Adjusting to a new culture and trying to get around a city that speaks a different language than me was a tough barrier to get through for the first few days. I was incredibly blessed to have a group of people who allowed me to learn alongside them (with David’s help translating) was an experience I will never forget.
Instead of writing a post talking about how grateful I am for everybody on this trip, I’d like to write about my favorite memories (in order of how I remember them)
1. Getting to Argentina completely exhausted and pushing through to walk through the streets and be blown away by the architecture of the buildings for the first time (this will be a common theme lol).
2. Performing in the Basilica of Immaculate Conception in Buenos Aires and being completely blown away by the acoustics of the church. I think that’s my first time performing in a church that big.
3. Seeing the Teatro Colón, more specifically seeing the art and sculptures of the music and composers that I study at NAU!
4. Karaoke with locals!
5. The Catedral de La Plata tour. They took us all the way up to the top (66 meters)!
6. Flying into San Juan and seeing the Andes mountains for the first time.
7. All of the stray dogs of San Juan!! <333 (i want to take them all home)
8. Meeting the singers in the Tous Ensemble (Shoutout Chowie!!)
9. Seeing the traditional dances from the students at Augusto Poulenta and having a musical exchange! (They made the best empanadas on the tour)
10. Performing our sets at the festivals and having an incredibly heartfelt moment with Shrine afterwards.
11. The whole situation at the airport with the luggage. CHILEAN DRIVERS ARE AWESOME.
12. All of the incredible food I’ve eaten.
This trip really did mean a lot to me. I’ve been on quite a few other trips with various choirs and bands but this one was by far my favorite. After singing our final two songs at the end of the festival (He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands and Gloria), I had a bittersweet realization. This trip came at a pivotal moment in my life in terms of school and my career. As we walked into the lobby I realized that we had just sang for the last time. There will never be another Shrine of the Ages like the one that I went to Argentina with. Like sets of music from concert to concert, people come and go and leave different impacts on each other’s lives. These memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life would not have happened if it weren’t for each one of the beautiful souls in that choir who chose to go. The end of this trip marks the beginning of the final year of my undergraduate degree and I wouldn’t have wanted to do the past three years of this without these people who have made it so great.
Shrine, I appreciate you.
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