So this one time, when I was on Welsh TV...

            That’s right everyone, this weekend I was on Welsh National television along with the other members of the Welsh Women’s Choir. 

            Again, I should explain the situation.  Nicole and I decided to join a choir while in London.  She ended up finding a Welsh choir and dragged me along for rehearsals a few weeks ago.  Luckily, we didn’t have to be Welsh and only about half the choir is actually Welsh.  Immediately, we were thrown into “go mode” because they were preparing for this competition in Wales.  We had to learn and memorize four songs for the contest, one of which was in Welsh.  Learning this song was particularly hard, despite the melody being so easy.  The language does not look like any language I have ever sung before.  Still, it is an absolutely exquisite sounding language.  Enchanting really.  I would know because it was almost the only language that we heard on Saturday.  The entire show itself was in Welsh

            Anyways, we went to this competition in Wales along with the boys’ Welsh choir from London, Eschoir, and this thing was actually really legitimate.  We felt like we were on the X-Factor for choirs.  Our London choir was the only choir that was not made up of all Welsh people.  Between the photo shoot session, filming the promo with the emcees, and getting filmed almost the entire time, we felt like little Welsh superstars.  We also felt incredibly lame because anytime anything was said we had to rush to our Welsh speaking friends and figure out what was going on.  

           

            The show will be aired sometime in March and I will be hunting online to find it.  Apparently the channel it’s aired on is a BBC affiliate in Wales, so there is good chance I will be able to find it.

            That was the competition aspect of the trip, but the trip as a whole was so much more than that.  As I mentioned earlier, we traveled with a boys’ Welsh choir that is under our same director, called Eschoir.  From the beginning, Nicole and I have been a little apprehensive about this trip.  As the two of three Americans in the choir, we were worried about not being accepted among the group, especially since we are only here for a short period of time.  As soon as we boarded the bus, we realized we no longer needed to have that fear.  After the guys sitting behind us requested I move my coat, I apologized.  Immediately, one of them popped up and said, “Oh! You are not from England!” We explained our situation and from then on out we were accepted into the group.  A good majority of both choirs are in the same age range as us, although we are still the youngest, so getting along with people is easy.  Sure we had to put up with a few American jokes here and there, but it was all in good fun. 

           

            After the seven-hour trip, we finally arrived at the Bed & Breakfast in Aberystwyth.  Being the responsible adults we are, a good chunk of us stayed up talking until 2 in the morning the day before the competition.  This is the first time I have really had the opportunity to get to know any locals outside of work, so I thought the late night was totally worth it.  Now, after the competition on Saturday night, both choirs went NUTS.  We all stayed up really late just drinking and being merry.  I attempted to beat a few of the guys in ping pong but after a few close calls and only one victory, I realized that I am not as good at the game as I lead on to be.  This is a sad realization for me coming from a long line of Pfeifer ping-pong legends, but again, it was nice to be seen as a worthy opponent. 

            I really cannot describe how wonderful the social aspect of this trip was.  I have a feeling that I will stay in touch with these people for a very long time, and I am excited to start choir rehearsals again so I can be around all the wonderful women. 

            The one aspect of this trip I am delaying in describing is the sheer beauty of Wales.  It is something that I feel I can only describe through photos.  I should; however, produce a little context to the photos you are about to see.  Everyone knows that it rains in the UK, Wales included.  Due to the constant rain, when the sun does shine, the grass is so deliciously green.  Between to the blue sky, the bright green grass, and the backlit trees, I felt like I was in a Tim Burton film.  The landscape simply resembled something from a dark fairy tale.

            

         
     
            After the girls competed, we had some time to kill before watching the guys perform, so Nicole, a few other girls and I decided to take a little walk toward the sea and find some food.  We ended up stumbling upon a run down castle on the edge of the sea right as the sun was setting.  The view literally took my breath away.  Now can you think of a more perfect experience? Oh, wait, yes, I can.  After taking sunset photos, we wandered down to the pier and found fish and chips take away.  We grabbed our boxes and found benches facing the ocean to eat our meals.  At this point it was pretty dark so all we could do is look out into the black abyss and hear the waves.  Spooky? Yes. Incredibly Awesome? YES.

          
              As much as I love the city of London, getting out into the country was such a wonderful experience.  Waking up and getting to feed the goats in the back of the B&B, was an absolute delight.  Some may detest the smell of farms, but I rather enjoy it.  It’s just refreshing and reminds me of my long forgotten equestrian days.  Not only is the smell a relief but, the noise level changes so much as well.  You never realize how loud the city is until you escape it.  Electricity itself is a very loud ordeal, so once you get away from it, you really start to appreciate the quiet.  There is something so wonderful about the country that makes me just want to buy a farm, convert it into a B&B and live the rest of my life as an innkeeper/farmer.  That does sound like a lot of work but totally worth it in the end.  I’m not an overly romantic individual and sometimes the idea of farm life is too utopian for my liking, but I would make an exception for this because the countryside is simply enchanting. 

            This weekend has been so much more than a choir trip to me.  It’s the kind of trip I know I will carry with me for my entire life.  The beauty I embraced and people I encountered have changed me in one or another, even if I don’t realize it yet.  That may seem overly sentimental for someone like me, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  I will never forget my trip to Aberystwyth, Wales for the Cor Cyrmu Choir Competition.

Cheers,

Janelle