The Light - An Alumni Publication Fall 2015 | Page 25

Harmony
DEBRA WHEELER NEISLER

PROGRAM: South America Chorale, 1970
OCCUPATION: Clinical Social Worker
HOME: Denver, CO
Forty-five years ago in the summer of 1970, I traveled with
70 other high school musicians to South America with
YFU. I was 17 years old, and had just graduated. This was
the first time I had been away from home for more than
two weeks.
At the time, my life was consumed with music. I
majored in it at Cass Technical High School in Detroit,
and belonged to every vocal group at school. After
being chosen, my mother drove me to Ann Arbor every
Saturday to rehearse with students from across Michigan.
We were to perform for audiences in Brazil, Argentina,
Uruguay and Chile.
As I reflect back on what was significant to me at
that time, I was completely absorbed in the music
as well as making friends. As a child of a workingclass African-American family, international travel
was not part of my reality. My parents sacrificed
to pay the $800 travel expense, and I remember
traveling with $25 for the whole summer!
True to the YFU model, we stayed with families in the
countries we visited, many with children who also
had been exchange students; Felicia in Rio, Silvana in
Brasilia, Maria in Uruguay, and Ferdinand in Argentina.
Their families opened their homes and hearts to me
for several weeks and cheered me on at our concerts.
Although it was a time of innocence for us, we visited
South America during a time of political tension. Our
trip to Chile was cancelled and there was anti-American
sentiment in Argentina. The political drama did not
mute our voices, nor did it deter people from coming
to hear us sing; as music is a universal language of love
shared all over the world. Our hearts were joined in
harmony with the people of South America who came
to hear us. With tears we said goodbye at the end of the
summer during our Homecoming Concert in Ann Arbor.
Fast forward to 2010, and I am now a clinical social
worker, with two children and a divorce behind me. I
was presented with the opportunity to travel to Europe

“Although the headlines don’t often
reflect this, at a personal level,
the world is a safe place. Ultimately,
we are all seeking peace in our lives.”
and Asia to work with US military personnel and their
families stationed overseas, but how could I just pick
up and leave? I had always wanted to see Europe, but
work and family kept me busy and grounded in the
States. Asia was never even on my radar! I reflected
back to that magical time when I was a starry-eyed
teenager and life sent me on an adventure to South
America and I realized that I was destined to see the
world! I said goodbye to my family at the airport in
Raleigh, NC, and ventured to JFK, airport in NYC, where I
had first flown to Rio with YFU. Warm memories flooded
back; the international terminal is almost the same.
Since 2010, I have been outside the US more than
I have been home! I have been fortunate to have
lived in or visited seven European countries and
have spent the last two years living in Japan. I
recently completed an “around the world” trip, from
Okinawa to the US, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Shanghai,
and back to Okinawa! I never would have never
thought that I would circumnavigate the world.
My travels have taught me that even though cultures
express themselves in different ways, we all have a basic
human need for love, family, community, and pride of
our homeland. Somehow, even if we don’t speak the
same language, we are able to communicate what we
need. Although the headlines don’t often reflect this, at
a personal level, the world is a safe place. Ultimately,
we are all seeking peace in our lives. I am grateful that
YFU continues to make it possible for young people to
connect at the heart with people around the world. ■
YFU

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