I woke up this morning and took a few seconds to inventory the contents of my room. I'm already judging what's staying and what's going on the plane with me in my two hulking suitcases, and it's become a common, if not daily, activity. The problem? I've still got about three months to go.
I honestly can't find a single complaint about life in recent days. The weather has been absolutely spectacular--sunny and up to 24 degrees Celsius, which, I'm told, is pretty swell. The parties are constant. In the last few weeks I've tried tapas, water aerobics (conducted completely in Dutch), and this strange beer and Coke mixture that's apparently popular in Germany. I've spent my mornings people-watching in a local park and dressed up as a box of sangria for a theme party. I've been to Den Haag, Den Bosch, Leiden, Groningen, and Katwijk, and booked trips to Krakow and London and Amsterdam (yes, again).
But my mind just can't seem to stay here. Maybe it's because stuff back in the States has been demanding my attention--housing (Voute!), class registration (thesis = scary!), summer work at the Robsham (Rocco!), looking at my unkempt hair in the mirror and wondering how humongous it'll become before I can get to Newbury Street and get it re-shaped into something less horrifying.
Another thought: perhaps I've become a locational monogamist. It really wasn't until this past semester that I made the conscious choice to make BC my home and BC'ers my second family, but dammit, I made that choice. It's hard for me to fall in love with a place, and doing it in six months is...difficult.
I know that it's done me a world of good to come here, but I think I've already learned what I need to learn. I'm ready to come home.
P.S. Update me on your adventures, dammit!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Party Down Under
The students are finally starting to arrive in the city, so it doesn't seem as though there should be tumbleweeds floating down the road everynight. Been going out almost everynight since I got here in one form or another. Keep convincing myself that it's not really alcoholism until AFTER college. Orientation for the whole university starts this week. Apparently, it's a major shitshow of freshman. On the brightside all these amazing New Zealand bands are coming including The Black Seeds, which Brett McKensie used to be a member of. I love concerts, so it should be lovely.
It's so weird not having school for so long. My actual classes don't start until March 2nd. The other day we had "course approval", which makes you actually appreciate AGORA and UIS. Imagine having to walk around to get professor's signatures next to each course. To make it worse they don't know when the courses are, but you find out at the end that they all are at the same fucking time. After 2 hours of struggling, with a killer hangover and an empty stomach. I had acheived NOTHING. I went back to my flat to take a breather and figure everything out. Eventually, I chose almost all new classes. It was also really weird for me, because at school my class schedule is usually completley figured out for me. I have a new found respect for all you A&S kids who actually have to decide which classes you are going to take! In the end I signed up for: NZ art history, a NZ english class, Maori History (first peoples of NZ), and Neurophysiology. I'm planning on dropping Neuro like it's hot if it's too hard. This is my underacheiving semester.
Last week, I went on a two day hike/camp about an hour south of Dunedin (the city I'm in, for those who are oh so behind). It was a lovely trip the scenery here is beyond amazing. We discussed the difficulties of chosing locations for shooting LOTR due to all the gorgeousnesss. All the New Zealand students have such a skewed view of Americans, since most of the americans who come here are super outdoorsey, and love hiking etc. It's quite humorous, since i would not say that those type of people make up a very large percentage of Americans.
I will try to post photos as soon as I get wireless!
It's so weird not having school for so long. My actual classes don't start until March 2nd. The other day we had "course approval", which makes you actually appreciate AGORA and UIS. Imagine having to walk around to get professor's signatures next to each course. To make it worse they don't know when the courses are, but you find out at the end that they all are at the same fucking time. After 2 hours of struggling, with a killer hangover and an empty stomach. I had acheived NOTHING. I went back to my flat to take a breather and figure everything out. Eventually, I chose almost all new classes. It was also really weird for me, because at school my class schedule is usually completley figured out for me. I have a new found respect for all you A&S kids who actually have to decide which classes you are going to take! In the end I signed up for: NZ art history, a NZ english class, Maori History (first peoples of NZ), and Neurophysiology. I'm planning on dropping Neuro like it's hot if it's too hard. This is my underacheiving semester.
Last week, I went on a two day hike/camp about an hour south of Dunedin (the city I'm in, for those who are oh so behind). It was a lovely trip the scenery here is beyond amazing. We discussed the difficulties of chosing locations for shooting LOTR due to all the gorgeousnesss. All the New Zealand students have such a skewed view of Americans, since most of the americans who come here are super outdoorsey, and love hiking etc. It's quite humorous, since i would not say that those type of people make up a very large percentage of Americans.
I will try to post photos as soon as I get wireless!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Italia! (and other things)
SO...I leave tomorrow night for a 9-day sojourn in Italy! Yippee! I'm traveling with three other internationals in my program--two Americans and one Swede--and we're flying into Venice, training to Florence, and ending up in Rome just in time for the Chorale's visit. In case you haven't picked it up from all the exclamation points: I AM SO EXCITED.
It's been a while since I updated here, and when last I did I wasn't in the best of mindsets. I think it's safe to say that I'm out of the woods in that regard. I'm starting to form a close group of friends and just give less of a shit about the inevitable frustrations of European university infrastructure (I could go on for days about that, but it's probably best not to). It's strange and kind of cool to have so much free time: time to go to the 500-year-old pub in the center of town for hot cocoa, ride my bike down hidden back roads, amble around the weekly market, travel to sunny Italian cities, etc. I miss being busy--it makes me feel like I have some kind of purpose--but it's nice to take a step back and just live for the sake of living. But only for six months. More than that and my brain would atrophy and I'd go all "Awakenings" on you.
Enough idle chatter. Let's see some pictures!
There was some big important football match on Wednesday, and all these bars and screaming drunk hooligans appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in the town center. My camera died before I could capture the action, but here's a typical Nijmegen sunset (depending, of course, on the sun being out...which doesn't happen often) for y'all to gaze upon.
More sunset-age. We decided to bike to Germany on a whim (it's only about 15 km away) and we stopped to take in a bit of scenery in Berg en Dal, the last town before crossing the border.
Apartments leading down to the Waal River. The architecture around these parts is pretty drab (it got bombed something serious in WWII and virtually all the buildings are from the early 1950s or later).
I live in a hallway (gang in Dutch) of 15 single rooms that share three bathrooms, three showers, and a kitchen. Last night, I attended my first gangfeest (corridor party). They charge 5 euro at the door and clear out virtually all the furniture. Picture the most crowded, disgusting Mod party you have ever attended. Then multiply it by 16. You have a gangfeest. Substances spotted on the floor: mud, beer, broken glass, still-smoldering cigarettes, a crying Polish girl, blood. Lots of blood. No wonder my shoes are absolutely destroyed...sigh.
This is probably more indicative of your average night in Nijmegen. All the Dutch people go home on the weekends, so Hoogeveldt, my dorm--and pretty much everywhere around the university--is absolutely silent until Monday afternoon. Ergo, all the students party during the week. We have an international student party each Tuesday at Cafe Piecken, a bar literally 30 feet from my door. Then there's Thursday night, which usually means getting toasted at Hoogeveldt and biking to a dance club in town. Yes, we bike to bars here. We bike everywhere. In the rain, in the snow, sober, hammered, whatever.
Carnival decorations are starting to go up around town. Carnival's a week-long celebration before Lent starts. Think Mardi Gras, but with more costumes. Nijmegen's a teeny little city, so the masses flock south to Maastricht for the mayhem. I can't go because I'll be in Italy (poor me), but apparently the mayor hands over the key to the city to the Prince of Carnival and anything goes until the end of the week. I'll be seeing some festivities in Venice, but I'm looking forward to hearing about the insanity that is Zuid-Nederland for the next few days.
I think that'll do it for now. I want to hear more about all your adventures, so update, dammit. Londoners: I'm looking at two long weekends in mid-May or Easter break for visiting purposes. Let me know what you'd prefer.
Love you! Miss you!
It's been a while since I updated here, and when last I did I wasn't in the best of mindsets. I think it's safe to say that I'm out of the woods in that regard. I'm starting to form a close group of friends and just give less of a shit about the inevitable frustrations of European university infrastructure (I could go on for days about that, but it's probably best not to). It's strange and kind of cool to have so much free time: time to go to the 500-year-old pub in the center of town for hot cocoa, ride my bike down hidden back roads, amble around the weekly market, travel to sunny Italian cities, etc. I miss being busy--it makes me feel like I have some kind of purpose--but it's nice to take a step back and just live for the sake of living. But only for six months. More than that and my brain would atrophy and I'd go all "Awakenings" on you.
Enough idle chatter. Let's see some pictures!
There was some big important football match on Wednesday, and all these bars and screaming drunk hooligans appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in the town center. My camera died before I could capture the action, but here's a typical Nijmegen sunset (depending, of course, on the sun being out...which doesn't happen often) for y'all to gaze upon.
More sunset-age. We decided to bike to Germany on a whim (it's only about 15 km away) and we stopped to take in a bit of scenery in Berg en Dal, the last town before crossing the border.
Apartments leading down to the Waal River. The architecture around these parts is pretty drab (it got bombed something serious in WWII and virtually all the buildings are from the early 1950s or later).
I live in a hallway (gang in Dutch) of 15 single rooms that share three bathrooms, three showers, and a kitchen. Last night, I attended my first gangfeest (corridor party). They charge 5 euro at the door and clear out virtually all the furniture. Picture the most crowded, disgusting Mod party you have ever attended. Then multiply it by 16. You have a gangfeest. Substances spotted on the floor: mud, beer, broken glass, still-smoldering cigarettes, a crying Polish girl, blood. Lots of blood. No wonder my shoes are absolutely destroyed...sigh.
This is probably more indicative of your average night in Nijmegen. All the Dutch people go home on the weekends, so Hoogeveldt, my dorm--and pretty much everywhere around the university--is absolutely silent until Monday afternoon. Ergo, all the students party during the week. We have an international student party each Tuesday at Cafe Piecken, a bar literally 30 feet from my door. Then there's Thursday night, which usually means getting toasted at Hoogeveldt and biking to a dance club in town. Yes, we bike to bars here. We bike everywhere. In the rain, in the snow, sober, hammered, whatever.
Carnival decorations are starting to go up around town. Carnival's a week-long celebration before Lent starts. Think Mardi Gras, but with more costumes. Nijmegen's a teeny little city, so the masses flock south to Maastricht for the mayhem. I can't go because I'll be in Italy (poor me), but apparently the mayor hands over the key to the city to the Prince of Carnival and anything goes until the end of the week. I'll be seeing some festivities in Venice, but I'm looking forward to hearing about the insanity that is Zuid-Nederland for the next few days.I think that'll do it for now. I want to hear more about all your adventures, so update, dammit. Londoners: I'm looking at two long weekends in mid-May or Easter break for visiting purposes. Let me know what you'd prefer.
Love you! Miss you!
Friday, February 13, 2009
A Tangent
Spring Awakening. Raise your hands, those who have seen it.
Keep your hands up if you liked it.
Mmm, okay, knew a couple hands were going down...
Keep 'em up if you'd go see it again.
