Through the Eyes of an Alumna
Bethany Magazine, July 2017
“I can’t wait for choir tour!”
As a graduate of five years, I didn’t suspect I would ever hear myself excitedly exclaiming these words again. But here I was, chatting over Skype with a good friend and fellow Bethany alumna. And we were all set to join the Bethany Choir’s 2017 tour in Germany on the 500th anniversary year of the Lutheran Reformation. As a student, choir tour was the light at the end of the long tunnel of stress, projects, finals, no sleep, and did I mention stress? It was the glorious kickstart to a golden summer ahead. It was the end of The Return of the King: it’s over, the One Ring has been destroyed and now everyone feels like laughing and tucking in to second breakfasts again. It was time with friends sans homework, exams, and conflicting class schedules. And, of course, doing what we love best, singing and sharing our passion for Bethany with others. This was how I had come to know choir tour as a student. Now I would get to experience choir tour as an alumna.
Our first concert was on our second evening in Germany at the Kaufmannskirche in Erfurt. During rehearsal, I found I easily slipped right back into the alto section (perhaps being a choir member is like Narnia “once a king or queen of Narnia…always a king or queen…”) As soon as we began singing, I was reminded what a privilege it is to be a part of the Bethany Choir. That evening, I was proud to see several other alumni and non-students also donning red polos. How neat it was that though the Truth of God’s Word is nearly all but lost in Germany, it again rang out with the voices of our choir. And not only in Erfurt but other places of Lutheran Reformation fame, such as the Castle Church (or Schlosskirche) in Wittenberg. It is simply stunning to hear On My Heart Imprint Thine Image echo through the soaring arches and vaults of those ancient German churches.
The mix of students and non-students enhanced my travel experience. In the non-student group there were Bethany graduates such as myself, but also a number of family members of the students. For family of students as well as friends of Bethany, a trip such as this is a wonderful and reasonably-priced opportunity to travel. As a twenty-something myself, I was not much older than the students and getting to know them while exploring this new-to-us country was a pleasant experience. This was especially true in the evenings when we were free to wander. In Erfurt, one evening began with searching for a restaurant for dinner, then a few of us fancied a trip to an ice cream shop. There, we ran into another group of Bethany people who told us about the beautiful sight of the cathedral lit up at night. Later that week, when we were in Dresden, a few of us loitered around the famous Semperoper opera house for rush tickets. While we waited, some of us chatted with an elderly American expatriate who revealed he had not returned to the States in over forty years. Some of us (ok, it was me) also got the experience of sipping Moet champagne in the gorgeous hall during intermission.
As our journey inevitably came to a close, I admit to being reluctant to return home. And, as we stood in line at the Icelandair check in at the Munich airport, a few of us chatting about the trip and future travel aspirations, it struck me how much I had enjoyed traveling as an alumna. There is so much value participating in a Bethany hosted trip as a student, but I am here to say it is not too bad after you graduate either! It was a fantastic introduction to traveling in Europe, and if you are an alumnus/a and didn’t get a chance to travel while in school, or even if you did, this is an excellent opportunity. It’s a chance to feel like a student again (the fun bits, not the stressful bits). If you go, don’t forget your sense of adventure, and a really good pair of walking shoes.