by Amanda Bauman
I’m writing this post from Seoul to officially broadcast that South Korea is fantastic! We’ve just come to the end of ACFEA’s first tour to Korea in over three decades, and I can safely say it was a home run.
Tonight was an absolutely incredible, memorable night. The Empire State Youth Orchestra, on the 12th and final night of its tour, performed for around 1,200 people at the US Army base at Yongsan, which is located in Seoul. I’m admittedly not one to wear my patriotism on my sleeve, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t shed a tear or two when all of the uniformed officers stood during the playing of “The Army Goes Rolling Along”.
There was something surreal about coming to this place, in the middle of a land so foreign, and being able to put names and faces to armed forces we read about each day. I’ve had the good fortune not to know what it’s like to see a loved one shipped overseas for duty, so this really gave me insight into what that’s like, and makes me grateful.
ACFEA has two veterans in our Seattle office, Bill and Dave. I am pretty sure they would have been proud of ESYO, too!