Keeping the Music When it’s Your Job

Sometimes it is difficult to keep music as something that is fun, when it becomes your work – hashtag musictherapyproblems.

Really though, one can start to dread picking up the guitar, again, for the fifth time, in the last hour, to play ‘It’s a Small World’ because the five year old children seem to have all been to Disneyland at the EXACT same time and they ALL WANT THE SAME SONG! *breathe*

 

So, what do we do?

 

Here are 5 quick thoughts:

1) Rightfully obsess over a musical movie – Les Mis was a great one, as is Mulan Rouge, The Producers, Rent and Chicago. Let the amazing multitasking of the dancer/singer/actor magical madness that possesses the screen overtake you! Enjoy it. Sing along. Try and teach  your dog the harmony so you’re not singing both parts at the same time, again.

2) Write music – If it’s your gift, write a song! Heck, write a song about how you don’t like music anymore – “Love Song” anyone?

3) Go to a concert – Let the performers take you to a magical place where the music is all you live for. We, as music therapists have our purpose in life, and so do performers. Let Beyonce sing you home. Live is always better – if they can actually sing, which they would because musically inclined people rarely obsess over digitized vocals…

4) Make a favorite play list, and don’t over do it – Listen to it when you get really low, the good stuff. We’re talking Idina Menzel and Christina Aguilera stuff! Whip it out, whip it good, then put it away until the next breakdown.

5) Sit in silence – Read a book, enjoy the sunshine, take a second to let your mind settle, and you’ll remember why you love it, because we all love it.

 

Go in peace and music, and relax 🙂

Sam – MTS

Duffle bag for days

11 days?!?!? I can’t believe that we will be departing for Yap in 11 days. I am getting more and more excited as I check things off my YAP to do list. Cot? Check. Scuba gear? Check. Duffle bag that my cot will fit in? Double check, for the win, (no extra $140 for this girl). As excited as I am, I’m almost just as nervous. I have never traveled internationally, that I can recall but I know that this will be a grand first experience. Our class is such a phenomenal group of people and I couldn’t be happier to know that these are the people that I will be spending the next 3 weeks with in a tiny room on humid, tropical island  the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The dive class that we took with gsully made me realize that its really happening, although I don’t think my excitement will really hit until we on the plane and maybe even til we get there.  I think I am most excited to meet the people we will be working with and enjoying getting to see pieces of the culture of Yap that other travelers don’t get the privilege to experience.

Don’t Forget the “O” Rings!

May 6th we depart on a journey that I will never forget. Even though it is less than 2 weeks away, I can’t allow myself to get wrapped up in the excitement around me and the jitters I have inside of me…..Well maybe I can a little 🙂 I honestly can tell you that I am so excited and have been waiting to go on this trip for over a year!

We have studied, read, scuba dived, balanced a ball on a ring tied to strings, skyped, watched, played frisbee all to prepare us for this amazing journey we are about to embark on. Our two professors have prepared us to their best ability and are hopefully as excited as we are. I know if I was not in this class I would have never learned about invasive species, atolls, or about the man, the legend, O’Keefe. Luckily I was fortunate enough to be chosen for this trip, because I would not want to change a thing from this past semester.

I don’t think it will truly hit me until I actually land in Yap. I have friends that have gone on their trips and heard all about them, but now it’s my turn.

THERES A YAP FOR THAT

I CANNOT FREAKING WAIT TO GET TO YAP. It is pretty much the only thing I think about nowadays. The scuba class that we took over the weekend really solidified for me the FACT THAT WE’RE LEAVING FOR YAP SO SOON AHHHHHHHH. I have learned so much this semester but I know that the amount I learned in the classroom is going to be microscopic compared to what I’m going to learn on the island.

I think what I’m most excited for is the fact that I am going to be connected with nature in a totally new way. As a person who has never been out of the country, as well as a person who loves observing and learning about nature and wildlife, I know that this expERIENCE IS GOING TO BLOW MY FREAKING MIND. It is my goal in Yap to keep a journal of what we do or of anything memorable because I know I’m going to look back so fondly on these times. 

