Hyde Park

We would have never expected to play in Hyde Park, the most important location in London dedicated to the Olympics after Olympic Park. However, when the Weymouth Festival was cancelled, they gave us a spot in Hyde Park. Thousands of people go through Hyde Park every day. A huge extension of the park has been conditioned for the free leisure of londoners and tourists during the games. Large screens project the different competitions in real time and people spend the day with their children and friends enjoying the Summer Olympics, eating from the numerous food stands, purchasing London 2012 merchandise from the official stores, playing games for adults and children, or listening to music. Today, the people visiting Hyde Park had the opportunity to listen to the Mark Twain Ringers.

The Bellringers were placed in the very middle of the viewing area, so that everybody that got into the park, went in front of them. It was a great performance, and people gathered around the choir and took pictures. They were playing at the heart of the Olympic city, in the center of the park, so we couldn't have really imagined a better finale for our trip.

A reporter from NBC4 came to cover the event, and at the end interviewed Ron, Laura and Elizabeth. A lot of people wanted to get close and talk to us, ask questions, and, above all, try to play the bells. It was a wonderful event where the students could feel the sympathy and the warmth of the people.

Probably they didn't think about it then, but it was a bittersweet moment: for Andrea, Angela, Angie, Elizabeth, and Laura, that was their last performance with the Mark Twain Ringers, since on August 14th they will be in 9th grade and they will not belong to Mark Twain Middle School anymore. These wonderful students and extraordinary young women truly deserve such conclusion of their years ringing bells at Mark Twain. But at that moment everybody was happy because everything went very well, so we went to look for a well deserved lunch and spent some time in Hyde Park amenities, going shopping, and having a great time at the place where londoners and visitors gather together to enjoy the olympic city.

The day was completed for the Mark Twain Ringers. They had accomplished their mission once they finished their last performance. The bus picked us and took us for a very good dinner at a French restaurant. After that, we came back to Keynes College earlier than other days, since tomorrow we are getting up very early in order to arrive with time to the airport. Have I mentioned that tomorrow we are going back to Los Angeles?

Tomorrow I will not be posting because we will be flying, but when we get back to Los Angeles I will update the blog. Some students are writing reflections about this experience that they would like to share, and they are really worth reading.