Broomfield, COLORADO
July 27th- August 26th
Jodi, Peter, Michael, Josh Sheinberg~ Duke, Rocky
Demi (Netherlands) and Paola (Mexico)
July 27th- August 26th
Jodi, Peter, Michael, Josh Sheinberg~ Duke, Rocky
Demi (Netherlands) and Paola (Mexico)
7-27-18
Today was the first day, the day that I had to say goodbye to my parents, the day that I had to fly alone to Denver, the day that I got to meet my entire cast, the day that I got to go home with my host family. It was a crazy day...
-It started off by going to the airport in the morning and my bag weighed exactly 50lbs! I hugged my parents, Josie, Todd, and Jenny and said goodbye for the longest time we have ever been apart. It was not as emotional as I thought it was going to be, and I'm thankful for that. Once my dad started to say goodbye, I could see him tearing up and I almost lost it, but I keep it short and then looked at my mom. She was obviously crying and I couldn't look at her otherwise I would break down, so again I kept it short. As I was walking away to security, everything hit me all at once and I really got pretty sad. I quickly got over it once the guy in security started yelling at me to take my shoes off and take my laptop off.
-I got onto the plane without any difficulties and realized that I sat in between two buff and bulky firefighters. I sat in one position the entire flight and everything was pretty smooth.
-I found the massive UWP sign and apparently, I was the last person they were waiting for so when I got there, everyone started clapping and we hurried to the bus. It was a whirl wind of events because I was trying to find my bag in baggage claim and meet everyone all at once. The bus ride to the Methodist church was awesome because I really got to meet some of the people in my cast.
-When we got to the church, we had to go through many stations to fill out forms and documents, and then we got to meet each other. We were the first shuttle to arrive and we had to wait from 1:00-8:00 in the church for the rest of the cast. As I was standing in line, I realized that there are many NORMAL people that I could really see myself becoming best friends with. Throughout the night, the people that stood out to me most were... Leah Kohler (Kelly Mac- Traveled with Amy in 85), Katelyn Clemments, Demi, Jai Yu, Maryfer, Tylene, Hayden, Andree, Liam, Isaac, and Justice. And as I was just talking and talking and talking to 102 people, Angelis comes through the door, and I ran to him and gave him a huge hug like you see in the movies. I was so happy to catch up with him and reminisce on camp memories. Overall, I am ecstatic with my cast members! There are so many awesome people who have so many different stories and backgrounds. It was easy sitting in that church for 7 hours talking because every person that I talked to shared my interests in music, traveling, skiing, and singing! I have such a good feeling about the rest of this trip!
-Then my host parents picked us up and our code was ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK! Their house was so cute and I couldn't have asked for a better situation. I'm with Demi (from Netherlands) and Paola (from Mexico) and we are staying with the Sheinbergs! They are an empty nestor couple with two sons out of the house. They are also Jewish! After going to Israel, it was so cool to be able to talk with them about their faith, the shabbot, and places they have traveled in Israel. I found out that they were Jewish because they had the Star of David hanging in their pantry and I asked about it. They said that their son brought it back for them when he was in Israel for birth right. It was also really interesting that two families that I have stayed with in UWP were Jewish. They are the nicest people, and I am lucky to have them for the next 5 weeks. Its also really crazy that Jeanna and Momo both stayed with the Sheinbergs when they were in staging for UWP! It was a really great house for me to be in! I even have a whole room to myself. I am so excited for the next couple of days.
7-28-18
Today I was the first person to wake up so Jodi and I went to a cute little diner in Broomfield called Great Scotts. It was so fun to have some one on one time with her and really get to know her. She is awesome, and the breakfast there was phenomenal. We also stopped at a garage sale and bought an onion chopper. When we got back, Paola and Demi were awake so Demi and I went in the back yard to explore. There was this massive open field where we had views of the mountains and I felt like I was in the beginning scene of the Sound of Music. Of course, I sang "The hills are alive"... and took some pictures. After that, Peter took us to The Pearl Street outdoor shopping mall. There was a street performer who juggled fire on a gigantic unicycle. We walked up and down and went into many interesting shops. Then Peter wanted to take us to Costco and get us food for the next four weeks. This was the best time that I have ever been to Costco! We bought all of our favorite foods, tried every single sample, and rode in the cart throughout the time. We got so much more food then we would ever need, but it was such a blast. Once we got back home, Paola, Demi, and I took Rocky and Duke for a walk around Josh's lake. These dogs just pulled us the whole walk, and were very aggressive. Then we got to meet Josh and Michael (Their sons). They all went out to dinner and us three stayed home and watched Grease. It was a very fun first day with the host family.
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| Costco! |
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| Pearl Street |
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| Josh's Pond |
Today, I was the first one awake again, so Peter took me to Goodwill to search for art with pink tags on them. He bought 6 paintings in frames for 99 cents each, knowing that Jodi would not appreciate crap from Goodwill. Haha:) After that, Peter drove us up to Red Rocks and we got to see where the outdoor concerts took place. It was a beautiful drive up there and the rocks around the stage were bright red. The views where remarkable, and the acoustics are supposed to be the best out there. We climbed up on the rocks and took some pictures. Then we walked through the museum and saw the hall of fame of musicians that had played at Red Rocks. This is one place that has always been on my bucket list, so I am very happy that I got to go there today. On the way home, we went to another Goodwill and bought two more art frames for 99 cents. When we got back, Peter gave me a Ukulele and I started playing songs that I knew. Then Demi, Paola, and I went to that open field and journaled and I taught them how to play the Ukulele! Then I decided to go for a run around Josh's pond. I ran about three miles and encountered prairie dogs, cow, snakes, and a bull. I ran across train tracks and through a farm across from their house. It was a beautiful run and I felt really good afterward because we had been eating a lot of junk food... Peter is spoiling us! For dinner we had big steaks, potatoes, salad, bread, and red wine. It was a fancy send off meal because we start our full day of UWP tomorrow bright and early. We get to be reunited with the cast and start learning the show!!!
