Report on the choir trip of the Berlin Aphasic Choir to Rheinsberg in Brandenburg from June 23rd to 25th, 2017. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Berlin Aphasic Choir, Ms. Samuel planned a weekend trip with the choir for 2017. Only a few choir members would have been able to cover the costs of the trip. Therefore, Ms. Samuel launched a fundraising appeal in November 2016, as all the choir members wanted to participate. Thanks to numerous small and generous donations, including those from Ms. Ströbel, readers of the magazine "Chorzeit," and the AOK, which approved Mr. Laqua's funding application for our trip, nothing stood in the way of our choir trip in March 2017. All costs were now covered, so every registered participant could travel for free. On Friday, June 23, 2017, my parents had to get up early because they wanted to be on time for the meeting point at 9:45 a.m. in the courtyard at Oudenader Str. 16. The Telebus took them there with all their belongings and their wheelchairs. Shortly after 10 a.m., the small convoy of several accessible, hotel-owned minibuses set off for Rheinsberg in Brandenburg. On board were 34 participants, full of anticipation and excitement for a wonderful weekend together. The 34 participants included choir singers, some in wheelchairs, some with a family member accompanying them, our organizational choir director, Ms. Samuel, and our musical choir director, Mr. Böhmer. After a good 1.5 hours' drive, the buses reached their destination, the Seehotel Rheinsberg. The Seehotel, beautifully situated directly on Lake Grienerick, was built specifically to be completely accessible for people with disabilities. It even has a swimming pool and many other leisure activities for people with and without disabilities. After everyone had settled into their rooms, we had lunch. Well fed and a little rested, the first choir rehearsal with choir director Mr. Böhmer was scheduled for 4 p.m. The highlight of the trip was our concert the next evening in the hotel for hotel guests and other interested listeners. Dinner was at 5:30 p.m. A very extensive buffet was laid out. The food here is delicious and leaves nothing to be desired. After dinner, Ms. Samuel gave a talk on the subject of aphasia and, among other things, on why singing is so important for people. All participants took part with interest and contributed their own words. Singing is healthy; it awakens the spirits, helps with speaking because the lyrics can suddenly be pronounced very easily while singing, drives away worry and sorrow, and simply brings joy in the company of like-minded people. "Where there's singing, feel free to sit down!" Following the lecture, Ms. Jürschik read from her book "One Second." In her book, she tells her story, as someone who had been affected by it, for which she hadn't found the words for many years. After an accident, her life changed abruptly, from one second to the next. Ten years later, she painstakingly but successfully wrote her experiences into a book, giving her readers courage and hope in their struggle to rediscover words and sentences. That evening, my mother called me and told me that a choir member had unexpectedly missed the opportunity, and a spot was available. Ms. Samuel asked if I wanted to join her. I happily agreed. So, the next Saturday morning, I arrived at the Seehotel for breakfast. Ms. Samuel came to meet me and greeted me warmly. Now I was welcomed into the community. At 10:15 a.m., we went to the second rehearsal. We practiced the songs we wanted to perform that evening. Afterward, we had free time. Most of us took a look around Rheinsberg. Rheinsberg is a small, romantic town surrounded by lush forests and charming little lakes. One outstanding sight is the famous and repeatedly remodeled and expanded Rheinsberg Castle, which we plan to visit tomorrow morning. There's also a ceramics museum here, as Rheinsberg ceramics looks back on a 250-year history. Porcelain was and still is produced here today. After another delicious lunch, another rehearsal with Mr. Böhmer was scheduled. Everyone practiced diligently. Afterwards, some of us met up again at the nearby ice cream parlor, despite the not-so-nice drizzle. Ms. Samuel recommended a particular ice cream, and we enjoyed a delicious coffee with it. After dinner at 7:30 p.m., the time had finally come. We all met in the hotel lobby, full of stage fright, in our white aphasic T-shirts and armed with our sheet music. There were many spectators and listeners. Mr. Böhmer conducted and accompanied us on the accordion for several songs. We sang, for example, "Morning Has Broken," the song from "Macky Messer," and "Go Down Moses," one of our favorites. Our audience sang along enthusiastically to "Wenn alle Brünnlein fließen." The poems written and recited by Mr. Klöck himself received great appreciation from both the audience and us. Our performance was a complete success. We and our audience, who applauded loudly, were thrilled. Isabell Noack filmed our concert, as well as several stops on the choir tour, with her camera and compiled a wonderful, worthwhile short film that is available online for everyone to watch. Some of us ended the beautiful, eventful day together with a glass of wine. And then Sunday, the last day of our trip, arrived. After breakfast, it was time to vacate the rooms and bring our luggage to the hotel lobby. Free time was scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Almost everyone decided to visit Rheinsberg Castle, which Ms. Samuel and Mr. Böhmer also joined. The castle is only partially wheelchair accessible, but there is a map showing an accessible route. After we had stowed our bags and jackets in the lockers, we put on the headphones provided by the castle staff. An audio guide led us individually through the castle. Rheinsberg Castle is beautifully situated directly on the shores of Lake Grienerick. Numerous works of art, paintings, and interior decorations from the 18th century can be admired in the rooms of the castle. It has been extensively restored in recent years. Adjacent to the castle is a beautifully landscaped castle park. Only when we had finished our guided tour with headphones did we notice that the heavens had opened. It was pouring with rain. But it wasn't long before the sun shone again. Oh dear, some of us, including my parents, who hadn't been to the castle because they already knew it but were strolling in the castle park, got soaking wet in the downpour. At 12:30, there was a small snack at the hotel. A small snack is good. We ordered fish sandwiches and were served every imaginable salad from the buffet. It was once again very plentiful and delicious. As a thank you for the excellent service, we sang a serenade to the entire kitchen staff. The last thing on the agenda before our journey home was a steamboat ride with accordion at 1:00 p.m. Although Mrs. Samuel had specifically asked the day before whether the steamboat was indeed wheelchair accessible, as ordered, which was confirmed, we unfortunately discovered that it was anything but wheelchair accessible. A steep, narrow staircase led down to our seats. But giving up was out of the question for us. Everyone pitched in and helped each other. Even our wheelchair users were able to join in. No one was left behind. It was a bit tricky, but together we managed. Once everyone had boarded, the steamer took a lovely cruise around Lake Grienerick. Mr. Böhmer strapped on his accordion, and we sang "Now we're going across the lake" and many other songs, not only to our delight, but also to the delight of the other passengers who weren't part of our group. Around 4 p.m., it was time to say goodbye. Tired but very happy, filled with many wonderful new impressions and experiences, we began our journey home, once again in the hotel's minibuses. I would like to personally thank Ms. Samuel for making it possible for me to be part of this wonderful community. On behalf of all the participants of our very successful and, for everyone, wonderful and unforgettable choir trip, I would like to sincerely thank all the donors, Mr. Laqua, Ms. Samuel, Mr. Böhmer, the entire hotel staff, in short, everyone who contributed to the success of our project. I would like to end my travel report with the wonderful and moving words from Ms. Noack's film: "The Aphasiker Chor Berlin shows us that life, even after strokes of fate, can continue to be beautiful, cheerful, and musical. Every single singer in the choir is a living example of how music, friendship, and love can be stronger than any illness. Life is precious. It was never said that life would be easy. But it is definitely worth the effort!" Kathleen Tessnow