long time no post

well ljudi, time has passed since my last entry and i have been so busy with things, i have been travelling around some small town's not only learning more about Serbia's history but also culture and about the people in towns and villages outside of Belgrade. since trench town festival i have been meeting lots of people from there and i have helped in a music video with some fire performance (aman zaman - samo neki gori) i had i great time in svilajnac doing it and met some really cool people, i am really enjoying Serbia, we had the elections recently where people basically vote for the "lesser of two evils" as one friend put it, and the more evil guy won..no surprise there ;) 

in other news there was a fire at nikola pasic square in some old theater which got really big was all on the news! 

i went paragliding, i went to a old roman remains (the start of the roman empire in Serbia) really super interesting. i slept under the stars for a few nights that was lovely. i done some other bits as well but i don't want to make you to envious lol.

international news, one of my best friends in England is going to be a dad in 2 months !!! 

other news my poi is getting amazing !!!!

just had a art festival this weekend which was nice and next weekend there is some dub party in novi sad (free drinks and entrance for me and my rastaman virgileee and then back to belgrade for a trance party in a place called apple lol  

should be interesting. 

technical difficulties

ok first things first inex performance has be cancelled due to their lack of technical possibilities, it may happen on 11th or 12 of may but we will see. and we did some izberi performance in the city running around creating some sort of performance to get the youth to use there voice to change the future, i have my personal views on voting as i believe people are the only thing who can change the world i know i am not alone in this, but i will keep my opinions to my self and a really wish the organisations involved in this as much success as possible. i will keep you posted.

over and out ....

fingers crossed for some paragliding soon ooooooooo.

jay

over halfway there!!

So as we go over the 6 month barrier and finish our mid- term training in center balasevic in southern belgrade. i am feeling as this is a real achievement, all the feelings of the ups and downs over the last months are starting to flatten out and i am getting a sense of achievement of being in another culture and if i look at my life here i am pretty happy as i made it for myself, i surprise myself in the way that  i have coped with some issues and outcome them and how problems have gone from being big problems to almost conceivable now i realise that i can not be so hard on my self as i am actually a super person that people really like and i feel a little different inside to when i came and since being here i have seen some cities and 3 countries hopefully more before this experience finishes, I really feel i have a second home within the circus here the people are all wonderful and everyone knows everyone and i am integrating further in this group and i feel this new life is something i should of done along time ago (joining a independent performance group)  but now i am getting more performance experience in various venues in Belgrade and in varying themes also knowing the cities independent art seen and the sub-culture (my favorite part of my home city is it's sub-culture) as a well as diversifying myself i am seeing this city as a Serbian and not as a tourist, i have another performance on the 20th of april coming up in the Inex building on (Višnjička) which is kind of a squat for artists from what i have been told. it is a medical theme i think i am a doctor, well my mother always wanted a successful son lol. it will be super i think i cut of someones ja ja's (balls) lol. i have a few things to practice tonight at 10pm i am really finding i new realm with cirkusfera ...it's awsome. the mid -term training was some what i bit dull and some we're a bit to faced but it had to be done i think some EVS-ers are consistant and are getting more comfortable here also like me but some think they are better than they are but it doesn't bother me as i am very happy with my Serbian life, friends, and i am not just counting the days to summer when the days will be longer and when i will be taking holiday as i have not had any holiday time yet and i am still getting over a chest infection and a cough i have had what seems like months. i am also going to put together some little animation about gender equality which i will make funny and jovan will put it on the website i still have to come up with some idea of subject matter specifically but i have some ideas i will work on tomorrow and i will probably do picture by picture animation with photos of people or with objects i think if i can get some dolls that would be great to use (also means i can give myself a few laughs to) i will keep it serious but not without a joke or two. i find information goes in my head better if it has some humor or at least a laugh or to.


smile and the world smiles with you.


hope to see lots of people are there on the 20th of april.  :)

gender is a funny old thing

Strange day, even though it is just a Monday, i did try and do some traveling this weekend to Bulgaria predictably i forgot maybe the most important thing...my passport, all i can say about the weekend is Nis, it is not very big compared with Belgrade but people we're nice and the bus ride home i was disappointed it went fast as i fell asleep as soon as the bus left and woke up just coming into the centre of Belgrade, previously before the weekend we created a epic meal time for those of you that know what that is ...for those that don't your better off not knowing!! my stomach has not felt right in days was 14 Mcdonalds covered in cheese and onion and bacon and covered in cheesy pastry just a heart attack waiting to happen. 

now to get on to the intended subject...

