In the middle of a thorny reflection on who I am and what I'm doing
here, I heard a lovely aria float through the windows. Quite a feat,
considering I'm 5 floors up and the windows are insulated because of
the weather.

I slipped a leather coat over fluffy pink pajamas and hurried to the
courtyard to see what was going on. I found two girls leaning over the
balcony. One, the singer, had an absolutely marvelous voice. Sure, she
paused every now and then to chastise herself for to-me-inaudible
faults, but her voice was so well-rounded and resonant… Wow. The
other, her friend, occasionally broke in with encouragement and
reminders. What an amazing pair!

I applauded and asked if I could keep listening. They didn't mind.
Turns out they're not residents of Grad House, but they like the
acoustics. Cool!

At the prompting of her friend, the singer launched into Ave Maria.
She then segued into Don't Cry for Me Argentina and another song I
couldn't recognize. Then a residence adviser poked her head out and
said it was all very nice but it was a bit loud. I suppose 11:30 PM is
not the best time for opera, but still…

I forgot to ask her name. Now I won't get to tell you, “I heard her
before she was famous.”

What a wonderful treat! =D