Today I finally got off the ship for the first time since Santorini! Hooray! I wandered around Naples with a couple of drummers – Brandon (drummer in the celebrity orchestra, of which I am a part) and Tom (drummer in the jazz quartet onboard, also my band manager and supervisor). Brandon actually just finished his contract, and he’ll be replaced tomorrow with a new drummer. It’s a bit scary for us since we have no idea if the new guy will be any good. But that’s what happens every time, including when I signed on (Atanas said that if this new drummer is a girl, too, he’s quitting the band)☺. Tom is probably 45 years old, Australian, and knows his way around every port pretty well. Of course, being with two drummers meant I had to stop at every music store and wait while they banged on things, but hey – I’m used to that (right Tyler?) ☺
I saw a whole lot in our hours ashore, including St. Chiara, a church constructed in the 14th century. It was amazing to walk around and see so much history. I got to do some much needed shopping as well. We ate at an authentic Italian pizzeria, and since the menu was in Italian, I just picked one at random. It turned out to have an interesting creamy white sauce, mozzarella cheese, ham, and corn on it – and it was marvelous. Of course, I took pictures. I will post them soon!
Yesterday as a part of my training I got to see the bridge, and it was incredible. It was really neat to be up there and seee all the gadgets and control panels, and huge windows all the way around. It was an amazing experience. I know I'm a geek, but it made me think of the Star Trek and the bridge of the Enterprise....it was almost intimidating to be there, and I know I would never go uninvited! It was really cool. Well, thats all for tonight! Its the last night of my first cruise, I'm pretty much done with training, and life is good!
Mont Blanc
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Pireus/Athens, Greece
Hello Everyone!
I have posted a couple of pictures on facebook: here is the link you can follow to view them!
http://apu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032532&l=0c5f9&id=56903845
Today I have the whole day off, which has been really nice. I caught up on some sleep I lost because of late nights performing and early mornings training. I also spent time on the crew deck, lying in the sun and reading. I had a leisurely dinner with some of the performing cast, and in a bit I'll go up top and watch the sunset. Sometimes I can't believe they're paying me for this. :-)
It looks like at the end of this cruise they will be transferring me to Marie's cabin (the sax player) since her roommate is leaving. I will be glad to be her roommate - she is great. Unfortunately she's sick right now, so I haven't seen her for a day or so. On a ship sickness can spread very quickly, so as a precaution contagious people are quarantined for a couple of days. They must stay in their cabin and meals are delivered to them. It seems a bit extreme, but its better than the alternative of everyone on board being sick at once.
I learned that crew members who are not on duty can sign up as tour escorts for shore excursions - in other words you get to go on tours ashore for free while you make sure the tour group stays together. Only one escort per tour - and everyone wants to do it, so you need to sign up in advance. Hopefully next cruise (which starts in just a few days) I'll be able to do some of that. It seems like a great way to explore the ports and see the sights. Pretty cool, no? I can't wait to start touring!
I have posted a couple of pictures on facebook: here is the link you can follow to view them!
http://apu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032532&l=0c5f9&id=56903845
Today I have the whole day off, which has been really nice. I caught up on some sleep I lost because of late nights performing and early mornings training. I also spent time on the crew deck, lying in the sun and reading. I had a leisurely dinner with some of the performing cast, and in a bit I'll go up top and watch the sunset. Sometimes I can't believe they're paying me for this. :-)
It looks like at the end of this cruise they will be transferring me to Marie's cabin (the sax player) since her roommate is leaving. I will be glad to be her roommate - she is great. Unfortunately she's sick right now, so I haven't seen her for a day or so. On a ship sickness can spread very quickly, so as a precaution contagious people are quarantined for a couple of days. They must stay in their cabin and meals are delivered to them. It seems a bit extreme, but its better than the alternative of everyone on board being sick at once.
