It was hard to digest the news of the attempted assassination of presidential candidate, Donald Trump as I woke up on Sunday morning. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, the injection of such violence into an event at the heart of the democratic electoral process is surely enough to provoke feelings of fear, uncertainty and a lack of confidence in fellow humans. Whilst (contrary to the opinions of some!) this kind of action is sadly not unprecedented (think Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Abraham Lincoln and JFK – just to name a few), whenever there is senseless loss of life as a result of intentional viciousness towards others, it causes me to wonder for at least a few minutes if the world has gone completely mad. Thank goodness I had only recently arrived back a couple of days earlier from two weeks overseas with 46 delightful students and nine indomitable staff, who had reminded me of the promise and potential of humanity! In contrast to the horrific and unsettling events of the shooting, the Europe Choir Tour provided much reason for optimism and a significant amount of reassurance of the power of the human spirit. For 14 days as we travelled from London to Salzburg and then on to Vienna on a pretty unrelenting schedule, my travelling companions demonstrated curiosity, kindness, self-regulation, empathy, intelligence, pragmatism, fortitude, endurance and joy. With starts in the morning as early as 4:30am, long 40 to 50 minute performances with repertoire memorised in multiple languages and complex parts, challenging choral workshops with top conductors demanding adaptability and focus, long walks covering multiple kilometers across cities, stairs to climb, turbulent flights, late nights, unfamiliar menus, rotating room-mates and long bus trips, there would have been plenty of cause for complaint or even tears. Instead I observed a good-humoured group of individuals who were determined to have a great time and to support each other to gain as much from the experience as they possibly could. I hope that I have banked enough of the smiles, the laughter, the wide-eyes, the gratitude and the connection to fill my bucket for many months to come – it was certainly a great help in navigating the disturbing news of the Trump rally shooting. As we head into Term 3 I look forward to witnessing much more to celebrate in human interaction across our Lowther Hall community. I am sure I won’t have to look very far.