Day 1 - Travel Day

By Drum Majors: Lauren Zanini, Josh Lawrence, Luke Marta

    Arriving at the music centre Monday morning at 2:30 am after having just done 3 parades on the weekend, was both exhausting and exciting. All of the band members checked in with their chaperones, and later loaded the buses and left for the airport. The bus ride was cold and dark, however the excitement of everyone was overwhelming. After arriving at the airport, everyone found their luggage and proceeded to the baggage claim section. Once checked in, members were allowed to relax by the gate of our plane, as well as get some breakfast. We boarded our flight to Vancouver at 7:00 am and took off at 8:00 am. The plane was very nice and spacious, with individual TVs that were loaded with movies and games. The majority of the people decided to sleep as we had a long day ahead of us. We landed in Vancouver at 1:00 pm Burlington time, and set our clocks back 3 hours to correspond with Vancouver time. After clearing customs and security, we were given free time for lunch as well as homework and studying. When returning from lunch, we were sent to our gate where we were to spend the next 6 hours of our layover doing homework, relaxing, and spending time with our fellow band members. As missing school was a big deal for many, homework was greatly prioritized. Looking around our gate, one would see lots of exhausted teenagers, big study and homework groups, and very excited friends. As the time slowly passed, we eagerly waited for 5:00 pm, to board the plane and head straight to Honolulu. The second plane was smaller and did not have TVs, but as tired as everyone was, that was not an issue. Once again, many of us either slept, or continued to complete our homework. The trip did not feel real until we landed in Hawaii at 10:00 pm (3 am Burlington time) and were greeted with fresh flower leis. Each band member collected their luggage and loaded the buses to go to our hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Upon arrival, we filed into a conference room where the tour guides and our instuctors gave us a quick overview of the tour, and handed out our room keys. Next, we headed to our rooms where the bell hops would drop off our luggage. In rooms, we were to unpack our belongings, communicate with our chaperones and get ready to go to bed. As we were all exhausted, it was not difficult to get some rest for the exciting and busy week ahead of us! Aloha from Hawaii, and looking forward to day two!

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