Everyone should leave their country of origin at some point if they can. This may seem like a no-brainer but so many people get the chance to see so little and that’s unfortunate. Very often it’s for monetary reasons; a huge number of U.S. citizens don’t have the means to travel due to always struggling to keep their heads above water financially. I don’t exactly have lots of extra money either, so I’m very appreciative of the chance to leave the country for study, and I’m aware of the privilege that comes with it and that not everyone is able to take advantage of such an opportunity.

Scotland and the rest of the British Isles have intrigued me for some time. I cannot go to Ireland, the place of my ancestors, because my father’s been saving up since my birth to take me, but in general, the rolling hills, crags, and grassy vales of the region exude a tone which is somehow nostalgic to me even before I’d ever been there. J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, while Eurocentric, is so similar in geography and climate to the U.K. because that is the area he related to and empathized with most, holding it near to his heart and allowing the setting he created to be so reminiscent of his homeland.

I have a checklist of things to do before I leave, and a rough timeline of the festivals and sites I’m going to. A book a week starting the week before I leave, one museum or art gallery a day, and a whole week set aside for my time out of the two cities, in the country. That will be the most unstructured time, and I’ll have to play it by ear. Compared to that, my time in Edinburgh and Glasgow should be easy to fill. The last time I was in the area for only five days and I saw firsthand that there’s far more activities and entertainment than I could possibly handle, so I imagine this time around I will have an ample amount of potential activities to fill any unscheduled time with. Before I depart, I need to set up arrangements to stay at a B&B in Edinburgh for two of the weeks. The time I spend in Glasgow will be easier to coordinate because I can use my step-brother’s apartment as sort of a home base, but I’ll still be sleeping in different parts of the city on some nights, so I’ll need to come prepared with extra money in case I find myself in an unfamiliar area.

For me, this trip will just be the tip of the iceberg. I have many plans for traveling to other countries and I have no idea when I’ll be able to make those happen, but I feel a motivation to be productive in my research and study that I’ve not felt since before high school, to be honest. I’m somewhat nervous about being completely alone in a foreign country, but English is by far the primary language of the country, so that will make things a bit easier.

That brings me to another thing that will be strange for me, which is the lack of racial diversity in the Scotland. Over ninety percent of people living in Scotland are White, which will be pretty strange for me since I’ve lived in the extremely diverse San Francisco Bay Area for the majority of my life, so that will take some getting used to. Also, even though most people are white and speak some form of English, Scottish accents are thick and enunciated very particularly; last time I was there I had some trouble understanding people, but found it easy enough to locate someone I could understand when I needed to.

My brother tells me it is quite a heinous crime to wear green in Glasgow, especially on a sports jersey or track suit and especially near the West End. Apparently this is due to a political and religious sectarian rivalry between Roman Catholics and Protestants, who are symbolized by two football teams: the Celtics F.C. and the Rangers F.C. Historically, many Irish Catholics emigrated to the East End of Glasgow due to economic hardship, creating increased competition for housing and employment.

Today, street gangs and thugs in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland tend to wear lose fitting tracksuits of varying colors instead of the signature oversized clothes and different colored baseball caps that we see have come to expect many street gangs in the U.S. to wear. To wear a green tracksuit near the West End is asking for it, apparently.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the early cut of a song I recently started producing.

Before I leave on this journey, I have quite a few things that I need to take care of. A visa is probably the most important thing that I will need to travel. I have already applied for it, and am waiting to hear back. This should not be a problem though since it it pretty easy to obtain one being a US citizen. I also have an appointment this week to get all of the travel immunizations that I will need. I have to buy airfare of course, but this is the least of my worries. I have traveled quite a bit in the past, so packing and figuring out the logistics of traveling are not wording me that much. The most important thing for me will be developing a shot list and rough prospectus of what exactly I want the end result of my documentary to be.  I know that I want to tell a story about the current conditions of youth in India, and contrast that to that of those in Seattle, so I also need to dive into getting some footage and understanding of the current conditions back home. I will attend local shows, go to skateparks, and get interviews from youth around Seattle.

In order to get started, I need to acquire certain equipment. I have been saving, and will use student loans to acquire a Panasonic GH3 camera, which will enable me to take quality stills as well as video. I already have a 50mm lens for interview, but will also need a good zoom lens for a lot of other different kinds of shots. On top of this, I will use a go pro to get action shots that the GH3 will not allow me to get, and with a different perspective since the go pro uses a wide angle lens. I will also use the go pro to get lime lapse footage for my documentary. Extra memory cards, batteries, and a hard drive will also need to be obtained. I am very weary about traveling with such expensive equipment, especially since last time I traveled I had my macbook air and iPhone stolen from me, so I will definitely be purchasing travelers insurance to protect me financially if anything does happen to get stolen. Since this trip is quite expensive, and I don’t want to overstay my welcome with my hosts, I am planning on staying for 2 weeks, give or take a few days depending on the cost of airfare.

