LATIN AMERICAN SPIRIT

During the recent Apostolic trip to Mexico and the Republic of Cuba, there was an extremely charged atmosphere in the hallways of Palazzo Pio; something which buzzed like a beehive of activity. There were colleagues who departed early in the week, and those who departed on Friday March 23. Whenever I could, I tried to help out with my own suggestions regarding clothing for tropical climates, but when it came to advice requiring technical expertise, like where to buy a compatible computer charger, I had to surrender myself to my place as a worker bee.
Still I tried to participate in this history making event by making my own decidedly small, yet important contribution. While the building was abuzz with late-night and early-morning live broadcasts of the Pope’s journey, I kept to my regular office hours, but like any diligent worker-bee, I tried to synchronize my programs for Melodies & Memories to reflect the rich Latin American culture that other colleagues of mine were experiencing first hand. It proved a great week of adventure for me into realms of music that I might not otherwise have tried to explore.
I have neither the jetlag, the fatigue of late hours at work, nor have I had to figure out how to dress myself for tropical weather - but I must admit that I do conserve just a tiny bit of benevolent envy for those who actually took wing among Vatican Radio’s technicians and journalists, as well as for those who spent long hours into the night to bring us up-to-the-moment reports on the events as they took place. If I might toot my worker-bee horn, I can say that I accompanied them all in the Latin American spirit of the music we broadcast for Melodies & Memories.