Days 6-8 Estonia to Finland.

Hei! from Helsinki, Finland (:
This is April Kim reporting on behalf of Natalia and fellow LACC choristers.

Day 6: We left Tallinn, Estonia on a ferry and departed for Helsinki, Finland. The ferry ride was only 2 hours long so it was not as painful and long as the first ferry that took us from Stockholm to Tallinn. Many exchanged money to Euros then ate lunch, others shopped at the convenient superstore and bought some snacks for the long bus ride that was ahead of them. The bus ride was 5 hours long from Helsinki to Jyvaskyla. Many got some good sleep that they long needed and some girls and boys made friendship bracelets. Half way to Jyvaskyla, we stopped at an ice cream stand and got a chance to eat and stretch. As a thank you to the ice cream stand girl who had to scoop 40 ice cram cones, the choristers sang a Finnish song. The girl was so touched and very impressed with our Finnish "skills". She stood watching in awe and cried while we sang for her. For all of us, it was great to see and experience how through music, we can communicate with a stranger and touch their minds by simply singing a very well known Finnish song. As soon as we arrived in Jyvaskyla, choristers met their homestays and headed their way.

Day 7: The Vox Aurea choir planned an outing for the LACC choristers to spend an afternoon on an island. They had the chance to bond with the Finnish girls and boys swimming in the lake, grilling hot dogs, canoeing, and just simply enjoying the scenery. At 4, the Vox Aurea and LACC had a rehearsal. LACC got a chance to have a combined warm-up and in my opinion, it was quite different and I think most people had fun with the exercises. Later the night, the Vox Aurea and LACC had a performance. The audience enjoyed the concert very much that we even got called back for an encore! of course, we sang our very favorite "It don't mean a thing". The audience was very engaging and attentive throughout the whole concert, children and adults! After the concert, each choristers got to spend time with their families. From what I've heard, many went to sauna, late night swimming, and biking. I can assure you that the choristers are all having alot of fun and are making enriching experiences and memories.

Day 8: HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! At 9AM, everyone came to meet the bus to depart for Helsinki. They said their goodbyes and some even cried. As a thank you to Finland for giving us such a perfect weather for us to really enjoy the nature, and thank you to the homestays, we sang "Blue Skies." Then we boarded the bus for an awesome 5 hour bus ride back to Helsinki. At the half point, all the choristers got to spend some time at a Finnish supermarket and shop like Finnish people. We bought candies, chips, cookies, juices, and sodas. Everyone shared food and laughter through the long bus ride that we were there in Helsinki in no time. We finally arrived at our hotel, Cumulus which is located right in the center of downtown. Upon our arrival, we got to rest up for a little then changed into our concert uniform and headed on our way to our last tour concert and for the seniors, our very last concert with LACC ever at the Rock Church. After we performed our songs, we were joined by the Candomino chorus and sang the National Anthem. Even though we are all the way in Finland, we still got to wave our very own flag and honor the independence day!

I hope I was able to give you a little better picture in your mind what the choristers are experiencing. Enjoy the video and pictures. I apologize for such delay in the postings. We have not been able to have access to wifi and have been very busy with concerts and rehearsals.

See you soon !

With lots of love, April (: