Reflection of the lessons I learned in the 2019 Fall semester.

The fall semester is almost over and final exams are right around the corner. Over the semester I have been able to document the more pleasant parts of my new life in Boone. Moving here from the Eastern Shore has honestly been a stressful experience. I have had to take on many new responsibilities like balancing social time and school work. “Adulting” is a process that I have had to learn since moving here. Many aspects of life that I had never paid attention to are now crucial to my well being.

I've had to adapt to be a successful student at Appalachian State. During my high school career I was unprepared for the massive workload I would face in college. The small school I attended did not provide me with the necessary training to be successful in college. As I look back on my experience in high school I realized that it was much easier than what I face today. In high school I had many teachers who helped me be successful by metaphorically holding my hand. The workload in high school was lite and I rarely had to complete homework. The structured time schedule of high school also kept me on track in completing my work. 

 

When I moved to Boone I was suddenly greeted my a totally new dynamic. Unlike the easy-going vibe of high school, college requires me to be responsible at all times. Professors expect me to complete my work on my own time rather than in class. Much more homework is assigned in college as compared to high school. Extensive research and reading is also required in many college level classes. Not only is the workload much heavier in college, but I also have to manage my time wisely. Socializing is extremely important but it is often outweighed by homework. I have had to learn to make time to complete my work when I would much rather hang out with my friends. 

Overall I feel that the college environment is preparing me for the real world. I am now responsible for myself and every decision I make has an equal reaction. Even though I'm new at this whole “adulting” thing I feel like I'm doing a fine job.

Presentation critique and grant approval

This semester my class was faced with a challenging assignment of proposing our ideas of what could make our community better. These group projects yielded many different results. Many different topics were discussed such as the opioid crisis, homelessness, and safety in schools. After completing and presenting our work we were given a scenario: I am the head chairman on the Watauga County Commissions Board. I have been given the final say on which two proposals will receive a $50,000 grant from the county. 

The idea that stuck out most to me was about an increasing methamphetamine problem in Watauga County. The presenters used surprising, yet terrifying facts about the rising numbers of meth users. They gave a detailed and specific description of the problem. They realized that they face many important facts such as the polices inability to slow the rise in meth due to business opportunities to many impoverished people. They believed that helping users and potential users would help slow the epidemic, save money on police intervention, and save lives. 

The other proposal that caught my attention was about the homeless population in Watauga county. Although the presentation was full of long paragraphs that I couldn't possibly read the information was clearly stated by the presenters. They talked extensively about the issues of homeless shelters, bus routes, and the rampant poverty in the county. I think their proposal would benefit the community.

These two proposals may have won the grant money, but every issue that was brought to attention is equally important. Watauga county needs help in many ways. It takes creativity and compromise to find the solution.     

My most recent purchase: A new mandolin

Sometimes I have a weakness for beautiful and rare instruments. I have a habit of looking at banjos I cannot afford and dreaming about the day when I buy one. When I am not looking at banjos for sale on the internet I look at other bluegrass instruments that I don't know how to play and think, “If I buy one of those and learn to play it, I'll be much more popular at the jams.” Rarely on my lifelong quests for musical machines do I come across an undeniable deal. Once, when I was fourteen, I found a prewar Gibson Mastertone banjo in an antique shop in Hershey Pennsylvania. It was remarkably cheap, but sadly, it was still too expensive for a fourteen year old boy. Another, more recent time, I found a handmade dreadnought guitar, perfect for Bluegrass flatpicking. The solid wood instrument was perfectly crafted by a preacher from Watauga County North Carolina. But again a high quality but decently priced instrument escaped my grasp. By the time I returned to the music store it resided in it was gone, sold to a luckier picker than I. 

This week I was finally able to take advantage of a great deal. I had been talking with a friend of mine about my interest in learning how to play a mandolin. Since the vast majority of the Bluegrass musicians I know in Boone can play the mandolin I thought I should try to practice some. My friend pointed me in the direction of a mandolin that was for sale in Johnson City Tennessee. The instrument that was for sale was by no means the same quality as the two gems I had unearthed earlier in my life, but it wasn't a toy. The retail price of the same model instrument goes today for $400. After talking the seller down a substantial amount I was able to secure this player grade instrument for a low price of $150 even. On Sunday November 10th I drove to Johnson City and picked up the newest member of my ever growing instrument family, an F-style The Loar brand mandolin. 

My Recent Experiences Working with Habitat for Humanity.

I have volunteered with Watauga County Habitat for humanity over the past two weekends. The Watauga County organization does a fabulous job situating many houses on their hillside. These houses give a home to Watauga residents who are in need of housing to break the cycle of poverty. My experience volunteering with the organization has been an experience that I value a lot. I have met many kind and caring members of the community. I have helped build a house from the ground up with college students like me and construction professionals. From my experience I have gained valuable insight into how to build a house and the hard work it takes to help a community in need. 

When I first arrived at Watauga Habitat for Humanity build site there was only a foundation. Throughout that “crazy build” Saturday we built numerous walls, installed dozens of windows, and installed the beams and rafters. A long day of driving nails and hauling lumber took a toll on my back and arms but I was enthusiastic about other volunteer days to come. 

