The final day of the trip proper, in which we spend a full day in Hong Kong, was really quite good. It revolved around celebrating the preceding week, socializing with all of the other participants on last time, and final goodbyes.
The directors and the guest groups were invited to a special Dim Sum lunch at a great restaurant that overlooked Victoria Harbour. This was particularly good, given that the choices were made for us as far as what dishes would be brought out to the four large tables. After lunch, there was time to rest and prepare for the final concert that evening before the final small recital. This one featured David Rey of the Geneva Brass Quintet performing solo repertoire arranged for brass quartet accompaniment. This was very enjoyable especially in that he performed many standard pieces of literature for the solo trombone.
After this was several hours of free time for many of us. For me, this was time to rest as well as begin packing for the next day. I was surprised how easy it was to pack everything, but I guess it helped that not many of my things ventured far away from my suitcase. If you ever have to pack a large amount of clothes for a trip (including dress clothes), I recommend that you look into the bundle method. This saved me a lot of hassle involving ironing and caring for my clothes after we arrived, due to the fact that they were in great condition overall after transit.
The final concert was just plain fun. For me, this trip is end to my full-time playing of the trombone. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity to wrap up 10 years of trombone playing. I will miss it, but it is time to move onto the next part of my life. Anyway, the concert was amazing. All of the participants were divided into eight ensembles, all of which taking turns during the concert playing one or two pieces for the remaining attendees and audience members. I had already played both of the pieces my group (Dragon Choir) with the CSU ensemble, but it was such a fantastic experience playing it with an internationally constructed group.
MONDAY MORNING
With little hassle, we made it to the airport and onto our first flight from Hong Kong to the SEA-TAC airport in Washington. We are entering the second hour of a six-and-a-half hour layover here before our final four-hour flight to Atlanta. This is my first time experiencing a sunset and then an immediate sunrise on a single flight. It is also an odd sensation living the same morning twice.
I am about to finish this up and go walk around to avoid falling asleep/into madness.
I'll see you when I get back to consciousness Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm not entirely certain of which one yet.
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