Going Somewhere

As I realize how close to the New Year it is, a few things hit me – it has been four years since I was in India, about three since Europe tour, and two since graduating from undergrad. I guess the fact that I keep thinking of these things is partially due to my favorite time-sucker, Facebook. [I would like to preface the next blip by saying, I have nothing against Facebook. In fact, I love using it to keep in touch with friends, share little things here and there with said friends, and having a place to post what pops up in my head (only the appropriate!) is pretty convenient.] Facebook keeps throwing up “my year in review”, but I do not think Facebook should be the one reviewing my year. It has come to my attention that there has been a bit of controversy over their new app that summarizes an individual’s year. After reading the article about the grief Facebook’s “A Year in Review: It’s Been Great” caused Mr. Eric Meyer’s* it is apparent to me that Facebook had a difficult ...

Where to begin? My thoughts are scattered, there are many of them, and they are all over the board. To start, I am 23 years old, I have no job, I'm single (which is not negative!), I have a degree that isn't really good for anything, and I am back in school (getting a degree that I can actually get a job with!). I am far from my family and friends. I want a puppy.......and a cat.......and my big girl job - NOW. This has been a season of trust - walking forward without being able to see the path I'm traveling. I am being stretched by my courses this semester; I am b eing stretched mentally and emotionally by life. I went from having a job and a steady income, to no job and a shrinking bank account. I am looking for an affordable place to live for my 6 month internship in south Florida. Oh, by the way, that begins in January... Plans I had made for various, meaningful and important things have fallen through. My friend circle has shrunk, but on the plus side, so has my pan...

[If I use a term that is not PC (and it's not in quotations), please forgive, I am still learning!] So I am taking some summer classes this summer to get through my program in a more expeditious fashion. One of those classes is called Music in Special Education. This class is designed to not only make the music therapist in training and the educator in training more aware of opportunities for advocacy and ways to better serve the disabled or handicap, but also to be aware of the history surrounding the issue of "special education". The point of this post is me working through my feelings on what I have learned thus far. I came into this class with little knowledge on the history behind the laws passed that allow for those with special needs to get the education and care they both deserve and need from trained professionals/specialists. I just had no book knowledge on the matter, whatsoever! In my ignorance, I was unaware of the horrors families had suffered because the...

I have finished my first year of my graduate equivalency program. Next week my summer classes begin. So, what have I done with myself during these two weeks off? Well lucky me my dad had business in Destin, FL; my family arranged a rare family vacation around his conference and my last week of school. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with them, but was also glad to return home at the end of the week to some semblance of a routine. This last week of break has been dedicated to internship applications and beginning the process of packing my apartment up for the move to my new "home". After ten months of living by myself, I will gradually be 'reintroduced' to life with roommates and eventually end up with three of us in an apartment. It will be an interesting experience. This whole internship application process has put somewhat of a strain on me. I am only able to apply to three sites in a year, and I keep doubting my third choice (it's been back-and-forth ...

Even though I have my B.A. degree (yay!) this 'crazy' kid decided a second round of higher education was the way to go. Here's the catch, I am technically taking undergraduate courses required on top of/kind of before officially beginning the Master's degree. SO-what that means is this chica is taking undergrad AND grad classes. But wait, there's more! Part of my program involves practicums (Practicum: a course of study for teachers, doctors, nurses, etc., that involves actually working in the area of study and using the knowledge and skills that have been learned in a school -Myrriam-Webster Dictionary), community events, and a 6-month unpaid internship. Upon the completion of my internship, not only will I take the music therapy board certification test, MT-BC, which will allow me to practice, but I will then begin working on my thesis. Let's recap: graduate-equivalency classes, practicums, 6-month internship, MT-BC test, thesis, DONE! I had hoped to blo...