fab brown rice

The little ones are much more difficult this time around, but somehow I've managed to stay alive and even blog on a Thursday! I feel like I've managed to connect with the kids so much more this week than I did last time I worked with these age groups - it's like it took me awhile to learn their language but now we're finally communicating. 

There's one girl (I'll call her Alex) who came in on the first day and didn't say a word. She cowered off to the side and only participated when the whole group was participating, and even then only occasionally. On Tuesday, though, her mom brought her in half an hour early and, through a series of events that are probably not interesting enough to explain in detail, I saw Alex crying to her mom and mentioned it to our teaching artist, Chris. Chris suggested that when Alex finally came into the room, I should go over to her and check in, since we connected when I saw her get upset in the hallway. I did, and after asking her a number of yes or no questions (because she refused to speak) about her favorite color and her pink headband covered in little roses, she finally started to answer me with more than a nod or shake of her head, and for the rest of the day we could barely get her to stop talking. She still clings to me and holds my hand through almost the entire class, but she's far from timid now. I was so proud of her, and it made me realize how much I've learned about how to read younger kids and figure out what they need to happen before they're willing to participate. It's an entirely different game than it is with the 4th-6th graders that I've gotten so used to this summer, but it's incredibly rewarding. 

I think preschool is such a fantastic time. It's amazing to look at the world through their eyes and realize what a huge risk they're taking by just stepping into the classroom without their parents, let alone putting together a play with people they've never met before. The journey they take over the course of one week is so huge, and I'm really happy I've been able to be a part of that. Besides, who wouldn't melt hearing these adorable little humans say things like, "all the good feelings make you powerful" or "when I close my eyes I'm painted all over!" It's really a gift to get to work with these kids every morning. 

The Minnesota Fringe starts today, and I stopped by the info desk today to pick up my volunteer packet, which includes comps to twelve Fringe shows (one for each of the shows at which I'm volunteering). The info desk is located in Intermedia Arts one of a number of different Fringe venues. Before getting there, I was a little irritated that I had to go a mile out of my way for my volunteer packet, but it was absolutely worth it. Intermedia Arts is one of the coolest places I've ever been. They are "Minnesota's premier multidisciplinary, multicultural arts organization. [Their] mission is to be a catalyst that builds understanding among people through art." What could be better?

The building is white brick, with "Art. Changes. Everything." painted in large, black letters on the front. The space houses an art gallery, a theatre space, and a small cafe. The exhibit currently in the gallery is called "We Exist," and is dedicated to artwork inspired by graffiti. 

There's also a smaller installment in the back of the gallery by artist-in-residence Robert Farid Karimi. The installment is a room whose walls are covered with recipes and food-inspired poetry. One wall is a chalkboard where visitors can write their thoughts about food or contribute recipes. There's a table in the middle of the exhibit with jars of spices and small baggies so you can create a spice mixture to take with you, and the entire room smells absolutely delicious. Pots and pans hang everywhere; there's a working, stocked refrigerator; and a really wonderful soundtrack plays over a muted cooking show on the small TV in the corner. It was magical.

My favorite part of the exhibit was a small section in the front of the room with a pile of index cards. There were instructions to take a recipe, but only if you left one of your own. I jotted down my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and found a recipe for "fab brown rice" that I took home and made for dinner tonight. It just so happened that I had all the ingredients, so I'm convinced it was meant to be. 

The recipe called for half a green pepper, and I recently bought these beautiful purple and white bell peppers from the Seward Coop. The purple bell pepper tastes just like a green bell pepper (and is actually green on the inside!) so I used one of those, and threw in one of the somewhat spicier white bell peppers (really though, they just have the aftertaste of a hot pepper, minus all the heat) to give it a little more flavor. Though the recipe was a little bland, I liked it a lot, and it was my first time cooking rice by sautéing it raw first. I think there's lots of room for improvement, but it was a great start, and the story behind the recipe gives it all the flavor it really needs.