Theater, Wedding, Glass City
3 stories in 1—holy Toledo!
Busy Start Includes Indy Wedding
Joanna has been very busy so far this school year. She is in the school play. The play they are doing is Pride and Prejudice (see Joanna's account below). She, along with the school drama department, participated in the DeKalb County Fair Parade. In addition to the school play, Joanna is participating in the community orchestra, helping the marching band with the production of their shows, and tutoring a young Polish boy with his English.
In addition to the DeKalb County Fair, Joanna also attended the Auburn Cord Dusenberg Festival along with visiting the Neil Armstrong Space Museum and the astronaut’s boyhood home. She also attended a family wedding in Indianapolis and got to see some sights while in the city. Joanna is looking forward to seeing more of America!
—Nick and Lauren Nordmann (IN), host parents of Joanna (FLEX, Poland)
Fall Break and Great Lakes
For fall break, Joanna got to experience the Great Lakes. We took a day trip to Toledo, Ohio, visited the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and took tours of a tug boat and a Great Lakes freighter. The museum gives a great overview of the history of the Great Lakes from prehistoric times to modern-day.
After visiting the museum, we went to Maumee Bay State Park and stuck our feet into Lake Erie. After that, we ate dinner at Tony Packo's Cafe, made famous by actor Jamie Farr in the TV show M*A*S*H.
Joanna also took a weekend trip with her coordinator and three other PAX students to Mackinaw City, Michigan. She was able to see where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron converge and ride over the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula.
In addition to these activities, Joanna and the Nordmanns went to see the band Leonid and Friends in concert in Fort Wayne, IN. Leonid and Friends is from Moscow, Russia, and they cover the music of the bands Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, and The Ides of March.
Joanna is also in the school play, Pride and Prejudice. She plays Miss Bingley. She has been practicing her lines and will get to perform on the last weekend of the month (story below).
—Nick and Lauren Nordmann (IN), host parents of Joanna (FLEX, Poland)
Producing Pride and Prejudice in Indiana
One of my favorite classes in my American high school is theater production. I’ve learned a lot about different aspects of producing a show, and I’ve also had an opportunity to work on a theater production myself.
From doing research, brainstorming ideas, designing and building the set, casting actors, and preparing costumes to sound and lighting design we put together an amazing play at our school: Pride and Prejudice. The class was so inspiring that I decided to try out at the auditions as well.
I was happy to get a part in the show. I played the role of Miss Bingley. Our play was presented in the round, which means that the audience was surrounding the stage on every side. This made people feel more like a part of the play. The whole show was entirely run by students, so our teacher was able to sit with the audience and enjoy the show.
Our show was recorded and transmitted live on our school network, so even my family in Poland was able to watch it in real-time.
Taking part in both producing and acting in the play was a truly magnificent experience for me. I went out of my comfort zone and grew a lot as an actor and as a person. I've met amazing people who I'm happy to call my friends. Our show was recorded and transmitted live on our school network, so even my family in Poland was able to watch it in real-time.
Being a part of the theater is an amazing experience for me. I'm happy I chose this class and I'm very grateful for this opportunity.
—Joanna (FLEX, Poland), hosted by the Nordmann family (IN)
