May 3: Audru, Estonia

As there have been, and will continue to be, today we had a "first." We had our first concert in the quaint town of Audru, Estonia. This morning we loaded the bus and drove just under 2 hours through the tree-filled, tranquil landscape. We were greeted with warm smiles and an exciting schedule that had been planned for the day. The 15-20 eleventh grade students at the school had planned three different "workshops" for the Castle Singes to participate in- dance lessons, a lesson about Estonia, and also making a craft. In the dance lesson, we were taught two different folk dances of Estonia. They were simple, yet tricky enough that we all shared a lot of laughs trying to figure them out. The students that were teaching us were upbeat and willing to take th time needed to help us figure out our questions. Four if the students also showed us the Estonian national dance. It was so great to see these high school age kids so in touch with their country and willing to share it with the Castle Singers. The lesson over Estonia was much like a lesson one would have in a normal class. There was a prepared slide-show, and one student presented many facts and interesting information about Estonia. We learned that Estonia has between four and five-hundred thousand inhabitants. 70% of its inhabitants are Estonian and the others are mainly Russian other Europeans and Northern Africans. It's capital is Tallinn(where we traveled yesterday and will again tomorrow.) Also, we learned that Estonia is very important in the technology business. Those parents that have been communicating with their children via Skype? Estonians are to thank for that service. The making of a bracelet was our final workshop for the day. It was tricky to figure out, but we all had fun making(or trying to make) them. Some of our students were even helping the Estonian students figure it out. It is nice to have something small, but meaningful to bring home. Along with these three stops, everyone got a tour of the school. The school houses grades 1-12 currently but next year will only go to the ninth grade due to education reforms that have occurred in the country. A push for more basic education is the reason behind this. There were three main levls to the school; the first floor was for the oldest kids, the second was for 5th-9th grade, and the third was for the elementary age kids. The school was quite old, but had many of the "normalities" one would find in a school- a gumnasium, a track and soccer field, computer lab, art rooms, and cafeteria. After we were finished with the tour and workshops, we had lunch in the cafeteria. It was served "family style" with the food in large bowls and plates to be passed around. We all agreed that the food they were serving was more than a normal school lunch we were used to. Golden potatoes and gravy with meat, cucumber, red pepper, and cabbage salad with dressing, rolls, and yogurt that you drank out of a glass. All delicious! In the evening we had our concert at a small church nearby the school. It was great to perform for some of the local people and the high schoolers that had showed us around earlier in the day. We sang a variety of songs ranging from our ballad to the Jazz Mass we had commissioned to Route 66. What was amazing to see was the reaction of the audience. I'm not sure how many of them even spoke English, but they moved and grooved to the music regardless! The main thing that stood out during the performance was the temperature! The church was quite old and seemed to hoard the cold air. Their was a significant drop in temperature right when you walked through the door. During our whole set list our breath could be seen occasionally and some hands were held to keep warm. Luckily this didn't ruining any of the excitement and fun of performing in such a friendly and welcoming town. We got back to our hostel around 8-8:30pm and then had the evening free. People went their separate ways, but from what I can't tell now just before going to bed, everyone had and enjoyable night spent walking the streets or just staying in and bonding more with friends. A great quote from today: Q: "So we're you cold during the performance?" A: "Nah... The spirit of jazz kept me warm."