Bergjord Boarding

May 23-29, 2024

By: Luke

It is Sam and my last day chaperoning the band’s trip to Washington DC. Of course when I say last day it includes the following day that our 30 hour bus ride bleeds in to. Trying not to think of the trip back we visit our last historical sight.

The Arlington National Cemetery is equally beautiful and somber. While walking through you feel like you are doing one long moment of silence. It feels disrespectful to have any sort of conversation that wasn’t about the sacrifices given.

This was my third time visiting and much like the times before we quickly stopped by high trafficked spots on our way to The Tomb of the Unknown Solder. As we have experienced before, travelling with a big group means you have to learn to enjoy things on the go. On the other hand, we were lucky to be so organized and have such well behaved students. A lot more of our time could have been spent deciding what to do next and addressing behavior slips.

Having a very knowledgeable tour guide makes all the difference as well. Ours seemed to know everything that was to know about the cemetery and answered all questions we had thoroughly. We found seats to watch the changing of the guard. In the summer months this change happens every half our. In the colder months it is every hour. A superior marches out with the replacement and checks over each persons equipment and wardrobe. If they are both acceptable the change still takes place.

After the change we made our way down to the busses one last time. We set off home right from there. Our first stop was somewhere in Pennsylvania. We pulled up to a gas station and absolutely raided the place. Everyone was loading up on snacks and whatever they needed for the journey back. After this my memory cuts out until late that night and not being able to sleep. I was hovering in that medium place where you aren’t sleeping but certainly not awake either. And when I did finally doze off I slept through a time we stopped to go to the bathroom. Sam tried to wake me with words and shoves but nothing worked. I woke up hours after that with a very upset stomach. We had been going 6-8 hours between gas station stops and I was S.O.L. I will let your imagination go wild with the information given. Needless to say my trip back home was much harder than heading out.

I suppose I should reflect on the entire experience. The emotion that keeps bubbling up is pride. I am so grateful to be able to be a part of the staff for the marching band. And even more grateful that Samie could chaperone for the trip. We love travelling and didn’t know how we would like going around with a group. It was such a positive experience and left us with unforgettable memories. The strongest of which for me was walking down Constitution Ave. with that drumline and an overwhelming sense of pride at having a hand in these students development.