Training

"Lake Garda (Italian: Lago di Garda or Lago di Benaco) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location and is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan.  Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last Ice Age. The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona (to the south-east), Brescia (south-west), and Trentino (north)."

There were two goals that made top priority in my mind as I headed off to Lago di Garda;

1. Don't get arrested or fined

2. Don't get yelled at.

I'm happy to report that neither of these things happened.  Actually, it was a great first try at busking.  As the Watts (family friends visiting from Colorado) and the rest of the fam there headed off to go swimming, I scoped for good places to perform.  I found a place on the bottom of an old stair case right by the main walkway.  

I remember every single person who tossed some coins in my hat.  A little kid who was too shy to get close enough so his dad had to do it for him.  A younger looking man and his girlfriend.  Two teenage sisters who I stopped to talk to and a few others.  I think sitting down and starting to sing was the hardest part, but once I started it wasn't to hard to continue on.  

I left Lago di Garda with pretty high hopes for my busking career.  I talked with a store keeper and walked around for a bit, but for the rest of the time I just sang my little heart out.  The carabinieri (a type of Italian police) passed by twice and didn't say anything, so I figured I was pretty save from getting arrested at least.  

So my training is done, and I'm basically ready for a full-time professional busking career (sort of).  Here's to the adventures ahead!  

The Spark

It starts here.  A shared bedroom in Provo.  No air conditioner.  No school.  A life draining job.  No sleep.  Nothing to do. 

I don't think I've ever been so close to loosing my mind before.  I mean I have a great life, but lack of sleep and stress can do things to your brain and my brain had definitely seen better days.  I was trying to take it easy on myself to just figure some things out, and in all truth things were looking up for me.  School had ended, I had great friends, I was getting enough sleep... but it definitely wasn't the peak of my existence that's for sure. 

I suppose you come to a certain point where something has to spark.  I was there.  I wanted to wake up again, to have energy, to feel like there was something in this world that I could do, to make history, or to just simply feel like myself again. 

There were several sparks that went off in my life around that time, but this particular one was a long summer's day, a voice, and a cup. 

So that's it, that's how it started.  Now it's my summer job.  My cup and I will be busking on the streets of Italy till it's time for me to head back to the states.  Stick around for the adventures to come :)