A parents thanks!

 

This appreciation is a little belated, but still heartfelt.  I would like to thank all the chaperones and adults for all their time (plus 2 more days) supervising our children on the awesome trip to Madrid.  I loved the blog, the pictures on facebook, and being able to watch the parade live!  The kids had an incredible trip.  Not only did they experience a unique and awesome parade, but they got to see a little of the world outside of Lake Zurich, IL.   It will be a trip to remember for a lifetime.  Thanks for taking the time away from your own families so our children could experience this fantastic trip.

 

Sincerely,

Suzy Marshalla

The Cabalgata: A Student Perspective

Cabalgata de Reyes
Aside from the exhausting plane rides, the sleepless nights, and the language barriers, the Cabalgata de Reyes parade made the entire trip worthwhile! If the band had arrived in Spain and had a single night to march in this parade, it still would have been worth the travel hours. It was amazing! The audience of the parade had so much energy and was so excited to see us (even if all they got to see was us rowing by to a cadence). We waited for 3 hours and performed every so often for bystanders and nearby floats with things like Palumbo and other quick tunes. Once we actually started the 2 hours of marching, we played Mi Burrito Sabanero over and over with different cadences in between. On occasion, Thompson would blow a whistle and the whole band would scatter tot eh sides and say hello to all the people watching the parade. Many gloves were stolen and pictures were taken; many locals tested their English on us which was fun to hear. The entire experience was outstanding and I’m not the only one who would do it again in a heartbeat.


Brianna Noronha

From my Dad...his perspective of the trip

Let me begin by echoing Dan and Carol’s post from yesterday.  That was a wonderful note...and so true.

 

From my perspective....while visiting Spain for the first time was absolutely amazing – a fabulous part of the trip was being with such a wonderful group of young men and women as the LZHS Marching Band.  It was a pleasure being with the staff, teachers, administrators and chaperones; along with other ‘adults’ attending.   But, the young men and women of the band were exceptional and represented Lake Zurich and America with dignity, discipline, talent and class.

 

As a former Marching Band Booster for appx. 9 years with our 3 children in a competitive band program in Ohio – I have participated in many trips; though none internationally. I must say that I've never been so extremely impressed by a trip, that I believe will be forever remembered by all that attended.

 

Of course, some will say that I’m a bit biased in my comments and feelings – and you would be correct.   Biased in that the leader of this adventure just happens to be my Son – ‘Papajazz Thompson’.  I was deeply touched over a year ago to have been asked by him to come along and be with him!   Great job, Son; I'm truly proud of you.

 

Thanks Lake Zurich for letting me be part of this…and for being such a  'world class' organization.

 

Bert Thompson

Barlett, IL

An "Adult" Perspective from the trip

For all you brave parents who are now so relieved to have their children back, I wanted to briefly share with you a first-hand perspective. My wife and I attended the trip along with our son who is in the band.  Our daughter and her husband also came.  We were part of the "adult" group, a title which distinguished us from the "LZHS Staff and Chaperones".

In our role as "those going along for the ride" we had the unique opportunity to have a first-hand view of how the entire Lake Zurich Group - Teachers, Students and Chaperones', were conducting themselves over the ten day period.  We were with the delayed group so were able to experience the full drama of two extra days of travel.

So with that long introduction let me now tell you - how proud you should be of your children and the LZHS staff.  Let me tell you, your child was well cared for over the past 10 days.  First, we must recognize the professionals working in the background who arranged, scheduled and coordinated this trip.  Travel arrangements over the entire trip were detailed and comprehensive.  I noticed several times during the week that agendas and itineraries were adjusted seamlessly on-the-fly to accommodate either the weather conditions or to emphasize specific agenda items. This ability to keep things moving at all times is a credit to the tour guides and LZ staff who were decisive and knowledgeable of the surroundings.

Of course we all know that no amount of organization or coordination would have worked with a group of unruly and disruptive teenagers.  But I can tell you this was not the case with the LZHS Band.  Your kids were at their best at all times.  When addressed as "Hey Band!", they responded, in perfect cadence and unison, "Hey What!", followed by silence.  They were given freedom to grow and explore and they responded as a group well beyond their years.

And finally, credit must be given to the LZHS Staff and the adult chaperones. The full success of this trip is due to their talents and efforts and the primary purpose of this brief message is to acknowledge this fact.  It was my family's pleasure to "go along for the ride".

Dan and Carol Hoch

Flamenco not Flamingo!

Olé!

Flamenco dancing is one of the most impressive live performances I have ever experienced. I absolutely love "ethnic" and "world" music because the different cultural styles often overlap. This crossover between countries is really interesting to hear, and even more interesting to see live.

