I'm Going to Vancouver!!

I just received one acceptance and one rejection for the World Congress for Music Therapy that will be held in Vancouver. British Columbia next July. I am a bit disappointed that I didn't get both ideas accepted, but I am happy to be leading the one that was accepted! I am happy to be a workshop presenter with an audience of music therapists from around the world.

My last World Congress for Music Therapy was in Brisbane, Australia in 2005. I gave a workshop there as well. My sister invited herself along on the trip (after not inviting me, but going with her best friend to Hawaii the year before - yep, still holding onto THAT one, sis!), and we spent two weeks in Australia together. We took advantage of a trip package that was offered by the conference coordinators and went to both Brisbane for the conference and Sydney for purely touristy reasons. It was mostly a good vacation, but hormones arrived and complicated the end of our vacation.

(I did get to go to Hawaii with my sister and my Mom in 2019 - hormones complicated the end of that vacation as well...but it was a great trip regardless!)

This time around, we are going to take several people with us to Vancouver!

My mother is planning on coming, and we have invited my Dad's sister (AKA, my Aunt) to come along with my sister and me as we leave our country for a new one!! It seems that my sister's friend (aforementioned best friend who went to Hawaii the first time around) may be coming as well. We will see. I am glad to welcome any and everyone to come with us for a couple of reasons.

First, I will be busy for at least some of the conference time. I do not hold any sort of position in the World Federation of Music Therapy, so I do not have to spend time in meetings or anything like that, but I have a workshop to present, so I will have to be there for that time. I am hoping to find some music therapy inspiration in other parts of the conference as well.

The problem with this is that I am exhausted after spending an entire day listening, thinking, discussing, and being around different topics and other people, so I want to escape to my room and just decompress without being around people, even my family. Having an entire crew of people available to do things means that no one has to sit and wait for me. They can go do what they want or need to do during the day, and I can take a bit of time to relax before I interact with family members.

Second, with my family and friends around, ditching uninteresting parts of the conference becomes feasible with less than my normal amount of guilt. Oh, not interested in the presentations that are offered this morning, well, I need to spend some time with my family, so I'm going to go on a chocolate tasting tour with my Mom and my Aunt while my sister and her best friend head out to the coast for some kayaking. It's important to spend time with family members while we can, right? Sure, I paid for conference registration, but...family.

I am excited about this upcoming trip. I will get to actually be in the presence of people that I have "known" for the past 12 years but have never actually "met." I will get to go to a new place - Canada. I have never been there - the closest I have been is Seattle way back in the mid-90s. I am looking forward to it all. I wonder what we will get to do during the time we are there.

There are rumors of a cruise that might happen. I won't be able to go because of some of my medical concerns, but I would love a harbor cruise of some sort! I have friends who live in Washington state, so I might get a chance to see them as well!! My days will be full, no matter what we do during that time in Vancouver. I am getting very excited about all of this!

Anyone interested in talking about the future of music therapy clinical training and education?? Meet me at 1pm on July 26, 2023 in Vancouver!!