Well, it's over. The highlight of my summer, Choir camp 2009. It was the most anticipated event of the summer, then it was now, and now it's gone. And it was a thousand times better than I ever could have imagined it would be. It makes me sad to think it's over. I get a kind of deflating feeling. My heart gets hot and seems to sink a little in my chest. I'm sad for the seniors, because for them, it's the last one. People talk about how they can come back and it'll be just like old times, but they know deep down inside, it's not the same.
Enough of the sad, time for some happy. Choir camp was flat out amazing. But before I go into it, I have to give props to Anna Lin. She works ridiculously hard every year, coordinating everything about the camp as meticulously as Michelangelo to make sure that we all have the best time ever. And you know what? We always do. After camp, everybody always says 'Man oh man, choir camp was so great this year!' or 'I miss choir camp!! It was so amazing!" Nurtured by Lin lao shi's tireless work, Choir Camp could challenge Disneyland for the title of 'Happiest Place on Earth.' Besides the end of camp round of applause, Lin lao shi receives little to no recognition or appreciation. She never asks for any either. It's people like her who inspire me; should inspire us all.
Our conductors were terrific. I learned so much from Stephen Leek and David Wait. Though they had different teaching styles, they were instructing along the same lines; tall vowels. There was one thing that Stephen said during rehearsal that really stuck with me. 'Push until you're giving it 100%. And once you're there, keep pushing. Don't get comfortable.' It's so true for all aspects of life, whatever you can think of. We set goals for certain levels of quality, but once we're there, we tend to remain idle, and progress comes to a halt. The same can be said in a social environment. It's like the story of the frog in the well. If you don't step outside your comfort zone, you will never know what (or WHO) is sitting outside your well, and you miss out on opportunities to create friendships, to influence people, and most importantly, to BE influenced. You just might meet that one person who changes your life.
Speaking along the lines of friendships, that was an integral part of my camp experience. I met many amazing unique people while rekindling old friendships and strengthening current ones. Here's some honesty. In the midst of meeting so many people, I felt inclined to try and spend some time with every single one of them, stretching myself thin. In that process of trying to please everybody, I feel like I kind of disappointed everybody a little.
Now I'm getting to the point. Basically I just wanted to say thanks, to take a brief moment out of my day to express my appreciation. When I'm at choir camp, despite the slightly uncomfortable housing, average food, legions of bugs, and minefields of deer poop, I feel like I'm at home. Home is where the heart is, and your heart is with those that you love, your friends and your family. So then it would seem obvious why I feel at home. Fellow choristers are not acquaintances or even merely just friends. We're family. It's taken me 8 years for me to see this, how foolish I feel. It is only now that I realize how blessed I am, to be able to call myself a part of Crystal Children's Choir as my chest swells with pride with a warm tingling feeling spreading throughout my body. I look forward to cherishing and making the most out of the coming year, as well as making sure to appreciate my last two choir camps.
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