Engaging on campus through music
After this week, I only have three weeks left of my study abroad semester. The friends I have made during exchange are beginning to do things that signal that the end of exchange is near: buying a new glass to replace one that was broken during the semester, talking about how long their journeys home will be, planning fewer trips for the weekends ahead, beginning to talk about our goodbye dinner during the last week before everyone leaves Vallendar. When I flew to Germany in August, the act of leaving felt extremely bittersweet: the excitement for the semester of a lifetime combined with the dread of leaving your friends and family. Now, as I think about the end of the semester in three weeks, I feel nostalgic about this semester ending and about leaving the friends I have made over the past three months, yet I am energized by the thought of seeing my family and friends at home again. Bittersweetness is an interesting feeling, but all-in-all I think it should be cherished. After all, it signals that you have deeply enjoyed the places that you have gone, the experiences you have had, and the people you have met, and that you are also appreciative for what is to come in the future.
Looking back at November, I think it may have been my busiest, and favorite, month so far. I was on the move for every weekend this month: I visited my dad’s side of the family in Kleinröhrsdorf near Dresden for the first weekend, experienced the Euromasters annual sports tournament that WHU hosts where around 15 schools from across Europe visit to compete and network on the second weekend, flew to Rome for an extended third weekend, and spent time with my grandma and uncle from my mom’s side in Heidelberg for the fourth weekend. This weekend I am in Madrid with friends from home. During the weeks this month I was also kept busy with the three classes I am taking this quarter, as well as three WHU events where I performed music.
I loved every one of these trips, every tourist site I visited, every story that my grandparents shared as we enjoyed delicious food, every chance to spend time exploring with friends. In particular, the music performances are experiences that I will always think back to when I reminisce about study abroad. Music has always fascinated me and been my greatest passion. When I am playing guitar, singing, writing music, collaborating with other artists, listening to new music, watching the magic unfold at concerts, recording music, analyzing music, or interpreting music, I feel energized, grateful, refreshed, and alive. Another component about music fascinates me as well: it is so universal, yet so culturally unique at the same time. During both the short-term study abroad programs and this exchange program, I have found myself marveling at how music can act as a bridge across cultures, how it can connect people from completely different parts of the world, while still giving them the creative room to express their unique cultural background. I embrace the power that music can carry, the power to tell a story, the power to shine light on universal emotions, the power to speak when words can’t be found, the power to bring people together to create positive social change.
With every performance this month, the moments that the music created reminded me of these reflections. For the last Tauschie Tuesday, a weekly event where exchange students catch up and eat food cooked by exchange students from the same country or region, I performed guitar and sang, while my friend Mikey played on the harmonica. We played a range of music, including covers of classic blues tunes, modern singer-songwriter songs, and a few original songs. My favorite moment during the night was our finale, for which we played “Country Roads” by John Denver. This was the song that the exchange students would always fall back to throughout the semester. Whether during karaoke on the first Tauschie Tuesday or on a bus heading to a Euromasters celebration, the chorus of “Country Roads” brought a smile to everyone’s face, and exchange students from all across the world would be singing along passionately. When we performed this song that night, everyone in attendance joined us, singing, swaying, laughing, smiling, and connecting. I find it beautiful that music has the ability to do this.
The second performance was for the Integration@Vallendar event in WHU’s cellar. This event brought together local students and exchange students for a dinner as well as an interactive game, during which teams had to use a variety of clues to move on to the next round, similar to an Escape Room scenario. For this event, Mikey and I were playing in the background, which gave me time to observe the room and appreciate the environment I was in. I was playing in WHU’s historic cellar with another student from the US for a group of students from across the world. As we played our songs, I had to take a step back and cherish the occasion.
Pictured is the WHU Cellar where I performed for the Integration@Vallendar event.
The third performance was for WHU’s annual Christmas charity concert, held in the campus chapel. The concert featured nine acts and helped raise money for local charity efforts through the WHUSH organization (“WHU Students Help” organization). Music’s power to bring a community together in order to raise money for important causes is inspiring and motivating to me. I am grateful to have had the chance to perform and listen to the student talent at WHU.
Pictured is the WHU Chapel where I performed for the WHUSH Christmas charity concert.
