A Blink of an Eye

Found via clin-doeil.eu

The film festival was an overwhelmingly wonderful experience.  Nine thousand people showed up.  Nine thousand.  From all over the world (mostly Europe, but there were people from Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil, Africa and so on) people came to watch films starring or done by Deaf individuals.  Levi took it all in stride, not taken aback by the confusion of different sign languages at all.  He was unfazed, unlike his parents.

Douglas performed twice each day we were in Reims.  He was in a program titled "USA Tour," something of a showcase of visiting American performers along with three other performers--Pinky Aiello, Evelina Gaina and C.J. Jones.  One evening he hosted his ASL Slam event.

We barely got to see the town--our path was limited to the conference center where the bulk of the festival was, and to the two beautiful theaters in town.  One day we found enough time to walk around the center of town, where a carousel sat.  Levi was the most serious boy riding the carousel.  I think he wanted to make a career out of it.

In one of the two landmark buildings, we watched Theater Manu's award-winning Jack and the Magic Bean.  Levi was riveted from the start.  Honest Injun.  This toddler stood on my lap for an hour from start to finish, asking questions and making comments such as "Where cow?" "What happened?" and "Boy run!" (Jack).  This little family unit thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Found via Teater Manu's Facebook Page

I cannot say Levi liked the film showcases as much--we brought one of his Hot Wheels to keep him engaged while we were engaged with the silver screen.

One of the biggest reasons why I would like to return is the children's workshop the festival offers for children ages 6 and up.  For four days, children participate in something like camp, interacting with international artists, performers and other visionaries while they learn languages from other countries.  This culminates in a show by the children, which we couldn't watch because the auditorium was packed.

In a blink of an eye, the festival was over.  We returned to Paris inspired and ready to forge ahead with our vacation.

Photo Credit: Douglas Ridloff