monday the 17th

     Today Maynard picked Kelli Jo and me up and dropped us off with Michelle Johnson for the day. Michelle is the dance teacher we had seen on Friday. Michelle took us to watch and help out in two primary schools. We first went to Brownlee school. The first Scottish dancing class of the day was a very young class. Michelle is great with kids snd is very engaging. She would begin each lesson with a bit of a warmup and then would go onto a Nationalist Sailor's hornpipe dance. She stressed the importance of storytelling through this dance and the importance of acting; each part was illustrated as having been symbolic of what the sailors looked like or did.

     The first part was tapping their toes and rocking the top half of their bodies as if on a boat, then the rocking gets faster, the sailors pull ropes from above their head and then from in front of them. It was, as Michelle said, "Easy Peazy!" She explained "oily hand position" as in trying to keep their palms off their uniforms but still placing their hand on their waists while doing high cuts, tapping their feet on the back of the other calf while jumping and pointing their knees out. The final part of the dance was explained as sailing away and waving goodbye with a hanky and wiping a tear as they sail away. They then "pulled up their trousers" with their oily hands and then acted as if they were looking out from the ship's crow's nest. They finished with a sailor salute. It was so fun to watch the darling students learn the dance and doing their best to impress the American visitors.

     Being the costume designer I am, i was fascinated with the school uniforms, which were different from the exact plaid skirts and polos I had to wear in private school. All schools here wear uniforms. They each wore uniforms that were the same green fabric but in all different dress styles, as if home made or various grey uniform skirts and white polos. The boys wore black pants and white polos. If they were cold, they wore green sweaters or sweatshirts. They looked so sweet in their high white socks and Mary Jane shoes. The older girls can also wear blouses, ties, and trousers. With each lesson, Michelle taught a bit differently and adapted to the age of the students and the overall atmosphere of the class. She kept the students engaged and excited through the entire lesson and they all had loads of fun. She answered their questions. Scottish people used their hands and arms to speak and tell stories, which eventually turned into a dance. She also brought the sailor costume that dancers would perform or compete in, blue sailor suits with black ribbon at the neck to commemorate those who died. Kelli Jo was able to meet with the principal and talk about education and the curriculum.

     There were some really great educational tools around and a great healthy-food policy. We took a quick lunch after five classes in the morning. We went into the town, which is a maze of one-way streets, saw the mall, and ate at a noodle shop at Bow Mall, which was celebrating their 20th anniversary. Afterwards, we went to a different school.in the same city of Lisburn called Killowen Primary School. As this was the last class of the year, she had planned a game day. Michelle began the class with a game on feet and arm positions with the girls vs. the boys. They also competed at their animal positions, jumping the swords, and properly placing the swords. The boys won in both classes! 14-12 and 11-9.

     I had a lovely chat with their teacher, Mr. Mulligan, about the school system and the great extracurricular programs they've developed. Michelle dropped us back with Maynard in the afternoon and he got us home by around 4:30. Kelli Jo and I had gotten Maynard a card for Father's Day and presented him with it when he dropped us off. After being briefly locked outside, we managed to get in and take a precious nap.

We had been invited to a reception at the museum for their Polish jewelry and artifact special exhibit. It was a wonderful evening. Afterwards, we came home. I went out for a walk in the backyard and s group of cows gathered around me. We had some good conversations and one even licked me. I spent the evening skyping with family and friends, doing laundry, and getting more caught up on my blog. I hope everyone has a lovely evening.

Bye for now
Kelsey