I honestly cant contain myself. This trip is going to be the bees knees. 

I’m Going On A Picnic and I’m Going to Bring…YAP GEAR!!!

Oh Yap 🙂 I feel so cultured already just by knowing its name 🙂 My friends and family give me dumbfounded looks whenever I talk about Micronesia and it makes me a little bit happy to know I am about to embark on an adventure that no one I know has the slightest idea about! I get to be new and exciting and I am REALLY excited about coming back and telling everyone!

 

One of the things I am most excited about is getting into their culture and seeing their politics and how it works in their villages. I want to see how they function without all of the grand US policies and rules! I want to see them live their lives for today and I want to see it work out so I can come back to the states with a vision of how to run my life with the greatest outcomes.

 

I am a little afraid, however, that I will be too naïve or ignorant about something that will get me into trouble. I don’t drink and I don’t understand everything that goes into drinking and I am afraid, in my eagerness to learn, I will be fooled and not taken seriously. This would make me feel like any friendships made on Yap would be affected by my ignorance. The betel nut is something else I feel will get me in trouble. I have no intention of trying it at the moment and I feel like there might be some pressure to do so. With this aside, I think I will get much closer to our team on Yap and I am very excited about that!

 

After the outing-inning in January, I wanted another one! We had such group cohesion and it was fun! I can’t wait for the fellowship that will take place in such tight quarters on a remote island for 3 weeks! I am excited to not have my phone, get awful tan lines, see exotic creatures and meet new people! After learning about Yap’s culture, I also really want to see a piece of stone money and a sea cucumber J

 

Yap is going to be FANTASTIC and I’m excited about all aspects! I hope the days are long and the laughs plentiful while stresses are low and pain tolerable! I hope we all get along for the entirety of the trip and that Dr. Reed doesn’t stay behind because everyone else was voted off the island…

Coral Reefs Are Mighty Fine This Time of Year

Since covering coral reefs in high school science, I’ve been fascinated by the mere thought of something living, like a rock sponge that is filled with life! The different sections of reef such as the reef flat, reef crest and reef front, are so different, yet all related! A plain is a plain and a desert is a desert; but a coral reef is like a little village with different towns! SO many different species live in coral reefs. Fish, sea cucumbers and plants are all over the place. I am excited to see things I have never seen, up close and personal. Reefs are also not only in one area or on one island which is really cool. I wonder if there are man made coral reefs since they take so long to build up over time…

 

I find it really interesting to also take note of how little was known about coral reefs, not too long ago! Now, with global warming as an issue, attention has drawn to these areas. I have mixed views on global warming and what to do/not to do, but I hope that the coral reefs keep on truck’in and don’t die out. I suppose if it starts to wash away, some marble production will be effected too. All things must end, but I hope it is done naturally, like by the animals that erode the reefs, instead of by human means and disasters.

 

The coral reefs are definitely going to be a highlight of the trip with their beauty and complexity right out there for everyone to see! Snorkeling over the life will be amazing and I cannot wait!

 

Gary Sullivan

As I write, we have 11 days 8 hours 46 minutes and 56…55…54…seconds until we depart from ye ole Charlotte Douglas International!!! I CANNOT WAIT! I have all the gear and clothing I need for the trip, and the only thing I have left to do is sign my Global Referral Form for the scuba diving (if Gary would ever get the paperwork ready). I’m ready to hike, scuba, work, play, drink sodas and everything else we will be doing.

Probably what I am most excited for is making new friendships. Traveling and learning about new cultures are two of my favorite things to do, so having the chance to work alongside the Yapese is really exciting. I want this JBIP trip to be more than just a fun experience or like the other trips abroad–I want this one to have a lasting impact even after we are gone. I want to be able to form friendships and relationships with all the people of Yap and simply enjoy the presence of all the people involved in this trip. I think this why I was initially attracted to Yap as my choice for JBIP. Being able to work alongside the native people and share in the same passions in nature is something I am really looking forward to and I know it will be an experience I will never forget.

