Coming back from homestay and TZ has altered my views on wealth and priorities. As I went into different homes in TZ, I saw priorities shift. Some people had no cushions on their couches but had speakers running with music all day long. Others had cushions but had extremely worn sandals. I became ecstatic when a place we visited had cushions which had never happened to me before this trip. I learned to appreciate the little things, like eating rice instead of Ugali and having a private place to sleep which included a mattress. Even today as I write this in my kitchen, I love having some privacy and cleaner living conditions. In the past I took these things for granted, not thinking much about how lucky I am to have wood floors and hot water.
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I have been in choirs my whole life, and have been in band and/or orchestra every semester of school since Grade 6. For the past 10 years I have had band every week, every semester. It was a welcomed shock to have a breather from music. This “sabbatical” as I have labeled it, really encouraged me to keep going. While in TZ, I had the wonderful opportunity to be able to read books for fun and talk about them with friends. One such book that we discussed was Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet”. It is a collection of letters that Rilke wrote to encourage and inspire a young poet. In one letter he makes the point that if you can live without writing then you should and that is okay. I struggled with this at first because for the first week or so I significantly loved not having music in my life 24/7. I wondered if I should continue my life as a music major. After a few weeks, I realized that being in TZ was a needed rest period but not the end of my music career. Not having ensembles everyday helped me to remember why I loved music in the first place and inspired me to keep going. Having a break from music and being able to do others things that I delight in helped me to answer some big questions in my life and gave me new
I have been in choirs my whole life, and have been in band and/or orchestra every semester of school since Grade 6. For the past 10 years I have had band every week, every semester. It was a welcomed shock to have a breather from music. This “sabbatical” as I have labeled it, really encouraged me to keep going. While in TZ, I had the wonderful opportunity to be able to read books for fun and talk about them with friends. One such book that we discussed was Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet”. It is a collection of letters that Rilke wrote to encourage and inspire a young poet. In one letter he makes the point that if you can live without writing then you should and that is okay. I struggled with this at first because for the first week or so I significantly loved not having music in my life 24/7. I wondered if I should continue my life as a music major. After a few weeks, I realized that being in TZ was a needed rest period but not the end of my music career. Not having ensembles everyday helped me to remember why I loved music in the first place and inspired me to keep going. Having a break from music and being able to do others things that I delight in helped me to answer some big questions in my life and gave me new