July 05, 2008
International Raspberry
So here we find ourselves in London on the 4th of July. We arrived here safely after saying goodbye to all our new friends in Durham. Upon arrival we spent an hour or so at the British Museum before heading out for a group dinner.
Although we had no scheduled performances in London, we broke into an impromptu concert of The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America in the Italian restaurant in which we had dinner. A couple other Americans in the restaurant approached us afterwards and said they thought it was fantastic to see us celebrating. We weren't the only ones celebrating however. After dinner we went back to the British Museum for a 4th of July celebration complete with both a jazz and a swing band. A number of the kids (and even a few of the adults) got into the action and did a bit of swing dancing themselves before retiring for the evening.
We have a full day of sightseeing tomorrow and so we bid you goodnight from London Town.
Posted by webmaster at 12:12 AM | Comments (2)
Personal Messages from All
We decided to pass the computer around on the bus and let anyone who wanted to send some personal greetings and messages concerning the trip. Here are the results.
Scott Hill: I am SO proud of your kids! They are VERY mature; they are respectful of their hosts and the school children we meet; and they are LOADS of fun! You have raised some beautiful kids!
Kendall Cates: I love England, it’s SOOOO fun!! My favorite parts are the beautiful buildings, and their accents. It’s kind of like English mixed with a little of Irish.
Kathy Cates: The country and people are both so beautiful. We are already planning to come back. Love to all!
Amanda Elam: Durham Cathedral was a beautiful example of a transitional architectural design. Construction was begun in the Norman period and finished in the Gothic period. The combination of Norman structure and Gothic decoration was stunning. The kids could have cared less about the design, of course. The big draw for them was seeing the Gothic cloisters where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed.
Vangie Poe: The children’s singing has been fantastic, but as inspiring as that is, even more exciting is the door it has opened to conversations with the people of England and Wales. As a result, the children have been wonderful ambassadors for their country. But best of all, we have learned more about the people and their culture than we could ever learn in a history book. We’re so proud of our kids!
Amanda Ellis: So far England has been really fun! We went to the Durham Cathedral yesterday and got to see inside. I also can’t get over the fact that we were where some of harry potter was filmed. I’m really liking my host family so far, they have been really nice, and also the hostel where we stayed in Wales was nice too. I appreciate all that the owners of the hostel and our host families have done for us. I hope to see my host family again after this experience!
Julie Ellis: What a great trip and experience for both kids & adults. We have been spoiled by our Welsh & English hosts and the choir has been so well received by audiences of all ages and in a variety of venues. I am thrilled by the behavior & stamina of the kids (and their conductors/accompanist). I must say, though, that the sights & experiences are propelling even when exhaustion tries to take hold. There will be much to share when we return!
Nancy Cox: I have so enjoyed myself, my favorite part has been the scenery of the lush hillsides and mountains in Wales, the sheep dotting the green pastures, the stone farm houses in England and as I am typing, the North Sea after our visit to a Roman fort under excavation. Traveling by coach has the advantage of being up high to take it all in. I wish every one with Western European ancestry could come and visit. A real treat for me is a new friend in Wales with whom I will exchange emails as he researches my mother’s roots – any Thomas’ in our group?
Sarah Chesser: It has been WONDERFUL here! Its so beautiful and everyone is so nice, especially our host family. There are 3 other girls and a mom, plus Amanda (Ellis) and I, so it’s just a house full of girls! Our days have been so busy but it’s so much fun. I love to hear everyone in England talk their accents are so funny. Even though its awesome I still miss my family. See you guys soon!
Susan Chesser: We are having a blast. The concerts are so professional – I wish I had as much talent as our kids. I can’t thank our host families enough
– they are so warm and generous. It has been great getting to know them, as well as everyone on the trip. (I think I have aged considerably with all the lack of sleep, and good food and drink, but it’s worth it ☺.) Hey to William, Stephen, and Ben!
Daria Nonnemaker: This is the best trip ever! I am having a great time. I miss all of you. I hope Nicholas is getting better. I hope you are having a good time at home. I love you.