Today was the first real day of staging!!!! We got to meet up with the cast at Pinnacle
Charter School. Ken, the neighbor, picked us up and brought us to the shuttle that brought us to the school. Then we had a workshop about host family living. We met the the staff, stage team, creative team, and road team. I also got to see Walter and Momo for the first time in a while and it was great to see them. Then we had tatter tot hot dish from a girl who made it from Minnesota. Then we had time to dance, sing, and prepare for modules. Throughout the whole day, we did many get-to-know-you games. It was a big preparation day for tomorrow!!!! Get ready for AUDITIONS.
7-31-18 Tuesday
Modules started today bright and early. They split the cast into 7 smaller groups and we went through the different audition stations of singing, dancing, speaking, costumes, tech, and admissions. It took all day to this, and it was very exhausting. I started my day off with the dancing module, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. When we did dance combos in upbeat, hip hop, salsa, and jazz, I was perfectly fine, but when they made us do a lyrical type dance... I was just laughing at myself and so was Momo over in the corner. Haha, she knew that ballet wasn't my forte. After that we went to the admissions module where they basically just asked us questions about ourselves to get to know us and help us get to know each other. We then had a quick lunch, and I ate outside in the bleachers of the football field with Leonie, Demi, and Lara. Then in the costume module, I choose to wear my red outfit with red Toms and red lipstick. Walter was the one who was judging all the costumes and he told us what we needed to fix and what he liked. When he got to me, he complimented my make-up and said that I had a nice amount on with an even complexion. He made everyone look at my face for an example. Then he said that the necklace that I brought was too long and would get in the way of dancing. I got to catch up with Walter after that and geez he is just the best person in the world. I love him. Then they took a picture of us with our costumes on, and we were off to vocals. They lined us up, asked us about our singing experience and had us sing "We will not be divided"... from keep hope alive. I was kind of disappointed in the way that I sang just because I know that I could do better. I sang in one key, and the said that it was too much of a ballad, and that I needed to make it a little more Rockstar. So the second time, I tried to, but I felt like I didn't impress anybody like I normally do. I just have a feeling that I will not have a major role in the show like I did at camp, and I will just need to come to terms with it. "Bright lights, don't need spot lights." UWP is so much more than a solo part in the show, and also I don't want to ruin all the technique I have from voice lessons just to accommodate for one song. I know I didn't completely burn up, but I know that there is a lot of talent in this cast, so I guess we will see what happens and deal with it then. After vocals, we went on stage and learned about the equipment of the show, the lights, the sound, the set-up and strike, and the behind the scenes. We also learned how to coil up electrical wires for the show that will help us in the future. Then we had an all cast vocal session where we learned all the sop, alto, ten, bari parts and put it all together for the first time. I can remember sitting there in complete awe because the boys sounded so passionate and strong the first time they sang, and the girls could pick up harmonies by ear off of what Micheal played. With all my choral experience, I have never learned a song that quickly and beautifully without sheet music. This way of learning by ear is very efficient and will help us learn the whole show in four weeks. It was a very fun and productive day. I had a blast dancing, singing, speaking, and meeting more and more people. I am really starting to love this organization and I am very thankful to have an opportunity like this. When we got back to the host family, we went out for taco Tuesday for dinner.
8-1-18 Wednesday
In the morning, we had two workshops after morning meeting. One was about the UWP curriculum. "Learning changes you. If you haven't changed, you haven't learned." They want to develop Cultural Awareness, Interpersonal Communication, Leadership and Group Development, and Global Citizenship. Then our next session was called The CA Challenge where we learned about the community action that we would do on tour, and the impact it has on ourselves and others. After that, we had a dance workshop where we learned the dance for "You can't stop the beat." This dance is so fun, I feel like I'm in a broadway dance number while this song goes. Then we had a vocal workshop where we learned "Keep Hope Alive." Then Jodi and Peter had to take Josh to Wyoming so we made our own dinner of BBQ chicken and had a relaxing night. We woke up to a skeleton on our toilet, a scary dude in our shower, and a dead person sticking out of the ground. The Sheinberg's love halloween...
8-2-18 Thursday
We started the day off with two workshops again today. The first one was called "Defining Culture," and it was a discussion of why people act the way they do using the Ice Burg Metaphor. Above the water line is the visible culture that includes how people dress, how they pronounce "R," and how they season food. At the water line are unspoken rules which are learned by trial and error. Below the water line are unconscious rules that are learned through modeling and learned in early childhood. Then we had another session where the established how to be an Uppie along with all expectations. Then we had lunch and started our dance workshop right away. We learned the dance for Jump Jive and Party. I knew both of those dances so it was a good refresher of moves. For our vocal workshop, we learned Party, Home, and 500 Miles. When we got home, Peter made amazing salmon for dinner and we had a FUN NIGHT...
8-3-18 Friday
Once again, the day started off with education workshops. The first was called "Practicing Leadership." This was my favorite session so far because split up into home-teams and went through the five practices of exemplary leaders. (the five fingers) 1. Model the way 2. Inspire a shared Vision 3. Challenge the process 4. Enable others to act 5. Encourage the heart. In one of the stations, Devan (From Arizona) had to walk me through a obstacle course using his voice while I was blind folded. It was amazing so see how well worked together, and how fast we got through the course. The second session was learning about our tour. They went through all the places we will travel, and our route to get everywhere. I got really excited about Mexico and Europe because our host families will most likely not speak english. I can't wait for those experiences. I also learned that our first show will be on September 1st (Dad's Birthday) at the Nebraska State fair in front of 5,000 people! I am so excited to start the tour, meet all the host families, and perform. After that, we learned a hip hop style dance to "Stronger Together." This was a very swaggy dance, and well, that was that... Haha! Then we went to vocals and learned Footsteps of a Girl, Roller Coaster, Does it Really Matter, Roam, Jump Around, YMCA, and You can't stop the beat. It was a productive day so they gave us an hour to chill in our home-teams. So my home-team walked across the street and got ice cream at Dairy Queen. We talked about how we were feeling and had a little debrief and it was really needed. When I got home, Peter made really good hamburgers. It was an amazing first week of staging!