I learned that crew members who are not on duty can sign up as tour escorts for shore excursions - in other words you get to go on tours ashore for free while you make sure the tour group stays together. Only one escort per tour - and everyone wants to do it, so you need to sign up in advance. Hopefully next cruise (which starts in just a few days) I'll be able to do some of that. It seems like a great way to explore the ports and see the sights. Pretty cool, no? I can't wait to start touring!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Answered prayers!!! (Istanbul, Turkey)
I’ve begun to make friends with a couple of random people on board, outside of the band. One is a waiter named Mario who’s about my age. He keeps telling me to come eat in the officer’s mess even though I’m not supposed to, because he works there. He was one of the first people I met here, and is very friendly. My other friend is Luis, the tailor. He’s a really funny, happy, fatherly man who always says my name loudly in his Guatemalan accent whenever he sees me. He is the one from whom I got my uniform. Also, he was happy to hem my black performance dress for me, for free. When they found out I was from Los Angeles, both of these new friends asked if I spoke Spanish, which I thought was funny. Lucky for me, I do. ☺
Then, yesterday I was looking over the Crew newsletter, and happened to see a small ad for Spanish Bible study classes. The first one was happening that night, at 11:15pm. It was the first time I’d seen any info for Christian activities among the crew. Since I do speak a little Spanish, I thought I’d go sit in the back somewhere and listen. I walked in, and guess who was there? Both Luis and Mario!! What are the odds of my two new friends both being at this small gathering of like 8 people? God is amazing! It was so wonderful to find out that they are not only friends but also my brothers in Christ. It also made me feel really comfortable to stay at the meeting, knowing they were there. They were surprised to see me, too. So last night was incredible. I found the church – God’s people – on board. We sang worship songs, prayed for each other, and listened to a teaching on the word of God. The church service (cause that’s what is was) lasted about 2 hours. I was so happy to find a body of believers, however small, that I cried a little. They were so welcoming to me, and prayed for me. I have found a church home here, and I have been so blessed. I am so thankful to God – it is amazing how He is taking care of me and working things out for me. This church meets three or four times a week, and now I get to be a part of that. They are so sincere in their love for God. I keep thanking God for last night, and for the many nights to come. Also, this got me thinking – you know, if I didn’t speak Spanish, I never would have found and connected with these believers onboard. Perhaps my desire to learn this language, and all the years of study that followed, have been preparing me for this very moment. Maybe this is why I was supposed to learn Spanish – to get me through my months here, united with other believers on board. If last night was the only reason, it is enough. Praise God!
Then, yesterday I was looking over the Crew newsletter, and happened to see a small ad for Spanish Bible study classes. The first one was happening that night, at 11:15pm. It was the first time I’d seen any info for Christian activities among the crew. Since I do speak a little Spanish, I thought I’d go sit in the back somewhere and listen. I walked in, and guess who was there? Both Luis and Mario!! What are the odds of my two new friends both being at this small gathering of like 8 people? God is amazing! It was so wonderful to find out that they are not only friends but also my brothers in Christ. It also made me feel really comfortable to stay at the meeting, knowing they were there. They were surprised to see me, too. So last night was incredible. I found the church – God’s people – on board. We sang worship songs, prayed for each other, and listened to a teaching on the word of God. The church service (cause that’s what is was) lasted about 2 hours. I was so happy to find a body of believers, however small, that I cried a little. They were so welcoming to me, and prayed for me. I have found a church home here, and I have been so blessed. I am so thankful to God – it is amazing how He is taking care of me and working things out for me. This church meets three or four times a week, and now I get to be a part of that. They are so sincere in their love for God. I keep thanking God for last night, and for the many nights to come. Also, this got me thinking – you know, if I didn’t speak Spanish, I never would have found and connected with these believers onboard. Perhaps my desire to learn this language, and all the years of study that followed, have been preparing me for this very moment. Maybe this is why I was supposed to learn Spanish – to get me through my months here, united with other believers on board. If last night was the only reason, it is enough. Praise God!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Internet Access at last!!!
(5/24)
Ok, so I didn't have internet access until today, so I've been collecting blog posts since I got here, unable to post them. What follows in this post is what I wrote on 5/22 - my first full day at sea. Sorry for the delay - hopefully you didn't think I was dea or anything. :-) Below this post are two more, for yesterday and today. I know its a whole lot of stuff to read - but you don't have to if you don't want to, so I don't feel sorry for you. Ok here we go!!
5/22:
Well, here I am, sailing along the Mediterranean. Its actually happening! We were at sea all day today, and won’t come to our first port (Mykonos, Greece) until tomorrow afternoon.
My flight went very well (no-one gave me a hard time for having three carry-on bags including my horn). Also, our captain was named Andrea, which I took as a good sign. I made it in one piece, and things went pretty smoothly – my contact was waiting for me at the airport (my name on a big sign and everything), and we drove outside of Rome to a harbor town called Chivitavecchia, where I met the ship. After several minutes of men arguing in Italian, they figured out which gangway by which I needed to enter. I had no clue what was going on, but I guess they figured it out, cause here I am! I have my uniform, name badges, and ID card with my picture on it (she didn’t warn me when she was going to take the picture, so I’m not smiling – I think I look funny).
