The more you have to do the more you are able to get done. This statement has proved to be unbelievable true of my recent life. My summer has consisted of catch-up dinner dates, reunion house parties, camp counciloring, babysitting, and countless city adventures. I have kept extremely busy considering I had nothing I really had to do. By the end of spring quarter I had gotten used to having every minute of my day planned, I woke up at ten and worked until midnight, studying, frisbee practice, Kahani rehearsal, improve and as many odd campus events as I could squeeze into my schedule. The Kahani project has inspired my desire to use theater as a tool to accomplish my other life goal which has always been to assist people and communities that are struggling in some aspect of their life. I know that sounds extremely vague as does the term social justice but I can not force myself to narrow my aspirations before I have explored my options.
I can't possibly express my excitement to explore an entirely new culture, one that will surely overwhelm all of my senses and force me to reevaluate the customs I have excepted as "normal" since birth. We are not only being given the opportunity to explore a new society but also bringing some of our own culture, to create an experience of mutual sharing. I hope to not have our devised theatre piece come off as assumptive considering it undoubtably can come off as being about an Indian family. Its creation allowed us to step into the lives of characters that were born and raised in India yet none of us had ever experienced life there first hand. It's a fine line between exploring traditions and gender roles of a world somewhat separate from our own in order to expand our understanding and making assumptions about a foreign culture based off a small number of readings and other resources. In short, I hope our piece is well received and I can't believe my luck that I have been given the opportunity to partake in such a exciting life changing adventure.
Anya Opshinsky
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