182

Today my hands were in band shape. Because of the Tchaik tambourine part and the 182 cymbal crashes I have in this program, my little fingers were pretty bruised and blistered today! Luckily we just had sectionals, individual practice time, a private lesson with Damien, and some free time to enjoy the lake, the sun, and the scenery.

Yes, you read that correctly…I’m playing 182 crashes for 5 different pieces (of the 15 or so pieces we have for this tour!) I’m not complaining, because I love the instrument, but my hands are pretty mad at me! They will be in shape within the next few days, but this morning it was painful to pick anything up! Aside from polishing my crashing skills, another upside to the massive amount of cymbal playing…is that there is no need to go to the gym when I’m lifting large metal plates all day!

Although we didn’t have full orchestra rehearsals today, we were all exhausted on the way back home. I really wanted to go into downtown Berlin (we are staying on the outskirts of the city, and I haven’t been able to really explore!), but it was really hard to gather people together to go with me. The percussion guys wanted to stay near the hotel, and I couldn’t find the girls that talked about going earlier today. It’s been hard to hang out with specific people because there is no way to contact each other. It’s a little frustrating, but I hope that once the tour starts it won’t be so much work!! I am slowly making friends, and figuring out who is cool…I’ve bonded a lot with the percussionists and two cellist (Maria from Denmark, and Anna from Estonia), and there is Leann, the American…but I still don’t feel like I can count on anyone for a good hang! :-( I miss Piteå!!!

After a long conversation with Arvid (I miss him so much!), I ended up hanging out in the lobby/bar of our hotel to watch the USA vs. Ghana soccer match. I got really into it, and soon there was a crowd watching with me. I’m sad we lost, but I think the rest of the spectators were happy!

Once again, it’s time for bed (and if you are wondering, I am paying 3 Euros every time I’m online…well, actually the young guy at the desk only charged me 2.50 tonight, but it’s still a lot! I’m so dependent on the internet!!!)