The yale glee club retreat has been one of the most uplifting and emotionally rewarding experiences I've ever had at Yale. And I mean that as a senior who's in his first and sadly last year with the group. The people in the glee club have been so unbelievably welcoming, sweet and interesting. They constantly emit positive energy. And in it's contagious. I'm pretty sure if a grade A dirtbag joined a rehearsal with us, either he'd lose his capacity to be douchy or maybe he'd just explode.
Beyond the special goodness of the glee club members that made the retreat so pleasant, the cool little events we did and the spirit we approached them with really added to the retreat. I always looked forward to rehearsal and was super excited to get started, to sing, to learn, and of course, to hear Jeff give his various inspiring, memorable (remember-- every entrance you miss is an entrance you'll never be able to get back), insightful, and funny speeches. Really, it's just been addicting. Sure, we might find ourselves stressed with other commitments and thoughts floating around in our heads, but it's pretty easy to tell that everyone consistently looks forward to and gets excited about rehearsals . And the stuff we did outside of rehearsals nicely complimented that: singing songs of Yale around s'mores, playing the "I have a neighbor" game, eating impressively delicious food, and square-dancing in the barn to old cassettes for several hours with no hydration and limited ventilation.
Looking back on our retreat has been bittersweet. But bittersweetness is a reliable indication of a kickass time.
I'm super excited to see what the next few months are going to bring.
-Sharif Valiki
Thanks so much Sharif! We are so happy to have you in our Glee community!