After a few logistical errands, I was met by Atanas, a Russian saxophone player who is my band leader. He showed me to my cabin and told me everything I needed to know, including where to go two hours later for – you guessed it – a rehearsal and a show. I was hoping to crash in my room as I had been up all night flying and then all day, but nope – work began right away and I hit the ground (or the water?) running. The first thing I had to do was perform an improvised solo in the show – two choruses of blues – while I was introduced to the guests. Yikes! They also wanted me to be able to play a couple of tunes by memory that I didn’t know – I’m still trying to learn them. I’m sure that in a couple weeks I’ll have it down as well as the other band members do. Soloing has always scared me, and so doing it on my first night was a little nerve-wracking. It went fairly well, however, and I don’t think they hate me. ☺ They say I’m much better than the last trombonist they had – a six foot two older gentleman named Randy. I took it as a compliment, even though apparently he was pretty bad.
I have a lot of training to do, especially emergency and safety procedures. Those training sessions will occupy my days for the first week or so – I have two more tomorrow. After my first cruise (11 days) I’ll be finished with training and will then have my days to myself – that’s when I’ll start being able to explore the ports of call. For now, I’m just hanging on for dear life – trying to figure out how things work on the ship, doing all kinds of training, and getting over jet lag.
Last night the female sax player Marie took me out (on the ship) for a drink after the show (a welcome aboard ceremony – just a few songs), and I got to relax and talk with her and our keyboardist Patrick. It was really sweet of her to do that – she’s being very helpful to me in the process of figuring all this out.
Tonight was the broadway show – one full run-through and two performances: I got off just after midnight. Preceding both shows were two half an hour jazz combo sets – I had to do two pieces all by myself with the rhythm section, improv choruses included, as people trickled into the theatre, with no rehearsal. Another yikes!! I’ve just gotten thrown right into it. Dad – you can finally stop bugging me about doing a solo. ☺ The show is fun – it’s a compilation of a lot of Broadway hits from different musicals. It’s programmed pretty well, and the singers and dancers are all very talented. I met one of the singers, Michael, who has been really kind to me also. Anyway, after two jazz sets, one full run through and two performances, my chops were pretty much shot. I had to start taking things down an octave near the end of the show – it was quite the workout
Well, I know this posting was really long, but I wanted to kindof catch you up on the whirlwind of the past two days. I’ll end here for now, but I’ll be sure to post again soon. Thank you for your prayers!
Oh, and no, I am not seasick! Ha!
Ok, so I didn't have internet access until today, so I've been collecting blog posts since I got here, unable to post them. What follows in this post is what I wrote on 5/22 - my first full day at sea. Sorry for the delay - hopefully you didn't think I was dea or anything. :-) Below this post are two more, for yesterday and today. I know its a whole lot of stuff to read - but you don't have to if you don't want to, so I don't feel sorry for you. Ok here we go!!
5/22:
Well, here I am, sailing along the Mediterranean. Its actually happening! We were at sea all day today, and won’t come to our first port (Mykonos, Greece) until tomorrow afternoon.
My flight went very well (no-one gave me a hard time for having three carry-on bags including my horn). Also, our captain was named Andrea, which I took as a good sign. I made it in one piece, and things went pretty smoothly – my contact was waiting for me at the airport (my name on a big sign and everything), and we drove outside of Rome to a harbor town called Chivitavecchia, where I met the ship. After several minutes of men arguing in Italian, they figured out which gangway by which I needed to enter. I had no clue what was going on, but I guess they figured it out, cause here I am! I have my uniform, name badges, and ID card with my picture on it (she didn’t warn me when she was going to take the picture, so I’m not smiling – I think I look funny).
After a few logistical errands, I was met by Atanas, a Russian saxophone player who is my band leader. He showed me to my cabin and told me everything I needed to know, including where to go two hours later for – you guessed it – a rehearsal and a show. I was hoping to crash in my room as I had been up all night flying and then all day, but nope – work began right away and I hit the ground (or the water?) running. The first thing I had to do was perform an improvised solo in the show – two choruses of blues – while I was introduced to the guests. Yikes! They also wanted me to be able to play a couple of tunes by memory that I didn’t know – I’m still trying to learn them. I’m sure that in a couple weeks I’ll have it down as well as the other band members do. Soloing has always scared me, and so doing it on my first night was a little nerve-wracking. It went fairly well, however, and I don’t think they hate me. ☺ They say I’m much better than the last trombonist they had – a six foot two older gentleman named Randy. I took it as a compliment, even though apparently he was pretty bad.
