GENUS Goes To Germany
Snapshots of the Journey~~
One The places we visited:
From Frankfurt Station to Rheine!
Summer is filled with flowers, pretty... Pretty. PRETTY!!!!
Try playing this! P.s. it.s made of chocolate! 
Cologne Dom!!! One of the most magnificent Catholic Church in Europe.
two The things we did:
We were lost, then nothing to do, no money. So went back to city centre, wait for everyone, so just cycle around. To amuse ourselves, Alex wanted to take a shot of us .cycling from opposite directions in order to meet at a common point (weilin, physics student). in the middle of the photo. To do this, we NG a lot a lot a lot of times. -Hoe Hiong and Yìn Hong
Things we taught Dr Casteels: 1. Bluff 2. Dai Di 3. Wo men dou shi hao peng you. All these games are totally foreign to him. . Melissa lucky lady, get to teach Casteel how to play.
We soon realized that Dr Casteels like to play safe. During the Wo men dou shi good friends game, he chose to remain silent through out the game and ended up on the level 5 pig. Dun understand the game? Come and ask me!
- Zhao Jin
three The competition:
Of course, the main reason we were there was still for the competition!! Preparation was hardwork, but nothing comes free in this world!
And the Chilly Wind Blew On~~ 
Five years 12 months and several days. The odd combination of numbers dawned upon me as I reflected on how long it took for this German trip to come to fruition. It may surprise many to know, that 6 years ago (when I was in year one, and after policemen switched to pants) Genus had been invited to visit a small town called Rheine and participate in an international guitar competition. It had been deemed a whimsical idea by many then. Genus would scoff at the very thought of Genus actually going overseas. To a younger me, it seemed like a crazy idea . competing when I could barely even read notes.
Time passed, and Rheine remained a faded memory. Genus changed too. But a new wind blew with our trip to Japan. All seemed possible. And so ”all‘ did come true. An invitation to the same Rheine competition arrived in the mail, and with the sheer grit and determination of Wai, and weeks of practise we sallied forth.
As I try to recall details of the trip, my memory fails, but some memories break through. I remember renting oversized bicycles from the train station and cycling through town with Robert, the chilly wind the bit at the lungs and blew through our hair. The pastoral scenes of bucolic nature . black and white cows near a barn, a field of yellow wild flowers.
I remember waking up and having a breakfast of yoghurt, grains and coffee. Of the birds chirping and the sun streaming into the meeting room where we practised after that. Eating bratwurst sandwiched in a warm loaf of bread, with the sharp sting of mustard that came with each bite in the cold weather. Of sitting in worn wicker chairs in the cobblestoned-markplatz and having a Stauder or a cuppuccino, laughing at each others‘ jokes and reminiscing about times past, warming the heart whilst the chilly wind blew. We also got to visit Cologne, a city defined by history. But perhaps that's another memory, for another time.
Of course, I recall the competition itself that happened on 3rd June 07. We were a bundle of nerves, Cheongsam-ed and Batik-ed folks waiting to perform under Robert. Months of intense training and blistered fingers just for that 10 minutes on stage.
A request from the organizers came. Would your group mind playing the set piece and gelato after the prizes are awarded? Excitement electrifying the dry chill air, a possibility of being placed in the competition. Disappointment came soon after, with a place in fourth. But respect, and a renewed sense of determination took its place as we got to listen to those placed higher, and talked to some of them. Some took 20 hour bus rides from Budapest to get to Rheine. Others, stayed in the same hostel as us and practised late into the night. Non-professional players, putting in their heart and soul into playing in a group, allowing the audience to live vicariously through their music, rather than worrying about placement in a competition. Like what we try to do every time we go on stage here.
Maybe one day, we will get a chance to visit Rheine again and reminisce about our last experience there. While the chilly wind blows on.
More photos in GENUS's website
One The places we visited:
From Frankfurt Station to Rheine!
Summer is filled with flowers, pretty... Pretty. PRETTY!!!!
Try playing this! P.s. it.s made of chocolate! Cologne Dom!!! One of the most magnificent Catholic Church in Europe. two The things we did:We were lost, then nothing to do, no money. So went back to city centre, wait for everyone, so just cycle around. To amuse ourselves, Alex wanted to take a shot of us .cycling from opposite directions in order to meet at a common point (weilin, physics student). in the middle of the photo. To do this, we NG a lot a lot a lot of times. -Hoe Hiong and Yìn Hong
Things we taught Dr Casteels: 1. Bluff 2. Dai Di 3. Wo men dou shi hao peng you. All these games are totally foreign to him. . Melissa lucky lady, get to teach Casteel how to play.We soon realized that Dr Casteels like to play safe. During the Wo men dou shi good friends game, he chose to remain silent through out the game and ended up on the level 5 pig. Dun understand the game? Come and ask me!
- Zhao Jin
three The competition:
Of course, the main reason we were there was still for the competition!! Preparation was hardwork, but nothing comes free in this world!
And the Chilly Wind Blew On~~ Five years 12 months and several days. The odd combination of numbers dawned upon me as I reflected on how long it took for this German trip to come to fruition. It may surprise many to know, that 6 years ago (when I was in year one, and after policemen switched to pants) Genus had been invited to visit a small town called Rheine and participate in an international guitar competition. It had been deemed a whimsical idea by many then. Genus would scoff at the very thought of Genus actually going overseas. To a younger me, it seemed like a crazy idea . competing when I could barely even read notes.Time passed, and Rheine remained a faded memory. Genus changed too. But a new wind blew with our trip to Japan. All seemed possible. And so ”all‘ did come true. An invitation to the same Rheine competition arrived in the mail, and with the sheer grit and determination of Wai, and weeks of practise we sallied forth.
As I try to recall details of the trip, my memory fails, but some memories break through. I remember renting oversized bicycles from the train station and cycling through town with Robert, the chilly wind the bit at the lungs and blew through our hair. The pastoral scenes of bucolic nature . black and white cows near a barn, a field of yellow wild flowers.
I remember waking up and having a breakfast of yoghurt, grains and coffee. Of the birds chirping and the sun streaming into the meeting room where we practised after that. Eating bratwurst sandwiched in a warm loaf of bread, with the sharp sting of mustard that came with each bite in the cold weather. Of sitting in worn wicker chairs in the cobblestoned-markplatz and having a Stauder or a cuppuccino, laughing at each others‘ jokes and reminiscing about times past, warming the heart whilst the chilly wind blew. We also got to visit Cologne, a city defined by history. But perhaps that's another memory, for another time.
Of course, I recall the competition itself that happened on 3rd June 07. We were a bundle of nerves, Cheongsam-ed and Batik-ed folks waiting to perform under Robert. Months of intense training and blistered fingers just for that 10 minutes on stage.A request from the organizers came. Would your group mind playing the set piece and gelato after the prizes are awarded? Excitement electrifying the dry chill air, a possibility of being placed in the competition. Disappointment came soon after, with a place in fourth. But respect, and a renewed sense of determination took its place as we got to listen to those placed higher, and talked to some of them. Some took 20 hour bus rides from Budapest to get to Rheine. Others, stayed in the same hostel as us and practised late into the night. Non-professional players, putting in their heart and soul into playing in a group, allowing the audience to live vicariously through their music, rather than worrying about placement in a competition. Like what we try to do every time we go on stage here.Maybe one day, we will get a chance to visit Rheine again and reminisce about our last experience there. While the chilly wind blows on.
More photos in GENUS's website
Labels: Overseas Trips