Day 1 in Buenos Aires

To commence our journey to South America, members of WYSO bussed down to O’Hare International Airport; however, we did not fly internationally quite yet, and waited 7 hours in New York’s JFK airport until we put our passports to use. During the layover, we played cards and met some unfamiliar musicians of WYSO. Some napped.

The 11-hour plane ride, due to strong opposing winds, extended to almost 12. As I let out an internal groan, I turned on the movie “Divergent” and hoped toddlers and babies would keep silent for the duration of the overnight flight.

On our first day in Buenos Aires, our tour groups trudged through the cold city after cleaning up from the long flight where some of us stayed stationary for more than 10 hours. With my calves sore and my feet as swollen as pomegranates, the short tour and the colder winter climate around the city exhausted me. Thankfully, we returned to the luxurious Hotel Presidente in a timely manner, where my group members and I, despite our physical fatigue, ran up the 12 flights of stairs to our rooms.

Each step pained our thighs and we ended up hyperventilating on our beds with severe lung pain, but waiting for a 6-person-maximum elevator with a group as large as ours would have hurt my mental state more than climbing up the stairs.

Through the city tour, I discovered the need to watch one’s step. Many cracked tiles and concrete obstructed my path and I tripped more than 4 times outside, as well as on the step to the bathroom door in our hotel rooms. Unkempt roads led us from Hotel Presidente to dinner at Restaurante 1234 to the beautiful and intricate Teatro Colon, where we watched an interesting ballet rehearsal. In the preview, dancers illustrated a true story of a sculptor and his feelings towards his art.

Antonia & Mae Leigh

To conclude the long first day, we blogged. Here it is. ¡Disfruta!

~Antonia Rohlfing and Mae Leigh Patchin

Arrived safe and sound!

Arrived safe and sound in BA. Just completed a quick walking tour of the area around our hotel.  We have a group dinner planned tonight. The open dress rehearsal to RODIN the ballet was closed by the maestro yesterday. But the director of the Theatre Colon has invited WYSO to be the only guests allowed. He will also give us a personal tour of the most famous theater in South America.

A tiny 6 hour layover

Here I am, in JFK, watching our students playing cards, reading books, wandering around, and generally having a lot of fun.  The morning ran smoothly, especially if you love people watching and getting to know a lot of new WYSO members.  This is my second time as a chaperone for the international tour, and I absolutely love experiencing all this through our students' eyes.  As is normal, we had many nervous stomachs this morning, but all are gaining confidence and trust with every passing moment.

While things have gone well thus far, I must admit that a six hour layover at JFK with 70 high school students would wear on anyone!  But they're doing great - keeping entertained and taking turns wandering and watching stuff.  The chaperones and staff are coping well, too - a little of our own comraderie is helping the time to pass more quickly.

Just a few hours to go until we board, and then on to Buenos Aires.  Sleep well everyone, and hope we all do, too!

Ann Groves Lloyd, PhD

Up, Up, and Away

Bridget Fraser - ED

The WYSO youth orchestra has safely arrived at O'Hare. The check in process was relatively smooth aside from an overweight percussion case and Mr. Smith's missing reciprocity receipt. Both situations were remedied and we all made our way through security without incident. Our plane to JFK is scheduled to leave on time.   It is a beautiful day to fly!

Farewell Concert

Come watch us perform TODAY at 7:00 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens! It’s our farewell concert before we go off to Argentina. We will be playing Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, Billy the Kid Suite by Aaron Copland, Dwayne S. Milburn’s Liturgical Scenes, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, and “Malambo” from Estancia Suite by Alberto Ginastera—all of which we will be playing on the tour. Pictures of the Farewell Concert will be posted on the blog. Hope to see you there!

~David Cao

Excitement at First Rehearsal

My name is George Cao. I am one of the chaperones on the WYSO Argentina tour and also will take photos and videos as a group photographer. Two days ago, Sunday 7/21, our group met at a Pizza party. Chaperones and WYSO members got a chance to greet and know each other better. Also, everybody got a cool tour t-shirt, which will be worn mainly at our departure and return. Our group seems excited about getting ready for the tour. Last night was also the first orchestra rehearsal with conductors Mr. Smith and Mrs. Eckel. Here are some photos at the event.

4 Days until Lift-off

David Cao - Violinist

                The WYSO tour to Argentina is just 4 days away! I’m so excited but at the same time, I’m also worried about what to bring for the tour. I have a relatively large bag to put all my clothes and essentials in, but there is a weight limitation for all checked luggage bags. For our American Airlines flights, 50 pounds (or 23 kilograms) is the maximum weight a checked bag can be—or there will be additional unnecessary fees for overweight baggage. The 50 pound luggage bag limit seems impossible to reach based on just clothes, but out of experience, it’s easy to go over when you pack all the essentials for a trip. So I have to be selective about what I bring and what I don’t.

            Clothes are, of course, crucial and take up the majority of the luggage space. Packing an adequate amount of fashionable clothes may prove challenging since we are covering a difficult temperature range in Argentina. The temperature in Argentina right now can sometimes allow us to wear short sleeved shirts and short pants for Wisconsin summer weather, and at other times require us to wear a sweatshirt, long pants, or even a medium-weight jacket for the winter chills during the evening. And what about shoes? I wouldn’t want to wear the same pair of shoes around the city every day—but shoes also take up quite a bit of space. Based on the WYSO Staff advice, I’ll probably just bring about a week’s worth of clothes and find many combinations between the shirt-pants choices. 2-3 pairs of shoes is probably enough for me, but that’s just my personal preference.

            As for the essential electronics/accessories, it’s definitely useful to have a cell phone with you that works internationally in case of any emergency during the tour. With that, you need to charge your phone, but the power outlets in Argentina are different than in the U.S…they are 220V and V-shaped. For that problem, I am bringing along a plug adapter to share with my roommate. All the portable electronic devices should be easy to charge, since the charger typically covers a large voltage range—from 100 to 240 volts. In addition, I was told by WYSO that some of the hotel rooms in Argentina don’t have hair dryers. My dad found on Amazon that you can purchase a travel-size hair dryer and plug adapter for less than $25. This hairdryer is dual voltage, so there will be no need for a big, heavy power adapter. Just turn the voltage knob to 250 before using it in Argentina. Just to be on the safe side…for this hair dryer, only use the low setting in case the high setting burns out the hair dryer at 220V. The link for both the hair dryer and plug adapter can be found below. If you purchase the hair dryer and adapter from Amazon, be sure to go through the Amazon link on the WYSO webpage.

Hair Dryer: 

Plug Adaptor:

            Currency exchange and making purchases will also be difficult on the tour. Argentina uses the Argentine Peso, which runs about 8.14 Pesos to 1 US Dollar. Although there are many places in Argentina to exchange money, the rates may not be as good—even at the airport. Try not to exchange money on the streets of Argentina to avoid counterfeit money. I’d say try to exchange all your cash at a local bank or an authorized exchange place in Argentina; they’ll give you the closest exchange to the market value. Bring along an ATM card just in case you run out or can’t find a currency exchange place. You can also make purchases easier in Argentina by bringing a debit card with you.

            And for everyone writing on the blog during the tour, we need a way to write, transfer, and submit blog posts. I know most people are not bringing a laptop and just using their phones to write the blog entries. Bringing an iPad or tablet can also make it easier for you to type and attach pictures. It will definitely help if you download a Microsoft Word equivalent app on your phone or tablet to make typing, editing and transferring blog files easier during the tour.

~David Cao