Laundry Day -- Again!

Svieki!

It was laundry day again here in Riga, so off we trudged.  We put our dirty clothes in two of our rolling suitcases and headed for the tram.  The tram that we catch is about six blocks away, so we didn't have too much of a walk.  We got on the tram and rode it to Gertrudes Iela (Gertrude Street).  Unfortunately, our "laundromat" is about five blocks away from the tram stop, so we continued to trudge along.  We got there and all of the washing machines were busy.  I had decided before we got there that, since the price we paid when we stayed there and did it ourselves was the same as when we dropped it off and picked it up later, we would just drop it off and come back later.  We were told to come back in three hours.

In the area of Central Riga where we were, it's rather difficult to waste three hours.  What we probably should have done is get on the tram and go back to the apartment.  We walked around and ventured into a couple of stores and then went to our favorite place to eat -- El Carlito's Mexican restaurant.  It is a small place and is just a couple of blocks down from the  laundromat. We always enjoy going there when we do our laundry.  They have good food, and their waitress (the only one we've ever seen) is a real sweetheart.

The food was great again today, and after we finished eating, we asked the waitress to come over and talk to us.  We were the only customers there at the time, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem.  She came over and told us her name was Elena.  I asked her if she was from Riga, and she said that she was.  She had been a student at the Latvian Art Academy and was a year from finishing but decided to take this last year off.  She will resume in the fall and will finish her degree.  She then asked about us, and we told her where we were from and why we had come to Latvia.  It was an enjoyable conversation. When we left the restaurant, we had only been gone 2 1/2 hours, but we hoped that our laundry would be done.  Luckily it was, so we repacked our suitcases with the clean laundry and walked to the tram stop.

This evening we are going to the rehearsal of a gospel choir.  I'm not sure how I heard about them, but I emailed them and asked if I could come to their rehearsal.  They are preparing for the World Choir Games, so it will be great hearing them at their best.  I'm not sure that Latvia's idea of a gospel choir and our idea of a gospel choir is the same, but it will be fun to see.

While this country has some phenomenal choirs, I can't say that I have truly enjoyed their concerts from an entertainment standpoint.  They sing extremely difficult music, and they sing it very well.  I can certainly appreciate them for that.  However, the concerts are not what I would call "fun."  As a choir director, I am all about giving my audiences a fun experience when they come to a concert.  Granted, I also want to give them a great musical performance as well, but I always tell my singers that the most important thing for them to do is to enjoy themselves while giving the concert.  If the singers enjoy singing the music, then the audience is going to enjoy hearing the music and enjoy watching them sing.

Here in Latvia, as in the other Baltic countries, participating in a choir is something that a lot of people do.  It is a part of their history and their heritage, so they make time to do it.  Most of the choirs, especially the good ones, get financial support from the cities in which they are located.  The better the choir, the more support they get.  In America, as I'm sure it is in a lot of other places, singing in choirs is not something that is promoted or very popular.  People lead such busy lives, and making the choice to commit one evening a week to sing in a choir is a big commitment.  It is also something that a lot of people who don't do music don't understand.

I love my choirs, and I love the fact that they are willing to commit one evening a week to come and spend time with me as we make beautiful music together.  Could they be doing something else?  Certainly.  That's why I work so hard at making sure we have a good time.  Singing together in a choir is unlike any other activity -- even that of playing in a band or orchestra.  We take our voices -- the most perfect instrument of all -- and combine them together to create this glorious sound, one that is full of richness and beauty.  And in the midst of all of that richness and beauty lie words that give a message to all who hear.  It is those words, that message, that make us different.

Well, off my soapbox.  I can't believe it's the end of June already.  Three weeks from tomorrow we leave this beautiful city and come back to reality.  I'm sure it will hit us hard.  However, there are many things that we look forward to, not the least of which is our washer and dryer!

Later!