Singing, Drinking, and Eating on the Back of My Fork
Since really I'm mostly still buzzing about my weekend in the UK, I'll just update on that and leave the rest to the understanding that normal life happened otherwise.
After spending a lovely hour at the British Border Control having intimidating British ladies watch me suspiciously (as I'd forgotten to get Ian's address and phone number, and that OF COURSE combined with the fact that the only record of my way out of the UK was an online flight confirmation number meant that I wasn't going to leave ever and spend the rest of my life sleeping on the streets of East Midlands), Ian convinced them that I wasn't a terrorist and got me through and to make up for British Bureaucracy fed me Fish & Chips and English ale. That was a really long sentence. Anyway, The next couple of days introduced me to the British culture and how very odd it is to an American who's spent the last 8 months in Italy. The differences in dialect are extremely also extremely amusing.
I had really strange sleeping habits there, and I was never sure why, but I woke up at 5:30 every morning. This of course helped me to be fully ready for getting to the sing early to help set up. I goded myself in the setting up of the square and re-meeting people I'd met at the sing in November, and then the time to start singing finally came. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face for at least the first 20 minutes. I was somewhere in between tears and dancing for at least the first half of the first day. It's one thing to spend months listening to the songs on full-blast in my headphones, beating time by myself in my room, and SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT to be in the middle of all of that energy, presence, and SOUND. I felt a bit out of practice, but every time they called me up to lead I was calm and felt more welcome in that little square, barely bigger than our weekly sing in Northampton, than I had in a long time. And I barely knew these people. The Sacred Harp community never ceases to amaze me. They took care of me all weekend, welcomed me into one of their homes, into their conversations, into their world. All because we share one passion.
I hated having to leave, but felt the grief of it and then left it behind me so that I can truly enjoy this last bit of time I have left in Europe. One of my friends said it took her a year to fully digest the 6 weeks she spent in India. If it really takes that long, I'm going to be reliving this year for the rest of my life.
After spending a lovely hour at the British Border Control having intimidating British ladies watch me suspiciously (as I'd forgotten to get Ian's address and phone number, and that OF COURSE combined with the fact that the only record of my way out of the UK was an online flight confirmation number meant that I wasn't going to leave ever and spend the rest of my life sleeping on the streets of East Midlands), Ian convinced them that I wasn't a terrorist and got me through and to make up for British Bureaucracy fed me Fish & Chips and English ale. That was a really long sentence. Anyway, The next couple of days introduced me to the British culture and how very odd it is to an American who's spent the last 8 months in Italy. The differences in dialect are extremely also extremely amusing.
I had really strange sleeping habits there, and I was never sure why, but I woke up at 5:30 every morning. This of course helped me to be fully ready for getting to the sing early to help set up. I goded myself in the setting up of the square and re-meeting people I'd met at the sing in November, and then the time to start singing finally came. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face for at least the first 20 minutes. I was somewhere in between tears and dancing for at least the first half of the first day. It's one thing to spend months listening to the songs on full-blast in my headphones, beating time by myself in my room, and SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT to be in the middle of all of that energy, presence, and SOUND. I felt a bit out of practice, but every time they called me up to lead I was calm and felt more welcome in that little square, barely bigger than our weekly sing in Northampton, than I had in a long time. And I barely knew these people. The Sacred Harp community never ceases to amaze me. They took care of me all weekend, welcomed me into one of their homes, into their conversations, into their world. All because we share one passion.
I hated having to leave, but felt the grief of it and then left it behind me so that I can truly enjoy this last bit of time I have left in Europe. One of my friends said it took her a year to fully digest the 6 weeks she spent in India. If it really takes that long, I'm going to be reliving this year for the rest of my life.