Starting up again

8/17/22 Elizabeth and I arrived in Schwedt yesterday around 3 pm. It was another hot day and it was a relief to be able to splash some water on our faces and lie down for a bit. At 4:30 or so we ventured out to find the Kitchen on the Run where we were to meet Thomas Maucher. The kitchen truck was set up in front of one of the old churches in a plaza. We passed by a man in a yellow shirt and straw hat on the opposite side of the large tree in the middle of the plaza. It turned out to be Thomas. A woman named Grit came to us and welcomed us. As she heard about why we were there she began to talk about why she was involved in the project. Everything was in German but I could see that she was very enthusiastic. She works in a bank but has become very involved in community projects. (I have emailed her the German version of the project announcement that describes what we are trying to do.) Since I'm not able to download to the blog yet, I'll post it, along with pictures, on the Angell Dance Arts facebook page. Afterwards, we sat on the retaining wall while Elizabeth and Thomas discovered their mutual acquaintances in the dance world before the organizers of the cooking event started their introductions. There were about 30 people there, about half of them involved in the cooking. We stayed for the ice'breakers (how many languages do you speak, arranging by birth month and day) but decided to go somewhere else to have a beer and talk. Lots of ideas and thoughts about immigration and refugees! We ended up by the canal/river on a terrace and stayed through dinner. Finally, after Thomas left, Elizabeth and I walked along the canal for a bit. I showed her where I thought of filming a "caravan" of people, the statues where the castle once stood (now the theatre complex) and we walked back to the old center looking for the synagogue. The people from the Kitchen on the Run were still eating dinner!