Carmina Burana, thanks to friencquaintuddies!

I get made fun of sometimes for talking so much. Okay, I get made fun of often. But I have stumbled across some great opportunities because I talk so much, and this story is just such an example. I'll start from the beginning.

As I've mentioned, I am taking a music history class at la UCA and I've befriended some of my fellow students. Well, befriended may be too strong a word. Beacquainted or bebuddied might be more accurate. Anyway, one of the first days of class, one of these friends/acquaintances/buddies, Nicolás, took the colectivo home with me and I told him that I had sung Carmina Burana this past summer with my choir. Actually, we were really talking about traveling and I was telling him about China; the Carmina part could have just as easily not come up at all. So last week during the break in class I was having coffee with these friencquaintuddies when a boy I didn't know came up to me and asked if I sing. It turns out that this guy, whose name is Samuel, sings in a small choir that temporarily needs more singers because they are performing a big-choir piece--Carmina Burana. He had been trying to convince Nicolás to join the group, and Nicolás told him to talk to me because he knew that I know the piece. Samuel told me there was going to be an audition before rehearsal on Saturday and that he'd take me. I could not have been more excited.

By Friday, however, my excitement had mostly been replaced with terror. I've barely sung in months and I have no place here to practice or even to warm up. I got even more nervous when Samuel emailed me to say that he actually wasn't going to rehearsal on Saturday. For a brief moment I considered not going, but I really really wanted to sing, and I figured I should take any opportunity that offers the potential of making Spanish-speaking friends.

On Saturday morning I got to the colectivo stop at 10:30, a full hour and a half before the audition time. It was a good thing, too, because at 11:20 the stupid 57 still hadn't come, so I got a cab. I wandered a little before finding the rehearsal space, but once I arrived at the little chapel a very nice man helped me find the director, Daniel, who was conducting auditions elsewhere. There were ten people waiting in the hall to sing, but when my excort told Daniel I was there, he came to the door with a big smile and said, "¡Ah sí! Samuel's friend! The American!" Then he had me come right in ahead of the people waiting. The audition part was pretty low-key; he mostly asked me questions about my choir experience and then told me that there's a cartoon for kids here in Argentina with a turtle that sings and that my voice sounds the like the turtle's. I guess that's a good thing, because he invited me to sing with them!

The rehearsal went well, and the other singers were very friendly. One girl knew who I was because her sister is one my class friencquaintuddies. It was really nice to feel welcome and in my element.

In other news, I have my first exam next week. The list of things I would rather do than study for this exam would fill the page and then some.

Thanks for the comments and emails--I love hearing from you! ¡Besos!