Carolling Pilgrims

This past Wednesday I took part in the first (of two) SIB Young Adult carolling practice. It was a first overall for me. I've never taken part in a carolling choir all my life. I'd always thought it'd be a fun thing to do, but the opportunity never came about, I guess. The practice itself went alright, though I'm a little nervous about there being only two practice sessions. The carols are split into two medleys, and the melodies are a little funkified in places, so there were actually some new notes to learn even for carols I already know. I guess the good thing about singing with a group is that if it all goes south, you can point at somebody else and say "It's his fault".

Last Sunday evening I went to Subang Parade to hear CDPC's carolling choir perform. They had a small band and only five singers, but those guys did a really good job. The singers sang part harmonies and solos and everything, with some complex jazzy rhythms to boot, and there was nary a cringe-inducing moment. I asked Mei Sin (one of the folks in the CDPC cell I'm attending) if they were professionals. She told me the only professional musician of the whole bunch was the keyboard player, which surprised me very much. The singers either put a lot of effort and practice into the arrangments or they are just that naturally talented. Maybe both.

Mei Sin also said they were encouraging folks to participate in the worship team. I recognized three of the singers from the various worship teams that rotate at CDPC. It'd be great to be in a band with any of these folks. If it turns out I'm staying in Malaysia (which to be honest I'm really hoping for at this point), then I'll definitely ask about that. Actually, there are a bunch of things that make me want to stay. It's not really up to me, though. If my visa application succeeds, I really ought to go back to the states. A lot of money and time went into that endeavour, and it'd be a poor thing to do to back out now. Besides, it's not like Knoxville's a bad place to be.

But like I said, I hope I get to dig my heels in. There's lots I'd love to do here and it'd be a drag to have to start over again. That seems to be my life in general, though. I never did get to be in one place for very long. I guess like the old song says, I'm a pilgrim, I'm a stranger.