So today, after packing a bag with a few days of clothes and some of the books I want to take home, I realized that I needed to get out of the room and do something. Something fun, something that I won't have to think too hard about, and something that I know I'll enjoy. Taiming of the Shrew or Twelfth Night? Not tonight. Something at the National? Nothing playing that I haven't seen already, surprisingly. Something edgy and new that I only know a little about? Too much risk.
I ended up landing an on-stage ticket for Spring Awakening. I won't get all boring about the show itself - though I will say that its quite cool to see from onstage. I just want to mention that even though it was a significantly weaker performance in almost every regard (despite the same director, choreographer, and design team from NYC)... I still loved it.
We might disagree about the merits of the show itself but think broader; shows or music or something in general. Have you ever seen something that just resonated - and then you found out that it wasn't a fluke? It wasn't just the performances, it wasn't just the people I was with, it wasn't "where I was in life"...
A magnificent feeling, to be affirmed in that way. To walk away from seeing a show that I know just about inside and out and still feel great - still feel the way I did inside after the first time I saw it or heard it or read it.
Wheels down at 6:30 (tentatively) tomorrow. I hope to see those of you at home at the V-Day party - god, it would really be swell to see all of you.
Missing you all and headed to bed with a mixture of excitement, trepidation, and insanity - catch you on the flip side.
Keep your hands up if you liked it.
Mmm, okay, knew a couple hands were going down...
Keep 'em up if you'd go see it again.
So today, after packing a bag with a few days of clothes and some of the books I want to take home, I realized that I needed to get out of the room and do something. Something fun, something that I won't have to think too hard about, and something that I know I'll enjoy. Taiming of the Shrew or Twelfth Night? Not tonight. Something at the National? Nothing playing that I haven't seen already, surprisingly. Something edgy and new that I only know a little about? Too much risk.
I ended up landing an on-stage ticket for Spring Awakening. I won't get all boring about the show itself - though I will say that its quite cool to see from onstage. I just want to mention that even though it was a significantly weaker performance in almost every regard (despite the same director, choreographer, and design team from NYC)... I still loved it.
We might disagree about the merits of the show itself but think broader; shows or music or something in general. Have you ever seen something that just resonated - and then you found out that it wasn't a fluke? It wasn't just the performances, it wasn't just the people I was with, it wasn't "where I was in life"...
A magnificent feeling, to be affirmed in that way. To walk away from seeing a show that I know just about inside and out and still feel great - still feel the way I did inside after the first time I saw it or heard it or read it.
Wheels down at 6:30 (tentatively) tomorrow. I hope to see those of you at home at the V-Day party - god, it would really be swell to see all of you.
Missing you all and headed to bed with a mixture of excitement, trepidation, and insanity - catch you on the flip side.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Cannes
Okay, so in the spirit of travel - which we've (well, the abroaders) have all done at least once now (and some of us are about to do again, whether or not it will be viewed in posterity as a good idea) - I have an idea.
Obviously, in April, I'll be traveling the European countryside and heading places various and sundry as well as hosting some various and sundry travelers. Anyone who'd like to join either of those adventures is more than welcome.
But the real question is...
Who wants to go to Cannes in May? It runs from the 13 to the 24 of May. I don't know when my finals are (the two I have will undoubtedly fall in that time frame, with my luck) but I'm absolutely going for at least a day or two. Think of it - we can go to CANNES. We can see the world premiere of Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds - for those who like Tarantino. We can see other movies that will undoubtedly be awesome! We can hob-knob with famous types. We'll be in the South of France in May - I've heard that's sort of what heaven is like. You know, from people who've died and come back... and believe in heaven...
Let's start planning soon.
Obviously, in April, I'll be traveling the European countryside and heading places various and sundry as well as hosting some various and sundry travelers. Anyone who'd like to join either of those adventures is more than welcome.
But the real question is...
Who wants to go to Cannes in May? It runs from the 13 to the 24 of May. I don't know when my finals are (the two I have will undoubtedly fall in that time frame, with my luck) but I'm absolutely going for at least a day or two. Think of it - we can go to CANNES. We can see the world premiere of Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds - for those who like Tarantino. We can see other movies that will undoubtedly be awesome! We can hob-knob with famous types. We'll be in the South of France in May - I've heard that's sort of what heaven is like. You know, from people who've died and come back... and believe in heaven...
Let's start planning soon.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
That Other Post I Meant to Post
Due to EXTREME weather conditions, the London Underground has moved up your update schedule to provide you with the best possible service! A list of line closures will follow. All lines will be delayed. Your regular update service will continue as soon as the rails are cleared.
SO! In case anyone has a life and isn't following the London weather reports, the city is COVERED in snow! And they have NO IDEA what to do with it!!! After living in Boston for a few years, it's actually quite funny to see a whole city shut down because of 4 or 5 inches of snow. People were rushing around, woefully underdressed, disoriented, and completely unsure of how to proceed with this strange white stuff falling on them from the sky! They all seemed to be expecting some public service announcement explaining that the snow was just a blip in the system and Parliament would like to apologize for any inconvenience and to please return home and stay indoors until further notice as we're not sure what sort of effect this strange whiteness could have on the human body!
Classes today ended up becoming kind of optional, due to the fact that the teachers couldn't figure out how to get into school, so I walked to school and went to my first class in spite of wanting desperately to just ditch it and go explore the snowy city! After an hour and a half of not really doing anything for fear of getting so the people who couldn't make it to school wouldn't be behind, I decided that since I was kind of dying being inside... I SKIPPED A CLASS!!!! I know, shameshameshame! We sent you there to learn something useful, not to just go gallivanting off into the snowy wilderness that is London being covered in more frozen precipitation that it's seen in Years, BUT!!! I HAVE NO REGRETS!!! IT WAS WORTH IT!!!
I grabbed a muffin for lunch, hopped on the nearest working train, and headed off to find Buckingham Palace! Then I found St James' Park! And the Houses of Parliament! And Big Ben! And the London Eye! And St. Paul's Cathedral! And tons of snowmen everywhere! I even got my picture taken by a professional photographer in front of the fountain outside Buckingham Palace because she liked how bright my coat was (and we swapped e-mails so she can send it to me and if you want to see it go to katenoblephotography.com)!!! And I took tons of pictures, including some for other tourists walking around! It was truly truly beautiful and honestly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unless global warming continues to mess with the established weather patterns and it snows this much again... But I probably won't be in London for it if it does, so clearly this WAS once-in-my-lifetime, and I'm SO glad I did it!!!
I'm going to have to figure out some way of putting up pictures so that you guys without facebook can see them if you want to... Anyway, after the profusion of picture taking, I decided it was about time for another bus adventure, so I picked the first double decker that came along and hopped on it since my feet were absolutely frozen! It worked out very nicely, as I got a nice little tour (pretty much free since on Friday I bought a week long rail pass! It's already paid itself back considering my 6 rides already today) and I ended up at a nice little pub called the Globe that was near the Moorgate tube stop. One of the best pieces of advice I got before coming to London was that if you ever needed to find pretty cheap, decent food, just go down a side alley until you find a homey-looking pub where the conversation is louder than the music if there's any music at all and you should get a good meal and a pint under £10; nothing fancy, but always solid fare. Today's special was Gammon and Eggs with "chunky chips" aka potato wedges and YES! To all who know my eating habits, the eggs were cooked properly and eaten properly and I got to do my gooey egg yolk dance, but I did it very subtlely so as not to disrupt the general populace!!!
After a good lunch I stopped by Picadilly Circus to check on a book at Waterstone's and then to check on a silly apron I'm planning on getting, but the stall I'd seen it in before was closed and the book was out of stock, so I headed back here only to find my 6 o'clock acting class got cancelled along with my Physical theatre class tonight! All in all, I got an INCREDIBLE day simply by being a bum and skipping one phoenetics class. And I only bought a REALLY cute warm hat and a pair of incredible, thinsulated, fingertip-less adult sized gloves for a total of £4.99! What a smart and stylish shopper! Alright, since the building is closing early today, I'm off to go back to the hostel for some good old-fashioned homework-time! After I load the pictures on to my computer of course. ;) Loving you all and missing you!
[as a foot note, I found a pub that has free wi fi and big couches and is large enough to not care that I've been sitting here for hours! It may be some hours more too...]
[as a foot note, I found a pub that has free wi fi and big couches and is large enough to not care that I've been sitting here for hours! It may be some hours more too...]
That Post I Never Posted
At last! Here is the latest update on the life of London Caiti!
Part of this was written Sunday [editor's note: this means either 2 or 3 weeks ago.] but I don't have internet often so it's quite long, you may notice...
Part of this was written Sunday [editor's note: this means either 2 or 3 weeks ago.] but I don't have internet often so it's quite long, you may notice...
SO last weekend (weekend before last now!) I decided to do a bit of exploring on my own. I got up late on Saturday and set out to take a double decker bus somewhere! I didn't really have any idea where I was going, but the 27 busline looked like I could ride it a good long way without having to switch, so I decided that looked as good as anything. I hopped on near my hostel and spent about an hour and 3/4 riding on the top deck seeing a bit of the city, listening to music, and generally starting to feel more like myself in London. I ended up somewhere on the West side of London in Chalk Hill at the end of the bus line at something called the Stalls or the Horse Tunnel Market which was something of a combo vintage store, antique store, street festival, horse statue museum, and folk art show! There were giant chandeliers all over the place, as well as life sized bronze horse statues and fountains and all sorts of crazy market stalls with everything from goth/steampunk clothes to hand-carved indian furniture to old records and china tea sets. I even found some old Doctor Who novels that I thought about getting! The whole thing was IMMENSE, as well! Part of it was open air and part was inside a big building with carves walls and leather-upholstered ceilings, so as I was there the stars started coming out in between the stall roofs. I ended up grabbing some curry, rice, and an fanta from a vendor and catching the bus back home with a promise that I would have to take Tina there when she finally got into town! I spent part of the ride back writing, so I ended up missing my bus stop, but the end of the line was just about a 10 minute walk from home, so I just got a nice, though enforced, walk out of it!
Sunday I went down to the National because one of the girls got £5 tickets to go see August: Osage County! I was expecting a lot out of it since everyone has been talking it up for the better part of a year, so I was rather disappointed with the end result. Part of it might have been that I went to see a matinee, so the energy of an evening performance just wasn't there, but it just didn't have the honesty or the openness of some of the other shows I'd seen here. There were good moments in it, but the sound design was just plain AWFUL, and the script didn't wow me nearly as much as I was hoping it would. The opening monologue was terribly bland, and all in all, I would've much preferred 2 hours of the best moments from the play than the 3 and a half hours of luke-warm acting and writing that I got. Also, the final moment was the clincher of my distaste for the play, as one of my great dislikes is being bashed over the head with the symbollism stick. For those of you who have seen it: And then you're gone, and then you're gone, and then... This is the way the world goes round... Really? Really really? No thank you, I got it without the nasty bump on the head there. Ah well, it was still worth the cheap ticket to see it, and I didn't have to stand in line, so I've got nothing to complain about.
The week of classes was essentially just cementing us all into our schedules and really getting down to work. I won't bore you with the details, but let it be known that we were all just a little more sore and tired at the end of the week than we were at the beginning...
