Around the World and Back Again

I made it back- I’m alive, healthy, and exhausted….wow. Where to start? The trip was such a roller coaster for all of us; so many emotions in play- It was stressful in the sense that we had a huge job to do what with the show being premiered and such. It was inspiring to have the privilege to watch other kids with just as much passion perform. It was eye opening in the sense that you saw EVERYTHING ( from dance, to comedy, to half naked people blowing into large conch shells) at this festival and all was considered art. It was moving when you got the chance to see a show with a powerful story, like Blood Brothers or Billy Elliot. It was grueling, since you had hardly any sleep for two weeks and were going literally nonstop all day. It was breathtaking to get to survey a piece of the world that the Lord has so beautifully designed. It was funny, what with the improve shows, and the comedy of my fellow cast members antics that left me in stitches for the entire time. And it was overwhelming on so many different levels….and speaking of different- being a naïve and sheltered child, and never having gone anywhere, I thought that when I got over to Europe that I would go into culture shock or something. But in reality, it wasn’t super different on the outside. They speak the same language as us, don’t wear anything to crazy, and don’t eat anything to incredibly disgusting (I’ll just let that whole haggis and blood pudding thing slide…). The real differences are in the little things- like the lingo, the weird flushing toilets, the location of their steering wheels in their cars, the over-the- top amount of smoking going on, and the fact that Europeans have never even heard of strawberry cream cheese. And those little things made the trip so extremely interesting. It was such fun to find these differences. That alone was like an adventure. But that wasn’t the only adventure I experienced. Not even close. There were so many “firsts” for me on the trip- first plane ride (over the ocean to! I know. Quite the accomplishment.), first train ride, first taxi ride, first ride on the subway, first time singing/performing overseas, first time I saw a professional show (Blood Brothers- amazing, made me cry. Billy Elliot- HILIGHT! Go see it if you ever get the chance), first time I stayed up for 28 hours straight….way to many to count. Anyway, it was such an inspirational trip. I learned so much, challenged myself, and got to know new friends so much better….But not gonna lie, by the end of two weeks, I had forgotten what American syrup tastes like, what American accents sound like, and all the cold weather and rain was making me a tad irritable. So, it was so good to sleep in my own bed on Tuesday night. And now that I’m home, I have realized what a huge blessing the trip really was. Clearly I have so much to write…More in the next few days.