Ever since arriving in Oviedo, I’ve felt a constant itch to become active in some sort of community group. This is nothing new for me—from a young age, I’ve always felt the most alive when taking on extracurricular activities.
I decided to ask Jaime for suggestions, figuring that there must be some club sport or music groups open to the student body at the University. However, I found that although there are clubs on Oviedo’s campus, they consist mainly of academic groups, like “The Medical Student Association.” So, Jaime pointed me in the direction of two different programs instead: a student association called Erasmus, which organizes events for international exchange students, and a “Buddy Program,” where the school matches you with a language partner.
Although I quickly jumped on board with seeking out Erasmus events and enrolling in the Buddy Program, I knew I still wanted to find an official group that meets habitually to convene around one common theme. For this, I turned to my host mom for suggestions. I told her that I primarily missed being involved in music, and upon hearing this, she said she knew just where to take me. She described a rehearsal for young people that takes place in a church, and said there would be many musicians there.
I realized after our discussion that I wasn’t really sure exactly where or what she was taking me to. It wasn’t so much a language barrier as simply not understanding the concept of what she was describing—was it a community chorus? A church service? A band? Instead of worrying too much before I got there, I decided to just go with it.
The following Sunday evening, my host mom led me through the city and to a flight of steps leading to a breathtaking church. She mentioned as we climbed that it was a seminary school.
“The rehearsal is here?” I asked tentatively. Was I about to crash a rehearsal of a bunch of seminary students? I didn’t want my confusion to come across as rude or offensive, so I kept it to myself, knowing I would figure it out sooner or later.
When we reached the church, we made our way into the dimly lit nave. The room was gorgeous, and at the front was a group of 5 young adults singing while a man accompanied on guitar. When the group finished their song, my host mom stepped forward to introduce me. She said I would be staying for rehearsal, told me she would see me for the mass afterwards, and was on her way.
Although I’m quite open to meeting new people, I felt a bit awkward, like I was interrupting the rehearsal. Luckily, the group was extremely welcoming, taking a moment to introduce themselves and offering me a chair. After handing over a packet of lyrics, they proceeded to rehearse. I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that I still didn’t really know where I was or what this rehearsal was for. After hearing the songs a few times, I started to join in on the singing.
After an hour we took a break, and I finally had a chance to chat with the others and figure out what was going on. They explained that they were the chorus for the “Misa Joven,” or the Catholic mass for young people in Oviedo. When the mass was about to start, they insisted I sing with them for the service too—and so it was. After one measly hour of rehearsal, I was singing songs in Spanish for a room full of strangers.
As the service came to a close, I realized how extremely unique the experience had been. I’m not Catholic, or even very religious, but thoroughly enjoyed being a part of something new while singing and practicing my Spanish at the same time. I am now a part of the chorus’s WhatsApp chat, where they give updates on upcoming rehearsals, and have been in contact with a few of the friends I made there. I am still on the lookout for more ways to get involved here, but this is certainly a start!
Til next week!