8-4-18 Saturday
Today was the first CA (Community Action) day at an organization called CUSP (Coalition of the Upper South Platte). This is a non-profit organization that works to provide essential services like planting, implementation, and monitoring within the watershed. The cast split up into four groups and put in a total of 510 hours of community service. I was put into the weeding group where we cut off the flower heads of weeds and pulled up the roots of many acres across the area. It was really cool to see all the progress we made by the end of the day. Some of the other cast members chopped down dead trees, cut them into smaller pieces, laid down hay mats, and pulled up plastic. Overall the cast did, in one day, what the normal employees would accomplish in three weeks. It was very rewarding to see the impact of giving a little bit of time to help the community. I got really close to Aurelie, from Sweden, and Sophie, from Mexico. I love this aspect of Up With People because it not only helps the community, but it helps us individually as well. Giving back to the places that we will visit three times a week will be an awesome way to make a positive impact. I sat next to Lieve, from Switzerland, on the bus back to the Pinnacle High School and had a really cool God conversation. She told me that most of the time, people in Europe do not believe in God, and she told me that she does not either. It broke my heart hearing that come out of someones mouth. I don't think I've ever heard someone openly say that to me ever so it caught me off guard. She asked many questions about my faith, and I answered them honestly and authentically. She was very interested and wanted to come to church with me sometime... although she looked at me like I was crazy! I am very thankful for the opportunity to talk to her and get her thinking. When we got back, we had a full cast debrief where we illustrated our experience of the day on paper and presented in to the rest of the cast. We were all so tired, sweaty, and dirty by that time and nobody wanted to talk. We finally got on the shuttle and went home. Then we watched Mama Mia and had a relaxing night that was much needed.
8-5-18 Sunday
Today was our first day off since the beginning of staging. I reached out to Uncle John, and he was able to pick me up and take me to Flat Irons Church. It was really great to catch up with him and spend sometime with him in Colorado. His church used to be a Walmart shopping center, and it's now the biggest church in Colorado that does extreme outreach in the community. After church, we got brunch at The Post Brewery where I had fried chicken and waffles. I got to talk to him about Israel and UWP and he told me about his life and where he was at. It was so awesome that I got to see him while I am here for a short amount of time. He dropped me off and then Jodi, Paola, Demi and I all went to Boulder to watch Mama Mia 2 in the theater. Then we went shopping at the 29th Street Mall for a little bit and a lady who checked us out at J. Jill knew about UWP and actually hosted for five years and she might even come to our show! Then we went to the Scott Carpenter's Park and took some pictures with the mountains in the back.
Today was an amazing day! We got an extra hour of sleep because we changed staging locations to the Broomfield Methodist Church, which is 10 minutes away from the house. We had an awesome workshop about "Documenting the Semester." They gave little ideas like host family books, recipes, vlogs, blogs, and scrapbooking. I felt pretty good about my blog with all of my journals, but I am not inspired to create a vlog of daily activities. Then we had one of the best sessions so far... it was about civil discourse. They had us take a stand on controversial issues and explain our opinions. At first, I was like this is going to get nasty and I'm going to get very angry with some of the political views of the cast. Instead, they taught us how to LISTEN to the other opinion. They were not trying to change our beliefs on any topic, but just change our approach in how we talk about disagrees. As people were divided into the sides of the room, they needed to explain why they choose that side, and the people on the other side had to repeat back the other opinion in order to see if they were truly listening and not just waiting for their chance to talk. Doing that made the discussion civil, mature, and productive rather than a nasty outbreak. We were supportive of different opinions and they were supportive to ours. Knowing that someone was actually listening to my political opinions without making judgements and assumptions made the controversy easier to talk about. Then we split up into groups of two and we were prompted with a discussion question where we needed to practice listening. I got paired up with Uriel (From Mexico), and we had to discuss our opinions on immigration laws. It was really cool to hear his perspective because he lives right on the boarder and his family owns a restaurant in Texas. His main point was that families should not be separated no matter what, and my main point was that if any immigrant wants to live, work, and raise a family in the U.S. they should be legal citizens. We agreed that the process of becoming a citizen should become an easier process. There we were a conservative American Citizen, and a Mexican who crosses the boarder everyday to work talking civilly about this major issue AND respecting each others opinions. It was the best thing ever! Then it was time for lunch and Matteo (From France) gets the entire cast's attention and starts dancing like a lunatic to "What Does the Fox Say?" It was bizarre and hilarious and he actually got the whole cast to stand up and start dancing along. At lunch I looked at who was pulled for dance lines that day and I saw my name on two of the hardest dance lines in the whole show. "Jump Jive," and "Cuba." I had a mini heart attack because I remembered the swing dance from camp and I was thankful that I never had to dance that one because its so fast and so hard to remember. Angelis comes over to look with me, and starts laughing at the face I was making as I was starring at my name. Both of these dances were partner dances, and the first one I learned was Cuba, a Mexican culture song. My partner was Javier, and he danced so well, and it was easy for me because he lead me through the whole dance without any problems. I am starting to feel like I am an above average dancer because they NEVER would have picked for this song if I that wasn't the case. They picked 9 couples to learn this dance and only 3 get chosen, so I need to work my butt off if I want to dance this in the show. Either way I am glad that I at least got picked to learn it. Then I went to the Jump Jive workshop, and this song is so short, upbeat, and FAST!! The steps are so fun, and the energy of the song just makes you want to get up and dance. I had a lot of fun with it... but it is the most challenging dance line of the whole show. Again they only 3 couples to do the dance so you need to be phenomenal. Being in this dance is in my panic zone because I have to be lifted and thrown all over the place, and I am just not used to that. Although, I was keeping up pretty well and wasn't the worst dancer chosen! Haha. Thankfully I got paired with Angelis and I trusted him more that any other guy. He was in this dance line at camp, and he knew the moves already so he was leading me through all the passes. I am overwhelmed with these dances because I need to know them perfectly by the next workshop otherwise I'm booted out of the dance line. When I got home I asked my roommates to help me with the dances, and I FORGOT ALL OF IT! Then I started to watch the videos they posted and tried my best to remember it all. I am not in the show for dancing anyways so if I don't make it to the final round, I will be totally fine. I was just really awesome that I got chosen for two dances at least! Today was a big day in personal growth as I had to overcome many uncomfortable obstacles with politics and with dance movements.
