Pin Trading: My Afternoon Success!

All of a sudden, I have much to share!

I went to work and shared my pin-trading defeat with some of the crew. While many of them just laughed, a few showed pity on me and actually gave me one of their pins! So now, I've got 2 new pins :) To top it off, on break I ventured to find a jacket for my brother and in one of the stores, I met a girl with 3 lanyards full of pins! Her mother is from KY, so I traded her the Lexington pin for a really awesome media pin that looks like a stylized fish. She taught me a few tricks of the trade (including where the guy I originally traded for the Swiss pin got it - FOR FREE at the Swiss house which is literally next to my hotel! I've been so ignorant this whole time!), so now I'm a much more confident trader! While I was out, a young boy approached me about trading for one of my pins (when you wear them, you become attractive and approachable instantly!), but as it turned out, he did not like any of my pins after all! Heh, thanks for the boost of confidence, kid.

All in all, I feel like my afternoon trading redeemed the rather ironic experience of the morning.

(pictured: Jo and Bart, part of the Belgian crew! Bart was one of the kind souls to give me a pin)

I reported back to work at 5 as usual and worked through the pre-show, 7 medals, and Roots in concert. I have to admit, they have been the first band to venture away from their album and spend most of their time improvising rather than on melody. It was wonderful! I'm not a huge fan of rap, but this band was more than rap, they were real musicians. They even had a tuba player who danced more than a lot of the other bands put together! To top it off, in the middle of one of their songs, they broke out into the melody for "Jungle Boogie" which brought back memories of HS marching band and playing in the stands.

So much of this trip has brought back memories from high school, it doesn't seem as distant any more. When I am at Asbury, busy with school, new people, and a whole new setting, it's so easy to forget about high school and the memories there, so I'm really thankful to have so many instances where I've been able to think back and enjoy those memories.

After the show, the entire crew met for dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was such a nice time! The director handed out certificates as well as little silver coin souvenirs in fancy boxes for everyone. He also gave a congratulatory speech to us since we are so close to the end (which is hard to believe!). The time with the crew outside work was invaluabe! Afterward, many went to hang out at one of the crew member's apartments, but I opted to get to bed relatively early (we didn't finish dinner until after midnight!).

Tomorrow is the 2nd to last show. Then we wrap. Then I fly home! This is absolutely nuts.