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. 

Saturday Crazy Build Weekend with Watauga Habitat for Humanity.

After searching for weeks to find the perfect organization to volunteer with I finally decided on Watauga County Habitat for Humanity. When I first signed up with the organization I expected it to be fairly small. In my mind I would help the organization build a house over the course of a couple of months. I expected to work hard with a small team to build structures as quickly as we could. I couldn't have been more wrong about Watauga Habitat for Humanity and how they run their organization.

Watauga Habitat for Humanity starts early, 8 O’clock to be exact. Saturday morning myself and a dozen other Appalachian State Students loaded ourselves into a shuttle where we were greeted with doughnuts provided by the Habitat for Humanity team. As we drove up to the job site I noticed many cars and brand new houses dotting the ridgeline. When we finally arrived at the job site I was astonished to see almost one hundred and fifty people scattered around piles of lumber and the level foundation for the new house. I had arrived on a very special day, Habitat for Humanity Crazies Build Weekend. Volunteer construction workers from the entire east coast were present to build the house that Saturday. One of my misconceptions, that it Watauga Habitat for Humanity was a small organization, was proven untrue as soon as I reached the job site. 

They split the large group of volunteers up into three teams. Team one was in charge of painting the siding that would be put on the house after the walls were built. Team two encased the whole job site in scaffolding to make it easier to complete the house. Team three, my personal team, was in charge of hammering nails and erecting walls. Before working with Watauga Habitat for Humanity I expected it would take at least a few weeks to build a house. Thanks to all the help from over a hundred volunteers we were able to build almost the entire house in one weekend! I am amazed at the work that Watauga County Habitat for Humanity does for the community. I am proud that I was able to be a part of such a worthwhile organization  

My IBMA experience on Thursday September 26th.

Bluegrass music is a musical genre that was born in the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. Bluegrass has grown from one band, Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, to a worldwide phenomenon. Millions of people all over the world enjoy and play Bluegrass music. Every year at the end of September, bluegrass is honored by a wondrous week long celebration in downtown Raleigh. The International Bluegrass Music Association award show is one of the most important days of the year for everyone in bluegrass. The award show honors the best bluegrass creations of the year and remembers those that the community has lost. Bluegrass music really is “One big family” as Del McCoury stated at the 2019 award ceremony. 

Bluegrass music is considered by many to be the musicians music. Bluegrass musicians cover a wide range of people. The sheer talent of bluegrassers is passed down through generations. At IBMA children jam with professionals and grey haired masters throughout hallways and corridors. Many of the best musicians are not in the IBMA spotlight but nestled in corners and hallways throughout the conference. The beautiful thing about IBMA is that jammining is allowed anywhere and everywhere. 

This has been my first experience at the International Bluegrass Music Association bluegrass week. As soon as I arrived I felt at home and comfortable. It means so much to me that I am accepted and befriended by such high caliber musicians. Bluegrass music is such an important part of who I am and I'm honored to be a part of this awe inspiring conference that showcases the best Bluegrass music has to offer. IBMA has been on my bucket list since I was a young boy learning how to play the banjo. Now that I am finally here, at the greatest bluegrass week of the year, I want to make every moment count.     

My expirience at a Square Dance in Todd NC.

A square dance is an important community tradition throughout the Southern Appalachian region. They provide a home for Old Time Music and bring people together. Because I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia I had never experienced a square dance. I imagined lines of people spinning, twirling, and pulling off dance moves I could never reproduce. I probably wouldn't have even gone to the dance had it not been for the Random Pub bluegrass jam. When I attended that jam my friend approached me and suggested we attend a dance and potluck in Todd on Friday night. I was apprehensive at first until he convinced me otherwise. I had no idea how to square dance and I was clueless to where the town of Todd even was.

On Friday I couldn't wait to finish my classes. Over the week I had become excited about the dance. In the afternoon I put on my fancy boots and walked out the door to meet my friend. The drive to Todd seemed to take forever through winding mountain roads mostly uphill. Eventually we pulled into a tiny town with old peak-roofed houses. We parked beside an ancient general store with a fallen down barn. We took a short walk up the street and entered a building that might have been a gas station in a former life. When I entered the building I heard the old hardwood floor boards creak a saw mismatched chairs lining the whole perimeter. There was a long table in the center of the room that was covered in ham, chicken, biscuits, jellies, gravy, rice, baked corn, butter beans, and other homemade delicacies. In the corner there were microphones and a double bass played on the floor. The atmosphere of the occasion felt vintage and homey which made me comfortable.

