Spreading Christmas...Germs

Christmas Eve morning breaks...I wake up and trapse downstairs to snuggle up on the couch with my Phi Sig blanket to watch some quality Christmas cartoons.  But then, I sniff, and I swallow and I realize...I have a rather annoying cold, stuffy nose, sore throat, and all.  As the day progressed, so did my cold, eventually adding a headache and a fever to the mix.  I wrapped only a few gifts and didn't go to church.  But I at least was able to have dinner with my aunt and uncle that night, which was nice.

Christmas morning arrives, and I'm feeling still stuffy but better.  And after a good hot shower and some ibuprofen, I was read to go!  Dinner at my aunt's house was really fun.  I was able to see everyone that I couldn't see at Thanksgiving. 

The day after Christmas, which is always a sad day anyways because Christmas is over, was a Sunday.  And on Sunday, my lovely cold decided to upgrade a massive ear infection.  From the mid-afternoon to evening, my right ear went from being merely blocked to having shooting pains every few minutes.  Though calling the on-call doctor, an eventual trip to the ER, and a follow-up with an ENT the next day, I was given antibiotic for the infection, ear drops to heal the ear drum, and vicodin and motrin 600 for the pain. 

Today, I am feeling much much better.  The antibiotics have taken started to kick in, the ear drops seem to be working as well.  The vicodin seemed a bit extreme to me--so I've only taken that once on the first day.  And the motrin 600 keeps the pain down to a dull pressure. 

Silly sickness.  Doesn't it know that it was a holiday?

My Michigan

Now back in Michigan, I realize just how lucky I am to be here.  My flight out of Heathrow Airport was litereally the very last one that was able to take off to Detroit.  As soon as we left, terminal 4 cancelled or delayed all their subsequent flights due to the mass amount of snow that apparently hit London.  So I am quite thankful that I was able to get home on time.

This past week has been quite busy!  I was able to visit a few of my high school friends--some I haven't seen since the summer, and a few since even before then!  I've been baking Christmas cookies, talking, and visiting the Henry Ford Museum while it was all decorated--all was a lot of fun and I like doing all these Christmas-y things. 

And tomorrow is Christmas Eve!  My family will be wrapping gifts and watching Christmas movies all day, as per tradition. Then my aunt and uncle will come over in the evening and we'll all go to church together and eat a light dinner afterwards.  And we'll exchange gifts just between us then as well.  And on Christmas morning, we'll have eggs benedict for breakfast, open gifts, and later go to my aunt's house for dinner.  Yup, Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. :)

I'll Be Home for Christmas

First semester is officiaIlly over.  I'm sitting in my room--it's my last night in London before Christmas.  And I'm thinking how surreal it is that I am leaving half my life in London and taking the other half to Michigan. Michigan is my home, but I've found that I use the word "home" to describe a lot of places in this world.  Of course, my family home in Sylvan Lake I call home.  I call Alma home.  I consider a few of my high school friends' houses home.  And now, I find myself calling my flat in London home as well.  I like that I have so many places that I can call home.

This past week was very nice.  I went to St. Paul's Cathedral with Callum on Wednesday--the last place I wanted to visit on my list of places to go for first semester.  I went Christmas shopping with Reena on Thursday and out to dinner with her and two of her friends from her course to celebrate the end of first semester.  Today I slept in quite late, did some last minute errands, cleaned my room, did some laundrey, and packed.  This fluffy stuff, preparing to go home and see family and friends I haven't seen in a long time, always gets me into that Christmas-y spririt.  It even snowed last night and actually stuck to the ground this time.  I love Christmas time--I'm a bit of a sucker for all the warm-fuzziness and cliches that go with it.  Call me an idealist, but I think it is important to keep up traditions to make the holidays special.  I'm looking forward to going to church Christmas Eve, eating eggs benedict on Christmas morning, visiting friends as much as possible, making every minute of Christmas break count.  Perhaps it is because I watch too many holiday movies, but I still think this time of year is when we can catch our breath in the midst of our crazy schedules and appreciate what and who we have in our lives.

Studying for my classes, adjusting to city life, meeting and making friends with some really great people, and exploring as much as I can--I have learned so much this first semester.  And while I am  going to love being back in Michigan for the next month, and am very much looking forward to all that second semester will bring!
         

Places and Pictures

This past week was filled with mostly writing and work for end of the semester deadlines (which are now completely finished and turned it!).  But I still was able to find some time for picture-taking.

Destination: Royal Opera House
Last Wednesday, I went on the Royal Opera House's Backstage Tour.  I used the tour as part of my research for my theatre performance paper, but that was just a convenient perk.  The tour was actually extremely interesting and fun.  The theatre has actually experienced two devasting fires in its past and had been rebuilt from the ground up both times.  The building that exists now is actually the completely updated and refurbished theatre.  Before, the work spaces needed were not all on site.  Set construction, rehearsing, and storage were all located in completely different parts of England.  Part of the latest modernization of the ROH was to make everything consolidated and under one roof.  Now they have a bigger stage, a complete stage-sized storage area underneath the stage that can be raised up and down as needed, a stage-sized practice room, complete with floors that have springs in them just like the actualy stage.  (Apparently the springs in the floor help absorb some of the shock and weight placed on dancers' feet when they dance and jump and whatnot.).  They have a storage unit in Wales still--only for practicality purposes, as they do 300 performances a year and have a lot of props and things like that to archive.  When I went, I was able to watch the lead dancer playing Cinderella run through her rehearsal of that song when Cinderella is dancing through her house with the broom and thinking.  She was in full costume and incredible to watch up close.  She was shorter than I had imagined a ballerina to be, but her posture and stance made her seem a million miles tall.  And I still marvel at the concept of point shoes--beautiful, but how does she do it!?  Especially when she flickers her feets, shifting her weight back and forth quickly to keep the movement going.  Her instructor was there as well, pointing out what to improve--hand gestures, facial expressions, head tilts, etc.  It was gorgeous.

Destination: Covent Garden
After the tour, I decided to hang out and wander through the area there--called Covent Garden.  The property used to be owned by Westmisnter Abbey and was eventually sold to an Earl (I don't remember which...) and built up into the marketplace it is today by the crown's favorite artist and designer of the time.  So it definitely has a more sophisticated atmosphere about it.  But more importantly, the second I stepped into the market area, I was transported into all that is Christmas-y!  There was music and gift wrapping and decorations and christmas trees, and even a hedge in the shape of Rudolph!!  haha.  I wandered around, taking pictures and browsing through everything.  It definitely got me in the Christmas-y spirit!

Destination: Camden
On Saturday, Callum and I went to Camden.  We had gone before, but at night.  And my camera doesn't like the dark very much.  So this time we went during the day so I could take pictures of Camden Lock.  The bridge there is amazing.  It seemed like it was older than the whole of the U.S.--and it very well might be.  It was made of light and dark grey bricks and had a slight curve as it rounded over the top of the water.  I think I stood and looked at the bricks, periodically jumping up an down just to feel them beneath my feet, for a good ten minutes--that how much I loved those bricks.  :)

Destination: Library
Though I have no pictures that correspond with this place, it was where I could be found for most of this past week.  I liked to stake out one of the few long tables next to a plug in the basement of the Regent's campus library usually...so I could plug in my computer and spread out my stacks of books and papers and drafts  and whatnot.  I like my space. :)  And I was actually quite productive there, moreso than when I work in my room.  I've found that that is something opposite of at Alma.  My study habits here are different.  I find I can't really work well in my own room and need to go to the library to get any real writing done.  I get far too distracted in my flat.  But in the basement of the library, my cell phone gets no reception. It takes a good 15 or 20 minutes walk to get there, so once I'm there I need to stay there to make my walk worthwhile.  And there is less noise (usually) so I can concentrate better.  All nice to know for second semester.

