Swiss Coach Crash, Wednesday 14 March 2012

My highest thoughts fly to you, sweethearts!

"Belgium has been plunged into mourning and two small Flemish communities devastated after a school skiing trip ended in tragedy when 22 children were killed in a coach crash in an Alpine tunnel.
Parents had been expected at the school gates in the Belgian towns of Heverlee and Lommel to collect their 11- and 12-year-olds on return from their holiday. Instead, they waited in grief, confusion and disbelief to learn if their children had died or were injured.
Of the 52 people on the coach that left the resort of Val D'Anniviers, in the Swiss canton of Valais near the Italian border, on Tuesday night, 28 were killed, the vast majority children. Two drivers and four teachers completed the death toll. Of the injured, three children are in a coma, Laurette Onkelinx, the Belgian health minister said.
The tragedy was the worst road accident involving Belgians since 1972 and was believed to be the worst in Switzerland. Driving through a 2.5km (1.5 mile) tunnel near the town of Sierre, in south-west Switzerland, around 9pm, the coach hit the kerb, spun out of control and veered head-first into the concrete cladding of an emergency layby. Pictures of the accident showed a tangled crushed mass of metal.
One girl who survived and spoke to her parents, according to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, said she was pinned between seats and emerged with two broken legs and a broken arm.
At the St Lambert school in Heverlee, just outside the university town of Leuven east of Brussels, parents and relatives congregated desperate to learn of the fate of the children. Slowly it became clear that 16 had survived.
"You see tears of happiness in the parents learning that their children are still alive," said Dirk De Gendt, a priest waiting at the school. In Lommel, north of Leuven, parents learned that at least 14 of the primary school pupils on the bus had perished.
The reasons for the crash were unclear. No other vehicle was involved. The coach was said to be ultra-modern with various safety devices. It passed the Belgian equivalent of its MOT last October.
Didier Reynders, the Belgian foreign minister, said there was no other vehicle in the tunnel.Parents of the bereaved and injured flew to Geneva en route to the scene of the disaster and to the mortuaries and hospitals. Teams of psychologists and police disaster victim identification experts also travelled from Belgium to Switzerland.
Elio Di Rupo, the Belgian prime minister, called for a day of national mourning. "It's a black day for our country. All Belgians share our immense sadness," he said. "There are no words to describe how we feel."
Herman Van Rompuy, president of the council of the EU and a former Belgian prime minister, said: "What should have been a nice reunion for all these families has turned into a true tragedy."
If the catastrophe left Belgium in a state of stunned disbelief, the teams of Swiss rescue workers dealing with the aftermath of the crash were also said to have been severely shocked by what they encountered.
"I've got a 12-year-old daughter myself," said Claude Peter, head of the regional rescue service and one of the first people on the scene of the accident. "I was deeply affected to see injured and dead children of the same age.
"The children were no longer crying," he told the Flemish paper, De Standaard. "There was complete silence. They were all in shock. Everything was in ruins. For the rescue workers, too. Many of them burst out crying." "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/14/swiss-coach-crash-belgium-mourns-22-children

סוף טוב הכול טוב

Hello folk,

Hebrew phrase as a title when the article has no link with the language nor the country. Whatever, I just like how it sounds, and the meaning ("All is well that ends well") is of course is relation with the subject. I am not used to this, but for once, I really need to write my thoughts publicly.

Well... Someday, you wake up with a weird feeling, quite unpleasant. Then you suddenly decide to glance at your past, and what you see seems horrible to you. That is what happened to me this morning.

What did I see in my past? Disillusionment, sadness, hurt flesh and broken heart, but above all a tragic waste of time. These last years, I learned that I really was the perfect "third person", the girl who is there when you need her, but you immediatly abandon as soon as you do not need her anymore. I learned that my dreams were unattainable; that people are always lovely when you share their advice, but leave angrily when your opinion diverges. Now, I realize that I used to live a life which wasn't mine, with a circle which didn't correspond to my own tastes. But I think that the worst to me is that I lost upright, precious friendships, what a foolishness! I made so many mistakes that when I think about them, I can do nothing but being ashamed, or even sincerely disgusted by myself. I wish I could definitly erase the last five years, so that I'll never hear about them anymore!

But okay, past owns to the past.  When I consider the present, I see a life, my life! And you know what? I love this life! Several months ago, I decided not to dream anymore, and the result is that I am finally proud of who I am. My future is exciting, because of the studies I am taking, the numerous projects I have, my next travel(s), my passions, etc. Plus I know at last who are the friends I can rely on, and I won't lose them, promised! Everything helps me to heal my mind and my heart, still painful, but in the process of recovery. It is long, it is difficult, but nevermind: it's worth it!

I wish you all people happiness and faith! Always remember what used to tell an awesome dream maker: "If you can dream it, you can do it!". Own your life and believe in you, everything's going to be allright! :)

“You need talent, luck, and persistence. Pick any two.”

Orit Maftsir

It seems like belly dance is becoming more and more popular, and guys, I am delighted about it! The problem comes when people -mainly girls- believe that this art is limited by shaking your bottom and wearing beautiful outfits. I recently had an “argument” (actually I still don’t understand why this chick became so upset, I don’t think I was rude) with someone, who calls herself an amateur, but holds on to perform on stage with professionals (with the awesome band Myrath from Tunisia, clandestine advertising, “Helloooooo”). When you have nothing to do on the stage, don’t go on the stage, that’s all. There is a time for everything, but first, you have to practice, practice and practice again. Normal, no?
I totally agree when people keep telling that belly dance is about feelings. Actually I confess that I tend to prefer dancers less experimented technically and who are able to give me a fright rather than the contrary. But focusing on feelings absolutely doesn’t mean that the technical aspect is forgotten.