Mara Lowry: We’re having a great time! Everyone is so
nice and friendly; I wish Americans were so nice too. I’m sure you would have loved the Warwick Castle, Sophie; it was fun! We’re missing you and I hope we can go to the UK sometime. ☺
Margaret Elam: Well there are so many things to tell and I can’t tell them all. Warrick Castle was great, I loved seeing the Angel of the North. I can’t deny missing my family even though England and Wales were so much fun.
Dad, Charlie, John and family I love and miss you so much! ☺☺
Vivian Cox: Today we went to Beamish that was set in the 1913s. My favorite part was the tram, we rode around every were. We also went to the candy shop with old fashion candy and the mine; the mine was really cool because we pretended to be on a shift and sing hi-ho, it was scary when he turned the lights off to show how dark the miners worked. How’s Trixie dad?
Rachel Atkinson: I’ve been having a great time the entire trip. Wales was amazing, Durham is also fantastic. I miss you, and I hope you got my love spoon in the email. I don’t know if it said anything or if it was just a spoon in your email, but I’ll explain it later. Much love!
Bakara Nkenge-Hinds: Hey mom, how’s life? Yesterday we went to Beamish, which is like a 100000% better version of Old Salem. We caught the tram and rode on the top to go everywhere in the park. I’m singing my solo tonight at a old church and yesterday, we had a barbeque at my host’s friend’s house. Ok, nice talking to you and see you soon. Love you! Tell Khalid I said hi!
Katelyn Graves: Hey mom, Hi Penny! I’m having a great time. We went to the Durham Cathedral, it was so pretty. We also saw the courtyard that they filmed some of Harry Potter in. See you soon! Luv ya!
Virginia Cox: The U.K. is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. Wales and Durham are very different from each other but both are as gorgeous as a postcard. Cant wait to get home and show everyone all of the pictures we have taken. See you soon!!!!
Blake Anne Coleman: Hey! Love you! Miss you! Having fun! See you soon! This isn’t very meaningful, but I’ll tell you all about it later! MWAH! Bye!
Corey B. Coleman: hi mommy and daddy! I love you sooo much! I miss you more than you can ever believe. I’m asking Kaitlyn and Emily to type this because I’m up at my host family with a 102 fever. I have 2 cold sores, and my throat is swollen, so I can’t talk at all. But if I could talk, I would be on the phone, talking to you two. But besides all of that, I’m having a great time! I love you guys sooooo much, and I miss you soooo much. Say hi to Lucky for me, and tell her that I love her. Bye! I love you so much, and I can’t wait until I get to see you!! I love you so so much and I will never let you go.
Emily LaBranche: hey, it’s great! There is so much to see here, and I’m so glad I came!! =]
Dominique Atwater: This whole trip has been a wonderful cultural experience for the whole choir. We’ve had a great time in both Durham and Wales and everyone is excited to go to London. There are now stronger friendships between all of the members. Host families are GREAT. See you soon America!
Alli Criscenzo: I’ve been having an amazing time but I’m ready to come home. Everything hear is so much more exciting then in America and I haven’t gotten tired of traveling yet. I love this group of people and I can’t wait to continue our new-found friendships that I have made with my Host’s. <3
Kaitlyn Reed: Hi mommy and daddy how are you I miss u sooooooo much I’m am having a great time here and we have seen many great sights and we saw the angel of the North I got a picture of me in shirt next to it my host family rocks they are sooooo nice well anyway I love you sooooo much miss u see you in NC
Love ya
Philip Carnes: hi my ppls. having so much fun here and I don’t want 2 leav. London should b a blast I explained must everything n my e-mail so bye I don’t want 2 come home JK.
Catie Brockman: hey everyone. Europe has been so awesome and I don’t want to come home!!!! I miss everyone back home, but there have been so many amazing things to see that I haven’t been focusing on missing people very much. I am really excited about London and touring there. Durham cathedral was soooooo beautiful, and the shopping has been awesome. Yesterday we rode on a double decker tram. I was really excited because I walked where Daniel Radcliffe walked!!!!!!!! Much love,
Catie b. <3
Carey Cabrera: Hello everyone! Okay, here it goes: Hey Mom, Dad, Kelli, Casey, Lezli, Jessa, Joey, Jakob, and my little Munchkin. I am having an great time! We go to see 2 Roman ruins and I went CRAZY! You can just ask Emma. I got tons of pictures. Dad, just letting you know that I am alive and well. Luv ya’ll!