I am not sure why but i really been thinking of peoples roles in society's, have you ever wondered to yourself why people are a certain way? maybe if someone has different views to you, that makes them different enough, or if they come from a certain region or even different country, I would like to think of myself as a pretty open person, we all have flaws some are better at dealing with them than others even as much as using there unusual nature or personality to gain fame or fortune, this is really hard for me to understand, i think it is amazing that there are for instance in some countries there are ladyboys, like Thailand for instance, how would you view a ladyboy with disgust, amazement, respect, disrespect, it certainly raises a few questions in my mind. in many countries things like homosexuality even racism in this day are tolerated, i think it was time we let a lot of things die with the old times/ views. i personally don't understand why this happens it really is the minority out there ruining it for everyone, well to the question.. will it ever end? ...does it have a so called "happy ending"? well i think it can, i think these like all other problems can only be dealt with by the communication with adults to teach their children the right values, problem being how do you reach everyone.... in Serbia i think this is a very difficult task with rural areas across a big space especially with the lack of funds this country seems to have down to the government that have been (i use this term loosely) running the country, I feel sorry for the Serbian's, who have had in some cases radical changes to the way there lives are and how they can live in many different ways i think of this having a negative impact on people but i think because of there almost constant "struggle", they are a culture that adapt can really change the future of there country, right here, right now in coming together, and breeding out these unnecessary prejudice's, i wish i really could have a more active role in this through my organisation. the Serbian population interests me but how to change them only these ngo's have the tools required, and the media has a responsibly to assist in this for the development of a country with the possibility still for change, as a feel that even though my country has the money it cannot change and has to many people to reach, the population 2 years ago in serbia was 9,856,000 and in Uk was 62,041,708, 6 times more, I feel Serbia can change faster in a shorter period with more of a impact, if the Serbian officials in power could see the potential in the people of this country it could really facilitate it's transformation even faster.

every journey starts with a single step.

Jay

on a different note the electricity in bigz (the circus) according to the news is back on whoot hooot, i think i have put on a little weight. need to get that off i think i will be going to run soon if the snow and ice goes away.

article on Circusfera and more...

An article this one http://roamingreporters.net/WRIPPERS/?p=418   posted yesterday was about the circus i teach in, by the way it is doing very well now i have constantly between 3 and 7 people now show up for lessons roughly 3 times a week so it is really nice for me to put on my performers portfolio, i was poorly yesterday so i didn't go, but i still went to bed thinking of anti spin flowers and i am still, it seems when ever i feel i am improving or someone tells me there is always little voice deeper in me that tells me there is even more to learn, and i love the little voice and hate it at the same time!

lost £20 at the weekend that was Virgiles birthday dancing on a chair apparently sounds like me omg so i have spent all my £80 pocket money in a week i did buy new shoes and socks tho so i only spent 30 euros i don't know where that's gone lol i we have no food in the house i need to get some for the house just been lazy as it is very cold outside makes you wanna stay in all the time grrrr

Joanna our polish EVS-er is going back to Poland in a week or so to be with her family, we wish her all happiness with her future professionally and personally, she knows the organisation would be happy to see her again.

I am hoping for warmer weather and more outside time and more fire time still buzzing from the last performance or is that painkillers? lol

I am starting to get a few certain people addicted to English tea, i told you it was addictive lol

I am missing my Serbian lessons not had one in weeks, just gave our teacher danka a text for a lesson ;)
which reminds me my phone cannot make out going calls anymore i don't know why something about checking operator services... i can't really do anything in serbia as it would be difficult to solve in the England and i really can afford a new phone.


Serbian drivers please be careful in the snow !! I have seen so many crashes !!

Spontaneous Cabaret with Circusfera

"Spontaneous Cabaret" it was certainly that. This was my first performance after being a part of Circusfera for 2 months or so. We had maybe 3 days to prepare the performance, which had to be done to the music of a live band with different themes for each song, the performances we're very varied, contact juggling, diablo, one man band, ring (Ariel performance), juggling with clubs 1 and 2 persons, hat manipulation, glow poi and fire poi, fire fans, torches, and fire staff. my song was ironically created about a street artist who specialized in poi who helps marginalized people in poorer parts of serbia (i watched the video in my own time this week..made me happy and sad at the same time). everyone who came said it was very nice especially when i span it quickly because of the trails the light and fire leave in the air, it was in kc grad (cultural centre Belgrade), we even provided the dj for after! this was not done to make money it was done to make people smile. allegedly people we're asking the other, more familiar performers (in Serbian) who is that new guy? lol...well it's me. I really think this is a wonderful thing we filled the space and people we're standing even at the back when there we're no more chairs and everyone was laughing, clapping, smiling including all of us, we thanked the band the lighting the audience, they we're very warm towards us and i would like to thank everyone one again for welcoming us and for there support sadly only one on evs related person came and he is a former volunteer who is now staying in Belgrade he said it was a great night ! sorry for those who missed out i tried to inform everyone. and it was on Facebook evs Belgrade somebody put it up for me, i will do the same with any future performances i think there will be further performances even in the next coming weeks maybe in bigz it's self? watch this space.




also back to the circus tonight to work on some more new material and to teach some up and coming new performers!!


in other news ....jay is loving the snow fall and drop in temperature because he has a new warm weather coat instead of the summer coat i have been wearing since arriving!


i am settling here a little more, 




it's funny how things change.. from sadness to laughter in this life.

party

We had a EVS party in Betty Boops on Saturday the 17th of December it was very nice and there (you know who you are!) other people we're so nice. the circus keeping me active too!!!

jay