Land of the free (time)

When we had our first orientation meeting with the faculty, staff and orchestra, our tour "mom," Margie, started off by saying she is very rich but not because of the size of her bank account. She is rich in life in terms of her experiences, relationships and her desire to always be learning and constantly curious. We all knew we were in for a great experience but we had no idea how rich we would all become because of it. We are certainly not musicians because of the money. It is too difficult to be in it for that. Our main conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto said that it is not an easy life but it is incredibly rewarding. This trip was a huge reminder of why I continue to do what I do and why the daily grind is worth it.

Although my Spanish is still very limited I am able to understand much more than I thought. Even if I don't understand some things, I hear it all differently now. I had a neat full-circle experience on our flight from the south to Santiago before returning to the US. When we first arrived in the country we had a connecting flight from Santiago to La Serena on a beautiful airbus plane. I remember having difficulty and not feeling confident asking for a specific drink in Spanish and realized how comfortable I felt asking for a drink on my last day in the country. It's such a small thing but it was a nice little moment for myself.

It's really difficult returning from a trip like this. It's so hard saying goodbye to your new friends (if you're lucky enough to get the chance before running to catch your connecting flight), saying farewell to a beautiful country and leaving an experience that has impacted your life much more than any other month could. You know that as hard as you try to explain your time there, your friends and family at home won't really understand. After a friend picked me up from the airport in Austin and we got some much needed spicy breakfast tacos, I got home to my empty apartment and didn't know what to do besides have an emotional moment and flip through the pictures on my phone for the twelfth time that day. After doing laundry, shipping my horn out for some work, renewing my apartment lease and paying a few bills I was thankful to be flying to Buffalo to spend some much needed detox time with family and friends. I am so thankful to have shared this experience with Ed, too. It will be a really special time we look back on. My curiosity and drive has been renewed and after some time at home I will be looking forward to more teaching and playing in the fall. I'm so happy to be back in the land of the free and the home of the brave! RKV