XOXOXO, Carey
Jeffrey LaCosse: This trip has been one large history lesson! I have learned more on this trip than any history class. Especially moving was the trip to Aberfan. It is one thing to look at pictures from a web site, but another to be there and speak with people who actually experienced that horrific event many years ago. I am very grateful to my hosts Jim and Pauline Greensmith who made me feel like a royal. Every meal I had at their house was absolutely delicious! Our discussions about our countries was very enjoyable and kept us up much longer than normal. I hope to return with my family someday and continue the history studies. The Durham Youth Chorale was splendid!
Marc LaBranche: We have been treated so well, both in Wales and in Durham. Everyone has been so gracious, going out of their way to make our visit delightful. We stayed with Cliff and Novella in Wales, who are a lot like family now. And though we were in a B&B in Durham, it felt like we actually had three host families there, with Gerald and Hilary having us over for dinner the first night, Barbara having us the second, and Steve and Lynn the third. Thanks so much people of Durham, it’s off to London now for the DCC!
Caitlin Connelly: I am having SO much fun and I’m pretty sure I’m never coming home. Wales was so gorgeous and everyone there was ridiculously nice. My host family in Durham was really sweet. There were two younger girls, ages 12 & 7, with me too. I will show you tons & tons of pictures when I get home and tell you more boring details then. Love you guys & miss you!
Jada Kaye: Hey y’all. This trip is so incredible. I’m just amazed that things are so much more fun than I even imagined. You know I have a pretty good imagination. The trip through Wales was great. Hearing those male choirs sing was so cool. They really threw themselves into the songs. Fun!! And when we got to Durham, my host family was cool as a fan. Laura and Paul rock! GO Newcastle United!! WOOOOO!!
Emily Hein: I’ve been having SOO much fun, we’ve gone to caves, cathedrals, towns, castles and we’re about to be in London! I’ve had a lot of laughs with some people I already knew, and some I didn’t. One of the best parts about this trip is the host families who are all really nice. (Oh, and we went shopping) :D
Georgia Marion-Spencer: Being in the UK has been really great. The sights have been absoulutely fantastic. We went to see castles and a whole bunch of cathedrals and stuff like that. See you soon.
Brandon Edwards: this trip was so awesome I loved it. My host family was so awesome I loved them. Also I had my b-day here it was fantastic.
Alex LaBranche-This trip was fantastic!
Marielle LaCosse-The trip didn’t start out so hot, but it got very, very exciting and now I have a lot of really awesome friends. As some of them put it, I’m “famous” in my own way.
Ben Newnam: It is amazing here and we are all having an Terrific time. I think the best part is sharing this experience with friends and the people we care about. I know we are all eager to get home and we see you all soon.
J.L. klinck: it’s been great. We’ve had a great time at tons of cool places. I’ve gotten to know everyone on this trip a lot better, and my host family was great. I wish I could stay here forever. XD
Hi Abigail here I am on my way to London now and my trip is almost over it’s good and bad my trip s amazing I cant wait to come home so you can here about my adventures so hi mom dad grandma grandpa Andrew Jordan Jonathan Lisa Avery ant Stacie Annie Alan Marty Ben Tyler Mayson Cindy Dennis uncle Greag uncle G ant Sew Alexis Grace and Darrelle and papa by
Isabel Sandoval.:. hey people. Having tons of fun and love England! Soo much fun and England is really cool. Same with Wales.
Um………no one’s going to read my blog…so ill just send postcards!!
Lots of luv
Xoxoxo,
Izzyy <3
Dana Koutsky- Oh My Gosh!!!! I absolutely LOVE it here!!!!! I am totally going to live here one day!! Were on our way to London right now so I am sad that the trip is almost over but I know that I have made friends for life! (both American and British)
Much Love To Everyone back home and I’ll see you soon!!!!
Dana :-D
Emma Turi: Hey guys!! Hehe… I miss you but I am having a lot of fun here!! We are going to London as I speak (or should I say type) I plan to buy lots of stuff don’t worry. But I will see you soon and I will be very happy to see you as long as you don’t try to feed me sandwiches! I have to go because Blake is trying to kill me! Bye!
