Well, I guess it’s real. I’m sitting here in the Miami airport, eating a slice of pizza. My flight for La Paz, Bolivia leaves in three hours and forty minutes. I just called my bank to let them know I will be overseas and that they should not deactivate my account when activity shows up in South America.
I am
absolutely exhausted (guys, the truth is I didn’t really sleep much last night)
and my mind is kind of fuzzy from snoozing on and off on airplanes all day.
This is an international terminal though, which is fascinating. I hear all
different languages; see people from all over the world. You can never know
where someone is coming from or where they’re going.
I’ve
been preparing for this trip for the past few weeks- got my vaccinations, my
visa, a shiny new Maglite… but it never really feels real until you arrive.
A
summary of what I’m doing for the next 16 weeks of my life:
I am
going to Bolivia with my friend and colleague Tupac Saavedra to work on a
documentary called The Little Prince of the Andes. The film follows
the journey of former street children in El Alto, Bolivia as they use theater
to heal from drug addiction, abuse, and trauma. Theater therapy plays a crucial
role in keeping these children off the streets.
It’s a
story full of tragedy and adversity but also one of hope and inspiration as we
watch these children overcome their challenges and teach us what it means to be
human.
And now
a quick fundraising plug!
We
are embarking on a crowd funding campaign, not only to complete production of
the film but also to fund two years of theater classes. In addition to bringing
the children's stories to audiences around the world we will provide the
children a healthy space for healing.
In
order raise the necessary funds we have launched a Kickstarter campaign. If you
haven’t yet donated please consider supporting this important project.
There
are also many other ways that you can help the project. If you know any people
or organizations that might be interested in this type of project we would love
your help in promoting the film through social media, emails, and by word of
mouth.
Tomorrow
my plane will (hopefully) land in the Andes Mountains at 6:35 am. I will spend
the day in La Paz before heading off to Cochabamba for a week. We will complete
the preproduction and Kickstarter campaign and then go back to La Paz to begin
working with the children and filming the documentary.
I don’t
know what to expect, I don’t know what will happen. All I know is that this is
an unbelievable opportunity. There will be wonderful times, there will be
difficult times, and I will have an experience unlike anything I’ve ever done
before.
Next
time I talk to you it will be from below the equator.
And I
should probably brush up on my Spanish.
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