I'm Still Not Sure That We're Really Going

     While the Concordia University Christus choir has been preparing for this trip since before the '11-'12 school year began... It's still not real. Yet.  There's this odd feeling of "the bags are packed, the music has been practiced, and we've indulged in one last American meal... for something that's still so far away."  For me, I always have this predicament when it comes to big (particularly life changing) events.  Until it's in the past, there's this feeling of intense anticipation where, even when the prep work is done, it seems incredible surreal.  Even though we are less than 12 hours from loading the bus to go to the MSP airport, I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that I'm going on a choir tour to the other side of the world.  After talking to some of the other choir members today, I've come to the understanding that I'm not the only one feeling like this.

     The picture above is a picture of the choir from our mini-tour around the midwest during Holy Week. Not everyone in the picture is going, and not everyone who is going is in the picture; however, this is a very accurate depiction of the camaraderie and joy that the members of this choir share with one another.  I am the one in the blue shirt in the top row with the awkward head angle (and without the beard...) My name is Crystal Vaughan and I am a freshman, and therefore this is my first year in the choir.  I am a vocal music education major from Chesapeake, Virginia.  I will be blogging throughout the trip on the things that we do and places that we visit. I will document the right turns, wrong turns, cracks, "quacks," and everything in between over our 15 day trip in South Korea.

     Starting with... TODAY! We had the awesome ability to have one last bonding day in America before we headed off to Asia. We went over details about packing and traveling, and went through the music that we had not touched since our tour during the first week in April.  We have an extensive set-list that is constantly rearranged and re-evaluated depending on the performance, so occasionally we have a piece that has been passed over once or twice that become a little rusty. Once Dr. Dave (Dr. David Mennicke - our fearless, genius, and occasionally intimidating when we screw up) deemed our sound worthy, we drove over to President Ries' (First year as University President, enjoyable speaker, terrific conversationalist, splendid babecue-er and host) house for "one last American meal."  It was awesome to be able to spend time with such wonderful, and encouraging people; Not only the President and his wonderful wife, but also our tour guides and very PATIENT Korean music instructor were there to join us as well! We had sliders and hot dogs, tossed around a football, rehears-... I mean performed our Korean pieces, and did some Korean trivia! The evening was a great send-off and really helped to ease some of the nerves and anxieties that the choir members were feeling about the preparation and anticipation for the next two weeks.

   So here we go... I'm going to be blogging as much as I can. Stay tuned, as Charles Muntz said in the Pixar movie "Up!" :  ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!