Dreams, Islands, Grooves
Hey friends, readers, random site-comers...
It's March... wow.
I have one month of my entire degree left. One month of student life. One month of a huge season remaining. That's it. It's unbelievable. This time period of my life has been insane - I have accomplished so many of my dreams and I have been reminded to continue to "dream bigger". I've been applying for jobs and getting some ideas for some more unfulfilled projects, but nothing is on the horizon yet. It's a trying time for me in some respects, because I am used to having a plan laid out. Lately, I've felt so all over the place: distracted and busy... I think March should be a nice comedown to reflect and plan and think, which I am looking forward to. I have a lot of updates in this post, rather than personal thoughts, so here's what I've been up to!
Last month, I was a part of launching a church plant for Experience Church! We had an awesome first service, and I got to be involved with worship and prayer, as well as hosting and a bit of set-up! We are meeting 11:00am on Sundays at Arbour Lake School in Calgary for those who want to come check it out. All are welcome! You can see our promo video (which I am featured in) as well here! I've been pretty busy with this initiative currently, also co-leading a small group for the church as well. It has been incredibly life-giving and relationship-fostering...I'm super thankful for it. Definitely ask me more if you get a chance!
For those who don't already know, around a month ago I released my EP project, "Sea" which I have been anticipating for such a long time. I'm very proud of the project and how everything came together and it has been an awesome success and encouragement to have people hearing my music! You can read more/listen/purchase for yourself here. I also got to do a small show to showcase the tracks for family and friends which was super fun. I hope I can write some more music this year too and continue investing in that! Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way.
I went on a trip to Trinidad & Tobago and just got back last week! This was an amazing trip and one I wanted to make sure I did before I graduated. I got to spend a week in the islands and it was amazing to hear stories, see some of my roots, and spend time witnessing my grandma's legacy on the island of Tobago and the community she has fostered there. I saw beautiful nature, got some sun, ate delicious food, went for a couple 5:30am ocean swims, saw the hype pre-Carnival, and laughed and sang and explored. I was so thankful for the week away. I'll be uploading an album soon. Above is a photo I took at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park on one of my days off. I haven't been to Trinidad & Tobago since I was 11 years old...but it is where my grandma lives and where my dad grew up, so it definitely has some sentimental value. It's also still the furthest south I've traveled, along with Sierra Leone (across the ocean). It was a great chance to witness the importance of "legacy"...which maybe I will publicly write about on another blog post.
I have a new YouTube cover up too... "Saved" by Khalid. I'm so glad I got a chance to do that, as school starts to somewhat level off for my last month of studies. Check it out on the Video/Photo page.
Also a small update to my involvement with Freedom Tree! I have been doing small online and social media updates for them the last six months, but this month I have the opportunity to help the planning committee outline the vision for their next trip, later this month! Let me know if you want to support that team that will be going. They will be implementing more training for some of the data collection initiatives I helped with on my trip last year. In addition, I will be leading a culture training session for a Teacher's trip that is leaving later in the summer. I also got an honourable mention from the University of Calgary this past month for my involvement this summer - which was awesome. I am definitely grateful I can still have a hand in what this amazing organization is doing in West Africa. Check them out on my Project page.
That's pretty much what I've been up to(on top of my 5 classes!) It's been a wild ride...I've been using the free time I have to discover new music, relax, see friends, and apply for jobs! What I have been enjoying: "Lion" - Film. This movie made me cry so many times, but also left me inspired and encouraged. It is a real human story that will blow you away and remind you of what is real in this world. Ray Blk, Khalid, Sampha's album "Process" - Music. "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman (TV series coming soon) - Book. A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix) - TV. I've been anticipating this for YEARS. This is my favourite series of all time, and Netflix did an awesome job. Like Wes Anderson meets conspiracy, meets Addams Family. The books are still better though. In terms of post-grad, I've found some really cool opportunities so far, so hopefully you guys will see a new "Current Projects" tab coming up sometime soon. Please pray and ask me more about that if you do/have a chance.
Love you guys, thanks for reading! Sorry this post was a bit less poetic... just wanted to write a quick update. More soon! - j o s i a h