewarding to see all the planning and blood, sweat and tears Louise and I have poured in to this day finally pay off. Now tomorrow we leave for Sierra Vista, where we will be until Monday. My Advance Team internship is coming to an end and I am rejoining my cast once more. I am a ball of emotions - from happy to sad to nervous to excited. I am nervous for my Cast's performance tonight, excited to be traveling tomorrow, sad to be leaving, and happy to be back with my cast. It's a roller coaster to be sure. I am proud of myself for having worked so hard these last few weeks, and amazed at everything that I have learned. I find myself slowly but surely gaining patience as I have dealt with issues and obsticles that have arrised. I am learning to be more aware, both socially and globally, and I have really just gained a huge amount of insight. All told this has been an awesome experience and I there are more to come

3 hours of sleep...yup...that's what I got...

Today is the day my wonderful cast arrives in the wonderful city of Globe, AZ where I have been plannning a wonderful next few days...tired of me saying"wonderful" yet?...yea I thought so... so while I come up with some better adjectives - READ ON. As I said the cast arrives today - thus the 13 straight hours of non-stop working until 4:00 in the morning and the three hours of sleep i am now currently running on. Despite my slight loopyness I am very excited to see the cast today. On Friday Louise and I left early to drive to Tuscon to see the casts perform at the Alumni Reception. It was an absolutely spectacular (albeit 3hours long) show. I met Ghandi's grandson, and got to hear the original founders of Up With People(Herb Allen and the Calwell Brothers) perform. It was awesome!! We didn't get back until one in the morning but it was worth it because Louise and I had some great discussion going. Coffee is essential to my existence - a fact proven by my recent dependence on it. On Saturday we went to a Drive-In Movie Theatre and saw Harry Potter 5. It was my first Drive-In experience (I didn't know they even existed) and it was sooo much fun. again - another late night. So. compile all the sleep I've had this weekend and it equals???? you guessed it - one very sleepy(and slighty loopy) Laurel. I have loved working hard to set the city up though and I cant wait to show it off to the Cast when they get here. Well I am sure your tired of me gripping, and now that I'm done with my Tiraid of Tiredness (how's that for an alliteration??), I have some exciting news: I am going to be in the Rose Parade on New Years Day!!!!!!!!! well - not just me - all of Cast B and C and our staff. How cool is that???? We are also going to perform in Las Vegas (though I dont as yet know all the details). The Rose Parade, however, reaches something like over 2million people...No presuure though, right? I am so very very excited. The cast should be arriving any time now and I am off to go meet them. WEEEE AARE CAAAST B! OOO THATS COOL!!!!!

I'm an Arizona, Arizona, Arizona Star

Man oh man. So Louise and I are super hard at work setting up the city of Globe, Arizona for when the cast comes on Monday. I am soooo excited to see everyone and to hear all about there adventures thus far. Advance work is HARD work. Its a lot of phone calls and harping on people to call you back, and meetings, etc. Its been a great learning experience though (as anything with Up With People is). I am learning a lot about how to manage time and people, and how to make contacts and how to network, and how to handle myself in business meetings. The people here in Globe are awesome and want so much for us to help them. We have some great Community Service projects planned and have some fun regional learning activities as well. The other night Louise and I went to the local coffee shop which was hosting an open mic night. It was so fun and a great way to promote Up With People. There was a TON of talent. we also played some games with some of the local youth. Then, this past Friday the Elks Lodge held a 50's Sock Hop. Louise and I were the judges for the dance contest. It was a blast (from the past ; ) ). It was soo cute to see all the couples dressed up and reliving there childhoods. Last weekend Louise and I rented a movie called "The Guardian" and another one called "Pride" both were PHENOMENAL!! I recomend them to any and everyone!!!! It was interesting seeing Ashton Kutcher ("The Guardian") in a serious role, and surprisingly he pulled it off with two thumbs up!! This weekend Louise and I are hoping to meet the cast in Phoenix for the big show there. I think it will work out, if not we will still see them Monday. I am really excited to be back with the cast. I am glad I did the advance work internship though. Its been really cool to see what goes in to planning the cities we go to. It makes me appreciate it a lot more!!!
PS. I cant believe that in less then a month I will be 21!!! It seems unthinkable.