Today in our workshops we were introduced to the internships and apprenticeships. There are many options for both like promotional representative, admissions, education, social media, marketing, vocal, dance, lights, sound, tech, and many more. We had the opportunity to go around to each station and talk to the staff to learn more about the internships. I am very interested in the vocal internship because it will correlate with what I want to do in my future. As this intern, I will be in charge of vocal warm-ups for the cast, teaching solos to others, and acoustic promos. All of these things are useful skills that I can take with me to Concordia as I enter into Music Education. I also have this urge to apply for the PRI! This is the hardest internship because I would have to travel ahead of the cast for 4 weeks and set up the whole city. Every host family, every meal, every facility, every promotional opportunity, and anything else that would need to get done before that cast arrived. This is such an amazing opportunity that encompasses all skills learned in every internship. Having this on a resume is excellent because it shows you are a leader and can work will under stress and with a team. The only down part is that I will be away from the cast for 4 weeks and I will be out of 4 shows. When we moved onto PA, the best thing happened... I got pulled as a finalist for Keep Hope Alive. This is the last, most powerful, song of the show, and they pick the strongest vocalists for this job. They picked 6 girls and only one sings in the show. I felt really good after I sang and after I heard the other girls sing. We will see how that one goes in the end... Then I got pulled for the female solo in Does It Really Matter and I felt okay about most of it, but their is one part where I have to belt the end. I could hit the note, but I have never belted before, so learning that new technique is a fun challenge for me. THEN, I got pulled for a harmony part in Home that they are adding to the show, and I needed to learn not to blend with harmony, but to treat it like a solo. Overall, I am so excited to be pulled to do solos and dance lines, but I am soooooooo overwhelmed. I am feeling the pressure to learn the solo parts and the cast movements and vocals. Today was also Paola's 18th birthday so we had a big dinner celebration for her, and then we went to a restaurant called Haciendo and ordered every Mexican desert on the menu! It was such a fun day. Jodi and Peter were back at it again with the Halloween pranks...
8-8-18 Wednesday
Today was the first day that the cast got to dress up because we had a leadership round table where local inspirational leaders came and talked to the cast about how they became successful. It was very interesting to ask them questions about their career journey, failures, and achievements. Then we had an intro to our culture fair where we brainstormed ideas about how to represent the midwest. Some examples are: "Oh yeah you betcha," "Oh geez," tatter tot hot dish, duck duck grey duck, and corn fields. For PA today, the Cuba dance line had another workshop because we needed to finish learning the steps. I felt a lot better after this workshop because Javier and I were really working well together and were one of the best dancing partners chosen, so hopefully that one works out. Then I got picked to sing "What I'm Feeling Now." I was very surprised to be chosen for this because it is an Aretha Franklin song with sass, character, notation freedom, and HIGH BELTED NOTES. This song is out of my vocal comfort zone, but in my vocal range. I just need to learn how to sing this style without damaging my voice. I also got picked for "Roller Coster." This is a great song, and it's really easy to sing and to learn. Now that I have 5 solo songs to learn, and 2 dances to master, I am busy practicing, working hard, and doing the best I can in every activity... but I'm very tired. When we got home, Peter had dinner ready for us and we ate, practiced, and worked the rest of the night.
We had a guest speaker named Bruce come in and speak to the cast about life on the road and the perspective other people have on Up With People. It was interesting to hear the stereotypes and misconceptions about the organization. Then we had cast challenges where we needed to get every single person in the cast over a 5 foot rope. It took about two hours for people to stop talking over each other and just formulae a plan to overcome this challenge. By the end, all the strong guy lifted everyone over like a mummy and then they jumped over it at the end. The best part was when we had to lift Angle (From Mexico) over and the whole cast cheered when he landed. It was a good workshop to work on teamwork, leadership, and problem solving. Then we had to find staff members hiding in places around the facility, and Momo was the last person to be found and she was hiding up in a tree like a ninja. In PA time today, I was so tired that I barely participated in cast vocals and movement. I was having a blast in the back with Yaz and Kayla during dance, and in vocals I fell asleep twice. Haha! When I got home, I needed to practice all of my songs and dances and apply for my internship. I have decided to just apply for the vocal internship for now. Peter took the girls out to goodwill once again. Then we went to a liquor store to get sake because Momo is coming over for dinner tomorrow night, and then we stopped for ice cream.
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| Cast Movement in the Gym |
8-10-18 Friday
Today we were challenged to take pictures with many people from other countries and post it on social media. Then we had a Las Vegas simulation where we played a card game and moved tables if we won and lost. At each table were different rules, and the activity was simulating all different cultures. During PA I had a rough time because I was pulled for a review workshop in "Does it really matter." I was feeling off all day and I just completely bombed the review. Ellen was really tough on me and said things that were out of line about racial discrimination and the way that I was singing. Then she made me bend over and sing, and she commented about my red face... it was embarrassing in front of everyone. I had a little moment in the bathroom, but then I recovered and enjoyed the rest of the time. Momo came over for dinner and we watched the live stream video from camp and cheered on the cast. We had a four hour conversation and I really got to know more about her this evening. I told her about what happened with Ellen and she told me that Ellen had a problem last semester and she made girls cry daily just because of the way she approached criticism. She also encouraged me to apply for the vocal internship under Ellen so that I could help diffuse future situations. It was so great to have some girl talk all night, and learn more about Momo.