What with it eventually being Friday after a looooooooooong week of classes, a big group of people went out to a pub near LAMDA called the Curtain's Up, so I agreed to join. By the time we got there, it was so crowded we couldn't even get a spot at the bar, much less a table, so after standing around in rehearsal clothes holding my backpack for about an hour, I decided to head for home and a long-awaited dinner. I stopped by the store to get a bottle of wine to complement my pasta (ricotta and spinach tortellini out of a refrigerator pack. Don't you wish you were this classy?), got home, made dinner, put on The Producers, and proceeded to have a lovely wine, pasta, musical, chocolate-filled evening in. Did a bit of washing up, and went to bed early.
Saturday after a not-so-restful night of sleep I got up early-ish to go to the bank, try to get a phone or sim card, and meet Drew downtown. The bank was a success, the phone not so much, but eventually, after a severe lack of breakfast due to the fact that my eggs were stolen from my box in the communal fridge at the hostel, I got down to Piccadilly Circus where there was an inexplicable street performance of a fake, yet very well-costumed and rehearsed "Changing of the Guard" which included a straight-faced game of patty-cake, fake ballet, and all sorts of silliness! It was excellent. There were Cockney-sounding street performers there too in black outfits with white buttons in patterns ALL OVER them! After several unsuccessful encounters with payphones, finally met up with Drew and went to an uber-fancy place for lunch! The food was absolutely delicious, and I had my first encounter with real, honest-to-goodness Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. To Dan's credit, I thought he'd just been clever and made up the name for the play, but no. It is a real type of tea! And I did rather want to buy some… Alas, I did not. Perhaps one day in the future I'll have to go back and get some!
Anyway, after lunch we went to a GIGANTIC bookstore called Waterstone's that was literally five stories tall and had a sale of 3 books for the price of 2, leading me to purchase 3 new books: Empire of Sand by Robert Ryan, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Will be sure to report back when I've finished each! Afterwards we set out for Drew's school since he'd queued all morning for our tickets and so needed a nap, and since the show didn't start until 7:30pm, so I got to call my Dad on his birthday using Drew's Skype (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!) made a light dinner while Drew slept and soon afterwards we were on our way to the National to see War Horse.
Before I go on, I just want to mention that all I'd heard about War Horse was that it was good and it was about a boy and his horse during World War I. The best phrase I can find to describe what it actually was was sweetly and innocently honest and simple. The plot itself became quite confused in terms of who was where and when and how, but the emotions behind it were perfectly clear. It's based on a children's book, but they managed to translate it to stage in a way that keeps its roots. It doesn't become a gruesome play for adults just because it's set during WWI, but rather it keeps the mask-less clarity of children's literature. This boy and this horse love each other, not in a slightly creepy Equus way, but in a boy-and-his-noble-steed sort of way. They each save the other's life many times, and in a way they each pull the other through. It was really a play about devotion, being completely and totally devoted to another being, and it was really and truly beautiful. The horses were all puppets, and for the most part the work was executed superbly! There were a few moments of it not quite working, but the puppet became a character to the extent that at one point I was WEEPING for the horse, more than I've probably ever cried in a play before. The whole play is set to a soundtrack of sorts of what I saw to be the narrator's voice as the main character after he's home from the war. He had a beautiful, native singing voice that was the sort of sound one connects to the land of England itself, and the songs were perfectly suited to him, and to the chorus of the full cast (over 30 men and a very few women, darn it.) that would occasionally join the song. Our seats were literally two chairs to the left of center in the very front row! It was the PERFECT play for it too! While it was intense, it wasn't painfully so, and it let us see the workings of the puppets, the expressions… the most amazing goose-puppet-and-operator! Drew described the whole thing as cinematic, and I must agree. The scope of it was enormous, including 3 languages, several countries, an enormous cast, beautiful and intricate puppets with 3 operators each… The set was absolutely minimalist, but perfect! It was all complemented with charcoal drawings made for the book.
Afterwards we headed to the Sherlock Holmes pub just down the Thames from the National. It was a good old-fashioned pub with no music or TV and just lots of people sitting around and talking, so we stayed for awhile and then went our separate ways.
Sunday I mostly just went on errands again, but I GOT A PHONE!!! For anyone who needs it, the number is 075 5260 3409 cause London numbers are ridiculously long! I also went to a thrift store and to the sounds of Mama Mia blasting through the speakers, I picked out my clown outfit. It's amazing. I got gold spandex/denim mix high waist slightly flared pants, a bright green shirt with little buttons on the sleeves and giant painted mushrooms along the bottom, a weird headscarf thingy that's got velvet and tassels and a flower print on part of it, and a washed-out denim thigh-length coat with slightly matted fake fur cuffs, all for the grand total of 4 pounds! Add a red nose and golden stilettos and you've got Ernestina Sweeney, my first costumed clown. She likes knitting, tap dancing, and impersonating animals. Oh clown class, how I both love and fear thee! Which is actually true of most of my classes...
Classes this week have been going well. We had a substitute teacher for Alexander today, which was nice to have a bit of variety, and we were working on the floor and table for about an hour out of the hour and a quarter class, so I feel like we all got much more out of it than we have been. Stage combat was today, and we're learning the most BAMF fight in the history of the universe!!! It's rapier and dagger and looks amazing. This week started something called "Early Birds" which is an extra, optional class on Monday at 9am that my roommate and I decided to try out. It's basically a really intense workout first thing on a Monday morning that does everything the other classes could have possibly missed. Which is pretty much entirely muscle groups that I didn't know I even had. One of the exercises (after we've all gone for a 3/4 mile sprint) is as follows: Stand in second position (feet more than shoulder width apart, pointing out). Bend your knees so you're in a plie. Now jump. Now do that 7 more times, and on the last one turn a quarter turn, and do that 8 times... Repeat until you're facing front. Tired yet? Now do it 4 times each way, then two each way, then one each way, then jump and do a full turn. I hurt.
Classes this week have been going well. We had a substitute teacher for Alexander today, which was nice to have a bit of variety, and we were working on the floor and table for about an hour out of the hour and a quarter class, so I feel like we all got much more out of it than we have been. Stage combat was today, and we're learning the most BAMF fight in the history of the universe!!! It's rapier and dagger and looks amazing. This week started something called "Early Birds" which is an extra, optional class on Monday at 9am that my roommate and I decided to try out. It's basically a really intense workout first thing on a Monday morning that does everything the other classes could have possibly missed. Which is pretty much entirely muscle groups that I didn't know I even had. One of the exercises (after we've all gone for a 3/4 mile sprint) is as follows: Stand in second position (feet more than shoulder width apart, pointing out). Bend your knees so you're in a plie. Now jump. Now do that 7 more times, and on the last one turn a quarter turn, and do that 8 times... Repeat until you're facing front. Tired yet? Now do it 4 times each way, then two each way, then one each way, then jump and do a full turn. I hurt.
We're still working on our scenes from the histories. I've got one of Henry V's monologues, but not the Band of Brothers one. In a week and a half we're switching to Restoration comedies, and we're switching teachers to someone who's been described as the "that's shit, do it again but good." type, but in a good way. Apparently everything he directs comes out very precise and VERY good. I'll be sure to fill you in on it when we get there! We're actually putting on a full play, apparently, with basic costumes and lights and everything! Not sure if we get a set yet, but we'll see. I'm looking forward to it quite a bit!
Well, here I am at last on a Wednesday afternoon. We've been dismissed early from our last class, so I thought I'd finally get around to typing this all out since I'm sure you've been waiting on pins and needles for the latest installment! Soon I will tell you all about the lovely production of Twelfth Night with Derek Jacobi as Malvolio that I saw last night, but for right now, my fingers are about to fall off and I'm sure you have better things to do than to read more of this, so farewell my dears!
Monday, February 2, 2009
will you let me romanticise the beauty in our London skies?
I have been in love with a whole lot of people and things over the last twenty years. I'm in love with a whole lot right now. I will very likely be in love with a whole lot as the years add up and I get older.I'm not sure that anything will ever capture my heart in the way that a snowy London has. London absolutely stole my heart today. Its snowing more here than it has in over 20 years. It is, in fact, still snowing. About nine inches on the ground right now. The city itself has basically shut down - I was going to see A Midsummer Night's Dream tonight and it was cancelled due to snow. School was called because of snow. The tube is almost universally delayed or closed. The Daily Mail has a headline that "not even the Blitz stopped the buses... but this storm has." People literally have no fucking clue how to handle this.
Me? I went and took pictures. I got into a bit of a snowball fight. I'm now tucked safely in my room with tea, chocolate, and a good book. Tonight? Wine, dinner, and maybe a movie with my flatmates.
I have never seen anything as beautiful as London covered in snow.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Southern Sun
Hey all!!!
First, I would like to say that Lily, I empathize with you. 34 hours of travel from my house in MV to Charlton house here in Cape Town is not what I would dub a pleasant experience, especially when it includes three layovers. I lost one bag on route, but ever the Boy Scout, I'd divided up my things so I have plenty of clothes and such to tide me over until my other bag arrives (it's still in Johannesburg).
Cape Town is such a surreal experience. That's what this city is...an experience. So much life exists here. The city center is constantly moving. From any point in the city you can see Table Mountain watching over her people. It's absolutely stunning. I'll be hiking it sometime within the next week for sure.
The house I'm staying in is awesome...three stories, a pool table, and a gorgeous view of the mountain. Twenty one other kids live here, most from the states, a few from Norway. My roomie is from Berkeley, and is the total CAL girl (backpacker at heart). We get along great. Oh, and Drew, did I mention that she was at the inauguration?
Anywho, I'm safe in Cape Town, though it hasn't yet sunk in that I'll be here for 5 months.
Much love as always!!
First, I would like to say that Lily, I empathize with you. 34 hours of travel from my house in MV to Charlton house here in Cape Town is not what I would dub a pleasant experience, especially when it includes three layovers. I lost one bag on route, but ever the Boy Scout, I'd divided up my things so I have plenty of clothes and such to tide me over until my other bag arrives (it's still in Johannesburg).
Cape Town is such a surreal experience. That's what this city is...an experience. So much life exists here. The city center is constantly moving. From any point in the city you can see Table Mountain watching over her people. It's absolutely stunning. I'll be hiking it sometime within the next week for sure.
The house I'm staying in is awesome...three stories, a pool table, and a gorgeous view of the mountain. Twenty one other kids live here, most from the states, a few from Norway. My roomie is from Berkeley, and is the total CAL girl (backpacker at heart). We get along great. Oh, and Drew, did I mention that she was at the inauguration?
Anywho, I'm safe in Cape Town, though it hasn't yet sunk in that I'll be here for 5 months.
Much love as always!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
NEW ZEALAND BITCHES!!!!
Briefly: I MADE IT TO NEW ZEALAND!!! (feel free to stop reading now if you are not interested in the boring details)
It took me over 36 hours to get here with my four flights; thankfully all my luggage arrived with me, and both of us remained intact. The hostel I'm staying at is just what I'd hoped it would be, quiet and out of the city (in a suburb). Yesterday, after 12 hours of sleep, I took a lovely hike/run up a volcano, which is right next door to the hostel. The view from the top was beautiful, you could see the whole city of Auckland, which in itself (the center) is not large, but there are tons of sprawling suburbs with very low houses. The one similar city I've been to is San Diego.
