Chamber Choir New Zealand Tour
14 May, Meadville PA, 7:30p.m.
Well, everyone made it on the bus! To be honest, for a while it felt like we’d never make it, like the trip wasn’t actually going to happen. It still feels that way to an extent – like this is just another trip to Pittsburgh, rather than the initial launchpad of our 2-week adventure. Partially this feeling comes as a result of the end of the year – a combination of finals, packing, moving out, and graduation. For me, because I have another year, this was more from the difficulty and guilt which came with balancing spending time with the graduating seniors, while strongly feeling the pressure from time-sensitive New Zealand-related things. But we’ve made it – everyone is packed, dorms left bare, goodbyes exchanged, and we’re off!
As this is my first post, I’ll introduce myself a bit. I’m from Austin, Texas, majoring in English and double minoring in Political Science and Economics. Choir for me has always been my safe haven, the one thing that stabilizes me through the years. My mother is a church music/choir director, so I’ve been singing practically since the womb. Finding a challenging, warm, familial choir at Allegheny is one of my greatest blessings, and getting to experience a new culture, a new side of the Earth with this group means more than I can convey. We’ve become a true family, and I couldn’t imagine going on this trip without each and every member of the choir.
My worries going into this trip – not having enough time, and not having enough phone space for all the pictures I intend to take. 2 weeks seems so long, but I know it will fly by and will leave me feeling shorted. In order to see everything we have planned, some things will seem rushed, and priorities in destinations had to be made. That’s the curse of all travel though – it never seems long enough.
When I try and pinpoint what I’m most looking forward to, it’s getting the chance to experience a new culture, a new country, and doing so surrounded with people I love and people who have become family. Everyone here will see this trip through different eyes. By traveling with this diverse group of people, we get to share our different perspectives and collectively experience the adventure that is New Zealand. I couldn’t be more excited.