3/6/15
If you asked the Sopranos to describe this trip in three words, they would sum it up to "eye opening", "inspiring", and slightly "insane".
Last night the chorus split up into our four sections; alto, tenor, bass, and soprano to discuss our overall experience from the past 7 days. A senior led each discussion, and with just 2 months left of our high school choral experiences, were able to reflect on the growth of this amazing ensemble. Eye opening is a phrase we have both heard and used countless times on this trip describing attractions such as the ruins of Pompeii, the architecture overflowing Rome, and the religion and culture that encompasses the country. Living in a city like Virginia Beach, we don't see a lot of history or architecture that hasn't been modernized. The Pompeii ruins have been maintained to remain in their best original condition in order to tell the story of life in Pompeii. In Rome, much of the city has been renovated, but renovated to resemble its original image. The art painted on the ceilings of the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Church tell the story of ancient Italy and Catholic beliefs of creation. This trip has brought me an overwhelming sense of peace by the religion this culture worships, even though it is so different from my own. Many times throughout this journey we have questioned the reasoning for things such as different languages, different religions, different food, (even different outlets and bathroom appliances). And while we may not have the answers to all of those, we have learned to embrace these new experiences and remain open minded regarding these differences.
When we departed for Italy, my mind was set on fulfilling my childhood dream (based on the Lizzie McGuire Movie) of meeting a boy at the Trevi Fountain and becoming an Italian popstar. This was soon made more realistic to me when I lost my voice on the second day of the trip, and the Trevi Fountain was under construction. So since that was out of the question, it was time to set my sight on the true meaning of this trip, making music. While a small fraction of our time was actually spent singing, the appreciation we received from our audience members was by far the most meaningful part of this trip. The majority of our performances were spontaneous, and began with nearly no onlookers. But by the conclusion of each piece, we held the attention of those who heard us. This was such a great difference from our assembly performances as we could sense the passion those listening had for our sound. While they most likely did not understand the words we were saying, they responded to our tones, facial expressions, dynamics and overall emotions within each song. I believe our chorus benefitted greatest from witnessing the affect our music can have when we truly portray its purpose.
For seven days now we have spent nearly 20 hours a day together (23 teenagers won't sleep much at night). You can imagine it could be difficult to coexist when there is little time to ourselves (most of which is spent napping), and some disputes happen to arise. Between misplacing a passport, misplacing two kids (we found them), leaving a sleeping student on the bus (not our fault), and dealing with food allergies (and an unbelievable abundance of food), this journey has proved to be just a tad insane. And although my Lizzie McGuire dream may be lost, I feel comfortable returning to Virginia Beach knowing this ensemble has grown together over the past week, and will be even stronger because of this when we seniors depart in two months. Ciao :)
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