Currently, it is summer here, which is also lovely. Whilst the air isn't very hot (a nice 70-75 degrees) the sun is super intense, due to the giant hole in the ozone layer. I'm still getting used to walking without anything on my feet! I've spent the past month with heavy ski boots for 8 hours a day, and snowshoes whenver I went out for a hike! I feel light as a feather, but I have yet to resort to skipping down the streets (trying to retain some dignity).
Today, I hung out with my hostel roomie who is from Germany. We went to the aquarium and walked a ton around the city. All in all a good day.
Tomorrow, I think I'm headed to the beach for the day. Probably wrapped in one sort of shroud or another, but it'll be the beach none the less. Not sure yet what I'll do the other days I'm here prior to the rest of my program, but I'll figure it out in time.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Miss Maggie: it will get better in time (I know it sounds lame), but it's extremely hard to adjust to a new place, just get as immersed as possible so that homesickness doesn't overwhelm.
Much love to all
-Lily
It took me over 36 hours to get here with my four flights; thankfully all my luggage arrived with me, and both of us remained intact. The hostel I'm staying at is just what I'd hoped it would be, quiet and out of the city (in a suburb). Yesterday, after 12 hours of sleep, I took a lovely hike/run up a volcano, which is right next door to the hostel. The view from the top was beautiful, you could see the whole city of Auckland, which in itself (the center) is not large, but there are tons of sprawling suburbs with very low houses. The one similar city I've been to is San Diego.
Currently, it is summer here, which is also lovely. Whilst the air isn't very hot (a nice 70-75 degrees) the sun is super intense, due to the giant hole in the ozone layer. I'm still getting used to walking without anything on my feet! I've spent the past month with heavy ski boots for 8 hours a day, and snowshoes whenver I went out for a hike! I feel light as a feather, but I have yet to resort to skipping down the streets (trying to retain some dignity).
Today, I hung out with my hostel roomie who is from Germany. We went to the aquarium and walked a ton around the city. All in all a good day.
Tomorrow, I think I'm headed to the beach for the day. Probably wrapped in one sort of shroud or another, but it'll be the beach none the less. Not sure yet what I'll do the other days I'm here prior to the rest of my program, but I'll figure it out in time.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Miss Maggie: it will get better in time (I know it sounds lame), but it's extremely hard to adjust to a new place, just get as immersed as possible so that homesickness doesn't overwhelm.
Much love to all
-Lily
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
a VERY short note - made longer
Everyone. Do whatever you have to to see The 39 Steps. It is hilarious. Its also playing in NYC, so its not like you have to come here to see it. Though you could. That'd be fun too.
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So I've seen a lot of shows here now. Read reviews for all of them, both before and after seeing them (some were in previews still). Still can't get my head around this acting from the outside in thing - Caiti might be able to shed some light on that...
But one thing I've noticed is that its a serious thing here. Its serious business. Its not even like NYC and Broadway. I mean, its infinitely better, for one thing - more options, better options, better atmosphere..
They (being the critics) also have no problem absolutely ripping a show apart - in very astute and not-mean ways, but just being exactly critical. Its actually a little unsettling, to be honest. The headline for the Telegraph's review of Complicit:
That might, in the long run, be a bad thing - too much criticism leads to jaded audiences. But there are people going to everything all the time. If its a bad show, you know it because it doesn't sell out. Everything sells out if its good. It isn't where you have a critically lauded show that falls through the cracks because it didn't have a star performer or writer or director (coughcough Passing Strange). Yes, people line up for stars (would I have lined up for David Tennant and/or Patrick Stewart in anything? Absolutely. Not afraid to say it.) but they also line up for theatre in general.
we need the arts like this in America... we really do.
-------
So I've seen a lot of shows here now. Read reviews for all of them, both before and after seeing them (some were in previews still). Still can't get my head around this acting from the outside in thing - Caiti might be able to shed some light on that...
But one thing I've noticed is that its a serious thing here. Its serious business. Its not even like NYC and Broadway. I mean, its infinitely better, for one thing - more options, better options, better atmosphere..
They (being the critics) also have no problem absolutely ripping a show apart - in very astute and not-mean ways, but just being exactly critical. Its actually a little unsettling, to be honest. The headline for the Telegraph's review of Complicit:
Complicit at the Old Vic, review: a play about torture? It certainly was
Sorry for the type font change - that's how it was on their site. But I mean... WHOA. I don't know that I've seen a review that starts throwing punches like that right from the start. It wasn't a very good show, by any means, but still.That might, in the long run, be a bad thing - too much criticism leads to jaded audiences. But there are people going to everything all the time. If its a bad show, you know it because it doesn't sell out. Everything sells out if its good. It isn't where you have a critically lauded show that falls through the cracks because it didn't have a star performer or writer or director (coughcough Passing Strange). Yes, people line up for stars (would I have lined up for David Tennant and/or Patrick Stewart in anything? Absolutely. Not afraid to say it.) but they also line up for theatre in general.
we need the arts like this in America... we really do.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Nij begins
Echoing Drew's sentiments on updating for the hell of updating...
I miss you all so much. And BC. And America. And everything. I don't know if you who are already abroad had the same sentiments, but I've generally just been overcome with homesickness and feeling like I made a huge mistake in coming here. I'm hoping--desperately--that this will pass.
I'll tell you one thing, though: never have I been so grateful for my friends and family. They have always been close at hand to pick me up and dry my tears, and now that they're not, it's really difficult to function. Their absence is overshadowing everything about the present. Whatever. I guess I'm just a big baby, is all.
Nijmegen, as one might expect, is super Dutch. No touristy bullshit here. Which makes it a bit difficult to get around, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I got a bike, and after some small repairs, Priscilla is serving quite nicely as a tool for assimilation.
Orientation, which is essentially one big pub crawl with a day trip to Amsterdam at the end of the week, starts tonight. Send good friend-making karma, please.
Love and angst,
Mags
I miss you all so much. And BC. And America. And everything. I don't know if you who are already abroad had the same sentiments, but I've generally just been overcome with homesickness and feeling like I made a huge mistake in coming here. I'm hoping--desperately--that this will pass.
I'll tell you one thing, though: never have I been so grateful for my friends and family. They have always been close at hand to pick me up and dry my tears, and now that they're not, it's really difficult to function. Their absence is overshadowing everything about the present. Whatever. I guess I'm just a big baby, is all.
Nijmegen, as one might expect, is super Dutch. No touristy bullshit here. Which makes it a bit difficult to get around, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I got a bike, and after some small repairs, Priscilla is serving quite nicely as a tool for assimilation.
Orientation, which is essentially one big pub crawl with a day trip to Amsterdam at the end of the week, starts tonight. Send good friend-making karma, please.
Love and angst,
Mags
Monday, January 26, 2009
An Update for the Sake of an Update
Hi everybody!
Just figured I'd drop an update on you. Just some fun stats that I was thinking about as it rained enough to drown a small village yesterday.
Days since arrival: 24
Shows seen since arrival: 8 (at the National Theatre: 3)
Shows on my list to see (not including those for class): 25 (give or take)
Different theatres visited: 6
Cups of tea consumed: more than I can count
Pictures taken of Big Ben: about 30 - but from various artsy points.
Tube lines taken: 5
Times I've gotten lost: 6
Times I've managed to get un-lost: 6
Times I've watched LOST: 1 (WHAT THE FUCK to that season premiere....)
Books I've read: 5
Sherlock Holmes books purchased: 8 (Penguin has a GROOVY set they just published... I had to)
Concerts I've missed because they were already sold out/I didn't know about them: 2
Times I've been pick-pocketed: 1 (they got my London Moleskine... wanker...)
Pubs visited: 4
American friends I've seen: 2 (Caiti and Riley! woo! and soon Tina!)
Drunk Londoners seen: too many to count... too drunk to have counted...
Cabs taken: 2
Times I've missed you guys: very many
Money spent: quite a lot... oops.
Classes done: 4
Classes to go: 7 (yep. count 'em.)
Percentage of the way through the semester: 33.33333333333....%
Trips planned: 2
Countries visited: 1 (England!)
Days I've been happy here: nearly all
Times my cleaning lady has asked me to make her an egg for breakfast: 1 - it was a terrifying experience.
A semester in London: priceless.
For everything else, there's my VISA card. Because its accepted everywhere. Except, apparently, the Young Vic's website.
Hope auditions went well for everyone and that the semester is off to a wonderful and rolling start. I'll see some of you soon, some of you sooner, and some of you later.
Just figured I'd drop an update on you. Just some fun stats that I was thinking about as it rained enough to drown a small village yesterday.
Days since arrival: 24
Shows seen since arrival: 8 (at the National Theatre: 3)
Shows on my list to see (not including those for class): 25 (give or take)
Different theatres visited: 6
Cups of tea consumed: more than I can count
Pictures taken of Big Ben: about 30 - but from various artsy points.
Tube lines taken: 5
Times I've gotten lost: 6
Times I've managed to get un-lost: 6
Times I've watched LOST: 1 (WHAT THE FUCK to that season premiere....)
Books I've read: 5
Sherlock Holmes books purchased: 8 (Penguin has a GROOVY set they just published... I had to)
Concerts I've missed because they were already sold out/I didn't know about them: 2
Times I've been pick-pocketed: 1 (they got my London Moleskine... wanker...)
Pubs visited: 4
American friends I've seen: 2 (Caiti and Riley! woo! and soon Tina!)
Drunk Londoners seen: too many to count... too drunk to have counted...
Cabs taken: 2
Times I've missed you guys: very many
Money spent: quite a lot... oops.
Classes done: 4
Classes to go: 7 (yep. count 'em.)
Percentage of the way through the semester: 33.33333333333....%
Trips planned: 2
Countries visited: 1 (England!)
Days I've been happy here: nearly all
Times my cleaning lady has asked me to make her an egg for breakfast: 1 - it was a terrifying experience.
A semester in London: priceless.
For everything else, there's my VISA card. Because its accepted everywhere. Except, apparently, the Young Vic's website.
Hope auditions went well for everyone and that the semester is off to a wonderful and rolling start. I'll see some of you soon, some of you sooner, and some of you later.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Paris
Coming at you liiiive from Paris!
The travel wasn't as bad as expected; I actually arrived early at CDG and my luggage was the first off the plane. But as of today, I've managed to a) be struck by panic and ask the incredulous attendants at Charles de Gaulle if I forgot to go through customs (no, not kidding) and b) forget to hook up my blow dryer to the converter and have it go WHOA EUROPEAN VOLTAGE and turn orange and all but blow up. I guess I've failed Study Abroad 101, but other than that, life is awesome.
I'm renting a room at the Foyer International des Etudiants on the Rue de Saint-Michel--pretty much standard European hostel fare (plain, slightly sketchy), but the location is...unbelievable. I have a balcony:
And that view of la Tour Eiffel that you see at the top? Yeah, I can see that from the solarium (similar to a study lounge).
