Bocholt, Germany
May 22nd- May 27th
Theme of the week: Refugees
2 Full Shows, 1 Acoustic Promo
Andrea, Georg, Paula, Antonia Epping
Nakiah (Virginia), Juliette (Belgium)
5-22-19 Wednesday
Within the past week, I have been to three different countries in Europe!!! From Belgium to The Netherlands and now Germany!! Kyra and her grandma dropped me off at the show facility in Bocholt. After three days, I reunited with the cast. I know three days doesn't seem like a lot, but I really missed some people. That makes me a little worried for a future without all of them. We went straight to lunch in this cute little hotel with amazing Gnocchi!! Rehearsal was really great as well. I was in a really great mood the whole day, and I started to get in my feels about two shows left in my entire Up with People tour. I am really being intentional with every song in the show. Show days have become my favorite day of the week again because I am back to doing what I love. Josh from CUWP came to the show as well!! So many campers are popping up everywhere. This show was one of the best shows that we had every performed. Our band circle connected us and we interacted so much on stage. I teared up during Home. It's my favorite song in the show, and seeing the whole cast up there singing together made me emotional that it'll never happen again after two weeks. After the show, I got to meet my host family. They are so awesome!! I have two younger host sisters 16 and 12... the age of my sisters. I love it so much, and I am missing home. They leave little gifts on our beds everyday. Its so cute!!
5-23-19 Thursday
In the morning, I had a community action at Mariem Gymnasium. This was a school where I lead team building activities with Sophie and Eliot. Every time I leave a classroom CA I get really excited about being a teacher. When I see a spark of interest in a student who is younger than me, I get overwhelmed with joy. Rehearsal today was extremely deep. When we came to Does it Really Matter, Alicen came up with Nakiah. She wanted people from the cast to share their stories of racism. Shawna, Jenya, Quinn, Lenard, Sophie, Jolene, and Momo all stood up and shared personal things that really changed my perspective. Then Angelis went up and preached very passionately about what that song means to him and he inspired the entire cast. I was so proud to be his friend. Then when Home came, Momo had the cast look at each other and sing. It was a very unifying rehearsal. This show was THE BEST SHOW I can imagine. The energy from the cast was unlike ever before because Momo took the time to talk about the message of the big songs. We were intentional with every lyric and dance move on stage. Also, the band is getting really close and connected on and off stage. It's a really great feeling. I am so glad that I decided to push myself to be in the band because it is one of the best decisions of my life. I will never forget the feeling when the German song, Auf Uns, played. The crowd stood up and went wild. This show will be in my heart forever.
Today, Sara got to spend the day with all of her education interns. Melanie, Charlotte, Sara and I all went to a coffee shop and talked about life. Then we walked around downtown and shopped through the markets. We spent 3 hours talking by the side of the river. We talked about the workshops yesterday, the vibes of the cast and how we feel about leaving the program. It was a really great emotional outlet that I needed. I absolutely loved my internship with Sara, and I am very grateful to have that experience. Then the cast had a workshop about the next steps of life when the tour ends. Leah and Michael inspired me when they talked about their lives in college. I am so excited to sing in a choir again, to read music, to be busy in clubs and to learn in a classroom. The new perspectives I have in life is going to make me learn in a whole new way. I am excited to meet new people, and try things that put me out of my comfort zone. I really can't wait for this experience. At night we went to a German Ballroom Dance class with our host family. The whole cast was invited, and it turned into a big dance party. They turned on our music, and we all danced together. It was a lot of fun. I danced with my 12 year old host sister and it was adorable.
Today we had an acoustic promo in the city center of Bocholt. We didn't have a show to promote because our shows already happened this week. Instead, we worked with an organization that wanted people to vote in the European Union Elections. We did 10 sets all over the market carrying flags and encouraging the people to vote. It was a little weird for us because we really didn't know what we were promoting. They paid for us to have a really delicious meal. The cast went to a textile museum, but our host family picked us up so that we could have a couple hours of down time. At night, we went to a typical German tradition called Schutzenfest. There were hundreds of German boys wearing green hats walking around into this big tent. A live band was playing German songs, and everyone was drinking beer. It was a cultural experience... All of the sudden, the singer in the band grabs us and creates a circle. Everyone was swaging left, right, up, and down. The three of us were so confused, but we went with it!! We went home, played cards, ate snacks and went to bed.
Host Family Day!! Nakiah, Juliette and our host family took us to a castle in the morning. We walked in this beautiful park and got lost in a labyrinth. We found fake horses in a field and got a little confused. We drove on the road that bordered The Netherlands and Germany. We ate ice cream right in between the two countries. After a delicious dinner, we went to Flic Flac. This is a traveling circus that has flips, flying motorcycles, acrobats, trapeze and a live band. I was overwhelmed when they were dancing with death throughout the show. I can't remember the last time that I have actually attended a show instead of performed in one. We were all impressed with this circus, and I want to go to as many cirque de soleil shows as I possibly can! Before coming to Germany, I had a somewhat negative view. But, I am leaving tomorrow with a very positive experience. I loved my host family this week, and we got to do some awesome things... Off to the last week of my entire UWP year!
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