Trippin' Nashville

These are the college students I was with during our time at NYWC'08 Nashville. Most everyone else drove down in separate vehicles, and I flew down. I was glad I had!

There were three cars that drove down, all at different times. The last car to leave was planning on driving through the night to make the 2700+ km drive and take a few stops to gas and go and get some grub. When they arrived at the Canada-US border, one of the students had forgotten to bring any ID. Not only that, he was from Japan! SO the whole car was detained, searched, and everyone was interrogated twice over. Then, once they were released from the American authorities to return to Canada, the Canadians did the same and almost detained our Japanese friend in order to deport him the next day! So they drove to get some documents from another border crossing, drove back to Caronport for his passport, and returned just in time for an immigration meeting/hearing so our friend could remain in country and cross into the US.

This trip began at 6 AM. They only officially crossed the border on their way to Nashville at 3:30 PM (I think). So much for stopping on their way down! They arrived at our hotel in Nashville less than an hour before our first courses, three had showers, and we were off together in cars to get some education. That night, the car I tagged along with got lost on our way back to the hotel and we spent an hour in the city and surrounding countryside trying to make our way back.

From that point on, I decided to take the bus. It didn't get lost, at least.

I arrived at 9 PM the night before and didn't run into anyone from our group until 4 PM on Thursday. I had the chance to see the sights of downtown Nashville and experience more of the everyday culture of the city. I wasn't used to half of the population being white. Most of the people on the transit were black, and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I also did NOT have a Tennessee accent, white or black. One of the things I noticed downtown was a war memorial - and the irony of it all was the disabled war veterans begging for money there. I would have taken a picture, but I wanted to at least respect whatever dignity they had left.

Nashville is music city. This much I know. Every sign, sound, and historic site (besides most at the capitol) pointed to this fact. I saw the Music Hall of Fame from afar, Ryman Hall (birthplace of the blues), and jazz, country, or blues clubs up and down the streets. Recording studios, guitar studios, you name it, it was there somewhere. Nashville is also the home of Gibson guitars.

And while all that was cool, it wasn't the reason I went. I enjoyed a taste of it all, but I am grateful that music is not my life. Don't get me wrong, I love music and consider myself a more-than-medicore musician, but I am grateful it does not consume me or drive the whole direction of my life. Nashville is the city of musical bums, has-beens, and never-will-bes. They're everywhere. And I'm glad to be home.