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.