Advance Work

Well I am settled here in Globe, Arizona. Its a cute little mining town with sweet people and pretty views. Louise and I jumped right in to things after i got off the plane, with two meetings and a debrief/rundown of the city. There is an Apache Indian tribe right near by and I am anxious to learn more about the culture there. We are making good headway on getting the city set up but still have some work to do. We (Louise and I) are going to have some authentic mexican food tonight with my host mom Kerry. Tomorrow we are going to go to the local coffe shop and listen to live music and promoteour own show. It should be fun! Plus we have some promotional events this weekend as well. Good Times!!!

The countdown to the U.S. tour begins!!!

"The time has come!" the leader said, to talk of many things. "Of shows and dance and touring the world, of helping people too. and when we leave this melting pot we'll know more then when we started."
EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!! U.S. TOUR FOR CAST B 2007 BEGINS MONDAY!!! Thats right folks- we the people of Up With People are in our last week of staging (or preparing for the show). On Monday the 6th of August the cast leaves for Gallup, New Mexico to begin there 5month tour of the world. I will meet them in Globe, Arizona, as that is where I am doing advance work (in other words; setting up the city before the rest of the cast gets there). I leave on the First of August for Globe, so i wont be with the cast, but that is ok- i will see them soon enough. Its been a crazy month. I've never been so busy or so completely and utterly exhausted. This past Sunday, I had the immense pleasure of going to see Circ du Soleil: Corteo. IT IS AMAZING!!!!! I went with my Mom and Whitney from my cast. Its is truely unreal. I would recomend it to anyone and everyone!!! Today is Monday the 30th, and it is the day that we moved from the Sherman Center to the Teiyko Loretto Heights Theatre where we will have our show. This week is down to the nitty gritty and we have a lot of work to do. It is also my brothers birthday, so...HAPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!The cast continues to bond and grow stronger each week and its been awesome to see the show come together. I am so excited for the next 5months, and nervous too. If anyone has some good qoutes or words of encouragement for me and/or the whole cast I'd love to hear them!!!! See you all in December! I'll keep writting and updating this blog so keep checking back!!!

UP UP WITH PEOPLE!!!! YOU MEET THEM WHEREVER YOU GO!!

I'll start by apologizing for the delay in postings. I have been tremendously busy. On Saturday we had an intense day of blocking and rehersal. I also had some more Advance Team training. plus modules for some vocals. Then Sunday about 30 of us UWP people went to Waterworld for a day of fun in the sun! It was a blast and I only got a little sunburned -nothing too bad. It was a great chance to see the fun side of the cast, since normally we are busting our butts dancing or singing, or sitting listening to the next awesome speaker they have planned. On Monday we had Mark Gerzon come and speak to us. He was soo inpirational and I learned so much. Its hard to really put it in to words, so much of it was an internal change of mind or heart. We have a regional learning day tomorrow, which basically means we learn hands on about the community we are in - so we are doing a scavenger hunt all around Boulder, CO and then visiting the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory. It should be fun.

I am so amazed at how I have grown. I've had ups and downs in the last couple of weeks, and I have struggled with having so much thrown at me at once, but i have also thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I have been challenged by those around me and completely put in my place, and I am grateful. I am surround by people who care- about me, about the world, about others, and about making a difference. I can't wait to see what happens in the following months. It can only get better!!!!

Globe here I come!!!

