The past 5 months have been incredibly difficult. Even though I still can't find work, probably won't get my degree, and am half-way around the world from those I love, I keep thinking about those who are worse off than me.
The homeless, for example. Manchester, although not a crowning utopia of British urban planning, was still generally free from swaths of people sleeping on the streets. It used to be college students too drunk to stumble home; no it's people who lost their job and couldn't make the rent. It's good Prime Minister Gordon Brown has set up legislation to keep people from being evicted, but it's certainly too little, too late.
Likewise, the other students not aware of the implications. I've been interested in oil for about a year; many of the students (both at my Undergrad Uni in the US and here) were completely oblivious. Of course, most musicians are: they just want to sit in their practice rooms all day, "honing their craft" - no thought towards the community they'll eventually serve. There's such an ivory tower mentality in classical music, even in today's crisis. I've at least moved on, reusing razors, buying locally. It's been my normal modus operandi, so it won't take long to get used to these changes.
Of course, this is all in lieu of finances. I still have my account in America, which can keep me in my house for another month or so. After that, I'll probably just live with my girlfriend and her parents and hope things improve. I won't be able to commute to school, though; I imagine that will be the end of my hopes for a Master's.
It was good my parents were able to fly over early on, despite the ticket prices. There was obviously enough ruckus to guarantee prices for those who already bought tickets. I know they wanted me to come back, but I certainly couldn't pay the airline prices. And I feel safer here. I've grown attached to the city. Similarly, I've never been in as strong a relationship as I am now.
Thank goodness for the positive...
3 comments:
Keep thinking about those positives. That's the kind of stuff that can get you through the bad stuff. :)
I was downtown about a week ago and there was a guy there playing guitar. "Busking," is that what it's called? That's what he said. I was waiting for a bus so I waited there with him for a while. A girl came over and did some vocals, just scat-like because they didn't know any songs in common. The bus was full and so I hung back for the next one, let the girl get on but then she hung back too. I ended up giving the guy some money. He told me that "business" now is better than it ever was.
Yeah, we use the term busking to mean playing on the streets. There are some regulars in the city centre that are quite amazing. With my current job prospects, you may see me playing there sometime!
Thanks, Illiana; I have the great luck of always finding the silver lining.
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