Interview with mentor
1. What was the most exciting part of the trip to Italy for you?
- There were many exciting things on our Italy trip, but what really tops the chart (besides eating all of the pasta) is getting to witness such a breadth of history and culture and then getting to perform in spaces so fully enriched by that. Getting to sing for the Italians, in their churches, surrounded by such a rich, musical culture was truly amazing.
2. What was the most challenging part of the trip as a teacher/ leader?
- The most challenging thing is just making sure that everything runs smoothly. If students were homesick or people were late to a meeting time, I would take that on and try to fix it all myself.
3. What challenges did you have to anticipate before the trip?
- I always anticipate certain kinds of things happening, so I can be relatively prepared (homesickness, etc.). However, I also just had to be ready for the unexpected too. We made sure to have back up paperwork and logistical items such as that, so no matter what happened, we could get everyone there and back again safely.
4. What did you personally take from the trip? What did you hope students would take out of it?
- Personally, I left with an even greater appreciation of Italy's culture, beauty, food, and language than I had before the trip. I hoped that students would be able to make lifelong memories, give something back through our music, and realize there is so much more of the world to see outside of where they are.
5. Was this your first time outside of the U.S?
- This was not my first time outside of the US. I also did a choir tour when I was in high school, and we were able to sing around seven European countries for about two weeks. In addition, I went to Egypt with my family and friend's family when I was in high school, and four years ago the Darby Choir Program went to Ireland.
Each international trip opened my eyes to other cultures, experiences, histories, and people from around the globe. I think everyone who has the opportunity to travel should do so. When you spend time with other people from other cultures, you realize that humans are different but also incredibly similar. We're all people.
6. What was something that inspired you on the trip?
- The thing that inspired me the most on the trip was when the unexpected happened, some students truly stepped up to help. I was so incredibly impressed by Lauren's and Gabe's willingness to help others, that it is what sticks out most in mind.
We had a student who forgot crutches and needed to be pushed in a wheelchair throughout the entire trip. Lauren and Gabe sacrificed their time and energy to help, and they kept smiles on their faces and the faces of the people around them as well. At one point, Lauren even started singing a song from "High School Musical" while pushing the wheelchair back to the hotel. A group of Italian boys started singing back to her, and everyone left the encounter laughing. It just epitomizes the idea that there are people who shine no matter what situation they are in, and everyone around them can feel that light. It inspires me to have students like that.
7. Is there anything you would do differently if you could go back?
- Besides trying to eat even more pasta (which I don't know if that would even be possible or not), I would try to have a couple more chaperones. While we had enough to make the trip successful, we had less than we would have liked, and that makes for extra worry, especially in a foreign country.
- There were many exciting things on our Italy trip, but what really tops the chart (besides eating all of the pasta) is getting to witness such a breadth of history and culture and then getting to perform in spaces so fully enriched by that. Getting to sing for the Italians, in their churches, surrounded by such a rich, musical culture was truly amazing.
2. What was the most challenging part of the trip as a teacher/ leader?
- The most challenging thing is just making sure that everything runs smoothly. If students were homesick or people were late to a meeting time, I would take that on and try to fix it all myself.
3. What challenges did you have to anticipate before the trip?
- I always anticipate certain kinds of things happening, so I can be relatively prepared (homesickness, etc.). However, I also just had to be ready for the unexpected too. We made sure to have back up paperwork and logistical items such as that, so no matter what happened, we could get everyone there and back again safely.
4. What did you personally take from the trip? What did you hope students would take out of it?
- Personally, I left with an even greater appreciation of Italy's culture, beauty, food, and language than I had before the trip. I hoped that students would be able to make lifelong memories, give something back through our music, and realize there is so much more of the world to see outside of where they are.
5. Was this your first time outside of the U.S?
- This was not my first time outside of the US. I also did a choir tour when I was in high school, and we were able to sing around seven European countries for about two weeks. In addition, I went to Egypt with my family and friend's family when I was in high school, and four years ago the Darby Choir Program went to Ireland.
Each international trip opened my eyes to other cultures, experiences, histories, and people from around the globe. I think everyone who has the opportunity to travel should do so. When you spend time with other people from other cultures, you realize that humans are different but also incredibly similar. We're all people.
6. What was something that inspired you on the trip?
- The thing that inspired me the most on the trip was when the unexpected happened, some students truly stepped up to help. I was so incredibly impressed by Lauren's and Gabe's willingness to help others, that it is what sticks out most in mind.
We had a student who forgot crutches and needed to be pushed in a wheelchair throughout the entire trip. Lauren and Gabe sacrificed their time and energy to help, and they kept smiles on their faces and the faces of the people around them as well. At one point, Lauren even started singing a song from "High School Musical" while pushing the wheelchair back to the hotel. A group of Italian boys started singing back to her, and everyone left the encounter laughing. It just epitomizes the idea that there are people who shine no matter what situation they are in, and everyone around them can feel that light. It inspires me to have students like that.
7. Is there anything you would do differently if you could go back?
- Besides trying to eat even more pasta (which I don't know if that would even be possible or not), I would try to have a couple more chaperones. While we had enough to make the trip successful, we had less than we would have liked, and that makes for extra worry, especially in a foreign country.