Honey Walker’s journal–don’t read it; return it. Casus Dulces
Week Two, Day Six – Freshman Year
Editor’s Note: Honey’s journal entries are numbered according to week and day of the week. As she does not keep daily entries, gaps appear in the numbering. Please see the Table of Contents for the full listing of entries.
I found something on the college website the other day that just about sent me to the moon!
Are you going to be a sophomore or junior music student in good standing next year?
If so, apply now for the year abroad program.
You can study in beautiful Windenburg, living with a family or renting a room in a townhouse near the university.
Work with world’s best musicians as you gain the cultural experience you need to become a top performer.
Yes! It sounds so ideal! I’ve really wanted to have a chance to work with world-class musicians. And Windenburg!
The only thing was, the application was due that night. At midnight. Which was only twenty minutes away.
There’s no way I could get in touch with Mom and Dad before the application was due.
They were already asleep. And if I emailed them, they wouldn’t get the email until tomorrow.
Not only that, but I just realized that I hadn’t even emailed them once yet this entire semester. And now here it was, almost over. And it would seem kind of weird if I was just emailing them to ask them if I could go for the year abroad.
I thought about what my dad would say if I were to ask him. He’d probably say something like, “Honey, you’ll be a young adult in a day or two. It’s time for you to make your own decisions.”
Or maybe he’d say, “You know, I’ve always wanted you to travel, Honey. That’s the best way to gain experience.”
And Mom would say, “Honey. We trust you. Do what you feel is best.”
I remembered Dad’s email that he sent to me at the end of last term, when he said that the time would come when I’d have to make a decision that might not be what he’d decide. But he would respect me for making it. So, I realized that even if Mom and Dad weren’t behind this one hundred percent, it would be ok. If I felt it was the best thing, they’d back me.
It wasn’t like I’d need their financial support–my scholarship would cover it. And I’d live with a family, not in a room in a townhouse, so they’d know I was safe.
I decided to apply.
I poured my heart our in the personal statement.
Ever since I was a little girl, music has been my lifeline. Whenever I feel like there’s quicksand under my feet, it’s music that makes me feel firm ground again.
I play the violin because I need to. I play the piano because I love to. And I play the guitar to think in chords.
Music’s more than a way of life–it is life.
I hope to study with the best musicians in the world, not so that I can be the best, but so that I can learn from the best.
I know that just by listening to them, watching them, and hearing what they have to say will bring me to a new level, where music becomes more than something that I do for myself: it becomes something that I can give to others.
Please help this dream come true.
They asked for a list of my skills. It looks pretty modest when I put it out there: I’m no Wonder Child. But I felt really happy to see that I had already achieved the requirements for next year in violin and piano, and I had a good start on guitar. Plus, I had the general studies year 2 requirement of Charisma already met.
I felt pretty confident when I hit “Submit.” Just think! Sophomore year in Windenburg!
Oh! I hope I get accepted! I can’t wait to write Mom and Dad and say, “Come visit me in Windenburg!”
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