After eating most of the food, many of the people started removing tables and opening up the room. The friend I attended with took his place behind the microphone and began to tune his fiddle. I was surprised how easy it was to find a partner my own age. I didn’t expect very many young people would want to attend a square dance. I told my new found partner that I had never square danced before and she told me she would guide me through the first song. The first dance that was called was a Virginia Reel. I learned that a characteristic dance move of a reel is “peeling” which can somewhat be described as two lines of people follow the leader in a similar shape as the peel of a banana. 

Dancing is hard work, and after an hour I was starting to become tired. By that time I had  made sense of the dance steps also, which made dancing more interesting to me. I was sitting on a chair watching the people twirl by me when I heard my friend called my name. When I looked at his direction he was holding a guitar which he wanted me to play on the next song. I sat down and began playing the chords to various fiddle tunes. It was challenging for me to follow the chord changes at first. But after a quick barrage of numerals whispered in my ear by the bass player I was able to keep up with the band. Playing rhythm guitar at a square dance is similar to meditation because songs are repeated over a long duration of time. We played Squirrel Hunter, Temperance Reel, and other well known fiddle tunes. The time began to fly by and eventually it was time to pack up and say farewell. 

As my friend and I were walking back toward the general store where he had parked his truck he handed me some money. I was surprised and told him I couldn't accept his gift. He laughed at me before he told me it wasn't a gift but more a payment. The people who had set up the dance had insisted that I be paid for my musical contributions. 

I enjoyed my time at the square dance in Todd NC. The people were exceedingly generous, the food was mouth watering, and the music and dance were outrageously fun!

How a bad day turned worse because I didn't look at the Syllabus

I had searched far and wide over the past few weeks trying to find a suitable community partner. In my Google calendar I had written the amount of service hours required in my Rhetorical Analysis class. My notes said I needed to volunteer for eighty hours in the fall semester. This requirement seemed impossible but I was sure I hadn’t made a typo. I trusted my notes and stressed for two weeks over a requirement I thought I would never fulfill. On September 12th I meet with a representative from Watauga County Habitat for Humanity. The representative I met with that day was professional and kind. I asked her what volunteer options are available and she relayed much important information for me but was surprised that I had such a high requirement for volunteer hours. Her conclusion made me reference the class syllabus. When I referenced the syllabus I learned that I had made a terrible mistake. Luckily, the required hours were less than I thought, only thirty! I was relieved when I found out but suddenly I was consumed with embarrassment. I had spent weeks worrying about obtaining eighty volunteer hours. I had made dozens of phone calls to my father where I complained about an imaginary requirement. I had let my own carelessness cause me to go crazy. Hard lessons must be learned to continue personal prosperity. I have learned to be more diligent. I realize the importance of the class syllabus now and i'm going to reference them often. 

I am excited to volunteer with Watauga Habitat for Humanity as a way for me to reach my goal of thirty volunteer hours. The opportunity to volunteer with them is the light at the end of a tunnel. This long day and my own carelessness has disappointed me but the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization makes me feel more dignified.  Volunteering with Watauga Habitat for Humanity will also bring me satisfaction because I will help those in need. I learned that Watauga Habitat for Humanity has a goal to build an entire house in one weekend. Working with them to achieve this goal will help me build up the thirty volunteer hours required this semester.

I am grateful that my ability to volunteer makes my personal embarrassment a little more bearable. 

My search for a community partner in Boone.

When I enrolled in RC1000 I wasn't aware of the service based nature of the class. On my first day when I learned how important volunteering was on my success in the class it made me worry. Eighty hours seemed like an impossible goal, especially while keeping up with my homework. Even though I was apprehensive I began looking for a community partner that I would genuinely enjoy working with. I knew if I enjoyed my work that I would in turn enjoy RC1000.

 The Blue Ridge Parkway Conservancy was my original plan. I had spoken to one of the organizations representatives a few days before at the Club Expo. I accessed their website and began reading about their mission, vision, and time schedule. I thought the Blue Ridge Parkway Conservancy would be a great match for me because of my experience in construction and maintenance work. Sadly they informed me that they were unable to give me the eighty hours required to fulfill my needs for class. The hunt went on as I began emailing more nonprofit organizations. I received a nasty email from a local soup kitchen informing me that i would have to join a waiting list to volunteer. The impression given by that email overshadowed the appealing website I had studied the hour before. 

