April update

I'm sorry it has been so long since I last wrote!! Since coming back from Spring Break, I've been super busy.  First, I've been working a lot to try to get my finances in order for the summer, when I won't be earning any money at all, and secondly, I have been making an audition recording for a prestigious position in an orchestra, so all my free time has been focused on working on that.  I do have a few tidbits to share, though!

 My faithful trusty suitcase, that I have had for four years, with which I traveled all over the world (all over the US, Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Colombia twice, Spain, Ecuador, Brazil eight times, Peru, Germany, and Switzerland), finally irreparably broke right at the end of my travels back from Brazil.  I'm thanking my lucky stars that it broke at the end of the trip rather than at the beginning, but I am so sad that it finally succumbed to old age.










My roommates in Brazil taught me how to make pineapple juice from the skin of the pineapple, so I decided to give it a try at home.  It was a lot of work, but it was awesomely fresh and delicious!!











My good friend here at Yale introduced me to a food stand where I can buy Colombian style arepas! It was delicious and reminded me of the arepas I ate on the street with friends in Manizales, the first time I visited Colombia.  Aww, memories!

I've also decided what I'm doing this summer and next year! This summer I'll be attending the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, here in Connecticut.  I'm very excited.  I already submitted my repertoire request form, and I asked to play a lot of unusual pieces, so I'm hoping at least one or two of my requests are granted!

Next year, I'll be starting work towards my DMA at the University of Georgia! I'm very excited to start a new life in a new state where I won't know anyone at all, but that means I need to buy a car between now and August.  I have no idea how to go about doing this! Help!!!

As I mentioned above, I've been working really hard on a recording.  The orchestra is super specific about how they want things set up - they designate a specific microphone to use, and it has to be eight feet off the ground, six feet away from the player, and pointed directly at the instrument.  I was able to borrow an appropriate microphone from Yale, but they didn't have any proper mic stands available, so here is my improvised recording set-up!

 One of my fitas finally broke off!  Fitas de Bomfim are one of the most famous symbols of Salvador, the city I frequently visit in Brazil.  You make a wish when you put it on, and when it breaks, the wish will have come true.  I don't usually believe in superstitious things like that, but it's true - the wish when I made when I tied on this fita has come true in the meantime.  This one I wore for about a year and a half before it broke.  I'm still wearing another one that I put on one year before this pink one, and it doesn't even look close to coming off.  It's a bit awkward - I actually don't want that wish to come true anymore, but I also don't want to cut it off or something, in case superstitions are true, and it would bring bad luck on me! I know it's silly, but better safe than sorry, right??

Finally, for a bit of blog maintainance stuff, I need to amend some of my 25 things that I wanted to do before I turn 25.  First of all, through elimination and reintroduction into my diet, I have learned that I am lactose intolerant.  The day I made this discovery, I was crushed.  But it's now a fact of my life.  So instead of doing a month of a gluten-free diet, which would be nearly impossible right now when I'm working on changing my diet already, I will do a month of lactose free eating.  That means no milk, cheese, or other dairy products, though since eggs seem to be ok with my digestive system, they're allowed.  Cheese is the hardest thing.  I absolutely adore cheese and used to eat it nearly with every meal.  I've only done a few days at a time without cheese so far so I need to really dedicate myself to this for a whole month! But not till I finish this blue cheese I've got in my fridge....

The other goal that I need to amend is having my summer camp.  Unfortunately, I had to cancel it due to insufficient student enrollment.  But! I still want to do 25 things that I've never done before! So I am adding do yoga to the list.  I think I am probably the only 20-something woman in America who has literally never tried yoga, so this is the time to do it! This is especially ironic since my dad has been doing yoga at least five days per week since I was in middle school or before!

Anyways, that's about all the updates I have today.  I have been falling behind once again in my essays for my Portuguese class, as well as in my schedule of the 25 things to do before my birthday in November, so hopefully I'll have some updates on that for you guys soon!

Until next time!

Lauren