“Alright, everybody on the line.” I point to the white line painted on the court, moving my arms back and forth in my best attempt to explain the directions. Some of the kids understand, but others come and stand in front of me. I smile, and Matt and I shepherd the stragglers to the line. As we turn to walk back in front of the group, the entire class follows us, forming a semi circle behind our backs. We face them.
“Ahhh no no. Stay on the line. Line. Line. L-I-N-E.” For some reason, humans are hardwired with the idea that repetition immediately clears up any misunderstandings, especially those produced from language barriers. Whether it’s my dad in a Chinese-speaking restaurant saying “Steak Knife” and pantomiming what could be perceived as a threatening cutting motion or me standing in front of a group of Israeli children saying “line” like it means something to them, we are certain comprehension comes from redundancy.
Matt and I manage to get the kids back on the line. Unfortunately for us, our next instruction involves running, and as soon as Matt takes off across the court in a demonstration, all the kids start running around screaming. We let them carry on for a minute. They are screaming in delight. Minor Victories.
(A cone marching band at Almanara)
We’ve been taught one of the most important facets to coaching is adaptability. Nowhere is this more apparent than right now, coaching in Israel. We’ve been in the country for a little over a week and it’s safe to say we’ve already had to adapt our coaching ways. While we often have students or teachers helping us at sessions, there are times when we have to go our own way (shout out to Fleetwood Mac). This means we have to simplify our explanations, using what limited Hebrew we know to aid in our demonstrations. We may have to use props, like cones or shoes, to express ideas and movements. At times, when everything has gone awry, we use the chaos to create a ludic, fun atmosphere.
This understanding of adaptability extends beyond the realm of a session. It’s important to be open to new foods, new ideas, new experiences. Probably one of the most interesting instances requiring flexibility happened on our third day. We walked into our session ready to coach. Instead we were invited to attend a theater performance for children. Of course we went! Of course the performance was in Hebrew. Of course it was good fun.
So far our (brief) time in Israel has been fantastic. I look forward to sharing the experiences and challenges to come!
Below is a synopsis of what I thought the play was about:
From what I could understand, the play was about a boy named Louis. Louis leaves his house and runs into two jokesters who he immediately befriends. Louis returns home to see his mother being chastised by some man (maybe Louis’s father?). After seeing the argument, Louis is overcome with sadness and spends his time wandering the city. He eventually runs into two cross dressers, who inspire him to dance. Afterwards, Louis finds himself by the river next to a princess. The princess keeps calling him Hans, which is pretty confusing. Lurking in the background is the same dude who chastised Louis’ mother. The dude is pushing around a lamp post (an incredible feat of strength) and periodically peering around it. I’m not sure if he is stocking Louis at this point or trying to move the lamp closer for romantic effect. Louis leaves the princess and returns home. The next day the Princess shows up at Louis’s house and jumps on his bed a few times. Again she calls him Hans. I’m almost certain Louis’s name isn’t Hans and that Louis has duped the princess into believing he is someone else. A few other events pass and suddenly Louis and his mother are leaving home. Before they can board a train, one of the dunces shows up and grabs Louis’s hand, dragging him to the royal palace. Louis meets the Princess and her father, the King. The “dude” is also present. Louis hands over a book in return for a chest full of gold. Then the entire cast says “Hans Christen Anderson.” Turns out this is who Louis actually is (plot twist). In the end, Louis (Hans Christen Anderson) and his mother return home and all in the world is right.
(Local theater production for primary school children)