I have a lot of training to do, especially emergency and safety procedures. Those training sessions will occupy my days for the first week or so – I have two more tomorrow. After my first cruise (11 days) I’ll be finished with training and will then have my days to myself – that’s when I’ll start being able to explore the ports of call. For now, I’m just hanging on for dear life – trying to figure out how things work on the ship, doing all kinds of training, and getting over jet lag.
Last night the female sax player Marie took me out (on the ship) for a drink after the show (a welcome aboard ceremony – just a few songs), and I got to relax and talk with her and our keyboardist Patrick. It was really sweet of her to do that – she’s being very helpful to me in the process of figuring all this out.
Tonight was the broadway show – one full run-through and two performances: I got off just after midnight. Preceding both shows were two half an hour jazz combo sets – I had to do two pieces all by myself with the rhythm section, improv choruses included, as people trickled into the theatre, with no rehearsal. Another yikes!! I’ve just gotten thrown right into it. Dad – you can finally stop bugging me about doing a solo. ☺ The show is fun – it’s a compilation of a lot of Broadway hits from different musicals. It’s programmed pretty well, and the singers and dancers are all very talented. I met one of the singers, Michael, who has been really kind to me also. Anyway, after two jazz sets, one full run through and two performances, my chops were pretty much shot. I had to start taking things down an octave near the end of the show – it was quite the workout
Well, I know this posting was really long, but I wanted to kindof catch you up on the whirlwind of the past two days. I’ll end here for now, but I’ll be sure to post again soon. Thank you for your prayers!
Oh, and no, I am not seasick! Ha!
5/23 - Mykonos, Greece!
5/23
Today we arrived in our first port – Mykonos. It is so beautiful, just looking out of a ship window. A lot of people went ashore, but I didn’t feel like I could since I had two training sessions and a lot of errands to run – including getting my complete uniform. They don’t have anything that fits me properly, mostly things are too big, but its close enough. The only things that really fit are the shoes, which I like a lot. Oh well, I didn’t really expect to be making a fashion statement while in uniform. ☺
Tonight we have three jazz sets to do in one of the jazz clubs onboard – Michael’s Club. I’ll probably only play in one of them, which is nice. One thing is for sure: I’m going to get lot more comfortable playing jazz-combo-style and improvising – I don’t really have a choice there!
Today was the first day that I had time to wander around the ship a bit and meet some guests. One lady approached me and said she and her husband recognized me from the plane flight over here! We were on the same flight, and her husband had pointed me out to her as a musician because of my trombone (he’s a music teacher). They were so surprised to see me on their cruise! I keep bumping into them and having nice conversations. I also met a couple from Maryland who were very sweet and funny – they told me they’d come heckle me tonight when I play in Michael’s. I am really looking forward to having a lot more interaction with guests and getting to know a lot of them. They are for the most part really nice and really happy (why shouldn’t they be – they’re on vacation!), and a joy to talk to. Anyway, I feel like today I emerged into the open after several days of sleeping, eating, training, and performing below deck. It was a wonderful day! And the ocean sunset between the islands was incredible. I am looking forward to many more.
Today we arrived in our first port – Mykonos. It is so beautiful, just looking out of a ship window. A lot of people went ashore, but I didn’t feel like I could since I had two training sessions and a lot of errands to run – including getting my complete uniform. They don’t have anything that fits me properly, mostly things are too big, but its close enough. The only things that really fit are the shoes, which I like a lot. Oh well, I didn’t really expect to be making a fashion statement while in uniform. ☺
Tonight we have three jazz sets to do in one of the jazz clubs onboard – Michael’s Club. I’ll probably only play in one of them, which is nice. One thing is for sure: I’m going to get lot more comfortable playing jazz-combo-style and improvising – I don’t really have a choice there!
Today was the first day that I had time to wander around the ship a bit and meet some guests. One lady approached me and said she and her husband recognized me from the plane flight over here! We were on the same flight, and her husband had pointed me out to her as a musician because of my trombone (he’s a music teacher). They were so surprised to see me on their cruise! I keep bumping into them and having nice conversations. I also met a couple from Maryland who were very sweet and funny – they told me they’d come heckle me tonight when I play in Michael’s. I am really looking forward to having a lot more interaction with guests and getting to know a lot of them. They are for the most part really nice and really happy (why shouldn’t they be – they’re on vacation!), and a joy to talk to. Anyway, I feel like today I emerged into the open after several days of sleeping, eating, training, and performing below deck. It was a wonderful day! And the ocean sunset between the islands was incredible. I am looking forward to many more.
5/24 (The first day of internet access!!)
