I am back in Bozeman after 45 hours of travel. Wes was quite humored by my exhausted 30 second mini naps that resulted in some wild head bobbing.

I was wondering what it would be like to return to Bozeman. And as the bus lumbered into town and everyone around me exclaimed with joy that they were home, I had a very clear experience of not being home. In fact, the wide plain and severe mountains, the bright and close sun, and the dryness all feel as foreign to me as the wild streets of Vietnam with the motor bikes.

I began to think about our little house in Ashfield and how I wanted to plant fruit trees, and where to play concerts and teach.

But I love my students here, have good connections to the faculty, and have committed to this next year in Bozeman.

It will be fun to have a whole community to interact with on a daily basis that has shared in such a fun overseas adventure.
I have syllabi to write, tours to plan, a house to re side, and an audio journal to edit.
But meanwhile I will be hatching plans on how to step into the performing career I have always dreamed of. Grants? Booking conferences? auditions? freelance? I need to create a business plan and start now heading in the direction of my dreams, even while I make good on my current financial and institutional obligations.
It is never too early to live the life that brings you joy!!

Thanks to all of you who have supported me to go on this trip. I am so incredibly grateful for your support. I will be sending along the audio journal as soon as I can edit it, and when the PBS documentary comes out, I will let you know if it seems worth it to purchase and watch (who knows if I will make it into the final cut)

Finally, I have to admit, writing this blog has been a blast for me. I have always enjoyed writing, and if you don’t mind, I think I will just keep up with it, although perhaps less frequently.