Day 14- Last Day!

It truly saddens me to know that this life changing adventure has now come to an end.  As we board to plane to come home tomorrow, I can't help but wish we were staying one more week.  The kids are ready to come home.. But they've grown so much as travellers, I'm sure they could last a few more days! 

Today was another truly amazing day, as we performed all the music we have been working so hard on for the past 5 days. The concert was held in the next town near where we were staying as we needed a big enough space to hold a choir of almost 100, and our audience.  The concert went extremely well, and I think the audience was very impressed- especially knowing that 30 people singing came all the way from Canada.  I wish all of our kid's parents could have been there to witness the magic! 

We didn't get the chance to take any pictures on the iPad today, as myself and most of the chaperones were in the dress rehearsal and concert ourselves.  We do however have some parents who did take lots of pictures, and we'll be happy to share them at a later date.

I just have to mention again how proud we are of every singer who came on is tour.  Coming across the world with a few friends and "new parents" for two weeks is a scary thing.  Watching our 7 and 8 year olds walk at least 2 kilometres a day (with minimal complaints) was so encouraging.  Watching our 9 and 10 year olds keep up the positive vibes in times of stress and frustration was really eye opening. And finally, our oldest girls kept a light and awesome attitude, helped with the little ones, and always kept our trust. So thank you, parents, for sending such wonderful children to take me to Austria.

On a final note, I need to recognize our incredible chaperones.  They gave up 2 weeks of their summer, their vacation, and time with their families to come and be parents, nurses, policemen, cabooses, ATMs, and so much more for our lovely choir.  I give credit for our smooth sailing throughout these two weeks to the chaperones.  They kept their cool during our few challenging moments - some ridiculous heat and humidity, hungry and/or tired kids, or that night when we got caught in a torrential downpour on the way home from a very long day.  They always put the kids first.  I'm so happy I got the chance to really get to know each chaperone- the trip wouldn't have been the same without their support! So thank you, Kathleen, Patricia, Joy, William and Krishna! 

When we are all home safe tomorrow, I will post some final pictures that didn't quite make it on the blog.  I hope you have enjoyed the Arioso Tour blog, I sure enjoyed writing every night, and reminding myself of how lucky I was to be apart of this tour myself.  Sleep well, and get ready for some serious hugs and kisses from your children.

-R.P