Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Blissfully Exhausted

I thought about blogging during the 100 hours of instruction that happened over 8 days in Luling, but I am not yet seasoned enough to be in the habit to make time. I was blissfully exhausted instead.

Kristina and I have just about gotten everything unpacked. While doing that I was starting to get anxious about how I was going to pay all the bills, when the letter from the Alice Kleberg- Reynolds Foundation arrived with a check in it for $10,000. What a blessing it was to see. That, plus the funding received from Humanities Texas, NEH, Luling ISD, Chamber and Economic Development Office, Salt Pipe & Supply and Texas Gas Service covered our out of pocket costs. We also had in-kind donations and discounts from Black Diamond Produce, GEAR Rental, Mopac Media, Natal’s Produce & Landscaping and Wush & B-Rad's Fruit Shack

As you can imagine there is a huge learning curve in this intensive workshop. But I am please to report that there was a huge curve in self-esteem as well. And it was as powerful for the 4 culinary students as it was for the 10 film students. The one thing that did impress me about these kids which I have witnessed in all of our small town workshops, is that we never heard any of the kids say bad things towards one another.

When we screened the premiere of their film to the community on Saturday night, I was in the back of the auditorium standing next to the principal, who after the first 30 seconds of the film, leaned over to me and confessed he was about to cry. Our first departing business with Luling will be to help them start a film club.

Once again we head off from a community with some new and dear friends…………I love my job.

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