By the title of this post it is easy to assume that I am referring to the fact that I am going to be travelling the world for the next 5months...That assumption would be wrong! Though I WILL be traveling the globe for the next 5months, I was actually referring to the news that I have been accepted on to the Advance Team, as previously mentioned, and my city is Globe, Arizona. I will leave on July 30th, and head out to Globe, where I meet up with Louise, the Community Relations Coordinator, and help her set up the city!!! I have training this week and I am super excited. In other news, we had a fantastic Leaders Round Table yesterday (Wednesday 7/18) and I learned a ton about leadership and made some great contacts. They brought in leaders from all over Colorado, and we got the chance to talk one on one with them and hear their stories and get their advice on leadership. It was very cool. We are still working hard on the music and dance of the show and continue to grow more exhausted with each passing day. It's a good exhaustion though. Today is Thursday the 19th, and it was our first community service day. It was absolutely humbling. I feel so blessed to be in a position to help people. We went to the People's Clinic of Boulder, which is an amazing health clinic that deals with every range of medical needs. There we helped with some handy work like staining the deck and the tables, and others worked with files and moving them into storage etc. Some even worked in the garden. My group catalogued books for a program called Reach out and Read, and then we went in to the waiting room and read to the kids there. It was amazing. I was soo touched by how willing these kids were to hear our stories and to listen to us and read with us. I ended up reading to some Bosnian War refugees and I was struck powerfully by what that meant. It meant their Country was no longer safe to live in - they mentioned their father had been shot but lived - and so they fled to a safer place. It made me feel very thankful for the fact that I have never been touched by war directly. Tomorrow we have blocking for the show and more dancing and vocals. YAY! It should be fun. We worked hard to day and it was so rewarding. The workers at the clinic were so grateful for our help, but I was grateful to be able to help them and learn more about what they do there. It was truly a day for thanksgiving.

CAST ANNOUNCEMENTS

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...the envelope please.....and ITS CAST B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes indeed ladies and gentlemen, I am now officially on Cast B 2007. Which means my tour schedule looks like this...
August 6-12: Tucson, Arizona
August 13-15: Sierra Vista, Arizona
August 20-26: San Diego
August 27-September 3: Corcoran, California
September 4- 9: Winston, Oregon
September 10-12: Bend/Crater Lake, Oregon
September 13-16: Coos Bay/North bend, Oregon
September 17-23: Seattle, Washington
September 24-30: Portland, Oregon
October 1-7: Lecco, Italy
October 8-14:Luzern, Switzerland
October 15-28:Germany
October 29- November 4: The Netherlands
November 5-11: Leuven, Belgium
November 12-December 10: The Philippines

so there you have it!!! I am sooo excited. This is the first cast with UWP to ever go to the Philippines so it is a huge deal!!! We can make such an impact! Today was another intense day of vocals and dance. Its so rewarding though. It feels really good to be accomplishing things and to be learning so much. We were all of us very anxious to hear the cast announcements so it was hard to focus, since of course they had to make it the last thing we did!!!! It was a very austere moment. We went into the ballroom were we rehearse and there were lists posted. one said to go to one room and the other list another room. It wasn't until we were in the room we were told which cast we were. It was awesome- all the road staff had signs that said BE change, BE confident, BE FUN, so on and so on. and then they gave us all little pins that had the letter "B" on it. Then we heard our tour schedule! After that we had a big dance party, followed by closing session and then home! The girls and I had pizza tonight!! YUMM! We shall see what tomorrow brings!!!

What a Week!!!

Well this week has been phenomenal! Tuesday we had Cast Movement and learned the dance to "Keep the Beat!" It was soooo hard! It was an exhilirating and empowering experience. 3 HOURS STRAIGHT of dancing. talk about intense. Mia (one of the dance Captains) is going to have us all whipped in to shape with the intense workouts. After the dancing it was three hours straight of singing. It was a Looooong day. Wednesday and Thursday we had more lectures and more singing and dancing. In the evening we had Culture Jam, which is where anyone who wanted could share something from their culture; be it a song, a dance, a poem, etc. It was amazing to see all the different cultures represented. The number of countries represented here at Up With People is phenominal. I was really inspired by the poem written by Faith from America. It was all about how WE (representing the UWP family) have so much power to change the world. WE are a catalyst. WE are strong! It was really moving.
During the week we were split into groups (Red and Green). Some of the boys from the Red group (which is the group I am in) decided to form a boy band. They came up with a dance to a song, bought matching shirts and everything. There name??? Out of Sync!!! I am their manager, and two other girls quickly joined the team as choreographers. I cant tell you how much fun it was to announce them and see them perform at the Culture Jam. I have only been here a little more the a week, but already I have grown soo much. I have stepped into a world where i am just one piece of a huge whole. The family feeling is extraordinary. I have been touched by others in ways I didn't know possible, and been introduced to cultures i scarcely knew existed. I've felt a bit overwhelemd at times, inadequate even but i continue to be energized by the contagious energy of my castmates.
Today is Friday, and we had a speaker who spoke about how to document the semester. I got some great ideas! like postcards, and host family books, etc. it was great to hear how everyone plans to document the semester. We also heard about the different internships available once we head out on the road. There are a ton of oppurtunities - from lighting and sound, to marketing and advancement. The Advance Team is something i think i would really like to do. I would go about two weeks ahead of the cast to one of the cities and help set the city up. Meaning I would be helping to get the host familes, arranging the meals, etc. It would really be fun and such a great opputunity to learn. I have to apply, so we'll see what happens. Well tomorrow is Saturday, and my host sisters and I are going to go up to Estes Park, CO and explore. We are also going to go see Harry Potter 5!!! I cant wait to sleep in!!!! I seriously need the sleep after this week.

