After two rough hours on the ferry, I made it back to the island on Monday night! Now ready to get back to normality.
As for this blog I thought I might have a look into my plans and ideas for 2020! Lots of stuff in the pipeline for this exciting year. Do you know that feeling when you literally just started the new year but you feel like your whole year is already planned? On one hand I think it’s nice to have so many things to look forward to and to plan for but then it’s also quite daunting knowing half of the year is already full with stuff. Well, it’s all about the balance, as is everything in life in my opinion. As long as you keep it balanced it’s going to be fine. I wouldn’t want to lose my spontaneity because I absolutely love spontaneous things! So keep it balanced guys!
I already have a heavy schedule for January, as I will be leaving the island next week (hopefully, depends on the ferries!) for Celtic Connections! Celtic Connections is a huge music festival and takes place for over two weeks in Glasgow every January. This year some music students from our university will have a gig at the 18th January in the Strathclyde suite, as part of the Festival in a Day: Coastal Connections! The Festival in a Day will take place in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and there will be concerts the whole day, with an amazing line up featuring lots of amazing bands as for example Skerryvore, Julie Fowlis, Daimh and Capercailie. It will surely be a great day and a great experience, so I’m very looking forward to that! Because I will be on the mainland for Celtic Connections and have another meeting in Inverness just two weeks later there’s no reason to get back to the island in between that, also with the weather being the way it is right now and the ferries being very unreliable. Secondly I have a friend in Stirling which I can meet and I’ve not seen my AuPair hostfamily for a while so there’ll be chance to pop along in Callander!
February will be starting with the residency here in Uist and we have a few more folk coming this time, so it’ll be a grand week! My friend from Stirling will hopefully come up to Uist in the middle of the month, so I get a chance to show her the island!
In March a good friend from Germany will come along AGAIN! She was here in October and we had a great time and now she’s even going to be here for two weeks. Can’t wait!
April will be almost the end of my semester so the exams are coming up and I’ll be working towards my recital at the end of April! The residency in April will be up North in Stornoway and right after that I’ll be heading straight to Germany for the piping workshop (as always not making it the full four days, who would’ve though) and then it’s another rehearsal day for the folkBaltica Festival.
A few days at home and then in May I’m off to Sonderborg for another rehearsal day and a gig with the folkBaltica Ensemble, as well as a festival weekend in Flensburg in Germany. That’s going to be some week!
There is a few gigs planned for the summer this year and I will also hopefully make it to the Eilean Dorcha Festival here in Uist at the end of July. The following month will end with the ever so incredible Tonder Festival and some grand memories for sure!
September I’ll be back at uni and I will start my second year! Jesus Christ where has the time gone?! I feel like I just started! No plans for the rest of the year but I guess I’ll take it as it comes. It might be good to have some months without any plans (yet!).
I decided to spend another year here on Uist and then see where the journey takes me. Honestly very excited to stay here a while longer and super happy to continue everything I’ve build up so far!
Regarding the music blogs I did until Christmas, I decided to change the idea a wee bit. Instead of having a new band every week, I will mention all the bands in an extra section on my website and include links to their websites and platforms to listen to their music. I will start building the music section in the next few weeks and give a broad overview on bands that I think you need to give a listen!
As mentioned, we’re off to Celtic Connections next week so it’s time for me to start packing again, even though I literally just unpacked my suitcase from Christmas at home. Well, off to another adventure! Over two weeks on the mainland, this is going to be a change for sure. Exciting!
Enjoy January lads & take care!
Cheerio bye,
Emilia
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