Thursday, July 28, 2011

Today we had a concert at the Waenhuiskrans Primary School, visited Cape Agulhas (the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet,) Walkers Bay in Hermanus where we got to see whales and seals, Betty’s Bay to see the African penguins (so fun!), back to the retreat center for an amazing dinner of split pea soup and homemade bread, rehearsal, circle time and bed. 

Carmen writes of her Arniston morning:

“This morning I was woken up at 7:00am to walk on the beach and watch the sun rise. Even though we were extremely tired and cold, many of us got out of bed, put on our coats and went outside. When we started walking, we weren’t aware that this little walk would turn into an amazing adventure. We walked up and down the steep narrow road, stopping to take pictures of the sun rising over the ocean. We all didn’t exactly know where we were going, but our chaperones, Tim and Leonard were leading the way. We climbed down a steep hill of sand in our bare feet heading towards the big rocks on the edge of the ocean, and this is when I realized that we were going to explore an actual CAVE. The tide was coming in, so we had to be quick. We put our sandy feet in our clean sneakers and walked over big rocks toward the cave. When we walked into the cave, it looked like a tunnel. We walked in the dark to the end of the “tunnel” and there was a little hole we had to climb through to get to the other side where there was a breathtaking site of the ocean with waves coming in towards us. Each minute we stayed in the cave, the waves came in closer. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!”

Emily writes of our first week of singing:
I have been really enjoying my trip in South Africa so far, and I think I can speak for the whole choir when I say that visiting the Primary Schools, performing and meeting the children have been the most amazing experiences we have had. We have visited three primary schools, Rietenbosch Primary in Stelenbosch, Belhar Primary in Belhar, and Waenhuiskrans (Afrikaans, translates to “wagon house cliff” which is the name of the sea cave we visited Thursday morning, large enough to accommodate a wagon with oxen) Primary in Waenhuiskrans. It is so amazing to see kids who speak another language, live oceans apart, come together through music, and very little speaking. When we meet the kids they treat us like celebrities, asking for autographs, photographs, and hugs. When we sing songs in English, they listen intently to try and understand us, and when we sing in Afrikaans, or Xhosa, they dance and sing along. The kids taught us traditional African songs, and we sang and danced together. It is so amazing to see that kids who lead completely different lives, in different countries, speaking different languages, and who live on opposite ends of the earth can have so much in common, and can communicate through music alone.”

Learning from the Primary School Music Teacher

Just one of the many amazing rainbows that greeted us in South Africa

We had a few personal discussions with some of our hosts last night. Some shared stories about the humiliation they suffered under apartheid when they were teenagers. During our circle time this evening (we have a formal check in every evening to discuss our impressions of the day and logistics for the next day) several children talked about the impact these stories had on them.

But these extraordinary experiences and discussions are wonderfully balanced with music, laughter and the love from the communities we’ve stayed with. Last night our concert was at a church called “All Saints” (the name of the church where we rent office and rehearsal space in Dorchester!)  There were 5 different choruses from surrounding areas who all came together to share music. The program was interesting:  Boston City Singers started with two songs, then the entire congregation (about 800 people!) sang a song together, then a different chorus sang two songs and so on.  It was a round robin sing off beginning and ending with Boston City Singers.  The kids were fantastic!  They danced and clapped and MOVED to the music in a way they've never done before.

We saw a double rainbow - the singers say it's part of the Boston City Singers magic! 

A message from one of our singers

This morning I was woken up at 7:00am to take a walk on the beach and watch the sun rise. Even though we were extremely tired and cold, many of us got out of bed, put on our coats and went outside. When we started walking, we weren’t aware that this little walk would turn into an amazing adventure. We walked up and down the steep narrow road, stopping to take pictures of the sun rising over the ocean. We all didn’t exactly know where we were going, but our chaperones, Tim and Leonard, were leading the way. We climbed down a steep hill of sand in our bare feet heading towards the big rocks on the edge of the ocean, and this is when I realized that we were going to explore an actual CAVE. The tide was coming in, so we had to be quick. We put our sandy feet in our clean sneakers and walked over big rocks toward the cave. When we walked into the cave, it looked like a tunnel. We walked in the dark to the end of the “tunnel” and there was a little hole we had to climb through to get to the other side. Someone said, “I feel like I’m in The Goonies movie.” On the other side of the cave, there was a breathtaking site of the ocean with the waves coming in towards us. Each minute we stayed in the cave, the waves came in closer. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! We couldn’t spend too much time there because the tide was coming in. Losing an extra hour of sleep was totally worth it!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

