Music People

The hard drive with all my music stopped working, and with limited internet accessibility and connectivity in Senegal, my usual music listening would need to change. Thankfully my new roommate came to the rescue with her vast collection of Spotify playlists perfect for quiet evenings, spirited weekends, or afternoon wake-up-music at work.

We travelled from opposite directions to arrive in Senegal. This new friendship has come with many perks - kitchen experimenting, beach exploring, salty-lake floating, mice hunting, and everything else that comes with a few months in Senegal. 

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My name is Lauren; I am an adventure-loving civil engineer from the United States, and I’m excited to get the chance to write today’s music midweek post. Though I love music, I’ve never been one of those people who would consider themselves a “music person.” You know the kind I’m talking about – the ones who are constantly forming new playlists, discovering new artists and opening their friends’ eyes to captivating new bands – but I’ve always appreciated such people and sort of aspired to be one. I would consider Tanisha, my current roommate and new friend, here in Senegal to be such a person. We’re both in Senegal for several months working as design professionals, and I have loved learning the art of being a “music person” from Tanisha over the past few months. And now I get to practice that art by sharing with you today.

Prior to coming to Senegal, I worked as a mountain guide in British Columbia leading week-long back-packing trips for youth. I decided to road trip from my home in North Carolina across the US up to BC before my guiding commitment began and enlisted two dear friends and fellow guides to join. We pieced together a circuitous adventure visiting friends and national parks along the way. The first song I’m sharing with you today became a favorite on this trip. We had one rule during our trip: your car seat determined your role in transit, and you must be prepared to meet all role requirements. The driver needed to focus on driving and alerting the group when photo ops and buffalos arose, the person riding in the backseat was in charge of preparing and distributing all snacks and meals, and the person in the passenger seat was required to navigate and DJ. As we entered Grand Teton National Park, my friend appropriately chose “When We Ran” by the National Parks as our drive-up song. I love this song, because of the free spirit it captures and how the blend of voices seems to carry you away to the adventure land of which they are singing. 

As We Ran : The National Parks

The second song I’ve chosen to share with you was introduced to me by one of my guide partners who is definitely a music person. Joseph is a trio girl-band whose lyrics and harmonies always leave me feeling empowered and inspired. Their song “Blood and Tears” is a favorite of mine because these tenacious lyrics remind me that quality relationships of any kind take work. As I travel a lot, it makes it hard to stay connected with friends and family sometimes. Fighting for those relationships across varying time zones has pushed me to see what true grace, love and care mean. Sharing other’s burdens through prayer and intentional conversations has lead to depth and character development in the process. As I look back on some of my most cherished relationships, I see that moments of separation and hardship have lead to the deepest of friendships. 

Blood and Tears : Joseph