8-11-18 Saturday
Today host family siblings spent the entire day with us, and we had education workshops, PA, and a host family dinner. During show business, I got pulled to dance an Indian song, and to dance in Jump Jive again. I told Angelis everything that happened yesterday, and he got so mad. He had a really hard time himself so we went for a walk during vocals and both cried and just let out everything. It is really nice to have someone to talk freely about anything and everything. I got pulled for an individual session with Mariah to work on all five of my songs. She worked with me on how to belt healthy, and she gave me so many helpful tips to get into the right vocal placement to belt. She made my bad day really positive just by helping me out, and encouraging me. While I was in the room working, Ellen came in and I got to sing Keep Hope Alive for them. It was the best that I had ever sang it, and I was feeling really good. After that, Isa came up to me and told me that I got cut from "Does it Really Matter," and I was so relieved when she told me because it was one thing that I didn't need to worry about anymore, and its the one that I wanted the least as well. Then Jodi and Peter came to the church and we had dinner there with all the other host families. We went home and watched the pre-season football game between the Broncos and the Vikings. It was a really good day with a roller coaster of emotions.
8-12-18 Sunday
This morning we went out for brunch at Delvickios with Asian Andy as our server. Then the cast all met up at boulder falls where we jumped in the creek with Bob. It was a beautiful drive up through the mountains. We jumped into the waterfall and had an ice cream social afterwards at Bob's house. The first time that I jumped in, I was with Lenard and he did not know how to swim. I came up to the surface of the water, and I was looking for him for about 40 seconds. I was terrified and thought that he would never come up. I went under water with my eyes open and I finally saw him flailing his arms. I went over to him and pulled him up and he was freaking out. Saving someone from drowning was one of the scariest things that I had ever experience in my life so far. After we both recovered from that traumatic event, I climbed up to the highest cliff and jumped off. It was such a fun day with perfect weather. Peter and Jodi picked us up after their movie and we had a movie night in the evening.
8-13-18 Monday
Another day in the life of Up With People... except the show is getting seriously close and the pressure is on. We have 11 days until our first performance!!!! AHHHH! I don't know how we are going to pull this off. Today we had a review costume module, make-up tutorial, and specialty costume intro. For dinner we had tater tot's! Then we went out to see the sunset on an outlook, and we went out for ice cream. Peter has a fun day planned for us tomorrow with the mayor of Colorado! haha!
8-14-18 Tuesday
We were on TV this morning! Peter was being interviewed for his company in a segment with Denver 7 abc. He called ahead and asked the news center if we could get a tour, and an appearance on the air. We were able to walk onto the set at the last minute and give UWP a shoutout. It was such an awesome experience to see the behind the scenes production of a news channel. We showed up to staging around lunch time and started blocking the entire first half of the show. I enjoyed seeing how the show flows together from the beginning to the end. I have such a great feeling about the final result and the work that it took to get there. I got to see Walter and Erin today as well. When we got home, we went to downtown Denver for Taco Tuesday. Then we walked around 16th street mall and got to see a little bit of downtown. When I got home, Peter tricked me and brought a spider onto my bed. I ran out of the room screaming with my mom on Facetime. It was traumatic and I need to get him back somehow.
8-15-18 Wednesday
Today was a really really good day. While the cast was drilling vocals and movement, Moriah pulled me for a finalist vocal workshop to sing Roller Coaster. This is an emotionally heavy song, and we got deep into the message of the song. It's about a mentally ill girl struggling through her darkest thoughts, and the feeling of hope through the strength of others support. Right away, Moriah shared some things she has gone through and then many of the other vocalist shared. We were in deep discussion and all crying throughout the song. The message of this song is so powerful, and I feel like I can really express that because of the time with her. Then I had to jump right into a new Indian dance. I was overwhelmed and still recovering from that workshop. Then Isa pulls my BY MYSELF and tells me some news that totally shifted my day. She said that I am a finalist for the character Hope in the show. This character sings Keep Hope Alive throughout the entire show and has calming presence about her. This part in the show is for the strongest actor and vocalist from the whole cast. It is an honor to be selected for this. While I am feeling down and overwhelmed about learning the entire show, this gave me so much peace because its a part that I can see myself playing well. I look up to Isa's voice so much and all throughout the year that she traveled, she played Hope too. I asked point blank if I had any chance of getting it, and she said that from the first audition day the production team envisioned me playing Hope! She said that I was the strongest female vocalist in the cast, and that I have a way of connecting to the songs that no one else does. But, there is another girl who is just as qualified as I am. I will have to go through another round with the directors of the show to see if I get the spot for sure. I am just really going to focus on getting that part, and hope for the best. After that, we had a culture fair where all the countries represented in the cast made poster boards and informed everyone about their culture. It was an out of the world experience to walk around the gym and learn intriguing facts about places around the ENTIRE WORLD. We had swiss chocolate, dutch stroopewaffles, Mexican chilies, and Japanese Seaweed. Also, many people dressed up in their culture outfits. It was like traveling to all the continents in two hours. When we got home, Peter put a big blow up spider on my bed to freak me out again... I need to get creative.
8-16-18 Thursday
We blocked the second half of the show today, and we started to put the whole thing together. This was our first time on the actual stage with the set and lights. Our first show is a week from today and I am so excited! There is a lot we need to do before then, but after today, it seemed possible. The spirit week theme today was twin day, and Pleun and I dressed so similar that people were confusing us all day!
8-17-18 Friday
Another day in the life of Up with People staging ended with The Diversity workshop. This is the notorious time where they have the cast cross over the line to answer hard personal questions. As people were sharing difficult things they had to overcome, many started to break down and get emotional. It was a VERY deep workshop where the cast grew closer together. We created a family unit with an inseparable bond... yeah it was that deep. I felt so much closer to people who I hadn't even talked to yet. Then we went out for pizza and had a great discussion. On the way home, we bought hair dye so that Paola could dye her hair pink. I got to face-time many people at the end of the day and catch up with things at home.
8-18-18 Saturday
We started off the day taking our first professional cast picture, and I almost passed out standing in the same spot of stage for two hours. Then Ken's husband came in and worked with the Cuba dance line to sharpen choreography. I learned a lot about ballroom dance, specifically salsa and tango. Javier and I were really getting the steps down, and I never thought that I would be able to dance this style, but its really fun. In the afternoon, we had another emotional workshop where we had to explain what others see about us, and also what they don't see under the mask. Once again people started to cry and open up about their lives. We found out that Sophie is our first PRI and she heads off to Sioux Falls on Monday:( We all had to say goodbye to her today, and it was really hard.
