Today,
Friday, June 2, we left for home. We were excited to come back to our
family and friends, but knew that we would miss seeing and tasting the
culture of both Spain and Portugal. This morning we would receive a
wake-up call at 3AM. We were to have our bags down to the lobby by 4AM
and all be on the bus by 4:30. The Lisbon airport was less than fifteen
minutes from the hotel. When we arrived, it was so early that there
was no group check-in counter so we all had to individually check in.
Our itinerary for the day was through the Madrid, Boston, and
Washington airports, and finally an hour and half drive to Baltimore.
All in all we were to have an itinerary that would span over
twenty-four hours of travel. This day of travel is often the most
difficult given that we will get back the six hours lost over traveling
over the six time zones, thus a thirty-hour day!
When
we returned to Spain via the Madrid airport layover, although it was
not home, it felt very familiar and comfortable. No one on the tour
spoke Portuguese, but many spoke Spanish, especially given the high
number of Spanish speakers in the United States. We had just a three
hour layover in Madrid before departing for Boston. The time in the air
from Madrid to Boston was over seven and one half hours. The question
was whether to try to stay up all day and quickly return to Eastern
Standard Time or sleep during the flight, and perhaps have one's sleep
pattern off for weeks due to confusing your natural circadian rhythm.
Most slept on the first two legs of our itinerary because of not going
to sleep at all during the previous night, hoping not to oversleep and
possibly delay the group.
We
arrived into Boston ahead of time at 2:30 PM. Everything was going
perfectly according to plan when everything came to a screeching halt!
After walking for several minutes around the Boston airport, we
discovered that our flight was cancelled due to engine problems. Many
were disappointed that their arrival home would be delayed at least by a
couple of hours, but I had a different perspective. I believed that we
were fortunate that the airline discovered the engine issues before
getting in the air! One observation during this tour was that every
airline that we have flown throughout the tour was on time! The one
time that we fly domestic (American Airlines) we have an issue with a
cancellation. Half of our group had to fly home at 7PM rather than 5PM
and the other half at 8PM. One consolation was the airline gave
everyone in the group a twelve dollar voucher for dinner at the airport
for any inconvenience caused - which was the very least that they could
do.
After
adjusting the bus schedule to pick us up after the second group arrived
which was around 9:47 PM. We all left Ronald Reagan International in
Washington, DC and are scheduled to arrive at Murphy Fine Arts Center at
11:30 PM.
Yes,
what an amazing tour of Spain and Portugal we have had in the past
weeks. We did not have even one day with any weather or forecast that
suggested precipitation. The temperatures were above average, allowing
us to wear clothing that was much lighter than we originally expected.
The food was very good - the Spanish are internationally known as
having excellent food and wine. We learned the very important role of
pork in the Spanish diet. Portugal’s fish industry strongly influenced
their array of fresh seafood dishes that we experienced.
The
people generally treated us African Americans with tolerance and
understanding. We felt that there was never a sense of being different
perhaps because of the color of our skin. The local people were very
warm to us, wanting for us to return to their respective countries.
Many of us said that if we had the resources, we would return now
having a strong overview of the country and culture.
Historically,
we learned much about these two cultures, that will certainly
contribute to our overall education and make us even more tolerant of
differences between people. It is one thing to read history in
textbooks, but to see, and walk through history as we did, will leave an
indelible impression in our minds.
I
believe that our collective mission of sharing Morgan choir's music
with new audiences was accomplished in such a mighty way the region will
absolutely NEVER forget the sounds of the Morgan State University Choir. Much in vogue today is the phenomenon of taking a photograph
with an artist immediately after a performance, done much more today
because of the ease of taking quality photos with our phones. We took
so many photos with the local people of Spain and Portugal, that we know
that these photos will displayed in local homes or Facebook pages for
generations to come. We will never forget Spain or Portugal and hope
that they will never forget the Morgan State University Choir!
Eric Conway, DMA
Morgan State University Choir, Director
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