Destination: Michigan
My flight leaves this coming Saturday morning.  Only 4 more days.  And as I have no other work responsibilities, I intend to make my last 4 days fun.  This is a good way end the semester. :)

Destination: Facebook
All the pictures I mentioned are posted on facebook.  
     

First London Snow

I am not a morning person.  I hate alarm clocks.  I am not happy or perky even if I am well rested, and that sentiment rapidly turns worse and worse with the less sleep I get.  Therefore, my morning routine does not include opening my curtains, because that would mean I'd let the happy, bright, "let's get going" attitude known as the sun beat unwantedly into my room.  So I usually don't really know what to expect of the weather when I leave my flat, but since this is London I've become accustomed to rain.  But, this morning, when I walked through the 3 sets of double doors to get outside, instead of the flat wet drops of foggy precipitation plopping on my head, dampened white flakes were gently falling.  It was snowing! 

Now, because I live on what seems to be one of the busiest streets in central London, the city doesn't allow snow to stay on the ground.  Grit has been scattered across the sidewalks for weeks now in anticipation for any kind of icy liability.  But, I could still see it falling, polka-dotting my blue peacoat.  After a while, I didn't really care that it wasn't sticking to the ground. The air has that universal crisp snowy taste in it--that means Christmas is coming!  There are only three weeks left in the semester--I will be on my way home the morning of December 18th.  And I am exciting!  Knowing that I still have another full semester, I don't really feel any sense of sadness about leaving London yet.  I know I'll be back.  And I get to be home for Christmas.  I can't really ask for much more.

But in order to get home, I need to finish up this semester and only three papers stand in my way.  Slowly but surely I plod along.  The expected writing style here is slightly different.  Alma English papers tend to emphasize original, independent thought--not relying on others critiques to form your own opinion.  But here, being aware and able to reference others' work is important--the notion of being well-read must be present in addition to your opinion to support it.  We view these as two separate entities, the first being a critical textual anaylsis paper, the second a critical research analysis paper.  But here, research is a given, the first form doesn't exist as much.  I think both skills are valuable.  Though there is, of course, always room for improvement, I feel like I have at some level mastered the first way.  I can form an opinion and use a literary text to back it up.  I can take text and dissect it.  I can look at form and function, symbolism and poetic asthetics, and comment on their use, effectiveness, and meaning.  My writing skills definitely have been challenged while working on the second way of writing.  And though at first, I was overwhelmed with the concept of doing research in addition of such an in-depth analysis, I am finding that the extra reading, the extra hunting is often rewarding because it tends to help me clarify my own thoughts in different ways.  It also sometimes ignites different ideas that aren't readily apparent in just the literary text alone.  And I'm discovering that reading others' opinions doesn't really shape or influence mine as much as I thought it would.  Instead, it adds more layers and prompts more discussion.  My goal isn't to read and absorb--it is to read and digest.  It is very rare that I am aware of a time when I am learning and compounding skills, but this is one of those times where I can actually feel myself making new connections that I know will impact what I do in the future.  It is kind of rewarding to be able to know the end benefits while going through the struggling part--makes it more manageable. 

Speaking of this learning process, I have taken enough of a break from my American Lit. paper.  So for now I'll stop writing here, and start writing in a Word document again.  :)        

Updates and Observations

First things first:  I did get the internship at A and B Publishers!  About 4 hours after the interview, I got a call from Andrea in Westminster's internship office saying that A and B has offered me a position.  Of course I accepted!  So starting in January, I'll working working roughly 2 days a week there--depending on how my course schedule hashes out.  I need at minimum 15 hours a week.  So it should be great!

It is getting towards the end of the semester.  I have three more papers to write before December 15th and 16th.  My theatre paper and American Lit. paper should be decent--I think I have a firm grasp on those subjects and my topics for both are solid.  My Critical Perspectives essay however tend to shoot me into immediate frustration and anxiety--I don't really know where to begin and that worries me.  But, I am good at asking questions and getting the information I need, so it's just a matter of time I guess. 

