The end of December was intended to be a total break from all things work. My parents and I were looking forward to quality time together to close out the year while enjoying exploring a new part of the world.
The three of us were passengers on a relatively large ship (over 2000 guests plus crew)... but simply three in a crowd of folks from around the world.
But if I have learned anything from travels, if you are open to the world and people around you, the experiences and connections that you could never have planned for will find you!
Here are some reflections from the last leg of our journey:
The Gift of Music: My father is the only one in the family who isn’t a professional musician, yet he rivals us in the number of performances he gives per year. He isn’t a performer by profession (his background is political science and sociology), but he is most definitely a performer. He always speaks about music as a gift to share with others, and he especially likes making this gift a surprise. It’s convenient that his instrument of choice is the harmonica, and for travels, he has one that fits into the pocket of his vest. I might not think of waiting in long lines to get on/off the ship, traveling on a 50-passenger bus, or negotiating with the owner of a store as performance opportunities… but he did! He always has a set of songs from around the world to share, and it never fails to make people smile. It also reminds me that music is meant to be shared, given, communicated, and experienced together.
During a conversation with the maitre’d at “Versailles” restaurant, my Dad mentioned that I’m a professional pianist, as he looked at the piano sitting quietly on a platform in the center of the room. It apparently took a little pulling of strings, but they agreed for me to “share some music.” From my experiences playing in such settings (e.g. wedding receptions), I knew that it would be most appreciated if I selected music that is relatively even-keeled, classic, and pleasant. Mozarts Sonata K545 and Beethoven’s Fur Elise are perfect (just don’t get too loud or dramatic!). I also know that it’s not always evident if people are listening, and that’s perfectly okay! But at the end of the hour, I stood up to an overwhelming ovation and a request for an encore (which I enjoyed pulling out all the stops for!).
And then I was asked by the maitre’d: would you come back and play for us on Christmas?
Over the next couple days, I wrote out a long list of holiday music from around the world that I knew, and did my best to “mentally practice” the arrangements (no piano available to practice on). I thought about the servers who we had met: many from other countries, and found music that would be familiar to them.
On December 25, 7pm sharp, I started playing. It was so special to see moments of recognition from various groups spread out throughout, responding to carols from France, Italy, Poland, or Germany… and my Dad joined me for several of these on the harmonica!
I left a couple surprises for the very end. The majority of the dining staff were from the Philippines and I had found two well-known Filipino tunes to share as a special musical gift to them. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect (and was hoping that the ones I picked were indeed ones that they would recognize!). I started playing the first one, and noticed that the hall became a bit quieter. A server walked towards me, and I saw tears rolling down his cheeks. The second piece is a lively dance, and as I reached the chorus, and entire CHOIR of voices surrounded me as the servers sang along (in Tagalo!). I’m sure anyone there who wasn’t Filipino was quite confused as to what this song is, and what was happening, but this will go down as one of my favorite moments in music, ever! Truly, this reminded me that music has the power to bring the world a little closer, and help us find “home” wherever we are.
(At the end of the evening, the maitre’d came over: “Can you please come back to play for New Year’s Eve?” (I did)).
The Higher the Hair, the Closer to Heaven…
I think my last haircut before my December departure was in early July. Needless to say, when an opportunity presented itself for a mid-trip haircut I happily signed up.
I suppose that some people are very particular about who maintains their hair and may not feel comfortable signing up for a haircut in a foreign country, but I’ve done it a few times and enjoy making it part of the travel experience (and a temporary souvenir!). At any rate, if it was too short or I otherwise didn’t like it, it would eventually grow out.
Just like piano lessons, haircuts are often as much about the human relationship as the intended service. Perhaps even more so: I often equate them with the opportunity to exchange stories and ideas.I have had many enjoyable and enriching conversations during cuts, but this one set a record. Suffice it to say, this was the first time I ever asked if I could start taking notes during the conversation!
Rich Lee was my stylist and originally hails from the Philippines. He asked what I do, I asked him about his career and how he made it to where he is, and suddenly… we were traveling down the rabbit hole of philosophy!
Here are my notes from the conversation (copied and pasted directly from my phone!):
Don't look at others and say, "I wish I could do that." Just do it!
Your goal in life is to spread love
Have the courage to be happy, and, know what makes you happy!
Remind yourself: I deserve peace of mind.
Everything happens for a reason, and every person has an impact on you.
Trust your instinct... it's powerful!
Accept. Embrace. Forgive. Move on.
You are never in the same place. The world is round... it is spinning.
In every situation there is a lesson. Enjoy the process.
If there is a problem today, fix it today. Otherwise it gets bigger and tomorrow you will have to address it still alongside tomorrow's problems
Be thankful, and take time to reflect on blessings (including small ones!)
Pray for guidance in actions; pray for wisdom in conversations
The greatest capital you can have is a dream
You can't copy authenticity
Somehow, we started talking about mindset for performances, and especially, competitions. This is Rich’s advice to YOU:
Do you best, enjoy the moment, go into it with a clean heart...
Don't do it because you want to prove yourself.
If you don't enjoy the process you won't enjoy the prize.
Fear is okay: it means you have the eagerness to learn! The more you're scared, and the more you are challenged, the more you'll learn!
Travel Souvenirs
When it comes to souvenirs, I don’t like to bring home “stuff.” Maybe it’s because my parents always did, and then on Saturday mornings we’d clean the house as a family… and dusting all the little trinkets got old really fast!. These days, I enjoy “collecting” experiences and ideas, photos, composing music based on my experiences (definitely thinking about some music based off this trip), and food!
My favorite take-home food from the trip is the Argentinian empanada. Here are a couple recipes that I have tried that do a good job recreating some of the best empanadas I had (at a little estancia in San Antonio, Argentina):
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/argentinian-beef-empanadas (I use this for the filling; I also tried it with vegan “beef” and it worked perfectly!)
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/empanadas/ (I use this for the crust, but you can also use store-bought pie dough)
Conclusion
Over the last (almost) four decades, I have traveled a lot: 40 countries across 5 continents. Ironically, the more you travel, the larger the world becomes. In other words, when you think you’ve seen everything travels help you quickly realize that you haven’t even dipped your toes into the depths that this world has to offer! And though I am frequently on the road, I am constantly challenged to get out of my comfort zone in one way or another. And, that’s a good thing. It’s okay to be a “tourist” and to have to rely on the help and advice of locals. It’s okay to try new things, and be a complete beginner (and even “fail!”. Watching (or reading) the news will give you only a thin slice of the reality of a place, much less it’s people: go there and things are quite different. And strangers are friends we haven’t met yet!
