DAY 9 (SYDNEY)

August 2, 2018 

We all packed up to head to an all-girls Anglican school named Danebank. We set up our bells and practiced before the performance. The girls who assisted us were extremely helpful, friendly, and kind and we very much appreciated their hospitality! Then we performed around 7 beautiful bell pieces for the Year 7 girls at the school. They were an amazing interactive audience with tons of questions like, “Is the weather cold to you?” (The answer to that, of course, was no! It was *only* 60 degrees F (16 degrees C), so this felt like our spring) After the bell performance, the girls were able to ask questions one-on-one with our ringers and possibly ring the bells! They also had never seen handchimes before so we introduced them to a new and unique instrument. We then headed down to lunch which the students graciously provided. We were served many savory pastries, vegemite sandwiches, and awesome desserts (like Tim Tams and Lamingtons!). Another popular dessert was Fairy Bread, a piece of white bread slathered in butter and topped with Hundreds and Thousands— colorful flavored bead sprinkles. The tables were decked with American decor like American flag napkins and streamer centerpieces. We felt so at home! We made so many new friends and were able to ask them about their culture as they asked about ours (yes they listen to Cardi B). After lunch they even gave gifts to the ringers that included Danebank pens, pins, and keychains! We loved how thoughtful and caring everyone was, and the amazing attention to detail. As if it all wasn’t enough, they also brought some American sweets like Hershey’s chocolate and ketchup chips! (American chips, not Aussie chips) I’ve actually never had ketchup chips before, but they’re quite good. It’s cool how they call ketchup tomato sauce and French fries chips. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was sad to leave to head back to the hotel. But overall the performance went very well and everyone had a great time!

For the rest of the afternoon, we had more more free time to explore the beautiful city of Sydney. Some explored the Sydney opera house while others went to the aquarium. We walked along George street where shops were lined up.

Tomorrow we finally head to Cairns for the symposium!!

Jordan and Mio