For my entire life, I have been able to see both ends of my home from the sky. A place full of adventure and life, Oahu is after all, still only an island. And now, in the city of Gig Harbor, perhaps an “island” in itself, has the same familiar feel to it, everything in arm’s reach. The grocery store is only minutes away, and so is the movie theater, the restaurants, and the mall. Life is simple.

I recently got the amazing opportunity to travel to the only imaginable New York City with the talented Gig Harbor High School Meistersingers and Bella Voce. I must admit, I still struggle to find the words that could even remotely describe my experience, but I do know that the feeling of accomplishment, and pride hit me when I was engulfed by the bright lights of Times Square, before we had even stepped foot on the world’s most famous stage at Carnegie Hall. It was then that the hopes that had become dreams became reality, in this city so massive that it seemed it could hold multiple islands just in a portion of its magnificence.

Despite the late nights and early mornings, I always summoned the energy to explore whenever the choir wasn’t rehearsing. I saw the nighttime city lights from the top of the Empire State Building, art from all over the world inside the Metropolitan Museum, and enjoyed the view at Central Park. The Rockefeller Rink was everything it is in the movies, and standing outside Radio City Music Hall was a privilege. The most amazing parts of the trip were the late night cruise around the riveting Statue of Liberty, and of course without a doubt, performing John Rutter’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall.

How the heck did I get this lucky?
I didn’t know if I would be able to handle life in the big city, even for only a couple days. Swarms of people with places to be and too many cars on the street to match this high-paced lifestyle seemed too hard to fit into. But perhaps it’s easier to keep up when one is chasing their dreams.