8-19-18 Sunday
Today was we had a day off with our host family and we decided to go high up into the mountains and tour Rocky Mountain National Park. On the drive up, we encountered beautiful scenery. The weather was chilly and it felt like a perfect autumn day in Minnesota. We stopped in a gift shop on the way, and then headed to Estes Park. By the time we made it up there, it was already time for lunch so we had a picnic in the mountains. It was like a movie scene, and we were laughing and having the best time. Then we went for a 50 foot walk to take a picture and then went home. Everybody took a power nap, and then we went to a barbecue on the lake. We met up with other people from the cast, had a potluck, and went canoeing. There was also a swing that stretched out to the lake, and many girls fell into the water.
8-20-18 Monday
Paola, Demi, and I woke up early to walk to the bus stop so that we could get some exercise before the traumatic day started. Today is the day that the cast was dreading for two weeks now. It's the day that the music director, Michael, basically tears everyone apart. They had narrowed down each song to two soloist. Then today, we had to run each song twice to hear all the soloist, mic groups, and band capabilities. I sang Roller Coaster and Keep Hope Alive. Today was the day that I had to prove myself for the character of Hope. I feel disappointed in the way that I did because I know that I could have done better. I have this overwhelming feeling that I won't get it, but we will see what happens. It was an exhausting day, we were singing, performing, and dancing for six hours straight at a high intensity. I am getting burnt out because I am working so hard to learn the show, and I feel like it's not paying off. I am just kind of over the whole thing, but I survived.
8-21-18 Tuesday
Today we had a rough run through of the first half of the show. Up until this point, the songs have never been put together with full band, lights, solos, dance lines, and performance. I got the opportunity to play the character of Hope today. It was awesome to be chosen and prove myself even more. I got to learn specific parts that Hope does, and sing for everyone. I did very well today, and I am hoping for the best. The show is in two days!! I am so excited to see it all come together.
8-22-18 Wednesday
Today was the rough run through of the second half of the show. It all came together, and I got to perform as hope again. All of the second semesters kept saying that I look and sound exactly like Isa, and that I am perfect for the role. It is an honor to take on such an important role in the show especially after Isa, who created the character and performed it. We had home-team time after, and it was nice to take a break from the show and just hang out with a smaller group. Then JEANNA CAME TODAY! We had a FUN night... She surprised Peter by walking into the door, and pretending to be me, and Peter did a complete double take. It was so awesome! Then we all went to Benihana Hibachi for dinner and Josh came along with us as well. I got to catch up with Jeanna, and we discovered that we are basically the same person! Ahhh it was such a good day.
8-23-18 Thursday
Today was the first show day and I have so many emotions about the whole thing. The dress rehearsal in the morning was so rough, I thought we would have to cancel the show. But, we ran the whole two hour show three times and then performed it for our host families. Somehow, it all came together, and I got to really embody the character hope. I got to see many old friends from camp, and sing the last powerful song with Angelis. I have really been blessed to get this part, and sing throughout the semester. It was a great first show, and I will remember it forever! When it was all over, Jodi and Peter came up to me and were screaming with excitement as if I was their own kid. I am really gonna miss them as a host family. Love this show and this cast!
8-24-18 Friday
It is the first legitimate show day in Up with People! My parents flew out from Minnesota and got to see the show. John, Aiden, and Robin all came as well. Throughout the entire morning we were rehearsing to make the first show as good as possible. It was a very successful show, and huge milestone for the cast. I am so grateful to be playing such and important role in the show that relates a meaningful message of Hope. I am excited to polish and improve on the show spots that I have right now. After the show, we had a huge camp reunion and sang a couple of our camp songs. Kinsey, Erin, Jalen, Jeanna, Maryfer, Bela, Angelis, Lydia, Elizabeth, Katie, and Misa were all there! It was really special to see everyone there supporting our cast on our first show. Later that night, the whole cast had to strike the stage for the first time, but I didn't have to participate. I am a Community Action Crew Leader Intern so I had training for my first project this friday while the cast loaded the trucks. I learned that I will be in charge of the entire CA for Salvation Army. I immediately thought of my grandma and got excited to follow in her footsteps and be the leader for that event. After that, I went and helped the cast CUGO, and said goodbye to Isa, Malaysia, Mariah, Walter, and Erin. All of these people have been amazing through staging and saying goodbye was really hard. Isa, the vocal shirt who previously played hope, is my soulmate. I cried every time I looked at her to say goodbye, so I just wrote her a letter. Walter cried when he hugged me, and expressed how proud he was that campers were dominating the stage without any bias opinion from him. He said that I have a special place in his heart, and hearing that from him was extremely meaningful. Then Ken finally took us home around 1:30 in the morning, and we had to drive Devan and Isaac home because their host family forgot them. It was an extremely long day, but it was so fulfilling, and I am absolutely loving Up with People more than I ever thought I would.
8-25-18 Saturday
After the exhausting last couple of days, Jodi took all of us girls to get foot massages. We really needed that! She is such a generous person, and I am really going to miss her as a host mom. Then I met my mom at Flat Irons Mall, and she bought me some things that I needed. My parents came over for dinner during our last night with Jodi and Peter. We had a wonderful steak dinner and shared some of our favorite memories. We decided to give our last minutes gifts to each other. It was a sweet moment sitting there with my parents, and my host parents, while ending one of the best experiences of my life. I am extremely excited to travel, but also sad to leave Colorado because I love it!
Today we were challenged to take pictures with many people from other countries and post it on social media. Then we had a Las Vegas simulation where we played a card game and moved tables if we won and lost. At each table were different rules, and the activity was simulating all different cultures. During PA I had a rough time because I was pulled for a review workshop in "Does it really matter." I was feeling off all day and I just completely bombed the review. Ellen was really tough on me and said things that were out of line about racial discrimination and the way that I was singing. Then she made me bend over and sing, and she commented about my red face... it was embarrassing in front of everyone. I had a little moment in the bathroom, but then I recovered and enjoyed the rest of the time. Momo came over for dinner and we watched the live stream video from camp and cheered on the cast. We had a four hour conversation and I really got to know more about her this evening. I told her about what happened with Ellen and she told me that Ellen had a problem last semester and she made girls cry daily just because of the way she approached criticism. She also encouraged me to apply for the vocal internship under Ellen so that I could help diffuse future situations. It was so great to have some girl talk all night, and learn more about Momo.