Paris is so beautiful that it doesn't even try to be beautiful or acknowledge that it's beautiful. It's got gorgeous, absolutely baffling roads and beautiful people with small, precocious children. Contrary to logic and the best interests of the people I deal with in day-to-day business, being here makes you want to speak French. So I've tried.
Adventures thus far: a cheap panini (in Paris, cheap is 3.9 euros, which is equal to about $5.10), looking at fantastic art until my eyes fell out at the Musee d'Orsay, watching the Eagles embarrass themselves yet again at a Canadian pub, learning the hard way that my cellphone alarm doesn't function overseas, and figuring out the getting-to-Nijmegen situation at the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Up for tomorrow: a day at the Louvre, looking at awesome art until my eyes fall out, and then bar-hopping in honor of our newest president. And hopefully Montmartre and the Musee Rodin on Wednesday.
Hope all is well. Bises from France!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Brief Note. Really.
You're probably all a bit sick of hearing from me, so I'll keep this brief.
One: I met Dr. Watson yesterday and had tea with him. and wandered around Holmes' suite for like an hour.
Two: I saw August: Osage County today. Caiti, we'll discuss after you see it... because I felt this way, it may be that you hate it. But so be it - I've never been so powerfully moved by a production. I was sobbing at the end. I mean, literally, tears (multiple) streaming down my face. I felt like an idiot walking to the Tube because my eyes were still all bleary and I was clearly an emotional wreck.
Maybe its just because I could draw so many parallels to my own dysfunctional family (don't worry - mine is a fun dysfunctional. not a fucked up dysfunctional, like the Westons in the play). But wow. wow wow wow.
One: I met Dr. Watson yesterday and had tea with him. and wandered around Holmes' suite for like an hour.
Two: I saw August: Osage County today. Caiti, we'll discuss after you see it... because I felt this way, it may be that you hate it. But so be it - I've never been so powerfully moved by a production. I was sobbing at the end. I mean, literally, tears (multiple) streaming down my face. I felt like an idiot walking to the Tube because my eyes were still all bleary and I was clearly an emotional wreck.
Maybe its just because I could draw so many parallels to my own dysfunctional family (don't worry - mine is a fun dysfunctional. not a fucked up dysfunctional, like the Westons in the play). But wow. wow wow wow.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
In London the Phones Don't Work, or Else I'd Be Calling.
I'M ALIVE!!!! In case anyone was worried, I made it here in one piece. Drew's basically told you peeps already, but to expand upon it, my flight got delayed in Chicago because it's snowy there, so I didn't get into London until 12:30am after the tube had stopped running. I didn't want to pay 95+ pounds for a taxi (around $150), so I decided to try to navigate the night buses with all of my luggage. In total I'd have to make 3 transfers, and since the oyster ticket machines were all broken or shut down, I had to beg each bus driver to let me onto the bus. The first one wasn't even checking tickets, so that worked pretty well. Except that the bus broke down. Slowly and painfully. Another bus eventually came along and picked us all up, and I made it through the rest of the transfers to the last bus stop and decided to catch a cab since it was super late and I still had no ticket and buses can't take cash. I finally got dropped off on Drew's campus, but my phone stopped working somewhere over the Atlantic, so I couldn't call him to find out where on his campus I should go, FORTUNATELY, we bumped into each other when I hadn't been there more than 15 minutes and we got back to Drew's room and I DIED, having woken up at 4:15amEST to catch my flight to Chicago.
Fast forward to me showing up in the queue and letting Drew go warm up a bit: there were 6 people in front of us who were quite lovely and talkative and made the waiting go MUCH faster! 10am came around and the box office opened up and people started getting tickets, and I don't know what Drew is on about "Eight people in front of us" because tickets ran out SIX ahead of us! The same 6 we'd been talking to the whole time. Since at this point we'd all been waiting together and besides, we were inside now even if it was still cold (It had actually been snowing at one point in line! Oddly, the snow was all 2 pointed instead of 6-pointed flakes. I have NO idea why, but Drew can confirm.) we all decided to wait together. Long story short, we got return tickets with full view in house left of the stalls (ground level) and we scurried off home to change and get all prettied up for the show! We missed champagne with our waiting family in the bar beforehand, but we made it in before the lights got flashed.
As you all should know by now, Drew and I NEVER agree about theatre. Think Communist Dracula Pageant. Or really anything we've seen together. Usually we conform to exactly the opposite opinion of each detail, HOWEVER!!! This Hamlet was THE BEST SHOW I've EVER SEEN. Ever. Evereverever. I'm not particularly a Star Wars fan or an X-Men fan, and I'd only watched a few episodes of Doctor Who, so while I liked Patrick Stewart and David Tennant, I didn't really have hugely strong opinions of what they would be like. It was... amazing. I really don't know how to describe it! It was natural and beautiful and genuine and just... AUGH! SO GOOD!!! There was one point where Hamlet was talking to Horatio (I think) and the bit about the king carousing and the cannons being shot off each time and the lights BECAME the fireworks they were talking about. And the costumes for the play within a play were perfect. And the set was incredible and the acting was... Words can't even describe. It makes me want to run off and join the RSC (which is only a few tube stops away, after all!!!)! In a while maybe I'll be better able to describe it, but for now: It was without question the best piece of theatre I have ever seen.
Ok, this is about my fourth time writing on this entry since I've just got bits of time during lunch or between classes to get online.
In other news: I just finished my first week of classes and I am EXHAUSTED. It is an exhaustion I have never known in BC theatre due to the fact that I am spending up to 12 hours a day in theatre classes with nothing else, and then going back to the hostel and doing theatre homework, and nothing else. I haven't even had time to get out to a pub yet, and there's one about 100 yards from my doorstep! It's amazing. At the end of these 14 weeks I'm either going to be a fucking amazing actress, or I'll be DEAD. Right now it could go either way, although after the 3 hour jazz class I had last night that made Kirstin's class look like child's play, dead is looking more and more probable. I've got text classes, acting classes, choir, small chorus, singing (yeah, that's 3 classes), plus voice (pure, applied, and phoenetics), movement, jazz, Shakespeare's histories, historical dance, stage combat, Alexander technique, and clown/physical theatre improv. Classes go from 10am-6pm, except on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays when they go until 9 or 9:30pm and Thursdays when they start at 9am. This whole course is exactly what I've been wanting, especially since it is chock full of teachers who are entirely happy to tear you apart to make you better (even happier if they're doing it to an American or someone who's French).
To give you a taste of what it's like: our first day we had a 3 hour lecture/explanation of the line of ascent to the english throne and how that shaped all of the history of English Kings from 1066 until the Henry VIII, including who was lord protector and what conditions required one, who was duke of where and why, who was sleeping with whom, and about a million other details all spouted off in a manner that would've put an encyclopedia to shame. Yesterday in the histories class we went literally word-by-word through 6 scenes of Richard II as well as through the full play paraphrasing every line into modern language, which was (obviously) tedious, but really pulled it apart in a way I've certainly never experienced at home. This evening we had Jeff Perry (one of the co-founders of Steppenwolf) come in and talk about how they started the theater (which, if I'd known beforehand I would've dragged Drew over to hear it), how he approaches a role, how he deals with having over a THOUSAND performances of the same show, and whatever else he felt like talking about. August:Osage County is here for a few more days, so I'm going to try to get out to see it this weekend.
As for London itself, it's not quite what I thought it might be. I haven't seen any of the touristy stuff yet, not even the Thames or London Bridge or anything, so maybe that's why... But it's much more just like any other city than I expected, just that they drive on the wrong side (which may just get me killed one of these days) and it's all super expensive. I'm feeling rather lonely for everyone at home and in Boston and scattered across the globe!!! I wish you could all be here, because I miss you lots and lots and lots!!!
I love you bunches!!!
Caiti
p.s. And now I'm going out clubbing to celebrate a week of exhaustion. Bad ideas? I think so, but it's for all the LAMDA students, so ah well. I LOVE YOU!!!
Fast forward to me showing up in the queue and letting Drew go warm up a bit: there were 6 people in front of us who were quite lovely and talkative and made the waiting go MUCH faster! 10am came around and the box office opened up and people started getting tickets, and I don't know what Drew is on about "Eight people in front of us" because tickets ran out SIX ahead of us! The same 6 we'd been talking to the whole time. Since at this point we'd all been waiting together and besides, we were inside now even if it was still cold (It had actually been snowing at one point in line! Oddly, the snow was all 2 pointed instead of 6-pointed flakes. I have NO idea why, but Drew can confirm.) we all decided to wait together. Long story short, we got return tickets with full view in house left of the stalls (ground level) and we scurried off home to change and get all prettied up for the show! We missed champagne with our waiting family in the bar beforehand, but we made it in before the lights got flashed.
As you all should know by now, Drew and I NEVER agree about theatre. Think Communist Dracula Pageant. Or really anything we've seen together. Usually we conform to exactly the opposite opinion of each detail, HOWEVER!!! This Hamlet was THE BEST SHOW I've EVER SEEN. Ever. Evereverever. I'm not particularly a Star Wars fan or an X-Men fan, and I'd only watched a few episodes of Doctor Who, so while I liked Patrick Stewart and David Tennant, I didn't really have hugely strong opinions of what they would be like. It was... amazing. I really don't know how to describe it! It was natural and beautiful and genuine and just... AUGH! SO GOOD!!! There was one point where Hamlet was talking to Horatio (I think) and the bit about the king carousing and the cannons being shot off each time and the lights BECAME the fireworks they were talking about. And the costumes for the play within a play were perfect. And the set was incredible and the acting was... Words can't even describe. It makes me want to run off and join the RSC (which is only a few tube stops away, after all!!!)! In a while maybe I'll be better able to describe it, but for now: It was without question the best piece of theatre I have ever seen.
Ok, this is about my fourth time writing on this entry since I've just got bits of time during lunch or between classes to get online.
In other news: I just finished my first week of classes and I am EXHAUSTED. It is an exhaustion I have never known in BC theatre due to the fact that I am spending up to 12 hours a day in theatre classes with nothing else, and then going back to the hostel and doing theatre homework, and nothing else. I haven't even had time to get out to a pub yet, and there's one about 100 yards from my doorstep! It's amazing. At the end of these 14 weeks I'm either going to be a fucking amazing actress, or I'll be DEAD. Right now it could go either way, although after the 3 hour jazz class I had last night that made Kirstin's class look like child's play, dead is looking more and more probable. I've got text classes, acting classes, choir, small chorus, singing (yeah, that's 3 classes), plus voice (pure, applied, and phoenetics), movement, jazz, Shakespeare's histories, historical dance, stage combat, Alexander technique, and clown/physical theatre improv. Classes go from 10am-6pm, except on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays when they go until 9 or 9:30pm and Thursdays when they start at 9am. This whole course is exactly what I've been wanting, especially since it is chock full of teachers who are entirely happy to tear you apart to make you better (even happier if they're doing it to an American or someone who's French).
