On the 2016 list: "Get a cool job"

Oh my word, where has the time gone?! I have a goal of uploading 60 posts for the year, and January was really off to a good start. But February? Haha - I have NO idea what happened there. Looks like I have some catching up to do.

Well, this has indeed started off as the YEAR OF CHANGE. On 29 Feb, I said my sad goodbyes to the staff and students at College of Cape Town, after three very interesting years. On 1 March, I started a brand new job, as a project coordinator at a huge media company. It's completely different to my previous job, but I love it! I was  ready for a change - had been extremely restless for a while - and when the offer came my way, I knew it was time to make the change. 

I'm in my third week of the new job, and it's like I'm living on a different planet! I feel like I've found my niche, like I'm no longer a square peg in a round hole. In a way I can't quite explain, I feel like my whole life has been leading me to where I am right now. I love what I do, and I want to make a success of it, especially because the project itself is so close to my heart. 

One of the most amazing things about my new job, is that I am working with an exciting young band, called the Delft Big Band, 

Formed in 2008, the band consists of young people from Delft, on the Cape Flats, who were taught to play various instruments, and eventually given performance opportunities. They have grown from being novices, to being invited to play abroad. Some of their older members (all started at high school) have become sought-after musicians, being hired for lucrative gigs on their own. Their female lead vocalist, Adelia Douw, is about to record her first solo album. She won the Voice of Jazz competition at Grand West last year, and the male lead singer, David October, came third. How cool?! 

At the helm is jazz legend, Ian Smith, who is the mastermind behind the band. His input into these young lives has been life-altering. Even more exciting, the existing members have started a ,Music Academy in Delft (at Voorbrug High School), where they now teach younger children. Isn't that amazing?! Can you see why I'm so excited?

I'll write more as I go along, but for now, I'd like to encourage you to like their Facebook page (with the word "Official" in the title), and to keep a lookout for their gigs. On Sunday 24 April, they're doing a free outdoor gig at the V&A Waterfront - 6pm. See if you can  come and listen to these awesome young musicians. I guarantee you'll be dancing! :-)  

I am very very lucky to have been given this crazy opportunity. What can I say, other than repeat what I've always said? Live your truth / Never give up / Follow your heart.  

There are two things that keep coming into my head: 
1. People are people, and 
2. Remember who you are

As life affords me this wonderful new beginning, I have to remind myself that there's a limit to redefining oneself. (Really, Trudy?!) I guess I'll have to play things by ear, and know when enough (redefining) is enough. 

For now, I'm working hard and having fun - and I can't tell which is which!

                                       View from new office - our glorious Table Mountain!