Saturday, December 29th

Today was certainly a day of mixed emotions. We had a day filled with rain, long waiting, laughter, and a beautiful moment on the city college track.

We started off our day by heading down to the area where a few floats were being made. We were to take a picture, but soon discovered that the times had been wrong and that we actually had over an hour to wait. When we were finally able to take a picture, the rain muddied many of our moods. We were also able to tour a few of the floats and see the process of their creation. The best part was being able to step out of the rain and under a tent!

We then drove along the parade route for a little while (actually, a long, long while) and picked up some snacks around the way. As we arrived at Pasadena City College, the rain began to clear and most, if not all, moods considerably lightened.

We met up with our Chinese counterparts and ate some In and Out burgers that were provided for us. I think that I gain a marching band fifteen every trip that we take.

The Chinese marching band then got into their awesome red uniforms, and we blocked for a short practice. It was extremely cool seeing our red and blue uniforms together.

By the way, if my writing seems a bit lackluster, I blame the early wake-up calls. Someone really needs to talk to Mr. Wilson and co. about those. I want to sleep!

We then performed our show in front of a very large crowd. It was a bit nerve-wracking seeing bands much larger and louder ahead of us, but I thought that we gave a great performance. The Chinese also performed extremely well, especially considering that they are not used to performing on the football field.

The best moment, and the one I’m most excited to write about, was when the Chinese and us performed a piece of our parade route for the audience. Let me set the scene. The sun was beginning to fade behind the building and it cast a brilliant golden glow across the football field and track. Our blue uniforms provided a sharp contrast to the red ones of the Chinese. Mark, our drum major, stood in front with an air of excitement. I looked at the Chen, the Chinese student next o me, and we wished each other luck. Then, the whistle sounded with a shrill, and we were off. Playing the medley of Chinese and American folksongs alongside the Chinese and in front of a large audience was a moment that I can’t quite put into words. The audience was cheering and waving and Mr. Wilson stood in front with a proud look on his face and a camera phone in his hands. It was a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

After the performance, the Valley Christian students were treated by a trip to the mall. Then, on our return home, we were unfortunate enough to be behind an enormous accident and had to wait for another hour. When we finally returned home, nary a word was said as we all collapsed into bed.

(Pictures to come soon)

Friday, December 28th

It has been an adventurous past few days and I have been unable to blog most of them. You know, I thought it would be easier to get Internet in the States than it was in China, but I’m having issues with it here as well. The only place I can upload text is on the bus. So, I’ll try my best to keep you updated, but it might be somewhat delayed!

On Friday, we met our Chinese counterparts on our home turf. They had never been on a football field before, so they were quite eager to practice a little bit before displaying their field show.  Valley Christian students practiced and refined their music in the rehearsal hall, before heading up to the field to show off a little bit and play our Danzon piece once again.

Then, our Chinese friends played their two mini shows. One was Jasmine Flower, coincidentally one of the songs we’re playing in our parade, and the other was a karate inspired piece complete with students punching and kicking (not each other).

We then proceeded to the rehearsal hall and divided up into sections in order to meet our Chinese counterparts that we were to give gifts to. Mine was a very nice girl named Ding Baiying, People began mingling and actually getting to know each other. Names were learned and emails were exchanged. Similar to the basketball game in China, worlds collided when some valley students decided to try and teach some Chinese students football. It was truly an awesome thing to watch.

We then boarded the buses to make our way down South to our Long Beach hotel. I was asleep for the majority of it, so, sadly, I have no great stories to tell. Our arrival at the hotel ran smoothly and we all fell headfirst into our beds and pummeled into dreamland as soon as we entered our rooms.

(Pictures to come soon)

There and Back Again ( First Day With the Chinese)

             

    The journey to the roses grew to full height as the Valley Christian marching band members worked through the incredibly busy last few days. We have had two days of practice sans our Chinese counterparts where we refined marching technique and learned the difficult 105 degree turn. We were able to see old friends as many alumni returned to the marching band field.
Not every journey is without barriers, however, as the directors discovered that some students may have neglected to practice. Marching band is a wonderful activity because every person matters. One person giving their all can give so much to the band, but, on the other side of the spectrum, one person who doesn't know their part correctly can harm the band substantially. After a talk filled with a bit of tough love, the directors inspired everyone to go home on Wednesday and practice into the long hours of the night. The result on Thursday was a much stronger band which, while still having potential to grow, showed an enormous amount of promise.
Speaking of Thursday, it was the first day spent with our Chinese counterparts! We arrived at Gilroy Gardens in the wee hours of the morning ready to kick down some cultural barriers. The Chinese arrived shortly after we did and a sudden bout of shyness fell upon most. A friend and I went to greet them, but the Chinese were just as shy as all of us. After some prompting from our respective directors, we began to mingle a bit more and started learning, or attempting to learn, some names. I know that I personally had problems even pronouncing names correctly, something that garnered a bit of laughter from some Chinese flutes.
The directors wasted no time starting practice. We split up into rotating groups in order to practice both marching our steps and playing our music. This gave us a chance to further meet some Chinese students through the common denominator of an activity that is important to all of is.

We then had lunch catered by Togo's and were able to eat with our Chinese counterparts. After lunch, I was given gifts by two of my newfound Chinese friends whose names I will not even attempt to try to butcher. 

We were then set into our official block. Thankfully, I was set beside one of my two friends! We practiced marching all together and it was wonderful to see the block in action. We turned 105 degrees and practicing marching our straights over and over and over and over . . . and over again, as per usual marching band fashion. 

After the end of rehearsal, we were allowed to go and visit the park. I know that I personally had many fond memories to revisit. We were also served a traditional holiday feast and were treated to a show by some familiar characters. 

All in all, it was a beautiful day. Relationships are being revisited and new ones are becoming forged. I'm excited to see what the next few days hold in store for us. I'm sure they'll be full of some pretty awesome memories.