Ashley On The Shelf

Still trying to figure out the lighting here. Excuse how dark these are! Also, I really do have legs. Promise.

Cardigan- thrifted

Dress- Made by me

This last week has been weird. Really, really, weird. Not in a bad way, on the contrary, I've been given more compliments than I've ever been given before, and I have met the nicest people. But those are some of the very things making this week weird. I feel a bit singled out in a way that makes me just a bit uncomfortable. I think what it really comes down to is I am still trying to find my balance here. I'm like a new book on an already stuffed shelf. There is a place that I will fit, but I just have to figure out where that is, so for now I'm just floating around. My coir director yesterday kinda summed it up. He said "when you're a transfer student you're not old, and you're not new, you're just kinda lost." Very true. I know what I am doing, been there, done that. But this is a new set of characters to do it with, and a new building to figure out (and like, why are the bathrooms on the 3rd floor? And why is there no elevator?), and so many other factors. And while I have never been around nicer music people (they're usually all a bunch of jerks for the most part), I'm still sorting out my place among them. It's a process and I wish it would just hurry up already! :-)

But I honestly love this place so much. I love the music department and the faculty. They all seem a bit more sensible and even a bit sarcastic ("See this textbook? This is the S.C.A.M. edition. Y'know the one where they change four words and charge you $192. Don't buy it."). The students I've met so far are super nice! And I am excited for the ensambles I am in this year! I got into the Opera Workshop and am singing the role of The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro! (This is a big deal, I promise) And the choir I am in in amazing!!!! A hugely talented bunch of kids! I'm excited for the pieces we're doing (Debussy! Debussy!!), and the concerts coming up. It's just an exciting place. Which makes riding out the transition totally worth it all.