8-11-18 Saturday
Today host family siblings spent the entire day with us, and we had education workshops, PA, and a host family dinner. During show business, I got pulled to dance an Indian song, and to dance in Jump Jive again. I told Angelis everything that happened yesterday, and he got so mad. He had a really hard time himself so we went for a walk during vocals and both cried and just let out everything. It is really nice to have someone to talk freely about anything and everything. I got pulled for an individual session with Mariah to work on all five of my songs. She worked with me on how to belt healthy, and she gave me so many helpful tips to get into the right vocal placement to belt. She made my bad day really positive just by helping me out, and encouraging me. While I was in the room working, Ellen came in and I got to sing Keep Hope Alive for them. It was the best that I had ever sang it, and I was feeling really good. After that, Isa came up to me and told me that I got cut from "Does it Really Matter," and I was so relieved when she told me because it was one thing that I didn't need to worry about anymore, and its the one that I wanted the least as well. Then Jodi and Peter came to the church and we had dinner there with all the other host families. We went home and watched the pre-season football game between the Broncos and the Vikings. It was a really good day with a roller coaster of emotions.
This morning we went out for brunch at Delvickios with Asian Andy as our server. Then the cast all met up at boulder falls where we jumped in the creek with Bob. It was a beautiful drive up through the mountains. We jumped into the waterfall and had an ice cream social afterwards at Bob's house. The first time that I jumped in, I was with Lenard and he did not know how to swim. I came up to the surface of the water, and I was looking for him for about 40 seconds. I was terrified and thought that he would never come up. I went under water with my eyes open and I finally saw him flailing his arms. I went over to him and pulled him up and he was freaking out. Saving someone from drowning was one of the scariest things that I had ever experience in my life so far. After we both recovered from that traumatic event, I climbed up to the highest cliff and jumped off. It was such a fun day with perfect weather. Peter and Jodi picked us up after their movie and we had a movie night in the evening.
Another day in the life of Up With People... except the show is getting seriously close and the pressure is on. We have 11 days until our first performance!!!! AHHHH! I don't know how we are going to pull this off. Today we had a review costume module, make-up tutorial, and specialty costume intro. For dinner we had tater tot's! Then we went out to see the sunset on an outlook, and we went out for ice cream. Peter has a fun day planned for us tomorrow with the mayor of Colorado! haha!
We were on TV this morning! Peter was being interviewed for his company in a segment with Denver 7 abc. He called ahead and asked the news center if we could get a tour, and an appearance on the air. We were able to walk onto the set at the last minute and give UWP a shoutout. It was such an awesome experience to see the behind the scenes production of a news channel. We showed up to staging around lunch time and started blocking the entire first half of the show. I enjoyed seeing how the show flows together from the beginning to the end. I have such a great feeling about the final result and the work that it took to get there. I got to see Walter and Erin today as well. When we got home, we went to downtown Denver for Taco Tuesday. Then we walked around 16th street mall and got to see a little bit of downtown. When I got home, Peter tricked me and brought a spider onto my bed. I ran out of the room screaming with my mom on Facetime. It was traumatic and I need to get him back somehow.
8-15-18 Wednesday
Today was a really really good day. While the cast was drilling vocals and movement, Moriah pulled me for a finalist vocal workshop to sing Roller Coaster. This is an emotionally heavy song, and we got deep into the message of the song. It's about a mentally ill girl struggling through her darkest thoughts, and the feeling of hope through the strength of others support. Right away, Moriah shared some things she has gone through and then many of the other vocalist shared. We were in deep discussion and all crying throughout the song. The message of this song is so powerful, and I feel like I can really express that because of the time with her. Then I had to jump right into a new Indian dance. I was overwhelmed and still recovering from that workshop. Then Isa pulls my BY MYSELF and tells me some news that totally shifted my day. She said that I am a finalist for the character Hope in the show. This character sings Keep Hope Alive throughout the entire show and has calming presence about her. This part in the show is for the strongest actor and vocalist from the whole cast. It is an honor to be selected for this. While I am feeling down and overwhelmed about learning the entire show, this gave me so much peace because its a part that I can see myself playing well. I look up to Isa's voice so much and all throughout the year that she traveled, she played Hope too. I asked point blank if I had any chance of getting it, and she said that from the first audition day the production team envisioned me playing Hope! She said that I was the strongest female vocalist in the cast, and that I have a way of connecting to the songs that no one else does. But, there is another girl who is just as qualified as I am. I will have to go through another round with the directors of the show to see if I get the spot for sure. I am just really going to focus on getting that part, and hope for the best. After that, we had a culture fair where all the countries represented in the cast made poster boards and informed everyone about their culture. It was an out of the world experience to walk around the gym and learn intriguing facts about places around the ENTIRE WORLD. We had swiss chocolate, dutch stroopewaffles, Mexican chilies, and Japanese Seaweed. Also, many people dressed up in their culture outfits. It was like traveling to all the continents in two hours. When we got home, Peter put a big blow up spider on my bed to freak me out again... I need to get creative.
We blocked the second half of the show today, and we started to put the whole thing together. This was our first time on the actual stage with the set and lights. Our first show is a week from today and I am so excited! There is a lot we need to do before then, but after today, it seemed possible. The spirit week theme today was twin day, and Pleun and I dressed so similar that people were confusing us all day!
8-17-18 Friday
Another day in the life of Up with People staging ended with The Diversity workshop. This is the notorious time where they have the cast cross over the line to answer hard personal questions. As people were sharing difficult things they had to overcome, many started to break down and get emotional. It was a VERY deep workshop where the cast grew closer together. We created a family unit with an inseparable bond... yeah it was that deep. I felt so much closer to people who I hadn't even talked to yet. Then we went out for pizza and had a great discussion. On the way home, we bought hair dye so that Paola could dye her hair pink. I got to face-time many people at the end of the day and catch up with things at home.