Other things I am excited and looking forward to: Diving with sharks. Hiking. Exploring Yap and Honolulu. Listening to music on the plane ride. Blogging. Taking pictures (which I will probably do nonstop). Getting to know my teammates and professors more. Frisbee (possibly). Snorkeling. Kayaking. Eating. GIS’ing. AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Ready to Go!

We will all be in Yap less than two weeks from now! Everyone has the things they they are most excited for of course. I am most excited for going out and exploring the island. I will probably live with my camera attached for the first few days just taking pictures of everything. Will this actually change while I am there? Probably not. I am so excited to be in a part of the world which few people actually get to travel to because of how isolated some of these islands are in Micronesia. Also, I am so excited to be traveling to Yap with this group of students with our two professors. Our group dynamic is a very fun one with a lot of laughing. We will have a lot of laughs together while we are stuck on long layovers too 🙂

Getting to have layovers in Guam and in Hawaii will really be interesting on the way there and back as well. I have never been to Hawaii because my parents think it is just too far away to travel to easily when coordinating the schedules of two kids at school and two parents at work. Guam is definitely not somewhere I thought I would ever go to because of how far away it is either.

I cannot wait to hike up to get a high enough vantage point to see the sunrise on the first morning we are there like we talked about doing in class. The fourteen hour time change will really mess with us for the first few days that we are there, so we have plans to go hiking before the sunrise since we will probably be awake at 4:00 AM Yapese time anyway. Regardless, I am so excited! The vast majority of Yapese land is privately owned (we have been told that about 98% of land is privately owned), so hiking and exploring will probably be done in some of the down time when we are doing work out in the field. Our afternoons and evenings will be pretty open while we are on Yap which also allows for a lot of time to explore.

I just got my cot about a week ago, and all I need to get still is a pair (or two) of board shorts to wear while I am swimming and snorkeling. I think I will have everything else I need once I get those board shorts. My last exam will be this Saturday which gives me plenty of time next week to lay out at the pool at my parents’ house in order to work on my “pre-tan” before we get to Yap. I do not want for my skin to go from the farmer’s tan (with mostly pale skin if I am totally honest here) to a complete sunburn once I am in the intense sun that close to the equator. I have a list of all the things I will need to pack, and I find myself adding and subtracting things to it a lot still.

I’ve Got My Lunch Packed Up, My Boots Tied Tight…

I have my cot, I have my scuba gear, I have my chacos, now all that is left to do is leave! Wah0o0o!!!! Just kidding I still have a lot to do before the big arrival – but that does not take away from the excitement I have! After practicing scuba diving in the arctic waters of the YMCA pool with the good ole Gary Sullivan, I cannot wait to be 40 feet down under the surface of the ocean cruising through some coral reefs. Though there are many scary “what if” situations we practiced, with some I struggled on more than others, I am so ready to be down under with the fishies.  I am also really excited to see clear blue waters – something I have never seen before. Something I am worried about is being able to pack light and fitting everything including scuba gear and bedding etc in my suitcase and still be under the weight limit – not to mention my long and heavy cot! 

We have learned so much this semester and I cannot believe that Yap is around the corner. Time sure does fly. One thing I liked learning about was the island geography and learning about how atolls are formed along with the strand of islands or volcanoes. Though it is way too late because I am a junior, this class along with environmental class has made me wonder if I was environmental major? All I know is that I would really enjoy it. It is cool to know that the next time I could be blogging, I will be miles and miles away on a small island in Micronesia! CANNOT WAIT!

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

With less than 2 weeks until we depart for Yap I must say that I am very excited. Now that we are finally done with the scuba diving class, I am even more excited to go scuba diving than anything else. I am excited to experience a culture different than anything I have ever seen before, especially since we will be integrating ourselves into the culture for 2 1/2 weeks. Although the scuba diving is all I can think about, I am also extremely excited to work with the Yapese people and experience their way of life. Overall I believe this will be a very unique experience and definitely one I will never forget!