In and out of JFK in 30 minutes

I was a bit nervous this morning when my flight from Berlin from New York was delayed an hour because they had to change a tire (I was about to offer my excellent tire-changing skills to speed up the process, but then remembered I have none.) My original layover was one hour and 45 minutes, so I knew it would be a challenge to make the connection. I tried not to think of it…the trip was going well so far…the check-in woman was kind (I may have flirted a little), and let me check my 26kilo bag (there is a 23kilo limit) free of charge. Plus, I had an aisle seat with no one next to me, which made slumber much more enjoyable.

So, in between naps, I strategized my way through JFK. I wasn’t as familiar with the airport as Chicago or Stockholm, but was thankful that all the signs would be in English, at least! When we landed, I rudely, but with a smile, snuck past as many people as possible through the hallways leading up to Customs. Luckily there weren’t many Americans coming back home, and the line was relatively short. I grabbed my bag after a chat with the customs officer (who yelled at me for using a pencil on my form, but I was tired, couldn’t find a pen, and it doesn’t say anything about it on the form, so she said it was ok) But then, the officer who took my customs declaration at the Exit noticed that the first officer hadn’t stamped it, so I had to backtrack to get the stamp! If I didn’t have to do that, I would have made it in 25 minutes….for sure.

I re-checked my bag, and the woman directed me to gate 31A: Take the elevator to the third floor and go through security. I was fast-tracked in the line, because I asked to be, but still had to wait a bit…TSA is very thorough in NY! Then, I high-tailed it to my gate, which was of course, at the opposite end of the terminal! The sign said, “Gates 31-42 with an arrow”…and 42 was first.  Ugh! When I finally reached the gate they were calling the last boarding announcement, and when crew scanned my ticket, they admitted that they didn’t think I was going to make it. They obviously don’t know me J 

So, why did I even go to Germany for less than 36 hours? Because I love the people in the Baltic Youth Philharmonic (BYP), love playing with them, and love the crazy gigs that we get. Twelve of use formed a chamber group that was to be the opening entertainment for the Nord Stream event that celebrated the opening of the gas pipeline that connects Russia with Europe via the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream is our main sponsor, so it was appropriate that they show us off, as the parallels between the pipeline and the orchestra itself are so poetic (both unite the counties around the Baltic Sea, one culturally, and one through scientific feats.)

When I arrived in Berlin on Monday evening, I was greeted by a BYP driver. We had a 3-hour drive ahead of us to reach the venue, Lubmin, Germany (on the Baltic Sea, of course) Everyone else was already there (my trip from Alaska was a little longer than everyone coming from within Europe,) so the driver was doing his best to get me there for the rehearsal. Luckily, Germany has the Autobahn, and no speed limits. However, when we got to the “middle of nowhere” he got lost! The person directing us over the phone was confused, and eventually had to meet us to guide us. I don’t blame my driver though; we had to take dirt roads in the dark to this dark, stage factory park. In between the sketchy looking buildings was a little town of lit up, man-made white domes. Inside they were decorated and manned to the nines, complete with security scanners, computers, flat-screens, and caterers. One of the domes housed a stage and about 200 chairs, where the main event would take place. I made it just as the rehearsal ended…

But, it was great to see everyone!!! BYPers share a special bond, as it’s a very special orchestra. We were fed some soup in the “staff dome”, and then headed to another little town to our hotels. We went to a little bar to catch up, and just chatted away to see what was happening since our last gig in Peenemunde in September. I faded fast though, so headed to the hotel just after midnight, like an old lady.

We had to leave at 6am to make it to our dress rehearsal at 7am. 7 AM. I don’t think I’ve ever had a rehearsal that early. I didn’t sleep much, as it just felt like another nap on an airplane, but I was alert enough. Kristjan arrived just before the rehearsal, we ran through the 10 minutes of music, and then had about 3.5 hours to hang out before the performance.

We were able to hang around the VIP dome (the one which was next to the helicopter drop-off area. Not kidding.) We anticipated the important politicians that were to arrive: Angela Merkel (German Chancellor, and a big supporter of BYP), president of Russia (originally, Vladimir Putin was supposed to show up, but I guess he cancelled), many other presidents from European countries (I had no idea who any of them were…I should read more…), and all of the important people in the gas company. This was a HUGE event, and nothing like I’ve ever seen or been apart of…

The event dome was filed about 11:30am, and we entered the stage (no one noticed.) Then, Angela and the Russia dude came in, and all of the photographers and videographers went crazy for like 15 minutes. We just stood there, smiling, and laughing as the super important businessmen whipped out their smart phones to steal a photo.

We performed, smiled, grooved, and rocked it…and then left! Easy as that! We changed into our street clothes, and left as all of the important speeches continued and they opened the pipeline.

some photos:

The SUPER VIP Dome: 

the stage

soon to be filled with Europe's politicians and dudes with money 

they wouldn't let us go into the super SUPER VIP area, so we settled for this photo:

Percs!! 

We wanted to turn the big wheel that opened the pipeline..

Martin is VERY important

Great group of BYPers!

domes from the outside

rock and roll

in front of the helicopter parking

lots of nice cars and security in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Nice to see everyone for 24 hours :) 

The event (with some footage of us !)on German TV: http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek#/beitrag/video/1487300/Ostsee-Pipeline-liefert-Gas-aus-Russland

We were hauled back to Berlin. Everyone else was to leave that night, but I requested a night in Berlin to try and get a good night’s sleep before another transatlantic flight. I rested, and did a little shopping…Berlin is a great city, and things are open late…imagine that!! I also had time to catch up on emails and some work, which felt good. I actually didn’t sleep much  (I slept for the entire car ride from Lubmin to Berlin, and couldn’t turn off my brain!) and woke up at 6am to catch breakfast with a friend and head to the airport.

…Now I’m waiting in the Indianapolis airport! Jake, Anna, and Charles are going to pick me up…eventually. They drove down from Chicago today, and evidently forgot that they jump a time zone in the process. No biggie, there is always something to do…plus I have a pumpkin spice latte in hand from Starbucks. I love America!

Will spend the next 4 days at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention! There will definitely be more stories after this week with all these crazy percs running around!!