Chaperoning in NYC - Part 1

This past weekend I had the exceptional honor of being a chaperone for Grant's marching band annual trip.  This is my second time doing this.  The first annual trip I chaperoned was the Disney trip...what a trip...however, that was NOTHING compared to this year's...

This time I accompanied 87 band members to New York City.

Yes, I know...the bus ride to New York City was WAY better than the bus ride to Florida, of course!  But other than that...sigh...

The thing is that I LOVE Disney!  And when we went, once we got to the parks, the kids were able to be pretty much on their own with the occasional check in points throughout the days.  I am NOT in love with New York City and we had to keep a really, REALLY close/tight rope on the kids since we were loose around the Big Apple along the other 7 million people who call that place home.

I cannot even begin to tell you how scared and nervous I have been for the last 7 or so months since I first read the itinerary.  That is, actually, why I decided to volunteer as a chaperone.  I was not about to let Grant go without me.  The reality was so much more challenging than my imagination, that I can't even catch my breath still...

We ran around blocks.  We J-walked.  We hurried through the crowds.  We covered our noses as we gagged with the corner smells.  We rolled our eyes at people's vulgarity.  We covered our eyes at the sight of people's vulgarity.  We found out that 44th and 8th is NOT a nice place to hang out with teens.  Some even witnessed a random tasing incident!  sigh...

But... at the same time... we saw the most amazing sights!  We felt as if we were in a movie the whole time!  We played Jenga on a dinner cruise with the backdrop of the New York City Skyline in all its lit up glory!  We marvelled at the larger than life billboards in Time Square.  We learned about the arts, the opera and the symphony.  We played at Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty on our backs.  We felt our souls mourn the loss of the victims of that tragic September 11 morning.  We realized the immensity of the tragedy and, most of them, for the first time, imagined the magnitude of its impact.  We danced, we played, we talked, we got to know each other more, all within the blessing of the most gorgeous weather we've had so far!

Yes, it was challenging.  I am exhausted.  I did not like the food.  I had to share an uncomfortable bed with another chaperone.  I felt really crowded on my bus seat.  I saw things that will be hard to forget.  I am behind on my work.  I missed the other two members of my family.  But, I can't imagine myself doing anything else other than being in New York City, one of my least favorite places in the world, with that, 2-bus-loads full of band kids this past weekend.  I would not have rather done anything else.  And for this experience, I will praise the Lord for all the days to come.

Stay tune for another post on this subject as soon as I catch up on my sleep!