Friday, April 19
7:04 a.m. CET (Central European Time)
’Twas the morning before leaving
when all through the lobby
not a student was stirring
not even my friend Bobby.
The suitcases were stuffed
in the hotel with care,
in hopes that the room checkers would not be there…
In the dreary and rainy morning, only the teachers and a few coffee-enthusiast students were to be seen in the lobby. The rest were either still blissful in their sweet dreams or experiencing the nightmare of packing. Those who ventured down to the lobby were destined to be met with the question, “Have you finished packing yet?” Before 7:00, this answer was a definite “No”. Only one brave soul shilly-shallied in the lobby, subjecting himself to the possibility of the ever-present interrogations of Dr. Rozenberg. And no, he did not eat breakfast; his stomach was on a union coffee break.
7:15 a.m.
Finally, at around 7:20, some early risers drudged downstairs for the usual monotonous, but satisfyingly hearty breakfast. Unfortunately, Bill was still nowhere to be found.
By 8:08 a.m.
Bill finally arrived in the lobby. “Yes, I was doing both,” admitted Bill, when I asked him if he was “shilly-shallying” and “dilly-dallying” in his room. Also around this time, more students had arrived to make their final chocolate-drizzled waffles and to consume their last dry and flaky crumpets. Mr. Mackey and Mrs. Simonelli would also be conducting their final room checks today, room checks that will hopefully turn up nothing bad. Most of the students had returned to their rooms at around 8:20, likely to resume their last chance of monkey business in the Netherlands. The downpour and bleak weather of today resembled the mood of our group as we prepared to leave. While we do look forward to waking up in our own beds and not to be packed onto a bus this weekend, we will all dearly miss the Netherlands. The sights we saw were likely the most beautiful our eyes have had to behold in our youthful days, granting us an unforgettable experience. While most of us don’t look forward to returning to the monotonous everyday grind of school and homework, we can be grateful for what we have at BC High. When we visited the Jesuit public school on Tuesday, more than a few of us noticed how small it was, given that there were 2000 kids enrolled in Stanislas College. The lockers they had were footlockers, and a field they had for sports looked like an underdeveloped tennis court. So, hopefully our mood will be improved upon returning to BC High by appreciating how wonderfully big and full of opportunities our school is.
9:40 a.m.
Our choir gathered for the final performance in the hotel lobby, at the request of the hotel staff. We sang the National Anthem there, which delighted the staff to the point that they too were filming. We then began singing the gorgeous Hallelujah song, to tell the staff that we had indeed heard of a baby boy that came to earth to bring them joy. In the middle of it, Dr. insisted the staff join us, which they did. The singing by our young men and their young women was gorgeous, truly angelic. We then packed up and went on to the bus after waiting for a little while. When on the bus, I was truly blessed to have a surprise Happy Birthday sung to me by everyone (including Bill)! I wasn’t expecting this at all, and it made my day, and maybe my entire week. On our way to the airport, we kept our mood up by playing all the classics and singing along to them. The sleepy heads in the back missed out on a lot, but they had their moments early on in the trip. This time it was the moms’ turn. Since Mrs. Remley controlled the music and the speaker, she could play whatever she wanted. At first, it was all right since the music was well-liked by everyone, but then Mrs. Remley discovered a playlist on Spotify named “90s Mom’s Anthem.” This is something I must bury in the Mariana Trench so my Mom may never find out about it. To the present husbands’ dismay, as well as to most people on the bus, all of the moms naturally approved. The Coup De’Speaker had been staged. It was only due to the benevolence of Mrs. Remley that our choice of the timeless classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was played, which a few students in the front sang along to. There was an exception of Adam, who had sadly lost his voice days ago. However, at the end of the trip, “When Doves Cry” by Prince played, a banger that everyone could enjoy. Who doesn’t know Prince?
12:00 p.m.
We arrived at the airport, where security took as long as it always does, but at least our flight wasn’t delayed.
5:33 p.m.
We are all on the plane now, as we got on a couple of hours ago. A young troublemaker was caught in the middle of his monkey business by Dr. Rozenberg. He was overusing the service button, calling the flight attendant and hiding, deserting her poor soul in the No Man’s Land of the Isle. “Unbelievable.” Dr. Rozenberg commented. Dr. threatened to JUG this whippersnapper for an entire week, but her merciful heart gave him one more chance.
6:53 p.m.
We are all relaxing on the plane. The flight departed on time delayed and was not as miserable as the previous one, which was delayed until around 11:00 p.m. The delay at the start of our trip left us all exhausted and riddled with headaches. Poor Dr. also had a migraine. At one point during our today’s flight, the adults got up and started talking with each other, a great improvement from our flight last week.
4:03 p.m. EST
We arrived back in Boston six hours into the past! We left Amsterdam around 2:30 p.m. and arrived home just after 4:00 p.m. After we trudged through the long security line, we at last were greeted by our loving parents! There, we bade farewell to Dr. Rozenberg, Mrs. Smyth, and the rest of our choir friends with whom we shared these priceless memories.
Ben Campolongo ’26
Note: Below are more pictures from Day 6 in the tulip gardens and in Volendam. Pictures from throughout the week will come tomorrow.
BC High Concert Choir 