Notre Dame Chorale Tour

Here is the schedule for my choir's winter performances.

Nov. 13: Fall Concert at Notre Dame

Dec. 4: Messiah Performance with Orchestra at Notre Dame

Dec. 9: Notre Dame

Jan. 3: Pittsburg

Jan. 4: Washington, D.C.

Jan. 5: New Jersey

Jan. 6: New York City (free day)

Jan. 7: Boston

Jan. 8: Albany

Jan. 9: Cleveland

http://performingarts.nd.edu/index.php?page=detail&event=926

http://www.nd.edu/~chorale/

The last website needs some updates, but you can get an idea about the choir.

Jason

A distinct season in South Bend

Although I have not taken too many pictures yet of the colors here in South Bend and the surrounding area, it is clear that the fall season is rich. No snow yet ;)

Day in Chicago

After an eventful trip to Chicago by train we headed for the Chicago Aquarium. I had been there before with Brent and Charles some time ago. It was nice to see a large collection of aquatic life and Niki suggested that we see the dolphin show twice. We also browsed some shops and had deep dish pizza for Dinner. Before we left to catch the train again we had to stop at the lego store, just for fun.

North American Corrymeela Volunteers Reunion 2009

Last weekend Niki and I drove for 4 and a half hours to visit our Corrymeela friend Marian in Fairfield Ohio. Last year Marian made it all the way to Winnipeg to visit us; this year it was our turn to make the journey. Marian's boyfriend Jimmy was in town as well so we met and got to know him as well. Unfortunately Marian fell sick with food poisoning and was sick Friday evening and most of Saturday, but we made the best of it. Some of the things we did included Settlers of Catan, going to an international grocery store and tourist attraction called Jungle Jim's, fish and chips at an Irish Pub, Cincinnati's Art Museum, a conference call with Katharina (our German volunteer) and watching "Earth." It has been two years since we left Corrymeela, there has been continent reunions so far, maybe we can start to plan for a five year world reunion in 2012.

Notre Dame 33, Michigan State 30

Niki and I attended our first Notre Dame Football game yesterday along with our friend, and one of Niki's colleagues, Nuwan. There are seven home games this year and this was the second. It was quite the cultural experience as we found out, full of interesting traditions. We sat in the student section which was probably the most lively section. There was no choice but to stand the entire game because everyone else was standing.

Depending on what was going on in the game we would perform a different combination of noise, body movements and claps led by the Notre Dame marching band and cheerleaders. For instance, when Michigan State had the ball and they were on the third down everyone would jingle their keys in hopes that the sound would intimidate them. When Notre Dame scored a touch down, groups of 6 or so people would lift a lightweight spectator and push them up into the air the number of times according to how many points Notre Dame has. So when Notre Dame reached 33 points the person would be pushed up 33 times. Unfortunately Notre Dame's main quarterback, a Clausen, was injured early in the game, but they managed to win in a very intense last minute where Notre Dame intercepted the ball from what could have been a Michigan State touch down. We will probably never watch a college football game the same way again.

Upcoming Events

Here are a few upcoming things happening in our lives that are a bit out of the ordinary.
Sept. 19 Niki and Jason watch Notre Dame vs. Michigan State at Notre Dame's football stadium.

Sept. 22- Oct 2 Jason volunteers with Habitat for Humanity during their blitz weeks.

Sept. 25-27 Niki, Jason and Marian have a North American Corrymeela Volunteer Reunion in Ohio.

Sept. 29 Jason learns the ropes at Ten Thousand Villages volunteer training session.

Oct. 17-25 Niki enjoys Fall Break

Nov. 13, Dec. 4, 5, 9 Jason performs with the Notre Dame Chorale

Class of 2011

Just a quick note that Niki's class and a brief description of everyone can be found at http://kroc.nd.edu/people/students/masters/2011

A look at campus

The path through the trees is a part of the walk/bike ride to campus from our apartment.

At the end of the grassy

part of the next picture is the athletic center where we will go for a daily swim. The next picture is the golden dome with is the main building on campus. Next, is the back of the Basilica. The lake is one of two on campus with trails around them. The colosseum shaped building is the Notre Dame Football Stadium. Students can have season tickets at a discounted rate. The tall glass in the archway looks into one of the many dining halls on campus. The mural with Jesus at the top is one of the largest libraries in North America where it holds over 300 million books. The red brick apartment building is ours with our car parked in its spot. And finally, the Hesburgh College building which is home to the Kroc Institute where Niki will be studying. There is much more on campus including an Art Museum, Post Office, Police Station and a lot of new construction projects. The campus is just over 1200 acres and is technically its own city.

New Home

After many hours of driving, a fairly painless border crossing, and a night camping in Wisconsin we managed to arrive at our new apartment in South Bend. We're excited to set up our new place and see what Notre Dame University and South Bend have to offer us. Everyone seems to be very friendly and welcoming.

Farewell Tour

Niki and I spent the last week on a farewell tour, making our way to Hague, Canmore, Calgary and back again stopping in Saskatoon and Regina to say our goodbye's. Our cat, Bailey, spent the whole time adjusting to life on our Aunt and Uncle's farm, which will be her new home from now on. Our home is beginning to feel empty as we pack and clean before our trip.