When students first begin to learn belly dance, teachers often focus on technique: the correct way to do a hip lift, the correct way to do a shimmy, the correct way to isolate a hip circle, the best way to produce a fluid undulation, the correct way to layer a shimmy on top of other moves. Of course, technique is important. Bad technique can look sloppy or even cause injury. But technique alone is not enough. Dance is an art form, and art is all about expression, emotion, soul, and spirit.  © Shira

 There is too much to discover, too much to learn from belly dance (its history included) that it deeply saddened me to notice how some maniacs (duh, it sounds less rude in French, sorry!) take it easy. Art should be respected, and focusing on a beautiful outfit doesn’t make you a dancer. Remember that Isis wings never look fabulous if you can’t handle them!
You don’t need to become the next Samia Gamal, the next Dina, the next Orit Maftsir (the fabulous dancer on the pic, isn’t she gorgeous?), Rachel Brice or whatever: just respect.

Please note that I am not myself a professional:I practice and do my best. But belly dance has always been my favourite style, with all its varieties, its history, its evolution, everything! And I feel quite sad when neophytes has an erroneous vision of belly dance just because of negligence.

( פּוּרִים) Purim

Good evening!

Never too late to learn!
Tonight, thanks to my Hebrew course and its interesting newsletter, I received some information about a Jewish holiday called Purim (פּוּרִים). As you maybe already know, in my opinion, it could not be possible to learn a new language properly without being informed about the culture. So let's talk about Purim!

http://rebmottle.com/2011/03/purim-going-beyond-knowing/

Purim is celebrated during the Jewish month Adar (אֲדָר) ,told to be the happiest month in the Hebrew calendar. Why? The reason is obvious: it marks the frontier between the winter and the spring! As if to Purim itself, it commemorates a story told in the Book of Esther: the deliverance of the Jews from their destruction by the Persian Empire and King Haman, who ordered to get rid by the blood of all the Jewish people in the kingdom. The pretendous submissive queen, Esther, managed to change Haman's mind; last mentioned gave them more rights, but ended hung on a tree with his sons.
The day he passed away is now considered as the waited salvation, a day full of joy and happiness.

Purim Masquerade

 Since then, Purim is celebrated in a festive air, with gifts sent to friends, charity given to poor people, festive meal, and other traditions added over the years, as masquerading (probably brought by the Italian Jews), making noise with Ra'ashan (רַעֲשַׁן) * when Haman is mentioned while reading the book of Esther, or even eating a pastry called Hamantash  (אָזְנֵי הָמָן, ozney haman) *, which is supposed, by its three-cornered shape, to remind Haman's hat.









Purim appart, I liked the article I received for another reason:
you inevitably know that languages are often very different from one to another, words and meanings included. You maybe know that, for instance, Finnish people use several words to mention "snow" (lumi, lumentulo, sataneed lumen määrä,...). In Hebrew, it is the case for talking about happiness! Eight phrases! But such a beautiful state of mind does not deserve less, does it? I guess that I like this language even more now hehe!

Have a good night, and "Chag Same'ach" to all my Jewish friends, of course!

Le Week-End de la Danse Orientale

http://www.worldbellydanceday.be/

Moi qui croisais les doigts autant que possible pour avoir l'occasion d'assister à ce genre d'évènement, j'ai eu une excellente surprise pas plus tard qu'hier soir! Je sais, c'est scandaleux, mais je connais tellement peu mon propre pays que j'en oublie ce qu'il s'y passe. Enfin, par chance, ce fameux week-end consacré à la danse oriental n'est pas terminé: j'ai encore le temps de tout prévoir! Je suis tellement, tellement, tellement heureuse!!!!

Qui dit week-end oriental dit prestations et concours, naturellement, mais aussi -et surtout, de mon point de vue personnel- stages. Et les stages proposés ici sont suffisamment variés pour que chaque amateur et amoureux y trouve son compte! Du baladi au tribal, en passant par le chaabi ou encore par le bellywood, difficile de se mettre en tête qu'il faut se résoudre à faire des choix!

http://www.worldbellydanceday.be/

Comme j'ai décidé de me limiter impérativement à 3 stages, il ne me reste plus qu'à faire mes choix. Seule certitude: le stage Bellywood. Depuis que j'ai découvert la magie de Bollywood, avec ses couleurs, ses danses extraordinaires et ses morceaux merveilleux, il me tarde d'y goûter moi-même! Alors un mélange entre la danse orientale, si chère à mon coeur, et le fabuleux Bollywood? Il n'est même pas question un instant de même imaginer laisser passer cette occasion!

Bellywood mis à part, a priori, je me dirigeais vers le Raks el Assaya (duquel je suis tombée amoureuse en regardant danser la prodigieuse Orit Maftsir *) et le Chaabi. Sauf que... à mon avis, ça me ferait trop de nouveaux styles à peine effleurés en peu de temps, et ça serait dommage de perdre ce qui aura été appris ces jours-là. Donc plutôt que le Chaabi, je pensais privilégier les sagattes, cette fameuse tradition qui tend doucement à se perdre. Wait and see, comme disent les anglophones :)

En attendant, la perspective suffit à me combler de bonheur! 2012 promet d'être une année exceptionnelle, j'en suis tellement heureuse! Sur ce, bonne soirée à tous, et à bientôt!

Ah oui, et si naturellement quelqu'un parmi les lecteurs est également intéressé par le week-end en question, qu'il me fasse signe! :) Cheers!