Day 11 was our last day in Argentina. The only event on
the agenda for this day was a guided Fiesta Gaucho Tour with lunch.
This was an opportunity for the group to experience and interact with
the Argentinian Gauchos (cowboys). We travelled 45 miles to the Santa
Susana Ranch in Los Cardales, Argentina. As we entered the ranch, we
each were given several varieties of Empanadas (you may have seen these
hot pastries in several of the earlier jpegs) - the true Argentinian
appetizer/snack. We entered the main house and smelled several
different varieties of meats roasting on the coals.
Everyone
in the group was excited, because we had heard that the entire group
would be given the opportunity to go horse-back riding. For some this
may not seem like a big deal, but for most of the choir members, they
had never been on the back of a horse before - oh what fun! The guide
kidding around with the group saying the the horses were slow and low to
the ground. The horses only had two speeds, slow and slower! Imagine a
kid who lived in the city all of their lives riding a horse for the
first time. After getting over all over sight and smell of the
droppings, everyone, truly had a great time! Imagine that it took a
choir tour to get some choir members on a horse for the first time in
their lives!
After
an afternoon of riding, we all ate in the big house. We were concerned
because the persons helping us get on the horses earlier were now our
waiters! I guess one had to multi-task on this ranch. We enjoyed a
great barbecue lunch of several meets. After a huge lunch, we enjoyed a
cowboy show of beautiful singing and dancing. After the show, the
host asked the choir to the stage to sing a closing selection for the
international audience in the dining room. After lunch, we went back
to the stables and field to see a cowboy show, now with our waiters
transformed back to cowboys! One entertaining portion of the show was
the gauchos trying to spear a small ring while galloping quickly to the
ring. When grasped, the cowboy would then give the ring to a audience
member for the price of a “kiss”.
The day at the ranch was a very relaxing way to spend our last day in Argentina, taking in rural Argentinian Gaucho life.
We
returned to hotel to gather our things. We departed the hotel around
7:15PM. Our flight back to the JFK was scheduled to depart at 11:00 PM.
Final Day - 12
We
arrived at 9AM on Sunday, May 31, 2015 after an eleven hour flight -
the return flight always seems faster. We were quickly processed
through US customs. Again, all luggage was present and accosted for. We
only had a four and half hour drive back to campus.
All
in all, this may have been the best attended concert tour that the
choir has ever had. All concerts were either filled to the capacity of
the hall or had at least nine hundred persons in attendance. Of
course, the choir likes traveling internationally, but the real joy is
seeing the faces of citizens of other countries who have perhaps never
heard the voices of an African American choir before.
As
stated in earlier correspondence, there were only a few persons of the
African Diaspora in Argentina. I believe this is one reason why we were
may have been such a “novelty”? Argentina being a Catholic state,
with very few other religions, were perhaps hearing some of our American
genre of music that we sang for the first time.
The
audiences of Argentina will never forget the Morgan State University
Choir. We travelled as far as a group could travel in Argentina for the
limited amount of time that we had. As tourists, we enjoyed a broad
perspective of the country.
I
believe that the Morgan State University Choir represented the choir,
city and country well in our concerts. We pray that we can continue to
carry the Morgan banner even higher - growing the future and leading the
world!
EC
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