Love,
Emma
Blake Anne Coleman: Was up? I’m not sure if we are supposed to write another cool little message thing…but, my last one wasn’t very heartfelt. So- I’m doing it again. Okay- I had SO much fun with my host family (Gerald, Hilary, Katharine, and Chris)!!! They were all really very hospitable and we are going to be keeping in touch over e-mail! We are on the bus right now (I’m sitting with Emma Turi…haha!)- on our way to London….I think- or the rest stop. Which ever comes first. I have to pee- bye! Love, xoxo, Me!
Philip Carnes: hey srry bout the call at 2:55 n the morning. Thx 4 the enfo about my card ill c if it works when we stop shortly after im done typing this blog message. Done.
Kaitlyn Reed: hi how are you I love u sooo much I hope Bald head is like so totally wicked and that katy-blake had a great time HAPPY 4TH OF JULY are ya’ll doing the parade this I hope so and have my fingers crossed ya’ll win something this year well I’m in the bus right now on our way 2 London I took a lot of pictures but I forgot at my host family they were so nice they made sure we (corey and i) were comfy all the time and when corey got sick she had 2 stay home but Mr. and Mrs. Dickson had 2 go 2 work so she got corey all ready and sent her 2 blakes host family till they got back in the afternoon well she did’nt sing in concert that evening cuz she can’t talk well any way ilove and miss you see u soon!!!!!!!
Posted by webmaster at 12:03 AM | Comments (1)
July 04, 2008
Performance with the Durham Youth Chorale
Thursday morning we all gathered briefly at the County Hall building and walked to the Durham Light Infantry "DLI" Museum. We were given a tour of the DLI and received a history lesson of life in Northern England during WW II.
Following our tour, we returned to the County Hall building, where we had the privilege of meeting with the County Council Chairman Len O'Donnell. A most interesting fact about Chairman O'Donnell was that he biked across America in support of the Fire and Policemen of 9/11. He biked all the way from Santa Monica to Washington DC. He was 69 when he began his incredible journey. Upon his arrival in Washington, he posted a message on his website and asked for help to get to Durham, NC. Our mayor Bill Bell arranged for the Councilman to visit Durham. It was wonderful to meet with a County official who actually had personal ties to Durham, NC.
After an afternoon of brief shopping we had our final official performance of the trip with the Durham Youth Chorale at the Elvet Methodist Church. The performance was a benefit for an orphanage in Dar Es Salaam. What a truly remarkable way to culminate our stay in our sister city. The Durham Youth Chorale sang beautifully and we enjoyed singing "Swinging with the Saints" with them as our final number.
After a reception in the church hall, it was off to our host homes to spend our final evening together. We have been truly blessed with the hospitality of our hosts in our sister city and we have made lasting friendships during our time here.
Posted by webmaster at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2008
Arbeia, Angel of the North and Beamish
Today was a busy day.
We began by visiting Arbeia, a Roman Fort near Hadrian's Wall in South Shields, England. It is an active archeological site which has also done reconstructions of some barracks and the West Gate. Very near the site was a spectacular view of the North Sea. Here we saw an offshore oil drilling platform that had been towed to port for repairs.
Next up was a visit to the Angel of the North. The Angel is a public art display in Gateshead that was initially met with much resistance when it was built in 1998. It is Britain's largest sculpture and is extremely popular with tourists. All of us felt pretty insignificant standing at its' base.
Lastly, we visited Beamish, an open air museum set on over 300 acres of land and somewhat similar to Williamsburg, VA. It demonstrates life in North England in the early 1800s and 1900s. The first stop in Beamish was a performance at the Methodist Chapel in the Colliery Village. Space was a bit tight for the choir but the acoustics sounded very nice and Richard Hill commented that he thought it was the best rendition yet of the Ave Maria.
The group had lunch and then split up to explore. The first stop for most of the group was the upper deck of a double-decker tram that circled the property. Other attractions on the property included exploring an old mine, wandering down an old Main Street into all the shops (such as an old fashioned candy shop, a general store, a bank, a freemason's hall etc). There was also a Colliery Village, a manor house, a farm and a train station.
