Today was amazing! The entrance ceremony was boring for the most part but it also included some of the highlights of the trip thus far. So, we get to the location of the Entrance Ceremony and we pretty much have time to socialize and meet people. I took lots of pictures with people in their national costumes! My favorite though still has to be the kimono. They are so elegant and beautiful, if only I had the money to afford one lol :P 

Once that was done, the ceremony itself was pretty standard. Important people get recognized, really important people get to talk, etc etc. One of the more annoying things was the fact that a lot of the information was directed specifically at Freshman or was information that had already been provided for international students.

Anyway, after that was done, we had a break before the performances started. Once they started, everything changed. The first group that was up was Indonesian Dancers. They performed with such speed and precision that I was sure I would probably kill someone if I tried. Next up were a traditional Japanese dance group who put a modern twist by creating their own music and outfits. That was really cool and fun to watch. 

Next up is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world: Taiko Drums. Taiko drumming just looks so intense and fun that I may consider trying it while I'm over here. While they were performing, I could help but be reminded of the countless times I heard the GT drumline going hard before a football game. 

Next were some demonstrations by a variety of clubs at APU. This included a choir, double dutch, Korean and Thai drum groups, as well as the Chinese dragon dancers. That was really neat to see for the first time up close. I never realized how much agility was needed to perform that kind of stuff. 

Finally, saved the best for last: the APU Wind Orchestra. Unfortunately, the group wasn't mic-ed very well so my recording isn't very good; however, it was still awesome to hear them perform. The first number they played was The Jackson 5, "ABC" and I instantly thought of the show we marched this past season. Just hearing that made my heart all warm and fuzzy inside (it also helped that the trombones were pretty much the focus of the ensemble :P). The following number was a song I've heard before but I don't know the name of (it's probably something really popular and I'm just dumb and don't know it :P).

 Anyway, hearing them perform was just amazing and it made me miss everyone back home. I went ahead and emailed their sponsor to see if I could somehow perform with them. Unfortunately, my horn did not travel with me but I'm always game for learning a new instrument. I also have a class conflict with one of their rehearsal days but we'll see what we can do. 

After getting home from the ceremony, I had dinner with Vanessa who is super awesome. She then took me shopping at this really cool store where I spent more money :) I now get to spend some time tonight doing my nails!