To give you a taste of what it's like: our first day we had a 3 hour lecture/explanation of the line of ascent to the english throne and how that shaped all of the history of English Kings from 1066 until the Henry VIII, including who was lord protector and what conditions required one, who was duke of where and why, who was sleeping with whom, and about a million other details all spouted off in a manner that would've put an encyclopedia to shame. Yesterday in the histories class we went literally word-by-word through 6 scenes of Richard II as well as through the full play paraphrasing every line into modern language, which was (obviously) tedious, but really pulled it apart in a way I've certainly never experienced at home. This evening we had Jeff Perry (one of the co-founders of Steppenwolf) come in and talk about how they started the theater (which, if I'd known beforehand I would've dragged Drew over to hear it), how he approaches a role, how he deals with having over a THOUSAND performances of the same show, and whatever else he felt like talking about. August:Osage County is here for a few more days, so I'm going to try to get out to see it this weekend.
As for London itself, it's not quite what I thought it might be. I haven't seen any of the touristy stuff yet, not even the Thames or London Bridge or anything, so maybe that's why... But it's much more just like any other city than I expected, just that they drive on the wrong side (which may just get me killed one of these days) and it's all super expensive. I'm feeling rather lonely for everyone at home and in Boston and scattered across the globe!!! I wish you could all be here, because I miss you lots and lots and lots!!!
I love you bunches!!!
Caiti
p.s. And now I'm going out clubbing to celebrate a week of exhaustion. Bad ideas? I think so, but it's for all the LAMDA students, so ah well. I LOVE YOU!!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
YAYY TEAM!
Hi everybody!! I'm in Rome! (currently trying to figure out these Italian keyboards in the computer lab...) but there is so much to tell you! I wish I could either a) tell you about every day of my life, maybe as it's happening or b) (BETTER) have you all here with me!!!
So I live in this apartment building with three other girls in a cute little appartamento with other Romans in the building. We live next to a teeny pizzeria (high five!) and there are so many bars, gelaterias, and caffè's EVERYWHERE, which is really cool to explore! Every time we go out, it's an adventure... will we be able to figure out how this caffè is supposed to work (do we pay first? if we sit down will they serve us? do we go to the counter to pay? or wait for a waiter?), will we be able to communicate with the servers, if we ask for directions in decent italian, will we at ALL be able to figure out what their directions are? Will we get run over by a motorino or a smart car? This is my new life... lol.
I haven't seen much of Rome yet aside from the area around our school, but it's a little different than I expected: there's a lot of graffiti and garbage and dog poop everywhere, but if you look up, you can see beautiful monuments and churches in the distance (which is not really that far of a distance, it's like a couple blocks away). But I have visited some little shops and market areas in a piazza where I bought some apples and flowers and wine (on my way to becoming Italian... I just need to take up smoking, obtain an incredible sense of style and get a Fabio on my arm... see below)! Hopefully I'll put up a few pictures on facebook or here (could I figure that out?) of the area where I live... I so wish you guys could be here with me... my roomates are pretty nice, but when you're hanging out with them like... 18 hrs a day, they can (and 2 do) get really annoying... as I'm sure I'm annoying them. But we have yet to go out to bars that aren't flooded with drunken American frat boys, so, maybe I'll need to meet some people who I can go to quiet bars and hang out with. I have met some really nice people, though, and we've been having some fun!
Also, in regards to my sense of style/lack of style vs Rome... whoa. I may as well be wearing a huge sign that says AMERICAN. Nope, actually, I don't need a sign because EVERYONE knows I'm American already. Even I can spot Americans a mile away, we look that different (or we all look the same...). But I need to get some leather boots... everyone has them and it's been rainy and kinda cold and I've been trying to wear my rainboots proudly cause I like them, but it's hard to be stared at all day. Also, in regards to Italians... the RAs told us 2 main things at Orientation: to ALWAYS watch your stuff because everyone will try to take it and/or take advantage of you. and that "girls, your game will improve 200% with the Italian guys who are incredibly aggresssive, can be sleazy and really only want sex from you" and "boys, you will get NOWHERE with Italian girls, don't even try, they aren't interested." Which was pretty funny to joke with some of the boys about. Oh, and on that note, I also saw a man masturbating in his car last night around 1am... yessss! Buona sera, Roma!
Anyways, in case I didn't reiterate enough... this is a really fun adventure, but it would be more fun if you guys were here with me....soo... come on over! Actually, in all seriousness... I don't know if Christina (or anyone else abroad) will read this in enough time, but Carnevale in Venice is Friday, February 13, 2009 - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 and I'm planning to go on either of those weekends with at least one friend! Now I now its earlier than expected, cause I was hoping Christina would want to come, but you just start school then, Xtina? But anyways, facebook me or something... I'm trying to book things for that VERY soon because I heard everything fills up super quickly. So let me know... anyone who wants a weekend getaway to Venice in a few weeks!
Ahh... I'm sorry this is so long, but I literally have 80 million stories to tell you and I MISS YOU! So maybe I'll try to keep it shorter or write littler ones more often. But I'm glad I've gotten to talk to a few of you online too!! So more skyping and blogging and gchatting and AIMing so I can hear about all your lovely lives as well. I miss you and LOVE YOU!
So I live in this apartment building with three other girls in a cute little appartamento with other Romans in the building. We live next to a teeny pizzeria (high five!) and there are so many bars, gelaterias, and caffè's EVERYWHERE, which is really cool to explore! Every time we go out, it's an adventure... will we be able to figure out how this caffè is supposed to work (do we pay first? if we sit down will they serve us? do we go to the counter to pay? or wait for a waiter?), will we be able to communicate with the servers, if we ask for directions in decent italian, will we at ALL be able to figure out what their directions are? Will we get run over by a motorino or a smart car? This is my new life... lol.
I haven't seen much of Rome yet aside from the area around our school, but it's a little different than I expected: there's a lot of graffiti and garbage and dog poop everywhere, but if you look up, you can see beautiful monuments and churches in the distance (which is not really that far of a distance, it's like a couple blocks away). But I have visited some little shops and market areas in a piazza where I bought some apples and flowers and wine (on my way to becoming Italian... I just need to take up smoking, obtain an incredible sense of style and get a Fabio on my arm... see below)! Hopefully I'll put up a few pictures on facebook or here (could I figure that out?) of the area where I live... I so wish you guys could be here with me... my roomates are pretty nice, but when you're hanging out with them like... 18 hrs a day, they can (and 2 do) get really annoying... as I'm sure I'm annoying them. But we have yet to go out to bars that aren't flooded with drunken American frat boys, so, maybe I'll need to meet some people who I can go to quiet bars and hang out with. I have met some really nice people, though, and we've been having some fun!
Also, in regards to my sense of style/lack of style vs Rome... whoa. I may as well be wearing a huge sign that says AMERICAN. Nope, actually, I don't need a sign because EVERYONE knows I'm American already. Even I can spot Americans a mile away, we look that different (or we all look the same...). But I need to get some leather boots... everyone has them and it's been rainy and kinda cold and I've been trying to wear my rainboots proudly cause I like them, but it's hard to be stared at all day. Also, in regards to Italians... the RAs told us 2 main things at Orientation: to ALWAYS watch your stuff because everyone will try to take it and/or take advantage of you. and that "girls, your game will improve 200% with the Italian guys who are incredibly aggresssive, can be sleazy and really only want sex from you" and "boys, you will get NOWHERE with Italian girls, don't even try, they aren't interested." Which was pretty funny to joke with some of the boys about. Oh, and on that note, I also saw a man masturbating in his car last night around 1am... yessss! Buona sera, Roma!
Anyways, in case I didn't reiterate enough... this is a really fun adventure, but it would be more fun if you guys were here with me....soo... come on over! Actually, in all seriousness... I don't know if Christina (or anyone else abroad) will read this in enough time, but Carnevale in Venice is Friday, February 13, 2009 - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 and I'm planning to go on either of those weekends with at least one friend! Now I now its earlier than expected, cause I was hoping Christina would want to come, but you just start school then, Xtina? But anyways, facebook me or something... I'm trying to book things for that VERY soon because I heard everything fills up super quickly. So let me know... anyone who wants a weekend getaway to Venice in a few weeks!
Ahh... I'm sorry this is so long, but I literally have 80 million stories to tell you and I MISS YOU! So maybe I'll try to keep it shorter or write littler ones more often. But I'm glad I've gotten to talk to a few of you online too!! So more skyping and blogging and gchatting and AIMing so I can hear about all your lovely lives as well. I miss you and LOVE YOU!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Theatre, Round Two
Hi again, everybody.
This is a good ol' two parter - having seen two shows since the last one. I'll start with Part One, subtitled "The Best Thing I've EVER SEEN" - no lie.
Caiti had quite the adventurous time getting here, which she will no doubt expound upon in the not-too-distant future. She finally got to my flat around 2:30am and promptly crashed. I, too, decided to sleep but it would only be for a few hours, as we had decided that come hell or high water, we were seeing the closing performance of Hamlet.
So, 530am, I'm up and out the door, catching the first tube out of Mile End (the station next to my campus). Caiti would meet me a few hours later. I stood in line, much like that time for Spring Awakening, from about 615 onwards. Only this time, I was alone (until Caiti came/we befriended some nice people around us) and it was fucking freezing. I thought my toes would fall off. But we waited, we perservered... and then they announced they were out of tickets EIGHT PEOPLE in front of us. The dilemma, then... do we wait? Returns or unclaimed? Will it be worth it?
So we sat on the floor of the lobby and chatted and read and slept... and slowly but surely, they announced that tickets came back. Soon, we were one person away from tickets. THEN! we got them. Hallelujah, we got two unclaimed tickets on the aisle about 15 rows back... 40pounds a piece, which is like 60 bucks, but it was so worth it - having stood/sat in line ALL DAY, having barely slept, and getting the opportunity to see this show that has been so incredibly acclaimed... it was worth it.
We rushed home (it was about 415 and the curtain was at 715), showered, made a pseudo-dinner (mind you, we're both running on FUMES at this point) and hustled back to the theatre.
As my reading for Reading Theatre for this week said, it can be quite difficult to accurately verbalize how you felt about a show, because you've channelled it through yourself. However, you're all pretty familiar with my rather critical eye, so I'll just lay it out there - this was the best show I have ever seen. Ever. Yes, I love David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, but if the show was shit I would say "well, it was cool to see those guys..."
The staging, the directorial decisions, the acting (with the exception of Ophelia, really - she wasn't BAD, but she just didn't reach the level of everyone else. She was a little one-dimensional)... it was just fantastic. People in London have been talking about this show as though its the best thing to hit stages in a long while and legitimately it is. I mean, its the second show I've ever seen in London, so its not like I can agree without sounding like a complete idiot, but it was excellent. Tennant brought a manic energy to the role and he really let Hamlet off the chain. His first sollioquy was heart-rending and you FELT it. It wasn't like with Branagh's, for example, where you can see that he's sad but he also is just a little pathetic (and I like Branagh's Hamlet). It was just pure emotion. Same with when he confronts Gertrude in her bedchambers... it was almost tough to watch because it was so physical and so viceral. Of course, he was also HILARIOUS - his insanity was a joy to watch. Actually, his take on the insanity was really interesting - there were times where he was clearly in control and just playing with people, moments where he was clearly off his rocker, and moments where even he didn't know - where the audience AND the character didn't quite seem to know where it was going. A balancing act of sorts.
