We are two guys who left Goshen College last year to play in a good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n roll band. When we first joined the ranks of the Kansas Bible Company, never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d leave behind our lives in academia for the sights and sounds of Music City, USA, aka Nashville, Tenn.

As we look back on the last seven months here in Nashville, we notice many differences between our metropolitan residence and our collegiate home. First of all, let’s talk food. In a house of 14 we have strived to maintain healthy diets, cooking house suppers every night. Alas, there is no Rott. When schedules conflict, we resort to these favorite meals:

Charlie: Pasta with tuna and peas.

Jeff: Whatever I can get for free from work.

With no late night papers to write or next day exams to tend to, we have found plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful world of employment. These “day jobs” keep us on our toes Monday through Friday.

Jeff: I was fortunate enough to get a job at the Connection Café, one of Nashville’s finest coffee shops. Every day there is the joy of serving an assortment of coffee-based drinks to some of Nashville’s wealthiest people, not far off from days spent at Java Junction.

Charlie: My first months were spent working at a reduced-fat frozen dairy store called Tasti D-lite. Those days were quickly left behind for the fast lane of hardwood flooring installation.

Without the likes of intramural sports, Maple City Bowl or the KMY Connector, we’ve been left to our own means of recreation. These include bike rides, YMCA soccer leagues, the Nashville Library, playing with our dog Addie, and attending local concerts and performances.

While we have faced the challenges of playing music in a big city and living in a house with 14 people and one refrigerator, this year has been an exciting and rewarding adventure. The Kansas Bible Company has grown not only as a musical ensemble, but also as a family. Rock ‘n roll is pretty cool but so is graduating, which is why we will be returning to Goshen College as seniors next year. If there is one thing we’ve learned in Nashville thus far, it is the reward of taking risks and following your dreams.

Be sure to say hi to us next year.

The Kansas Bible Company will be playing at the Goshen Theater on Friday, April 13. Tickets are $8 at the door.

cha will be a senior history major

Jeff Yoder will be a senior Spanish major