Last week I took a detour on my walk home from Regent Campus to Marlebone High Street's Tesco to pick up a food supplies for the next few days.  Since I had some time, I did a little roaming just to check out the street a bit more.  It has become one of my favorite streets I think.  It is close, has lots of little shops, cafes, and pubs.  There are two great bookstores--one is a discount secondhand store and the other is an adorable cozy shop.  The Tesco carries more things than the one of Baker Street.  It is usually pleasantly populated but not overly crowded.  It isn't really a destination like Oxford Street is so it feels very local and home-y.  I like it quite a lot.

For my Modernism class, we are reading Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, which I actually haven't read before.  I have come across it many times, it was often an option for reading assignments in high school, but for some reason I've never actually read it even thought I know a decent amount about the story and the author.  Anyways, I am glad that I am reading it for the first time here because the locations mentioned in the book really are as much of a character as Clarissa is and I am basically living in the exatct spot where the book takes place.  Regent's Park, Baker Street, Bond Street, St. James Park, Harley Street--I have been to these places, I living in these places, I walk by, through, around, in these places often.  It definitely has given the story and the book more meaning to me because I have a very clear picture of what is going on in the story since I have such a clear vision of the setting.  While I've always been one to imagine the plot going along in my head when I read books, it is a different experience to have more factual components in my imagined vision.  It is a little surreal.  Reading any specifically English writer, like Dickens, is like this now--I can see how if you grew up here, how these stories really would have a deep meaning, a big place in heart and mind and soul of a literary person.  American books sometimes do the same thing--if you read something about where you are from.  But because America has so many different kinds of places in it--the South, West coast, East coast, etc., we don't always have the same connection to it unless it takes place in our specific region.  The only thing I can kind of equate this to is the T.V. show Home Improvement.  That took place in the suburbs of Detroit.  And I love that show not only because it is funny and the acting is great and the stories are true and relatable, but I've always thought it was really neat how I understood ALL the cultural references--which not everyone else in the rest of the U.S. would necessarily get unless they had lived in or been to Detroit itself.  Supporting the Lions even though they're a terrible team, the inncessent talk about cars, references to Joe Louis Arena, "up-north", etc., these things are more specific to our area and not as many people understand the references.  It is the same with this book.  Because I'm here, I feel like I know more about it just because I've physically been to the setting.  It is quite a cool feeling.

I only have one more play to go to, Joseph K, and it is a musical.  I recently saw Hungry Ghosts, which centered on British motorcar racing in China.  Strange combo, I realize.  But it was actually REALLY good.  The plot had a lot of political sub-storylines running through it, along with commentary on the effects of capitalism in China and the rise of China as a dominating world power.  I've always had an interest in Chinese culture--I think it stems from my love of Amy Tan novels.  So this play I found just plain fascinating.  It took place in the Orange Tree Theatre, which is basically Fringe theatre (like off-broadway).  So the space was set up in the round and was very small.  I liked it a lot because I could watch other audience member's reactions to the play as well as the play itself.  One woman in particular who sat across from me was my favorite to watch.  From eavedropping a bit during the intermission, I gathered she was Chinese herself, attempting to make it as a West End theatre actress in England but wanted to start off in Fringe theatre as a stepping stone into her career to gain experience.  She spoke English very well, even with a bit of an English accent--she must have been living here for a while.  During the play, when the brother and sister in the story recall the terrible things they were forced to do as kids to betray their family during the cultural revolution, I found myself tearing up a bit, but she was so moved, her whole face crumpled into this intense emotion of sadness mixed with understanding and empathy.  I don't think I've ever seen an audience member react so openly to a scene like that before.  Her face was very open to her emotions.  It was just as moving to watch her as it was to watch the play sometimes. 

