Gitana Youth Perform LIVING THE DREAM for Republic Day

What a day! Youth in Gitana's Global Education through the Arts Program performed for 300 children, youth and parents who celebrated India's "Republic Day." It was a heartwarming experience to see 20 of our City youth commemorating Mohatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King's message of nonviolence to a most attentive audience  of young people. If Dr. King and Mohatma Gandhi had been in the audience they would have led the ovation
seeing African American, Ethiopian, Mexican and German youth dance and act out scenes that show how we can overcome violence in the home, at school and in the community.

It was a great performance and our kids loved the experience and opportunity to share their talents with the Indian Community. Bravo Patton, Vivian and Bob!!!
Cecilia

The Joy of Eating with Others- A Gitana Holiday Experience by Cecilia Nadal, Executive Director

This holiday season I stepped out of my close circle of family and friends and visited with three women that I really wanted to know. Two of the women, Veronica and Maria are the mothers of youth participants in Gitana’s Global Education through the Arts program. On Christmas Eve after caroling in the Amherst Park neighborhood with seven of our youth, I was invited to a 9:00 p.m. meal at Veronica’s house. The last time I ate such a late meal was when I visited Spain in 2005! It would have been easy to say “no” to such a late invitation. However, I knew from experience that stretching a bit and coming out of my comfort zone would reap great rewards.

When I arrived to the apartment the smells from the huge assortment of Mexican food was seductive. There was “chicken posole,” a wonderful soup with hominy, chilies and hot sauce sure to provide comfort and warmth! Chile Relleno,a green pepper stuffed with cheese and chiles,  lamb, and Mexican turkey, spicy and succulent.  All foods could be embellished with side portions of cilantro, achiote, finely cut lettuce and various levels of hot Chile sauces. The women in the family were in colorful dresses making you think that perhaps they were going out to dance later in the evening. The men were also spiffy in nice shirts and pants for the occasion. It is customary for Mexicans to attend many parties in the homes of friends and family during the Christmas season.  I literally tasted six distinct and delicious items as we listened to Luis Fonsi and Luis Miquel, two of Mexico’s premier vocalists. Later Salsa and Merengue music played making you want to dance. I never danced because the conversation at the table was so good. I learned how much Veronica loved books and about her strong desire to learn English so that she could read more. We talked about the similarities and differences of construction between the pyramids in Mexico, Peru, and Egypt and we theorized about how these ancient structures were made with such precision. Through the night Veronica became a whole person in my minds eye filled with hopes, dreams, and dedication to her family. We gained insight that may not have come without the opportunity to eat together.

On Christmas day, seven of our youth went with me to feed and entertain homeless families at the New Life Evangelistic Center. We were quickly assigned to sing to those coming in the front door for a meal.  We started with “Feliz Navidad” which got everyone’s attention since the song starts in Spanish. Some of the other volunteers joined us so the singing was robust and beautiful. When we were not singing we simply greeted people with a strong “Merry Christmas.” There was one African American man who carefully read the nametags of each person coming in and greeted them in a more personalized way, “Merry Christmas Paul, Merry Christmas, Sally!”  I was so moved by the positive response of the men and women to his personal approach who that I encouraged our youth to do the same. It was difficult for our youth to use the names of those coming in so I reminded them that soon we would be in the dining hall at a table with the homeless and it was our job as volunteers to make them feel comfortable and not alone. I pointed out that sharing names is part of the process in making people feel comfortable. What a pleasure it was to see some of our youth introducing themselves and asking the homeless to not be anonymous anymore. There were smiles and laughter coming from the “mouths of babes” and from very grateful people who would not be anonymous anymore. I was moved to tears when one of our youth, who is often rambunctious in her behavior, steadfastly filled out names tags for at least 100 of the grateful visitors with a smile. When people thanked her for writing their names on the tag, she was receiving a repeated gift that would leave an indelible impression far beyond that day. The other youth who often comment on this child’s misbehavior responded to her in a very different way for the rest of the day…with respect.

Later that day, Maria asked me to join her at Kim’s house. Kim was the third woman that I wanted to know. I was most impressed by her relationship with the Mexican community and efforts to learn Spanish. There we meet several other families from Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and the USA. The food was awesome and diverse with sushi, Mexican, Korean, American, and Indonesian dishes, and Kim was a consummate host. The conversation between all of the families was great as we talked about the economy, spirituality and about differences in raising youth.  I was struck by the fact that there were no “sidebar conversations” as everyone wanted to be involved with the entire group. One of the younger boys of a Mexican family was playing outside and suddenly came in crying and the mother embraced the child with affection before hearing the whole story behind the crying.  One of the other mothers from Asia questioned the embrace and asked why the mother did not ask the boy what happened before embracing him. This gently posed question resulted in a conversation across four cultures about child rearing.  I thought that this would have made for a great video for those going into childcare. The international comparisons of childrearing often raise many questions that enhance critical thinking.

Kim’s daughter came home after we finished our conversation on childrearing and played piano for us with a mix of classical, Gypsy and contemporary music.  All of us listened intently and I felt our common bond as we marveled at the talent of this young woman. There was applause after every song demonstrating the appreciation the group had for this young artist. When I asked her, what her major was going to be she indicated Fine Arts and enthusiastically ran upstairs to pull out some of her most recent drawings. They too were unbelievable!

How true it is that when we are willing to step out of our comfort zone often the rewards are great! Perhaps in these times a simple barometer for measuring our outreach and openness to building relationships with others is just, “Who have you eaten a meal with recently?”  What joy I experienced with Veronica, Maria, and Kim! What satisfaction I felt observing our kids reaching out to those with less and learning to make others comfortable! One of those youth reached a level of giving we had not seen before receiving a special gift. A holiday blessing indeed!

With Love and Blessings,

Cecilia

p.s. My nephew, Nicholas who is 20 called me and said, “I ‘m on my way to your house so that we can make chicken fajitas together.”  He knew not to ask if I was busy since the answer is always “yes.”  Through the hot peppers, liquid smoke, cilantro, Worchester sauce, sliced chicken breast, sour cream and warm tortillas we bonded in a special way. There was no generation gap that day only love!