WARNING: I am a percussionist, so the following might seem really nerdy. I apologize. #sorrynotsorry

First off, the food at the Flamenco venue was absolutely delicious! The time of the meal was also very authentic to Spanish culture because the seniors and a few "significant others" arrived at the venue around 10:00pm. The Spanish #turnup rather late.

After the meal, the eight performers crowded the stage. Four members were part of the band, two guitarists and two vocalists, and the remaining four danced. The three female dancers each dawned a different dress, varying in style and color. Each woman represented a different cluster of emotions such as passion, desire, envy, and indignantcy revolving around the male dancer. The emotions were so dramatically conveyed that the audience was able to feel the injustices, the pain, and the joy with the dancers. 

The band and the dancers acted as one throughout the performance, but the band reminded of a jazz rhythm section. The two vocalists would sing and usually begin the bass rhythms of the dance and the guitarists would layer chords and expand on the bass rhythms. Then, throughout the dance they would comp and feed off of the dancer, which is identical to the way a rhythm section interacts with a soloist. I loved seeing this overlap.

The vocalist weren't the only clappers. Infact, all of the dancers, whether participating in the dance or not, expanded in the rhythmic clapping. One of the many interesting things about Flamenco is the many different paths that percussive rhythms can take, but certain styles do offer restrictions. For instance, many people are familiar with the Tango, a strong 4/4 pattern that emphasizes beats one and three. This was NOT the style of Flamenco we experienced. The umbrella term for the type of Flamenco we experienced is Fandango de Huelva which has a very free twelve beat rhythm that usually emphasizes beats 3, 6, 8,10, and 12. This rhythm is the accompanied by other groupings of 3 and 6. The complexities of the many different types of styles, rhythmic voicings, and improv components amazed me and I can not even imagine thinking off all these complexities while dancing. It's true art.

I honestly can't even begin to describe the feet of the dancers. Their feet would often copy the rhythms of the claps, but put it in double time. You should really look up Flamenco dancing on YouTube to understand how fast their feet move.

It was truly and unbelievable experience to hear the rhythmic styles I had learned performed into such an artistic sense. Your hands and feet are the simplest instruments, but their raw qualities highlight the impressiveness of the style and culture surrounding Flamenco.

-Jacquelyn Brown

First flight

From the other director...

We saw the best of Madrid and it's various historic and art traditions. Our guides, Emily and Maria were  the BEST! they kept us on track and were full of information and love of the work they do with groups such as ours. Thanks Emily and Maria!

Last night's Cabalgata de Reyes parade was so much fun. I was at the back of the band, high-fiving the kids/crowd and trying to pick up candy on the street which was out-of-reach for the kids behind the barriers....I was forewarned about the "workout" and I'm feeling it now....our kids were energetic and crowd-friendly, giving highs-fives at those stops, and slowups in the parade. Spectators LOVED it! Playing Mi Burrito Sabanera from memory looked and sounded solid which made it fun and easier to do all of the motions and to march better. 

Our day started out with two flights scheduled to leave Madrid....sadly, only our direct flight had a chance for success. We hear that the 77 others are making the best of it on their extended stay. Enjoy the warmth while you can! :)

Thanks everyone for the support of the trip and we send our appreciation to all of the adults and chaperones along on the trip who lead groups on excursions, gave wake up calls, dispensed information, assisted in keeping kids healthy, and helped to assure prompt attendance at the bus call times....as well as taping the boxes for shipping and making sure the plumes dried, and flags and the banner were ready for the return trip! We think they had a good time too! Mr Nightlinger too!

No snow here!

We hear that there's a lot of snow at home....it's cold and wet here, but only rain. Umbrellas have worked for those who have them...others are getting along with hoods and ducking! The tour jackets are working out well - we looked great in the parade and for those wearing their jackets daily, it makes locating everyone a little easier. Predictions for Cabalgata de Reyes on Sunday look good so we're pumped! The Toledo parade and standup concert had appreciative New Years Day revelers, singing Mi Burrito Sabanera with us! (Mrs. Conover)

Coming home...

Greetings from Spain.

Because we enjoyed the time here so much we have decided to stay an extra day. We decided that the weather in Chicago was not to our liking so we're going to stay here until it warms up a bit tomorrow...

On a more serious mote, I believe the direct Iberia flight has probably landed in Chicago and safely back in the states. The rest of us, 77 en todos are currently at Europes largest hotel, the hotel auditorium Madrid. 950+ rooms, it really is large..

