On April 30th, 2008 things went from good to worse, as the Bagley Middle School Band and Chorus were ready and set to go on their yearly trip. This year they had decided to travel 13 hours from Georgia to New York City. You could feel the excitement in the air, as the students had their entire luggage, and were taking pictures with their friends. That’s when tragedy struck. We were set to leave at 6pm, and the first bus didn’t arrive until 10 o’clock at night. The second bus never came, and some students even had to sleep in the school that night. At 6 o’clock in the morning, our advisor, Mrs. Stafford, informed us that our trip had been canceled. You could sense that people were angry and sad, as they had reason to be.
Fortunately, they decided to reschedule the trip for a later time in the year. So, a month later on May 26th, 2008 the BMS Band and Chorus, were on the road on their way to New York City. Although we were on the road, not even an hour into being on the road, our 2nd bus broke down, and we had to wait at a local McDonalds for two more hours while it was fixed. Finally, the Band and Chorus were on the road, and 13 hours later, we arrived at New York City.
We spent a three-day weekend exploring all the New York City hot spots, like Times Square, The Hershey Factory, and The Empire State Building. We took a fairy to Staten Island, and passed by the Statue of Liberty. We even attended two Broadway shows, Hairspray and Camelot. We took two Broadway Master Classes, one which was taught by Broadway sensation Seth Rudetsky. This experience put the fire under me to one day be on a Broadway stage, or film set, or concert stage performing, so that I can, hopefully, positively affect someone’s life or perspective of how they see the world, with my music/movies, like the trip did.
Another thing that trip helped me realize is that I am very fortunate. When I was younger, I would always complain about how we were having chicken for the fifth time this week, or that if all my friends got to go to the party of Friday night, why did I have to be stuck at church? That trip helped me realize that I have two very loving and caring parents, who would go hungry, if they needed to, in order to feed me, and who also brought me up in a Christian home because they care and love me, and just want the best for me, and I also have a God who loves me and has blessed me with amazing talents.
I definitely encourage people to visit New York City. Everything they say about how it’s a very magical city that inspires people, and dreams come true, is very true. There’s something for everyone, ranging from ages 3 to 78. It helped me realize my dream, and helped me become a better person. I love New York City!
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