Luckily, after speaking to my professor, I found a worthwhile organization which I would enjoy working at. Habitat for Humanity is an organization focused on building houses and providing shelter for the people who need it most in the local community. I reached out to Habitat for Humanity by email. I received a lovely email assuring me that they could provide eighty hours of work for me over the semester. I was told that Saturday hours were available and that the Habitat for Humanity program was in coordination with Appalachian State University. I quickly set up an appointment to go speak with a representative. 

Since the first day of class i have become excited to volunteer my time with a service based organization. I look forward to the challenge this semester.

My Home Town “The Beautiful Land Across the Water.”

I grew up within walking distance of a pristine beach, on a small barrier island in Virginia. Chincoteague is home to fewer than five thousand permanent residents who make a living as watermen or providing services to the fifty-thousand “tourists” who flock to the island every summer. My family owns and operates a food-truck called BETTER.®. Like most other businesses on the island, we are open only for the tourist season. Time moves slow on Chincoteague and locals are proud to be living on “Island Time.” Since Chincoteague is such a small community everyone knows everyone. Locals on the island are constantly surrounded by kind faces of friends and kin folk. Chincoteague is also home to one of the top ranking public schools in the state of Virginia. Teachers at Chincoteague High School have taught multiple generations of the same family. A vast majority of the teachers actually graduated from Chincoteague High School before returning to teach.


Chincoteague, a Native American word meaning “Beautiful land across the water,” is nestled safely

behind its sister island Assateague, home to a herd of wild ponies. Assateague is a National Wildlife
Refuge that protects many native species that are threatened or endangered. The herd of wild ponies
is the main tourist attraction to the island. A legend tells that long ago a Spanish sailing ship wrecked
on a sandbar off the coast of Assateague. The ponies miraculously swam to shore and began
slowly carving a niche into the natural ecosystem.  The ponies range free on the beach and
surrounding marshland, their stomachs growing from the excessive salt absorbed through the
marsh grass. Chincoteague Volunteer Fire company are the technical owners of these wild ponies
and have been since the early 20th century. Every year on the last weekend in July firemen,
also known as Saltwater Cowboys, travel over to Assateague and round up heards of ponies to swim
them across a channel onto Chincoteague. After the famous “Pony Swim” the young colts are
auctioned off to raise money for the Fire Department. Several local groups buy colts and send
them back to Assateague to continue the life of the heard. This roundup, auction, and carnival are
the most important day of the year for locals and pony lovers alike. 

Chincoteague is an enchanting place. I am proud to be from the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

I am proud to have grown up in such a small a supportive community.

But most of all, I consider myself lucky to be able to call Chincoteague my island home. 

To learn more about the wild ponies of Chincoteague read

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry.

My experience at the Ransom Pub Bluegrass Jam

Ransom Pub Bluegrass Jam

Boone is a community steeped in the traditions of Old Time and Bluegrass music. Country music musicians are easy to find in bars, restaurants, and even college classes. Last night I took part in a night of music at the Ransom Pub on King Street in Boone. I arrived early, with a friend I had met in class, and talked to people at the bar. My friend introduced me to musicians from Boone and the surrounding area. The musicians I met were incredibly friendly and befriended me almost instantly. As our group of musicians talked and ate pizza more people began to show up carrying fiddles, guitars, mandolins, and dobros. After finishing our supper, my fellow musicians and I began to take out our instruments and tune up. Within an hour the entire room was filled to the brim with bluegrass musician picking and singing along. "This is the largest jam we've had in years" I heard Mike, the jam coordinator, say. So many people attended the jam that many of the more talented musicians began to form new jam circles outside. My friend and I grabbed our instruments and rotated around the bar participating in all the different groups. I became so involved and entranced with the jam that I lost track of time. I played my banjo for six hours and eventually made it home long after midnight. The jam at the Ransom was probably the best jam I have been involved with in years. 

For a boy who grew up in an isolated community with nobody to play music with, this was a dream come true. At the jam last night I impressed myself and others with my banjo playing. I made dozens of new friends who have similar interests as me and I felt accepted by the community both in music and in my studies as an Appalachian State University Student.