We're doing well, the kids are upbeat though they are disappointed that the Iberia flight is also getting tomorrow off, they were hoping for a little benefit for their much longer travel times. Certain students on the Iberia flight, you know who you are are...are having fun about our travel woes... All good fun...

The food has been good, everything is covered by the airline. We will be loading a shuttle at 5:30 in the morning, to get to the airport at 6am for our 10:30 flight...flight 95 just like today.

We are currently all confirmed for the overseas trip tomorrow to ny, and our travel company is working with the airline to guarantee that all 77 of us will be on a flight to chicago tomorrow. With the myriad of cancellations today , we are still hopeful that tomorrow will be a better day...

Chilling at the hotel...

See the lzhs band on TV !

Watch the band perform in the Cabalgata de Reyes online at http://www.rtve.es/television/cabalgata-reyes-directo/

Parade begins at 6:30 local time...11:30 CST Chicago...

Can't wait!

The trip has been great...I look forward to even more students sharing their stories!

#turnupinthePrado

It was a beautiful, sexy morning when we made our way to the Prado Museum in Madrid, España. We saw many paintings even one where Saturn was eating his child. Not to mention we saw naked ladies. No really, many naked ladies. In all seriousness, we learned about significant Spanish artists such as El Greco, Velazquez, and Goya. The artist we found most interesting was Goya because we were able to see the contrast between the early stages of his artist career and the dark end of his life. At the end of his life, Goya, through sickness, became deaf which caused him to spiral into a deep depression. Goya had many nightmares which he even painted on the walls of his home. One of the most interesting paintings of his was Saturno comiendo a su hijo, which translates into Saturn eats his child. This painting was one of his darkest and emulated how deep his depression truly was. 

As seniors who have taken Spanish, we appreciated seeing the paintings that we had learned about in previous years. After the Prado Museum, many brave souls ventured into the monsoon rains and tsunami like conditions to experience Madrid. 

The Puerta del Sol lacked sol(sun) but everyone had fun regardless! 

RIP to the many brave umbrellas that were lost today in battle. 

Hayley, Katie, Katy, Joey, Eric, Jacquelyn, and Timmy

The Aqueduct and Alcazar castle...segovia (director perspective)

After El Escorial we visited Segovia. We were amazed at the Roman Aqueduct that is still standing some 2000 years later...

Also visited the alcazar castle, castle they believe to be built on Roman ruins but has been there for nearly 1000 years. I was disappointed we couldn't climb to the top as I was hoping to do my best Monty Python and the holy grail impersonation, especially since we realized Murcia is in the south of Spain...(he could grip it by the husks...) we couldn't decide which kids to dispose of in the moat, so we kept them all...it was tempting though...but only for students that leave their tuba mouthpieces at home or their passports on the airplane... (Ahem...)

I can say I've started trying to speak in Spanish even more and I know many of the students have as well. The students are beginning to gain a lot of confidence in their ability to get around and communicate, it's been fun to watch...

The Monastery...a student perspective

Today, we went to the monastery in El Escorial. The monastery is filled with beautiful paintings and architecture!!  This 500 year-old building was built after Saint Lawrence who was burned on a grill. All over the monastery, there are pictures of grills that represent St. Lawrence. Under the church, the tombs of the past kings and queens were placed in an all marble room. Phillip the Second was the one who had the idea to create the room for all the tombs. Everything, such as the tomb and the king's room leads to the church. In the middle of the beautiful and complex church was a painting of St. Lawrence being burned on a grill. Our guide told us that if the monastery was to be turned upside down, the building would look like a grill. Overall, we thought that the monastery was absolutely beautiful and intriguing!

Adios!

~Sarah Schnecker and Allie Mitchell

El Escorial.....student perspective

Today we saw the monastery, which monks practice in. The building itself was swarmed with beautiful archeticture along the walls and ceilings. The amount of history was overwhelming in the presence of the monastery. The main attraction was the astounding murals painted on the ceilings. Our necks were aching by the end of the tour. The 5 enormous organs were truly a sight to behold; it was unfortunate we were unable to hear them. Along with the murals, the tombs were interesting... Interesting to be surrounded by deceased royalty. I recommend being comfortable with the Spanish language before coming to Spain. Though ordering may be difficult, the food is delicious and typically healthier than American food. 

Elisa and Ian

¡Food! A student perspective...