I enjoyed Patrick Stewart's Claudius perhaps because of how subdued he was. He wasn't some grand ruler who has grand ambitions and such... he was just a man who desperately wanted power and now has to decide how to use it - not necessarily in a grand way, but in the way of real modern-day rulers. This also contrasted nicely with Tennant's Hamlet, who seemed like he didn't really WANT to be king. He just wanted to hang out, be happy, etc.
I cried at the end, too. I'm going to stop going on before I start sounding like Louis. But yeah, I cried. It was incredible. They came back out for four bows, we were all on our feet before they even got to the stage the first time... it was not only a fantastic show but a fantastic moment in theatre history. They (the theatre pundits or whoever) are talking about Tennant in the same breath as classic Hamlet's like Olivier and Branagh. Its all justified. I look forward to seeing Jude Law as Hamlet at the end of my time here, but... well, you always remember your first. My first Hamlet will be no exception.
Part Two is that I'm going to see a Tom Stoppard tonight called "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" - its like an hour long and it is a "play for actors and orchestra" so color me interested.
In other news... settled in, finally. Bought some books at Waterstone's yesterday, wandered Piccadilly Circus a bit... Its quite rainy here today and so it really feels quite like London is supposed to. Not to say I don't miss people, but I think I'm going to quite like spending the next few months here.
This is a good ol' two parter - having seen two shows since the last one. I'll start with Part One, subtitled "The Best Thing I've EVER SEEN" - no lie.
Caiti had quite the adventurous time getting here, which she will no doubt expound upon in the not-too-distant future. She finally got to my flat around 2:30am and promptly crashed. I, too, decided to sleep but it would only be for a few hours, as we had decided that come hell or high water, we were seeing the closing performance of Hamlet.
So, 530am, I'm up and out the door, catching the first tube out of Mile End (the station next to my campus). Caiti would meet me a few hours later. I stood in line, much like that time for Spring Awakening, from about 615 onwards. Only this time, I was alone (until Caiti came/we befriended some nice people around us) and it was fucking freezing. I thought my toes would fall off. But we waited, we perservered... and then they announced they were out of tickets EIGHT PEOPLE in front of us. The dilemma, then... do we wait? Returns or unclaimed? Will it be worth it?
So we sat on the floor of the lobby and chatted and read and slept... and slowly but surely, they announced that tickets came back. Soon, we were one person away from tickets. THEN! we got them. Hallelujah, we got two unclaimed tickets on the aisle about 15 rows back... 40pounds a piece, which is like 60 bucks, but it was so worth it - having stood/sat in line ALL DAY, having barely slept, and getting the opportunity to see this show that has been so incredibly acclaimed... it was worth it.
We rushed home (it was about 415 and the curtain was at 715), showered, made a pseudo-dinner (mind you, we're both running on FUMES at this point) and hustled back to the theatre.
As my reading for Reading Theatre for this week said, it can be quite difficult to accurately verbalize how you felt about a show, because you've channelled it through yourself. However, you're all pretty familiar with my rather critical eye, so I'll just lay it out there - this was the best show I have ever seen. Ever. Yes, I love David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, but if the show was shit I would say "well, it was cool to see those guys..."
The staging, the directorial decisions, the acting (with the exception of Ophelia, really - she wasn't BAD, but she just didn't reach the level of everyone else. She was a little one-dimensional)... it was just fantastic. People in London have been talking about this show as though its the best thing to hit stages in a long while and legitimately it is. I mean, its the second show I've ever seen in London, so its not like I can agree without sounding like a complete idiot, but it was excellent. Tennant brought a manic energy to the role and he really let Hamlet off the chain. His first sollioquy was heart-rending and you FELT it. It wasn't like with Branagh's, for example, where you can see that he's sad but he also is just a little pathetic (and I like Branagh's Hamlet). It was just pure emotion. Same with when he confronts Gertrude in her bedchambers... it was almost tough to watch because it was so physical and so viceral. Of course, he was also HILARIOUS - his insanity was a joy to watch. Actually, his take on the insanity was really interesting - there were times where he was clearly in control and just playing with people, moments where he was clearly off his rocker, and moments where even he didn't know - where the audience AND the character didn't quite seem to know where it was going. A balancing act of sorts.
I enjoyed Patrick Stewart's Claudius perhaps because of how subdued he was. He wasn't some grand ruler who has grand ambitions and such... he was just a man who desperately wanted power and now has to decide how to use it - not necessarily in a grand way, but in the way of real modern-day rulers. This also contrasted nicely with Tennant's Hamlet, who seemed like he didn't really WANT to be king. He just wanted to hang out, be happy, etc.
I cried at the end, too. I'm going to stop going on before I start sounding like Louis. But yeah, I cried. It was incredible. They came back out for four bows, we were all on our feet before they even got to the stage the first time... it was not only a fantastic show but a fantastic moment in theatre history. They (the theatre pundits or whoever) are talking about Tennant in the same breath as classic Hamlet's like Olivier and Branagh. Its all justified. I look forward to seeing Jude Law as Hamlet at the end of my time here, but... well, you always remember your first. My first Hamlet will be no exception.
Part Two is that I'm going to see a Tom Stoppard tonight called "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" - its like an hour long and it is a "play for actors and orchestra" so color me interested.
In other news... settled in, finally. Bought some books at Waterstone's yesterday, wandered Piccadilly Circus a bit... Its quite rainy here today and so it really feels quite like London is supposed to. Not to say I don't miss people, but I think I'm going to quite like spending the next few months here.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Theatre, Round One
First off, a shout out to Carr on a Bike. Love it. I only found it through clicking on the following-this-blog link - I'm not THAT creepy.
Second off, I'm seeing Riley tomorrow! I didn't already mention that, did I? I mean, its confirmed now!
Third off, I saw my first London play today. Called Amazonia, at the Young Vic. It wasn't very good. One actor was pretty talented and the movement pieces were pretty fantastic, but the music... the staging... the play itself... not very good. It also devolved into a Chuck Mee style dance at the end that had nothing to do with anything... which is okay in a Chuck Mee, but not when its completely random and at the end of an otherwise more-linear and less Chuck Mee-y play. Interesting staging - in the round, but with a HUGE wooden "tree" in the middle that actually blocked a lot of action at various points throughout the play... so that sucked. Also, the play is all about saving the rainforest, so it begs the question of why you put a whacking great thing of 2x4s as your only set piece... seriously, at least an entire tree went into building this set. PROBABLY from the amazon. Nice going, Young Vic.
Next up: something theatrical with Caiti (hopefully Hamlet... or August: Osage County...).
There's a play at the Old Vic directed by Kevin Spacey with Richard Dreyfuss called "Complicit" that looks quite good... who wants to go see it in the next month-ish? Tina, does that sound like something you'd want to see when you're visiting us before heading to Bath?
oh, ps... I'm actually done classes at the end of MARCH... and then I have a month... and then I might not even need to be back for finals, depending on if any of them are sit-down or not... so let's discuss inter-Euro travel, yeah?
Second off, I'm seeing Riley tomorrow! I didn't already mention that, did I? I mean, its confirmed now!
Third off, I saw my first London play today. Called Amazonia, at the Young Vic. It wasn't very good. One actor was pretty talented and the movement pieces were pretty fantastic, but the music... the staging... the play itself... not very good. It also devolved into a Chuck Mee style dance at the end that had nothing to do with anything... which is okay in a Chuck Mee, but not when its completely random and at the end of an otherwise more-linear and less Chuck Mee-y play. Interesting staging - in the round, but with a HUGE wooden "tree" in the middle that actually blocked a lot of action at various points throughout the play... so that sucked. Also, the play is all about saving the rainforest, so it begs the question of why you put a whacking great thing of 2x4s as your only set piece... seriously, at least an entire tree went into building this set. PROBABLY from the amazon. Nice going, Young Vic.
Next up: something theatrical with Caiti (hopefully Hamlet... or August: Osage County...).
There's a play at the Old Vic directed by Kevin Spacey with Richard Dreyfuss called "Complicit" that looks quite good... who wants to go see it in the next month-ish? Tina, does that sound like something you'd want to see when you're visiting us before heading to Bath?
oh, ps... I'm actually done classes at the end of MARCH... and then I have a month... and then I might not even need to be back for finals, depending on if any of them are sit-down or not... so let's discuss inter-Euro travel, yeah?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Proper Hammered
RIGHT! So its been one hell of a couple of days.
Let's get the basics out of the way: I'm homesick by varying degrees and miss all of you terribly. Some days or even moments are better than others. I'm hoping Caiti's arrival at the end of the week makes me feel better - knowing that there's someone else here, cause its lonely knowing you guys are all still in the States. Though I might be meeting up with Riley on Thursday! So that'll be fun too!
Orientation was not-so-much orientating as disorientating. or disorienting. I'm getting phrases mixed up here - they use different things, obviously, and so sometimes its like "uhh.... what did you say?"
Classes started yesterday. However, before I could go to class, I had to formally enroll and get my id card and stuff. You can't get into buildings without an id card. Enrollment started at 10:30. I had a 10am class, followed by one at 11 and one at 2 - back to back to back. A dilemma, to be sure. So I went over to the offices where they were doing ids right at 10, when they opened. I lucked out and got in right away, so at this point we're only like three minutes later for class. Or so it seems.
They don't have anything like we do with Agora, where they tell you where your classes are online or in a nice, easy, user-friendly manner. You have to go to the department office and find your class on this big list. Sounds easy enough, except I have no freaking clue where the department offices are. Turns out everything that isn't science or math is in the Arts Building (which also houses the Harold Pinter studio theatre, for those of you theatre buffs in the crowd). So I finally make my way into the building, which can only be accessed from the street, which is a bit silly. I figure out quickly where my Reading Theatre class and the Hitchcock class are - but they're the 2 and 11 (respectively). So I finally go into the poli sci secretaries office and ask about my 10am and, since I'm there, the class I was supposed to have today at 12. They tell me the 10am is on the first floor of that building - sweet, no problem - but that they can't find my other class. It turns out... that the class I was registered for is in fact not being offered this semester. How I managed to get REGISTERED for it is beyond anyone. They, however, helpfully say "you need another class" and I was like "UHHHHH no idea - gotta go to this one first!"
SO I run downstairs, this whole thing having taken longer than expected or anticipated or hoped. I get into my class, The British Political System, about 20 minutes in. I try to slip in and am very quiet, but the professor, of course, stops and looks up at me. Awkward. Great start. It also turns out that all of the discussion sections (which they don't tell you about when you sign up for classes...) are during my other two Monday classes. So I have to figure THAT one out...
The Hitchcock class was a nice breather. About 45 minutes of lecture, then a film. We watch Strangers on a Train this past week. We get a film EVERY week too. Awesome. A nice midday break. Discussion later this week - we'll see how that goes.