My most recent volunteer opportunity with Watauga Habitat for Humanity was last weekend. Since the structure had been built weeks before it was time to work on the finishing touches. There was a much smaller group of workers this time as opposed to the crazy build weekend. We split into teams and my job was to put the stucco onto the exterior walls. Stucco is a concrete like material that leaves a textured stone finish on the lower exterior of buildings. Throughout the whole day I mixed 5-gallon buckets full of concrete powder and water and mixed it with a large power drill. After mixing the stucco my team members and I would paste the moist mixture onto the walls where we would smooth it out. 

By the end of the day I was covered with red clay and concrete dust. I enjoy working for Watauga County Habitat for Humanity because it gives me gratification to build things with my own two hands.  

Adapting to life in Boone

As I look at the calendar I am amazed that October has already passed. The trees around campus are changing color and the mornings bring crisp air. Many of my classes are in full swing. Homework has become a regular part of my routine and I am learning how to manage my time more efficiently. At the beginning of the semester I had trouble keeping up with my homework. The stress of moving far from home, combined with a new fast-paced lifestyle, made it difficult for me to finnish everything that was assigned to me. After weeks of practice I have finally synced up with life at Appalachian State University. I have a set schedule complete with time to do homework. Recently I have been able to keep up with my school work, practice playing my banjo, and attend jams and square dances regularly. On top of all of the work that I do in music and school I have been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. I spent a whole Saturday last month building a house with the organization. I was amazed at how quickly the structure went up and proud of our productive day. 

I have had some bad days over the semester. The first few weeks after I moved here I was quite bored. It took me a while to make friends but now I spend a lot of time out and about. Other bad days I have had have involved rain. I come from the coast but I was unprepared for the amount of rain in Boone. After getting soaked at least three times I have finally learned to bring my raincoat with me wherever I go. 

Moving away from my hometown to bustling university town has been a challenge for me. But I have conquered the challenge by working hard and being resilient. I have learned many important life lessons like managing my time and carrying a raincoat. All and all I am glad I moved to Boone.

Going back to East Virginia

This weekend Appalachian State University held its 2019 Fall Break. This extra long weekend gave me the opportunity to drive home. During my fall break I embarked on an eight hour journey across much of North Carolina and through South Eastern Virginia. My trip to the Eastern Shore of Virginia showed me interesting cities and rural areas that are trapped in time. I drove down Appalachian mountain sides and I rolled over Piedmont hills. On my journey I drove down the J.E.B. Stuart Memorial Highway. As I drove down this road I felt as if I had been transported back in time. Along the highway were small tin shacks, old town stores, and plastic wrapped cotton bales scattered between snowy white cotton fields, ready for harvest. As I drove along the J.E.B Stuart Memorial Highway, I looked at the cotton balls scattering the road and appreciated this time capsule that I was experiencing.

When I finally arrived at my island home I was faced with an out of the ordinary obstacle. Unknown by me, a “Nor’ Eastern” storm, dozens of miles off the coast, has been stalled by a warm front to the south. When I made it to the long straight road through the marsh that connects Chincoteague Island to the Delmarva Peninsula I was greeted by sea water covering the road. Even though the strong storm couldn't be seen by people on the island, it was still pushing a storm surge out of the ocean which covered most of the island. Luckily for Islanders like me, flooding is a normal thing in the cool evenings of Fall. Coming home to a flooded beach town seemed ironic to me because when I was growing up, school would often cancel classes for similar events. 

Besides the almost comical flooding I experienced, I had a wonderful visit home. It was refreshing to spend time with my loving family!

My Visit to Trailhead Records

I consider myself an amateur musician. I have spent the last eleven years of my life studying the banjo and slowly learning how to play it. Where I grew up nobody was interested in Bluegrass music. It was hard for me to grow as a banjo player because I was on my own. Despite all of the troubles I faced, I continued to push myself to be a better musician. I knew one day, when I made friends who are passionate about Bluegrass music, my musical ability would finally blossom. Before I moved to Boone, North Carolina, I had little experience playing with other people. Since moving to Boone I have kindled friendships between many incredible musicians that are my age! I play music with my new found friends as much as I possibly can. Last night we had a wonderful time recording a song in the recording studio in my friend's basement. 

  As I walked into my friends basement, the headquarters for Trailhead Records, I was amazed at the sight of a room filled with cunning-edge recording equipment. Because I had no prior recording experience the room and its contents felt foreign to me. Most of my friends have recorded Bluegrass albums before and they showed me how to run the complex computer programs needed to record. Bluegrass music is hard to record because it relies on perfect timing in inventive solos. The first thing we recorded was a rough version of what we wanted the song to sound like. This rough version had no embellished solos and served as an outline for my friends and I to build upon. 

After hours of recording different instruments such as guitar, mandolin, and vocals, we finally had a decent outline of the song we wanted to create. I recorded the banjo part fairly quickly, even though it took me twelve tries to record a banjo solo I was proud of. The overall experience of recording at Trailhead Records was surreal. I felt like a bonafide Bluegrass Musician. I can't wait to visit TrailHead Records again over the next few months to create a final product that my friends and I can be happy with.