Over the Fall Break, I was fortunate enough to travel to Mexico and Chile for a week-long choral tour with the Department of Sacred Music at Notre Dame! The trip was a beyond incredible experience, involving two concerts, plenty of sightseeing and unbelievably delicious food! It also involved a ton of flying- getting to the southern hemisphere is no small feat!
(view of The Andes Mountains from the plane)
This was the first time I ever missed a flight. I like to stick to tight schedules, so this really unsettled me. All I felt was frustration and anger. I was angry with the airline for delaying the first flight and making us late for the second. I was angry that we were in an unfamiliar city (I’m from the East coast), one that wasn’t part of the itinerary. I was mostly angry that we would then arrive in Chile the same day as our concert, allowing almost no preparation time before singing.
Luckily, we were able to get hotel and meal vouchers, so we didn’t have to spend to night in the airport! It’s amazing how much a good night’s sleep can improve your mood. Once I got up and had some breakfast (with coffee), I realized how many good things came out of this change of plans. I got to call home since I was in the States. I had reliable wifi for the first time in days, allowing me to send several emails. We also tried authentic Texas BBQ since we were in town :)
Most importantly, I had a whole day to recharge and regroup before the second leg of the tour. Houston turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I regained lots of stamina because I had “a day off”, and I felt more vocally healthy for the concert as a result, despite the overnight 9-hour flight to Santiago. Our stay in Chile and the rest of the trip was not diminished by the delay either; on the contrary, it was spectacular and well worth the wait!!
(Valparaiso, Chile- the perfect break from South Bend weather!)
Images: 1, 3, 4, 5; 2 and 6 provided by author