My apologies. I have been getting progressively worse and worse at writing these blogs. I could offer a paragraph of legitimate excuses, but I won't. Maybe it has provided a necessary break--apparently even my grandparents has been filing complaints on the length.
Some wonderful things have been happening in my life as of late. Really wonderful things. My anxiety of housing has finally ended as I've seemed to found a wonderful new house to live in upon my return to PLU. Also, my goal for this whole trip was to get some direction, in terms of career, etc. I'm excited to say that I think it is becoming more and more clear what I want to do. I have realized that I'm miserable without a piano. Sure, I function, I can do other work well, but really, the hours I spend chained to that horrible black monster within the claustrophobic 4-walls of my practice room are apparently necessary for my existence. So I simply have to do a job that keeps me out of the office and on the piano if there is any hope for long-term happiness. Which means I'm planning on going to graduate school and doing some degree which will keep me further chained to the monster. I had done some hard-core flirting with programs like Teach for America and Jet Teach, seduced by the prospect of eliminating my college debt and teaching for a couple years. But after 2 months of a break from serious music-making, the thought of 2 years of further self-inflicted torture seems unbearable. I'll just have to find a way to support myself making music.
On a slightly different note, let's talk about addictions. I definitely went to the wrong country to end mine. I love tea. LOVE tea. And England is pushing this to new limits. In fact, at this point in the blog I'm already on my third cup of tea. But the English love it, and I love it, and I love the English, and I love it when the English offer me tea. And besides, three cups of tea within the course of 20 minutes is really not unusual in this country. In fact, I don't think I've worked at my internship more than 2 hours without there being a round of tea. But there was this tragic day a few weeks ago. I arrived at school, and naturally went straight to the kitchen to turn on the kettle (yes, tea is always on stock at school.) To my horror, I discovered the kettle was broken. I was inconsolable, though only 1 or 2 of the other Americans could understand why. Naturally, my British teachers equaled, if not surpassed my state of panic. The kettle was fixed a few days later, and life could return to its healthy caffeinated state.
Tea is just another reason to love London out of countless others. Yesterday I was riding the train into Victoria Station, and right when we were crossing the Thames I realized how much I love this amazing city. It is so vast, so huge, so unconquerable. Each time I discover a new place I'm intrigued by the sub-culture of the borough, of the neighborhood, sometimes even of the street. When I stick to familiar places, I discover more and more, because there is simply so much to see even within the microcosm of an alley. For a small-town boy who thought Tacoma was the big city, London is like the endlessly vast Roman Empire. As I walked out of Victoria station, I looked around. The people, the energy, the opportunities that this environment offered, it all made me so happy. I can see myself here long-term, if that's what God has in plan. As I walked from the station, I just happened to pass Buckingham Palace, because almost always sights like that get in the way when going from A to B. Incredible
Though the further away I get from Northwest America the more I realize how patriotic I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to fight and die for the US; pacifism still reigns sovereign. But I really love little things about the states. Currently I miss good customer service, something that is extremely rare here. But enough reminiscing.
An overview of what I've done lately: Wales--country walks, open air, more sheep than people, best hostel of my life. Canterbury--beautiful, small, got to watch the choristers rehearse, meet the organist. Next week is the first concert for the orchestra, and now I have to head off to the first rehearsal!
Thank you London for taking good care of my good friend Andy. Please continue supplying him with as much tea as he wants and inspiring him to write such descriptive and artful narratives of his experiences.
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