It has been almost three months since I returned to Berlin after my "wrap-up" trip to Atlanta. The first few weeks of April were ROUGH. I had spent so much of my time in Berlin settling in, that actually being settled - completing decorating my apartment, obtaining my VISA, learning the transit system - was quite scary. My fears came in like a flood and nearly drowned me. BUT, with prayer, exercise, vitamins, and lots of willpower, I was able to not just get through a tough time but start an entirely new and positive lifestyle.
So what has happened in the last three months.... Aside from righting my emotional ship, I have:
- Made some friends! Many of my new friends are American, but there are a couple of Germans helping me learn the language a bit faster, as well as a few other non-German Europeans who are introducing my to fun parts of Berlin I would never have discovered otherwise.
- Studied. A LOT. Every four to six weeks, I go to Italy for a super intense week of voice lessons. They are grueling and exciting and tear-inducing and laughter-provoking days where I continue to learn how to use my entire body to create intense sound.
- Worked. In addition to singing, part of my reason for coming to Europe was to be as versatile an artist as I can possibly be. Berlin has so much to offer artists, and I'm doing my darndest to take advantage of every opportunity. So far, I've done a few voice overs and performed Stevie Wonder covers, in addition to some gospel. I will go on tour with a group to sing Black American Spirituals in the fall and get to travel to France, Austria, Italy, and of course a bit of Germany. I have also been contracted to serve as the actress for a large tech company's online academy (I'm SUPER excited about this).
That's the basic jist of what's been going on. My plans for the next few months are to continue honing my technique so that I can audition int he classical realm. Additionally, I will continue building relationships with people in the industries I'm planning to enter. I'll also continue to build my social community, which is so important for my emotional health.
All in all, I'm looking forward to continued growth in all aspects of my life. Stay tuned for more updates, hopefully a bit more regularly :)