8-18-18 Saturday
We started off the day taking our first professional cast picture, and I almost passed out standing in the same spot of stage for two hours. Then Ken's husband came in and worked with the Cuba dance line to sharpen choreography. I learned a lot about ballroom dance, specifically salsa and tango. Javier and I were really getting the steps down, and I never thought that I would be able to dance this style, but its really fun. In the afternoon, we had another emotional workshop where we had to explain what others see about us, and also what they don't see under the mask. Once again people started to cry and open up about their lives. We found out that Sophie is our first PRI and she heads off to Sioux Falls on Monday:( We all had to say goodbye to her today, and it was really hard.
Today was we had a day off with our host family and we decided to go high up into the mountains and tour Rocky Mountain National Park. On the drive up, we encountered beautiful scenery. The weather was chilly and it felt like a perfect autumn day in Minnesota. We stopped in a gift shop on the way, and then headed to Estes Park. By the time we made it up there, it was already time for lunch so we had a picnic in the mountains. It was like a movie scene, and we were laughing and having the best time. Then we went for a 50 foot walk to take a picture and then went home. Everybody took a power nap, and then we went to a barbecue on the lake. We met up with other people from the cast, had a potluck, and went canoeing. There was also a swing that stretched out to the lake, and many girls fell into the water.
Paola, Demi, and I woke up early to walk to the bus stop so that we could get some exercise before the traumatic day started. Today is the day that the cast was dreading for two weeks now. It's the day that the music director, Michael, basically tears everyone apart. They had narrowed down each song to two soloist. Then today, we had to run each song twice to hear all the soloist, mic groups, and band capabilities. I sang Roller Coaster and Keep Hope Alive. Today was the day that I had to prove myself for the character of Hope. I feel disappointed in the way that I did because I know that I could have done better. I have this overwhelming feeling that I won't get it, but we will see what happens. It was an exhausting day, we were singing, performing, and dancing for six hours straight at a high intensity. I am getting burnt out because I am working so hard to learn the show, and I feel like it's not paying off. I am just kind of over the whole thing, but I survived.
8-21-18 Tuesday
Today we had a rough run through of the first half of the show. Up until this point, the songs have never been put together with full band, lights, solos, dance lines, and performance. I got the opportunity to play the character of Hope today. It was awesome to be chosen and prove myself even more. I got to learn specific parts that Hope does, and sing for everyone. I did very well today, and I am hoping for the best. The show is in two days!! I am so excited to see it all come together.
8-22-18 Wednesday
Today was the rough run through of the second half of the show. It all came together, and I got to perform as hope again. All of the second semesters kept saying that I look and sound exactly like Isa, and that I am perfect for the role. It is an honor to take on such an important role in the show especially after Isa, who created the character and performed it. We had home-team time after, and it was nice to take a break from the show and just hang out with a smaller group. Then JEANNA CAME TODAY! We had a FUN night... She surprised Peter by walking into the door, and pretending to be me, and Peter did a complete double take. It was so awesome! Then we all went to Benihana Hibachi for dinner and Josh came along with us as well. I got to catch up with Jeanna, and we discovered that we are basically the same person! Ahhh it was such a good day.
8-23-18 Thursday
Today was the first show day and I have so many emotions about the whole thing. The dress rehearsal in the morning was so rough, I thought we would have to cancel the show. But, we ran the whole two hour show three times and then performed it for our host families. Somehow, it all came together, and I got to really embody the character hope. I got to see many old friends from camp, and sing the last powerful song with Angelis. I have really been blessed to get this part, and sing throughout the semester. It was a great first show, and I will remember it forever! When it was all over, Jodi and Peter came up to me and were screaming with excitement as if I was their own kid. I am really gonna miss them as a host family. Love this show and this cast!
It is the first legitimate show day in Up with People! My parents flew out from Minnesota and got to see the show. John, Aiden, and Robin all came as well. Throughout the entire morning we were rehearsing to make the first show as good as possible. It was a very successful show, and huge milestone for the cast. I am so grateful to be playing such and important role in the show that relates a meaningful message of Hope. I am excited to polish and improve on the show spots that I have right now. After the show, we had a huge camp reunion and sang a couple of our camp songs. Kinsey, Erin, Jalen, Jeanna, Maryfer, Bela, Angelis, Lydia, Elizabeth, Katie, and Misa were all there! It was really special to see everyone there supporting our cast on our first show. Later that night, the whole cast had to strike the stage for the first time, but I didn't have to participate. I am a Community Action Crew Leader Intern so I had training for my first project this friday while the cast loaded the trucks. I learned that I will be in charge of the entire CA for Salvation Army. I immediately thought of my grandma and got excited to follow in her footsteps and be the leader for that event. After that, I went and helped the cast CUGO, and said goodbye to Isa, Malaysia, Mariah, Walter, and Erin. All of these people have been amazing through staging and saying goodbye was really hard. Isa, the vocal shirt who previously played hope, is my soulmate. I cried every time I looked at her to say goodbye, so I just wrote her a letter. Walter cried when he hugged me, and expressed how proud he was that campers were dominating the stage without any bias opinion from him. He said that I have a special place in his heart, and hearing that from him was extremely meaningful. Then Ken finally took us home around 1:30 in the morning, and we had to drive Devan and Isaac home because their host family forgot them. It was an extremely long day, but it was so fulfilling, and I am absolutely loving Up with People more than I ever thought I would.
8-25-18 Saturday
After the exhausting last couple of days, Jodi took all of us girls to get foot massages. We really needed that! She is such a generous person, and I am really going to miss her as a host mom. Then I met my mom at Flat Irons Mall, and she bought me some things that I needed. My parents came over for dinner during our last night with Jodi and Peter. We had a wonderful steak dinner and shared some of our favorite memories. We decided to give our last minutes gifts to each other. It was a sweet moment sitting there with my parents, and my host parents, while ending one of the best experiences of my life. I am extremely excited to travel, but also sad to leave Colorado because I love it!