Reading Theatre seems fun - a lot of shows for very cheap (I think it ends up being 8 for 90 pounds, which is great on all levels. It would be 9, but I'm missing one for the Rome trip). First show is tomorrow night at the Young Vic. It's called Amazonia. And has gotten shitty reviews. But I don't care that much, simply because I'm getting out to see a show!
Today, I tried to get my class thing resolved... that didn't happen. Most of the English modules (classes) are filled, so I have to meet tomorrow with my abroad advisor and see what he can do for me - there's a poli sci option too, but this might be an opportunity to get into a Shakespeare class.
Finally met all of my flatmates yesterday. We had a party last night, actually, for one of them who just turned 20. Side note: I'm the oldest person in the flat. What. The. Fuck.
There's Dan, who is a chain-smoking punk-mixed-with-hippie kind of guy. British.
There's Katy, whose name I actually don't know if I've spelled properly, but she reminds me of a British Carol. Sort of the mom of the flat, but a cool mom. British - obviously.
There's Caty, whose name I also don't know if I've spelled correctly, but she was the one who turned 20 yesterday. I've talked to her the least, so I know the least about her. British.
There's Charlotte, who kind of reminds me of Jen Winslow, if Jen was British. ...predictably, British.
There's Daveed - no idea if its actually spelled that way, but thats how his name is pronounced. He's NOT British but in fact another abroad-er, from the Bahamas. Goes to Miami. Hooray ACC! A bit of a loner, but that might just be the jet lag.
Speaking of, its awful. Jet lag. If you have a night flight, you try to sleep, and you think that'll work out. Perhaps it has helped me - I don't really know. But I like to take naps as it is... I slept from 2 to 9 this morning and then from 1030 to 2 (after my failed attempt to get into another class). I would have slept longer except I forced myself to go get a SIM card and do some grocery shopping.
For those interested: 0781 243 7823 is my number!
I'm probably going to cook something for dinner... and then go to bed. I mean, maybe I'll sit up with the flatmates for a bit, but honestly I could sleep for a freaking day.
So yeah. That's about it. The homesickness has been coming and going - talking about it helps, I'll give that advice. It's just so strange to look up at night and not recognize the stars. That's probably been the strangest thing - plus, you all know how "cosmic" I can be, with the Zodiac and stuff. not the killer. though that's a good movie.
Okay. Signing off for now.
Let's get the basics out of the way: I'm homesick by varying degrees and miss all of you terribly. Some days or even moments are better than others. I'm hoping Caiti's arrival at the end of the week makes me feel better - knowing that there's someone else here, cause its lonely knowing you guys are all still in the States. Though I might be meeting up with Riley on Thursday! So that'll be fun too!
Orientation was not-so-much orientating as disorientating. or disorienting. I'm getting phrases mixed up here - they use different things, obviously, and so sometimes its like "uhh.... what did you say?"
Classes started yesterday. However, before I could go to class, I had to formally enroll and get my id card and stuff. You can't get into buildings without an id card. Enrollment started at 10:30. I had a 10am class, followed by one at 11 and one at 2 - back to back to back. A dilemma, to be sure. So I went over to the offices where they were doing ids right at 10, when they opened. I lucked out and got in right away, so at this point we're only like three minutes later for class. Or so it seems.
They don't have anything like we do with Agora, where they tell you where your classes are online or in a nice, easy, user-friendly manner. You have to go to the department office and find your class on this big list. Sounds easy enough, except I have no freaking clue where the department offices are. Turns out everything that isn't science or math is in the Arts Building (which also houses the Harold Pinter studio theatre, for those of you theatre buffs in the crowd). So I finally make my way into the building, which can only be accessed from the street, which is a bit silly. I figure out quickly where my Reading Theatre class and the Hitchcock class are - but they're the 2 and 11 (respectively). So I finally go into the poli sci secretaries office and ask about my 10am and, since I'm there, the class I was supposed to have today at 12. They tell me the 10am is on the first floor of that building - sweet, no problem - but that they can't find my other class. It turns out... that the class I was registered for is in fact not being offered this semester. How I managed to get REGISTERED for it is beyond anyone. They, however, helpfully say "you need another class" and I was like "UHHHHH no idea - gotta go to this one first!"
SO I run downstairs, this whole thing having taken longer than expected or anticipated or hoped. I get into my class, The British Political System, about 20 minutes in. I try to slip in and am very quiet, but the professor, of course, stops and looks up at me. Awkward. Great start. It also turns out that all of the discussion sections (which they don't tell you about when you sign up for classes...) are during my other two Monday classes. So I have to figure THAT one out...
The Hitchcock class was a nice breather. About 45 minutes of lecture, then a film. We watch Strangers on a Train this past week. We get a film EVERY week too. Awesome. A nice midday break. Discussion later this week - we'll see how that goes.
Reading Theatre seems fun - a lot of shows for very cheap (I think it ends up being 8 for 90 pounds, which is great on all levels. It would be 9, but I'm missing one for the Rome trip). First show is tomorrow night at the Young Vic. It's called Amazonia. And has gotten shitty reviews. But I don't care that much, simply because I'm getting out to see a show!
Today, I tried to get my class thing resolved... that didn't happen. Most of the English modules (classes) are filled, so I have to meet tomorrow with my abroad advisor and see what he can do for me - there's a poli sci option too, but this might be an opportunity to get into a Shakespeare class.
Finally met all of my flatmates yesterday. We had a party last night, actually, for one of them who just turned 20. Side note: I'm the oldest person in the flat. What. The. Fuck.
There's Dan, who is a chain-smoking punk-mixed-with-hippie kind of guy. British.
There's Katy, whose name I actually don't know if I've spelled properly, but she reminds me of a British Carol. Sort of the mom of the flat, but a cool mom. British - obviously.
There's Caty, whose name I also don't know if I've spelled correctly, but she was the one who turned 20 yesterday. I've talked to her the least, so I know the least about her. British.
There's Charlotte, who kind of reminds me of Jen Winslow, if Jen was British. ...predictably, British.
There's Daveed - no idea if its actually spelled that way, but thats how his name is pronounced. He's NOT British but in fact another abroad-er, from the Bahamas. Goes to Miami. Hooray ACC! A bit of a loner, but that might just be the jet lag.
Speaking of, its awful. Jet lag. If you have a night flight, you try to sleep, and you think that'll work out. Perhaps it has helped me - I don't really know. But I like to take naps as it is... I slept from 2 to 9 this morning and then from 1030 to 2 (after my failed attempt to get into another class). I would have slept longer except I forced myself to go get a SIM card and do some grocery shopping.
For those interested: 0781 243 7823 is my number!
I'm probably going to cook something for dinner... and then go to bed. I mean, maybe I'll sit up with the flatmates for a bit, but honestly I could sleep for a freaking day.
So yeah. That's about it. The homesickness has been coming and going - talking about it helps, I'll give that advice. It's just so strange to look up at night and not recognize the stars. That's probably been the strangest thing - plus, you all know how "cosmic" I can be, with the Zodiac and stuff. not the killer. though that's a good movie.
Okay. Signing off for now.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
depature?
hey- can we get departure dates for those of you who have yet to leave, just so i know when i should start flooding your text inboxes with messages you won't get until your phones work again in may?
kidding, i just want to know when my lovelies are going to be out of reach, so i can get to you before then.
LOVE
kidding, i just want to know when my lovelies are going to be out of reach, so i can get to you before then.
LOVE
Thursday, January 1, 2009
London Calling - Received
Bags are packed.
Boarding pass is printed.
Passport is here. (It's a new one, no visa... what an odyssey that was... but the British Consul General promised me one, personally! So that's something! Thanks, connections from Mom's work!)
I have pounds, not dollars in my wallet.
My dad shot off fireworks. (It was too windy last night, so they did double duty tonight)
For those interested, my intinerary for tomorrow:
British Airways Flight 66 departs PHL at 6:55pm (EST), arrives LHR (London - Heathrow) at 6:50am (GMT). That's 1:50am EST, for those playing at home (Boston College, for all intents and porpoises).
Catch you all on the flip side.
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This being the flip side. It's London. Whoa.
I feel like I'm dreaming. This could be because I slept for less than an hour on the plane and so am running on yesterday still. Pretty cold here, as it is at home. That's helping me stay awake.
If you're flying British Airways, try to fly "club world" if you can spare the change. I didn't. I regret it. Flying across the ocean crammed into a hard seat with people kicking you in the back/practically laying on you in the front gets old fast. Especially when the TV doesn't work.
Heathrow is a breeze to move through - wish American airports were like that... I spent less time in Heathrow, including customs and shit, than I've spent in some American airports. Unbelievable.
Everything here is, obviously, British... but it also feels really natural. This is, perhaps, because I am a ridiculous Anglophile. But the driving on the other side of the road, the different names for things... its cute and endearing but also natural. It just... fits.
My room is a pretty groovy single. Big window, looks onto a nice courtyard. The bed sucks, but what else does one expect? Nice amount of space though, overall. Met one of the flatmates so far - his name is Dan (hey, look at that) and he has assured me that we'll be going out and getting "proper hammered" tonight as a welcome.
Orientation tomorrow... A couple city-based things during the week... Who the hell knows when classes and things start - I guess I find that out tomorrow. Well, anyways, I need to unpack properly and things.
I miss you guys already - those of you coming over here, get here soon!
Boarding pass is printed.
Passport is here. (It's a new one, no visa... what an odyssey that was... but the British Consul General promised me one, personally! So that's something! Thanks, connections from Mom's work!)
I have pounds, not dollars in my wallet.
My dad shot off fireworks. (It was too windy last night, so they did double duty tonight)
For those interested, my intinerary for tomorrow:
British Airways Flight 66 departs PHL at 6:55pm (EST), arrives LHR (London - Heathrow) at 6:50am (GMT). That's 1:50am EST, for those playing at home (Boston College, for all intents and porpoises).
Catch you all on the flip side.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This being the flip side. It's London. Whoa.
I feel like I'm dreaming. This could be because I slept for less than an hour on the plane and so am running on yesterday still. Pretty cold here, as it is at home. That's helping me stay awake.
If you're flying British Airways, try to fly "club world" if you can spare the change. I didn't. I regret it. Flying across the ocean crammed into a hard seat with people kicking you in the back/practically laying on you in the front gets old fast. Especially when the TV doesn't work.
Heathrow is a breeze to move through - wish American airports were like that... I spent less time in Heathrow, including customs and shit, than I've spent in some American airports. Unbelievable.
Everything here is, obviously, British... but it also feels really natural. This is, perhaps, because I am a ridiculous Anglophile. But the driving on the other side of the road, the different names for things... its cute and endearing but also natural. It just... fits.
My room is a pretty groovy single. Big window, looks onto a nice courtyard. The bed sucks, but what else does one expect? Nice amount of space though, overall. Met one of the flatmates so far - his name is Dan (hey, look at that) and he has assured me that we'll be going out and getting "proper hammered" tonight as a welcome.
Orientation tomorrow... A couple city-based things during the week... Who the hell knows when classes and things start - I guess I find that out tomorrow. Well, anyways, I need to unpack properly and things.
I miss you guys already - those of you coming over here, get here soon!
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