I'M HERE

Hey my friends, bloggers and blog-readers. I thought I would never ever get to writing this blog, and I know you all have your opinions about that. I clearly think I'm busy, maybe others think I have poor time management...Well all dat is really important is that I get the job done. It would not be appropriate to write this blog without first thanking Shauna, her family, and my wonderful friends for what they did for me on the Saturday before I left. It was great! I was happy, and it was good to see so many of you before leaving, especially in that setting.

Well I'm here peeps. I'm in Boston, and yes mi start twang already. Mi nuh have nuh shame. Yu cyaan go nowhere an ask fi W-A-T-A, it's clearly W-A-D-D-E-R, and said quickly in my token Jamerican accent, which clearly has them fooled since they all don't know where I'm from. But anyways, after American Airlines flight delays, being placed on standby, and fortunately not loosing any luggage, dad and I arrived to Boston, and it was cold...Very cold, well we thought, then the temperature on Wednesday was in the negatives (dat nuh pretty at all). Poor dad looked like a fish out of water. I know i not made for cold, but my tough papa wasn't liking it at all. Well i think i was more prepared than he knew. I had tam and scarf and gloves and sweater. He didn't have any gloves and initially no tam. So talk about ear freeze, nose freeze, mouth freeze... Jus crazy freezing.

Our first adventure on arrival was to get some food. Here is where I forget 1. How young I look, and 2. How serious they are about ID in the US. We went into some bar to get some food and this guy asks for my ID. I showed him my Driver's License, and dudey wouldn't accept it. He wanted my passport, which I left at the hotel. Since when is a National Driver's License not valid ID? (I guess once it's not their nation). Mi did well waan argue, but my good willed father was the calm one and said "Let's go"...Mi really forget where I was coming to. The bar next door quickly took our orders, but had to go thru the same ID routine. This time the Jamaican ID represented well. We nyam up an den we were back in the hotel, and to sleep we went.

Tuesday, Jan 16 - Orientation day. After you've been to UWI, any orientation is a breeze, an mi a talk UWI before 1999. Dem deh breed a registration and walk up an down weh wi did have to go thru. This wasn't hard really. A lot of activities, but jus required a little forward planning and it was cool. For those who are unfamiliar wid the vernacular, i can't help myself. My mind works in patois, even though many have never really heard much of it from my mouth :) I'm a proud Jamaican (Break out in song for the Singers people..."We are proud Jamaicans, la la la la la la...").

This is where we fast-forward though the Berklee stuff. Orientation yady yady, English proficiency test, lectures on campus facilities, placement audition...Oh did I say placement audition. This moment of the orientation was the best part for me. It made me feel like this really is where I should be. In this audition you sing a piece of your choice, improv (sing anything over what the pianist plays...Usually jazz), scat, and sight read. Of course unnu know seh mi sing "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder, cah a mi bread an butter. But guess who's burnt mp3 CD wasn't gonna play in the audition room. As we tried an tried, the CD seh..."Mi nah play, mi nah play, unu lef mi nuh". They almost made me sing another track which had started to play. Well dat CD choked as well. Good thing Ribbon is a popular song, cuz he then asked me what key I sing it in. I said "C" (it's really in "C#"). He then hopped on the piano and started playing it. It was nice too. He made a few mistakes, which I then tried to correct (it's your audition, you want it to go perfect). He was like JUS SING! So yu know the rambling stop right there, and I was singing my heart out. The other auditioner was grooving to it. They liked it. I then had to impov, and I just started to sing the blues...The first thing dat came out of my mouth was "I got blues, Berklee Blues....I got blues, Berklee blues". Snap thought...Is this the right song to be singing ay my Berklee audition? LOL. Ahmmmm think fast...."When it's cold outside I get me some Berklee blues"...Now we're on track. Then he says "skat". Lawd what if mi did come from country or was a musical retard an him seh sKat, maybe mi woulda start dance, probably tap. Granted I have never really skatted before. I was surely skatting now (Shure nuff a unnu woulda waan hear dat). Wow, dat went well too. I now have to sightread. "What key is it in?", they ask. "G Major" I say correctly, then we start. Didn't go bad either...Much better than the scholarship audition. Now we're finished and this is the good part. He says "You, you have the gift. You're a natural talent. You really moved me!. Have you ever had formal voice training". I say "a little". The he says "so most of this is natural", and I say "Yes", and he says "I thought so". He then offered his services even if he wasn't my vocal coach. That was the best audition I've ever had in my life. I finally realized that I had made most of the steps towards following my dream, and it was actually happening, and in a supportive musical environment.

Dat was the highlight of my week, maybe one of the highlights of my life. To be told that by someone who teaches at a Music college is a big deal. Kinda reaffirms the fact that you might actually have talent, and half of this musician battle is believing that you do. Well I kinda believed. He convinced me a little more, and I'm sure the tug-of-war will continue as we journey on. Pray for me and I will pray too to not compare, and just to make the most of me, MG, Mario and what I can do.

Today is Saturday, and I pick up my schedule. So I can let ya'll know what my days are like and when you can links me. I'll send you my info via email. AndI have a room phone and a mailing address now. Let all my friends know about my blogs, because I could never write all this in individual emails. And myself am averse to mass emails. To me blogs are much better. Personal emails are gonna become shorter now, but I'm here to work, so I can't be engulfed by this monster the laptop attached to the internet. I miss you guys, and love you all very much. The support you have given me has been unbelievable, and I am so far really happy. That's what life is all about, doing what you really love, and being happy. When you're happy you serve God better. There I go on the religious tip, but I am eternally grateful for the life I've been given. You hear me say it all the time, but "I really can't complain". God has been good! I'll continue to give you the blow by blow every couple a days or so, so bookmark me and check on me periodically. Peace.

MG