¡Hola Chicos and Chicas! This is Amy Jurczak. So Thompson handed me his iPad and said blog so here I am. One thing that I thought was really interesting about the trip so far has been the food. My first meal in Madrid was at a small sandwich shop called Rodilla. I got a "bacon huevo" and "agua mineral" (which is a bacon and egg sandwich and water for you non Spanish speakers). It only cost about 2€ which was amazing considering I spend about $6 on a Jimmy John's sandwich. 

That next morning when I went to breakfast, I was surprised to see an array of breakfast items, including sliced meat, sliced cheeses, quiche and pastries. My favorite item at breakfast has to be the Neapolitan Pastry, which is basically like a crossiant with chocolate in the middle. No joke, I've had about 15 of them this whole trip, but it's simple enough to understand why I love them so much. Weirder foods at breakfast include warm milk (if you don't get there fast enough) and cookies. I love Madrid breakfasts. 

For dinners, we have experienced the ultimate in European eating. One dinner that comes to mind is the dinner we had next to the "football" stadium. First we were served bread, which was hard as rocks but still delicious. About 15 minutes after sitting we were served two bowls of salad that one person could probably eat by themselves. I turned to the person next to me and I said, "Are we supposed to share that?" Followed by a "Yeah Amy it's Tapas". Gotcha. 15 minutes after that, we were served chicken strips and BBQ sauce, which to me was pretty American but still delicious. Maybe 20 minutes after that we had these potato breaded things, followed by our main dish of chicken, then finished by a vanilla tasting mousse that was very very very tart. Long story short, it felt like it took two hours to eat our meal because we had so much time in between. I liked it and enjoyed the experience. 

So, if you take anything away from my blog, it's that food here in Spain is, well, a new experience that is well worth a try. 

Addendum from mr. Thompson:

Many students have also experience churro  sand chocolate... It a cross between hot chocolate and semi sweet chocolate pudding. Very tasty....I had my first this evening...

Day 4...Palacio Royale and free day

This morning began pretty abruptly for me...woke up 25 minutes before we had to leave...the phone went dead, so no alarm. It was nice to get my first good sleep though since we left. I was operating on 2 hours of sleep in the prior 48 hours...

More importantly...

Today we spent visiting the royal palace. With our outstanding guides we learned some of the history of the monarchy, especially the large Noses of the Hapsburgs from too much marrying of relatives and the rule of the Bourbons. We also learned that, unfortunately much the problems, and war that has plagued the Spanish was because of the poor rule of the Monarchy...

Afterward we broke the students into groups based on who they wanted to tour Madrid with. I haven't heard all of the stories yet, but we visited the main palace of Madrid which was only finished in the last 20 years..very pretty.

We also ate in the Mercado de San Miguel and the headed to the Museo Reina Sofia. The main art museum where Picassos masterpiece Guernica is displayed along with works by Miro, Dali and many others. While I know some students got into this way more than others, it is neat hearing the stories of students that have studied the painting in their Spanish classes.most students visited without guidance, so it was a littl much for them, as it can be overwhelming. 

We then visited Retiro Park, so the crystal palace there, but the weather had really empied the place out. It was still a nice walk back to the hotel for some siesta before dinner.

I hope to add another student perspective tonight.

Tonight...dinner in the hotel and a relaxing evening, tomorrow...Segovia, el Escorial ad the valley of the fallen, followed by Flamenco Dancing.

Waiting to enter the palace.

#selfie at the Reina Sophia Museum

Outside reina sopia...

El Rey de Los Tour Guides...a student traveler perspective

Chicos...Chicas...In the city of Toledo a legend was born. This is the story of that man, but he was not just any man, he was a man defined by incredible facial hair, striking majesty, outstanding fashion sense, and a voice that could soothe the most savage of beasts. This is the story of Rufo. Words alone are not enough to fully encompass the sheer magnitude of his greatness, and so this story shall be brief. The "Most Interesting Man in the World" himself would simply be in complete and utter awe at how inferior he was in contrast to this man. Never in human history has there been as incredible a tour guide as Rufo. No other guide has ever been capable of making a two hour tour feel like it was too short. The members of tour group 1 extend their thanks to this most glorious of tour guides, and their solemn apologies to those who did not have Rufo as their guide. Vamanos...

---the students of the back of bus #1

Day 3...Toledo

Today we spent the day at Toledo. I don't have any pictures or video of the performances in Toledo, though much was taken and I'm sure will be shared elsewhere. We then went and ate, followed by a walking tour of the town.  Students were introduced to el Greco who they will see much more of tomorrow at the Prado museum.  Tonight we are heading to the Bernebeau stadium where we will eat and at least be able to see the "pitch".

We also visited a damasquinado factory where they demonstrated the art of sword making and inlaid steel both very unique and very "toledian"