5/24/07
The jazz set went allright last night – I survived despite being way, way out of my comfort zone. Marie is a great soloist, and so is the pianist – unfortunately I was hitting all kinds of wrong notes, even when just playing melody. I didn’t feel I did well, but it did hold together enough to fool the guests. ☺ A couple of elderly gentlemen talked to me afterwards. The funniest thing was one British guy came over and said quietly so they others couldn’t hear, “You were wonderful. I can’t say much for your friends – they weren’t very good at all – but YOU were brilliant. I listen to a lot of music and I know.” Ha ha! I laughed all night. Its funny how God can lift you up when you’re not feeling that good about yourself. I wasn’t feeling good at all about my playing, and to me it was painfully obvious that I was the weakest link in the performance, so to have that man say that just cracked me up. I’m still laughing about it.
Tonight we have two shows with a well known violinist named Doug Cameron. The music is really challenging, but fun. Doug is quite the perfectionist, and he kept picking on our drummer and pianist. He was really nice to me, though. The first show went ok, I’m sure I’ll do even better in the second one (I’m in between shows right now, sitting on my bed). Tomorrow we’ll be in San Torini, and I might be able to get off the ship and take some pictures to send you guys, since my training for tomorrow was cancelled. Yay! Hopefully I’ll be able to get this frusterating wireless internet system to work, too. I know you guys are probably wondering why I haven’t written yet. Sorry!!
The jazz set went allright last night – I survived despite being way, way out of my comfort zone. Marie is a great soloist, and so is the pianist – unfortunately I was hitting all kinds of wrong notes, even when just playing melody. I didn’t feel I did well, but it did hold together enough to fool the guests. ☺ A couple of elderly gentlemen talked to me afterwards. The funniest thing was one British guy came over and said quietly so they others couldn’t hear, “You were wonderful. I can’t say much for your friends – they weren’t very good at all – but YOU were brilliant. I listen to a lot of music and I know.” Ha ha! I laughed all night. Its funny how God can lift you up when you’re not feeling that good about yourself. I wasn’t feeling good at all about my playing, and to me it was painfully obvious that I was the weakest link in the performance, so to have that man say that just cracked me up. I’m still laughing about it.
Tonight we have two shows with a well known violinist named Doug Cameron. The music is really challenging, but fun. Doug is quite the perfectionist, and he kept picking on our drummer and pianist. He was really nice to me, though. The first show went ok, I’m sure I’ll do even better in the second one (I’m in between shows right now, sitting on my bed). Tomorrow we’ll be in San Torini, and I might be able to get off the ship and take some pictures to send you guys, since my training for tomorrow was cancelled. Yay! Hopefully I’ll be able to get this frusterating wireless internet system to work, too. I know you guys are probably wondering why I haven’t written yet. Sorry!!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
'Twas the night before....well, you know....
I returned from an incredible week and a half in South Korea two days ago. It was really an unforgettable experience, and I learned so much in my time there. Ever since I got back I've been going through all of my boxes of stuff from my APU apartment in order to gather everything I need for the cruise. Those two days went by very quickly, and in about 12 hours (after a little last minute practicing, a lot of organizing and packing, and two layovers) I will be on a plane for Rome! Yikes!
God is teaching me not to worry about my future, especially my immediate one. A couple of my friends helped me relax and have fun this morning, and then they prayed for me, which was wonderful (Thanks, guys!). God is taking care of me in lots of little ways like that. I can't believe that this all begins tomorrow! Please pray for this transition - I have no idea what lies ahead. My next blog will most likely be from the Mediterranean - I'll see you there!
God is teaching me not to worry about my future, especially my immediate one. A couple of my friends helped me relax and have fun this morning, and then they prayed for me, which was wonderful (Thanks, guys!). God is taking care of me in lots of little ways like that. I can't believe that this all begins tomorrow! Please pray for this transition - I have no idea what lies ahead. My next blog will most likely be from the Mediterranean - I'll see you there!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
South Korea
Well, in keeping with the title of this blog, I thought it best to inform you that tomorrow I leave for Seoul, South Korea with the University Choir and Orchestra. We will be there for a little over a week doing quite a few concerts. I should receive my cruise ship itinerary and plane ticket information sometime while I am in Korea. I will be back in the U.S. on the 17th of May, at which point I will begin final preparations for departure.
Oh, and I graduate today!!!
Oh, and I graduate today!!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Solidarity!
Good news! I was just informed that there will be another female showband musician on my cruise! She is from Quebec and will be playing saxophone! Hooray! I am very excited that I won't be the only female in the band. They are currently making decisions on our dress code, but I've been assured it won't be tuxedos. Yes!!
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