We left home base today for an overnight stay in Bredasdorp and Arniston. Bredasdorp is a sleepy agricultural town in the midst of a peaceful landscape of sheep farms and wheat fields. During the 2 1/2 hour drive we were on the lookout for baboons - at least one was spotted. The canola fields are in full bloom - lovely yellow flowers as far as the eye can see. Jane said it reminds her of the rolling green fields of New Zealand. There are large posters around the shops and library with a picture of Boston City Singers announcing our concert tonight. This made everyone very excited. Right now the kids are in a shipwreck museum.   

Tonight we'll be staying in Arniston - a small seaside settlement in the Overberg region on the Cape South coast, close to Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa. Tomorrow we'll walk along the beach and explore some caves after a visit to another primary school.    

  

With kids from the community

Our tour guide "Leonard" is really great. He's taking good care of us and transferring his obvious love and pride of Cape Town to all of us.  He was moved actually to tears when our children sang the South African National Anthem and he explained to us how much that really meant to him.  

Chapel where we rehearse

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Every day is even more spectacular than the next. A couple of highlights though:  after today's primary school performance, the young kids (grades 1-4 I'm guessing) 'mobbed' the chorus with hugs and requests for phone numbers and autographs.  Everyone thought that Drew was Justin Bieber and they were swooning over him.  I went in to rescue him but Drew was smiling ear to ear! 

We are all having a very nice time.  The weather is cold at night; causing the kids to sleep with their sweatshirts on.  But during the day the sun is bright and we are surprised by small rain showers producing amazing rainbows.  I think we saw three rainbows today that were spectacular.

Monday, July 25, 2011

What a wonderful day!  We started off in Stellenbosch, hub of the wine-producing region, to change money and experience our first flea market.  Our first official exchange was at Rietenbosch Primary School, where we were welcomed warmly by the entire school at an all-school assembly.  The school choir performed for us, we joined them for the South African National Anthem, we sang, and a snake handler showed us all snakes common to that area.  We will never forget learning the “Click Song” and eating the generous snack provided by the parents of the school!

Our next stop was at the Cheetah Outreach Program in Spiers. We learned much about the cheetah, and efforts to grow the population.  We were also intrigued to learn of the use of dogs in guarding herds, keeping cheetahs at bay and no longer a target of angered farmers. The park was also home to bat eared foxes, meerkats, sheep, and cardacals.

The sun is bright and we are surprised by small rain showers producing amazing rainbows, no fewer than three today!

Sunday July 24

Bonding at the retread Center

Wonderful happy greetings from the St. Raphael’s retreat center located in Faure, Cape Town! Group 2 arrived to a warm welcome from the rest of the singers.  The retreat center is a really nice campus of buildings surrounded by a tall large gate.

Sunset view from the Retreat Center

The girls are in one building - two girls per room, joined in the middle with a large comfortable common room and shared bathrooms and showers. Across the way (a short stone's throw) is the building that houses the kitchen plus two bedrooms for a few chaperones. Around the back is a third building where the boys and the rest of the chaperones stay.  Each building has a nice common room where the singers hang out, have meetings, and play.  Right now the children are rehearsing in the little chapel.  We have a wonderful staff of people who make our meals and give us hugs.

Cape Town, here we come!

Tonight, bag check, tomorrow, our final concert, Thursday – Cape Town, here we come!

Two years in the planning, this Goodwill Tour is our most ambitions to date. 38 singers and 7 adults will travel to South Africa via London for a 3 ½ week experience we are sure never to forget. Our singing will take us to cathedrals, churches, temples, schools and townships. Our environmental learning will take us to close to cheetas, penguins, whales, and being South Africa – lions and elephants! We will work with our “Singing for Good” partner, Early Years Services, in a morning of kindergarten teacher training.

We look forward to updating you daily during our journey!

Thank you, in advance, to all of our generous funders, friends, families, foundations and businesses alike.

Jane E. Money, Artistic Director