Week 1: Develop a shot list and prospectus for the story I would like to tell

Week 2: Submerse myself in the Seattle music culture and get footage of my research

Weeks 3-4: Travel to Bangalore, submerse myself in the culture of skateboarding and music that I have arranged through my hosts. Obtain footage and really understand the current conditions in India.

Weeks 5-6: Develop a story and edit into a documentary to be viewed when I return to school for my presentation of my field study.

I am very nervous and anxious for this trip to actually happen. India will definitely be the most exotic place that I have traveled to so far. I really don’t have any idea what to expect after I land, and am relying heavily on my hosts to get me around. One really good things about India is that English is a very common language there.

The one thing that I am probably looking forward to the most, is volunteering for a program that Abishek also started that gives impoverished youth free donated guitars and guitar lessons. I feel like this part of the trip will really give me the most understanding and connection with the current feeling of youth and music. It will give me a one on one connection with the kids  that are actually living in the culture, and it will be a good time for me to make contrast and comparison notes.  A lot of what I will be experiencing will be revolving around the skateboarding scene in India, but one connection that I have already made is that just like here in Seattle, skateboarding and music go hand in hand. And just as skateboarding and music go hand in hand, they all relate to the cities that they are coming out of.  I really have not done too much extensive research on Bangalore, and am looking forward to just submersing myself in a culture that is completely different that my own, or I may find out that they are really not so different after all.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Week one – I will scout around the city watching very closely for the visual language of the city. I will visit Gaudy architecture and start collecting wide landscape shots of the city. I will work on animation.

Week two – I will shoot my day time shots. I will explore classical spanish art. I will work on animation.

Week three – I will shoot my nighttime shots. I will explore modern spanish art. I will work on animation.

Week four – I will review my work, shoot any last minute ideas. I will work on animation. I will return fromBarcelona.

Week five – I will begin video editing. I will work on animation.

Week six – I will finish everything up.

I don’t intend to explain why I chose to go to Barcelona in this post. I don’t yet have a clear answer to that question. There are some superficial explanations that immediately come to mind. I’m somewhat familiar with the city and I’m comfortable there. I’ve been there before and I felt safe and inspired. I know that there is a vibrant music scene there. there is lots of music from lots of places there. I have spoken with some European people and have been told that Barcelona is an interesting choice for reasons that could be interpreted as good or bad depending on how you see it. The city was described as a ‘European city’ and that it isn’t a very good representation of Spain in particular. That’s not entirely discouraging though. My interest isn’t in how Spanish cities shapes music but how the city, whichever it may be, is musical.

This next quarter is a pretty big step towards assuming more responsibility for my life. I’m taking this time to remove some of the structures I’ve relied on in order to create a lifestyle for myself that more accurately reflects what I want. I’m a little anxious, but mostly I feel excited.

Basically, I want to learn the things I aim to learn the things I want to learn, on my own time, and I want to find the motivation within myself to do that. I feel like I’ve spent the better part of my life thus far procrastinating. That’s not to say I feel regret, but I do think I’ve given myself a purpose which I’ve often left on the sidelines. I want to take this time to give that purpose the respect it deserves. I’m not content with where I am as a musician, as a songwriter, or even as a listener. I want to be better. So I’m going to work on myself. I could say that this is a turning point in my life, but I won’t. I don’t think its fair to say I’ve made that change until I’m already in the middle of it- until I’ve committed myself to my goals.

Most of my anxiety about this stems from the fact that, as it stands now, I won’t be receiving any structure or credits from college for this. While it is my goal to supply my own structures, I’m still a bit apprehensive about the prospect. I’m thinking that it’ll be good for me to journal as a way of keeping myself on track. Keeping a journal will enable me to step back and reflect on what I’m doing so that I may address any problems I’m having. This blog might actually be a good format for me to keep honest tabs on my progress, especially since I’m already laying the groundwork for it here. I think it’ll also be easier once I establish some other routines for myself such as meditating, listening, reading, etc. As far as credits are concerned, I’m entertaining the possibility of pursuing this study as an ILC. I plan on speaking with an academic advising tomorrow to see if this is actually my best course of action.

I’m quite excited to push myself, and, in that excitement, I may be biting off more than I can chew. The readings I’ve picked are exactly what I want, but they’re also pretty dense materials. While the physics and philosophy portions of this study are meant to fuel my desire to engage with music, I’m a bit worried of getting too caught up in trying to complete those texts and that my time spent with actual music might be affected. Again, I think keeping a journal will be a good way for me to take a step back and make sure I’m keeping my goals balanced.The fact that both the physics and philosophy I study will be used in my approach to music is appealing to me though, and the idea is that thinking of music in these ways will give me a deeper appreciation for it- in turn pushing me to play more.

I’m eager to get into launch this project. Hermann Helmholtz’s book, On the Sensations of Tone, just arrived in the mail today. This book was printed especially for my order, and both the book and its content appear dense. Likewise this path I’m taking appears daunting, but it’s also a path that I can proudly call my own. My real hope is that by the end of this quarter I won’t be satisfied with my accomplishments, but that I’ll be continually striving to outdo myself.