By Sophia Johnson
Newberry native and recent high school graduate Sophia Johnson recently finished a month abroad with the international travel band from Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. This is her story.
I’m not really sure where I should start talking about this journey. This was the most life changing experience I’ve been able to participate in. The year leading up seemed so long, but before I knew it, we touched ground in Europe.
We started first in the Netherlands! The Netherlands was such a great place to start our tour. We were welcomed with open arms to a small community called Woudenberg. We arrived there late in the evening and unloaded at the venue where their community band practices. Their local band is called Fidelio. We spent a lot of time in the community.
We went to some churches, took some small day trips, and spent a lot of time at Fidelio. We played three concerts there in one day. We played for two different school groups, then played a concert for the community.
Then we bussed 13 hours to Rüthi, Switzerland. I knew we were getting close when our bus started winding up the mountains. We got into town around 11 p.m. that night and as soon as we got off the bus, we were greeted by tunes from their local marching band. We went and met our host families and turned in for the night.
I remember opening my eyes that morning to the most beautiful view I had ever seen. The sky was the most vibrant blue with big, puffy clouds; the grass was the greenest I had ever seen; a crystal-clear river ran through town; behind it all were the Swiss Alps covered in snow. I had never seen anything like it in my life.
We played a concert there on our third night in a gymnasium. After, we had a large Swiss barbeque party and some soccer games.
We had so much fun there. One of my favorite memories was playing soccer with the Swiss children. I had been playing goalie and one of the children playing defense had been talking with me about life. I told him how beautiful her country was and she just said, “I know, I’m the luckiest girl in the world.” It was amazing to me to see how proud these people were of their country and their culture.
Next, we moved on to Mannheim, Germany. It was a 16-hour bus ride. On the bus, we sang, laughed, slept, and just bonded. I often found myself just watching out the window in awe, or sleeping.
We arrived in Germany and we were yet again welcomed by the most wonderful people. My host family had the most beautiful home full of antiques and paintings. They had a beautiful upright studio piano in their dining room, where I sat, and I would sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” countless times. They loved that song because it was “so American”. I sang for them quite often, and they loved it.
They took us into Heidelberg as well and it was the most amazing day. We went to the university museum, to the castle, and then we shopped around town. It was the most amazing day trip.
My host family cooked a five-course meal that night for the three girls staying with them. We had some local wine and goat cheese as well.
The next evening, we played a big concert in a church that was 500 years old. The audience got really into the music and were so appreciative of our band. We loved sharing our music everywhere we went. They made us feel like we made an impact on their lives.
Then we had a six-hour bus ride to Figeac, France. I stayed with an older couple who live on a farm. They had us help them take care of the chickens and the cows. We visited countless churches and even played in two of them while we were there. We had lots of fresh food and I had a lot of good laughs.
I experienced the biggest language barrier in France, but we found our way around it. It was great to learn from my host family.
We played two shows there and then moved on to Aurillac, France. I stayed with two middle-aged people and their high school daughters. I had so much fun with them. We went hiking, biking, played ping pong, played piano, watched movies, and went swimming. We had so many laughs and great conversations. We played a big show there at a beautiful venue and had a great turnout for all of our shows.
My family there was blown away by our ability, and it was a nice boost of confidence for me. I soaked up every minute that last week.
Then, the night finally arrived when my family had to bring me to the bus for our overnight ride to Paris. The tears were worse than normal. I always cried when my host family dropped me off, but this was the hardest goodbye.
We drove all night to get to Paris. We hit the airport and lifted off for America.
It was a long two days of travel, but it was all worth it to see the smiling faces of my mom, dad, two sisters, and my boyfriend. After being away so long, they were a sight for sore eyes.
They brought me back to the Blue Lake campus for our final performance. We played a big show at the Stewart Shell for our friends, family, and the camp.
We all cried yet again as we said goodbye to each other.
These are some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and we made the most amazing memories. I’m forever thankful for this trip. It made me a better person, and I gained perspective of new cultures and how big our world really is.