Posted by webmaster at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2008
Performing in 3 Durham Schools
This morning we began our day with a performance at the Johnston School. The students there were more close in age to our DCC kids. We left shortly after the performance and walked to Durham Cathedral. Dr. Hill gave us a great lesson on the Cathedral before we entered. The Cathedral was absolutely breathtaking inside and out and we even saw the cloisters where Harry Potter was filmed!
We boarded the coach and headed to our concert at the Hermitage School. What a great time we had! The audience was amazing and we even did a sing along. We were treated to an amazing lunch and the kids were able to talk with the students there. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to talk with students in our sister city!
We ended our day with another concert at the Wolsingham Comprehensive School. It was interesting to see three different schools in one day, and perform 3 different concerts!
It was back to our host families this evening with free time to relax and bond. We definitely need to rest up for our trip to Beamish tomorrow!
Posted by webmaster at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
On the Road to Durham - Warwick Castle
We awoke early Monday morning with our bags packed and said goodbye to our fabulous hosts at Hafan y Coed - an experience that will forever be in our memories and our hearts. We boarded the Durham City Coach (DCC...hmmm interesting name isn't it?) and began the next leg of our journey to Durham!
Before we landed in Durham we stopped and visited Warwick Castle. The number of amazing historical sites in this country is astounding. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to see and do everything there. The group split up so that everyone could concentrate on the areas that interested them most. Some climbed the towers, some toured the castle which included historical wax figures created by none other than Madame Tussaud's, others went on the ghost tour, visited the dungeon and much, much more. I'm sure that the kids will have much to tell you about Warwick Castle.
We boarded our DCC Coach and finally made our way to our Sister City at 7:00 p.m. We were warmly met by our host families and whisked away to their homes throughout Durham. It was a bit strange to be separated from everyone and yet exciting to begin this part of our adventure.
Posted by webmaster at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
Performing with the Ynysowen Male Choir in Aberfan
What a moving experience we had in Aberfan. We were very honored to perform with the Ynysowen Male Choir in a memorial concert honoring the children whose lives were lost in a horrible landslide accident caused by a spoil heap from the mines. This landslide headed straight for the school where 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives. The most tragic part of the story is that an entire generation in the village of Aberfan was lost.
Again, our hosts outdid themselves hosting a dinner prior to the concert. The performance couldn't have gone better and ended with the singing of both the National Anthems from the United States and Wales. Many thanks to the Onllwyn Choir for their help in teaching us their national anthem.
After the concert, we all toured the memorial gardens located on the site of the school that was destroyed. In fact, the walls that surrounded the gardens and some of the concrete are the actual walls and floors of the school. Following some time in the gardens, we went to the cemetery and viewed the memorials of the children whose lives were lost. It was an overwhelming experience, but the children felt that it was very important to go to the cemetery and felt like it was the missing piece in the puzzle of Aberfan and made this concert even more special.
Posted by webmaster at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
Internet Update
Still have a couple more entries to add for the past couple of days. However, it's 1 a.m. and time for bed.
Our Durham host has internet access, so I should be able to catch up tomorrow and provide more regular updates.
The kids are awesome!
Posted by webmaster at 01:07 AM | Comments (2)
Dan-yr-Ogof
Our last day in Wales began with a visit to Dan-yr-Ogof. This site contained a number of former mining caves as well as a dinosaur park. One of the caves was called the Cathedral Cave and we performed 4 songs within the cave. The sound was amazing and beautiful. After the performance a gentleman approached Scott and mentioned that his wife had been in tears. That performance in the cave was a magical moment.
After lunch at the showcaves, it was back to the hostel to prepare for our concert with the Ynysowen Male Choir in Aberfan.
Posted by webmaster at 12:56 AM | Comments (0)
A Visit to St. Fagan's Open Air Museum
What an incredible Saturday we have had! We spent some time at St. Fagan's Open Air Museum which is a bit like Williamsburg. We sampled some wonderful bread and cheesy buns. Some of the kids made pottery, some kids practiced their archery and we all explored the wonderful grounds of this beautiful site.
Posted by webmaster at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)