What a day!!!

well today it all began. We arrived at 8:30 at the Sherman Center and had the opening ceremonies which were so moving- Truely awe inspiring. with flags from each country represented in nthe cast being flown. it was a LOT of flags. then we spent the day listening to speakers. we learned about what wee will be doing, all about American culture (we do this for each country we visit) and played ice breaker games. Tomorrow starts the work. rehersals, figuring out who does what, etc. Should be fun!!!! We wrote letters to ourselves about our goals for the next semester and how we plan to accomplish those goals. we get the letter back at a later date to see if we accomplished the goals or not. It was an exhausting day and tomorrow will be even more so. its going to be great though. the rehersal center is really pretty with old gotchic styling. I'll post pictures later. for now i need to sleep. Hugs to all and know that i miss you!!!

MORE HELLO"S

well today was a day for us to just relax and get to know each other! Emerald, Jessica and I went to the Airport to pick up Emily who is also going to be hosted by the Simmons. She is from Holland and very sweet. Earlier today the girls and I went to see Ratatuille -it was great! sooo funny. We had a fantastic breakfeast made by our host mom, complete with egg soufle and caramel rolls. YUMM!! Tomorrow the adventure REALLy begins. It entails an opening ceremony and lots of information sharing. and probably even more paperwork.lol. I am super glad to be meeting these girls. Tonight we had a block party with some of the other people on the blog who are involved with up with people in some way or another - what fun!!!! tons of names to learn and tons of faces to remember, but i think i'm getting the hang of it. it was soo great to just be able to talk and meet these people. I am thinking tomorrow is going to be even MORE names and faces....We'll see if i can remember the ones from today...lol

NIGHT ONE

well tonight is my first night in Denver for training. My host family (the Simmons') are sooo great!! They picked me and my roomate Jessica up and took us to TGI Fridays. There daughter, Emerald, is also in the cast and so i met her before her family. Tomorrow is a free day and then Monday the fun begins!!! I am soo excited to start and really dive into the program. I played air hockey today and totally dominated...until i got my butt kicked by someone way better.lol. It has been so interesting to meet these people from all around the world. Brazil, Belgium, Japan. We are a diverse group nto say the least. already the group dynamic is wonderful. we are already becoming a family. It will be interesting to see which cast I end up in - either one is fantastic. I just can not believe the experiences we are going to have! well I am writing this at 11:43, so I should go to bed! Ta ta for now!!!

LESS THEN A WEEK AWAY

Well welcome to my first ever blog!!!! I am less then a week away from leaving on my global adventure with Up With People. I cant even begin to describe the emotions running through me. I am excited, nervous, happy, anxious all at once. I will update this blog fairly regulary so keep checking back : ) I have so much to do this week before I leave. I can't wait to meet the people I am going to be spending the next six months of my life with. I know that they are just as excited as I am about this. I dont know which cast I will be in yet, but I'll let everyone know just as soon as I find out. well thats all for now - tons more to come!!!!