I decided to do my Theatre class presentation on the Handspring Puppet Company.   I finished it this past Thursday.  I have such an appreciation for the sincere thought that goes into the philosophy of puppeteering after doing all my research.  The company is based and founded in Cape Town, South Africa.  It started out as an educational tour group for primary schools to help teach kids basic lessons.  But after about 5 years, the company wanted to branch out into adult puppetry, so they started writing their own plays and making their own puppets for that.  It turned out to be a very successful decision, as they've been touring the world ever since.  I found myself actually enjoying working on this project--I tend to not like presentionations just because they take so long to put together since it has to look nice and include audience participation.  But I've come up with the idea of putting on a mock press conference, so each student in my class will have a question to ask, which I will pass out at the beginning of my presentation.  And those questions link up to my different power point slides and those will give the information about the company.  Hopefully it goes well.  I present it in a couple weeks.

I also recently went to the National Gallery and Portobello Road with Callum.  Both places were quite nice.  The National Gallery is very much on par with the DIA--it made me proud that Detroit has just as good an art museum as London. haha.  The museums here are free--which is quite nice.  I really like that I can do something like that for no money, it is good on a university student's wallet.  Portobello Road had a very nice street market. Fruit is a big thing--there were literally stands of fruit for about a block or two all in a row.  So if I ever need cheap fruit, that's the place to go.  They also had other vendors, some selling jewlelry, others hot food, still other clothing.  It was a good mix. 

I have put up pictures of my walk to Regent Campus and some sight seeing pictures that I took on the day I spent with Anne in Westminster.  Check them out if you wish. :)

The Interview

13 Charlotte Mews, Camden Town.  Such a small street that it isn't even on the map.  But on this little alleyway of an road is Allison and Busbsy Publishers.  In my opinion, because the company includes my name, I believe it's fate that I should work for them.  So at 9:30 a.m. this morning, I set out to Goodge Street Station.  Though it isn't far from Baker Street Station (which is the one by my flat), there is no direct line to it, so I had to take three--Bakerloo to Picadilly to Northern.  Thankfully none of these were of the 5 or so lines that were experiencing delays this morning.  Sitting on the train, I felt all business-y, blending in with the rest of those toting briefcases and newspapers quite nicely.  Upon arriving at Goodge, I saw that this station was underground moreso than the average tube station--there was a sign on the staircase saying that there were 136 steps and those who may have trouble with such exertion should take the lift instead.  I don't have trouble climbing stairs, but I took the lift anyway.  It spat you out on Tottenham Court in the middle of Camden.  Camden is known for its markets.  So the whole street smelled delicious--fresh fruit and vegitable venders lining the sidewalks and drifts traditional English breakfast wafting from little cafes.  I immediately turn left onto Tottenham  Street (naming two streets similarly--a bit confusing, but I guess it's no different from Commerce Rd. and Commerce Rd. in Commerce in MI)  About a block down, there's a little archway between a nail salon and a dry cleaners inconspicuously marking Charlotte Mews.  It looks like a a back-alley, but is actually lined with offices for a design studio, a PR firm, and other such businesses.  I walk up to number 13--a gold-plated sign with the words A and B Publishers swirled on it was posted next to its blue door.  I pressed the intercom button and was greet by a very friendly voice and was let in. 

Swinging the door open a bit too hard, as it was lighter than I expected, I found myself standing on the base platform of an extremely long staircase, down which Leslie was coming.  Leslie is in charge of the marketing aspects of A and B.  Extending her hand, she introduced herself and opened a door precariously positions off the middle of the staircase.  Inside I met Georgina, who oversees the editorial end of things--I would be working primarily under her.  The three of us sat down at a conference table next to a bookshelf that took up the entire wall, displaying most of the books that they have published within the last few years. 

Conversation was very informal and relaxed, which I liked a lot.  They did have questions for me, but they were posed in such as way that I wasn't nervous.  I also asked them questions about A and B too.  And every once and while we got off topic and talked about other things we do in our lives--which to me is a rather good sign.  I think that shows that our personalities are compatable to work together. 

Half an hour later, all questions were answered.  Leslie took note of my schedule for next semester and told me that she'll be in touch.  Though I didn't get a definite "yes, you have this internship," I feel pretty good about my chances.  Considering my schedule and saying they'll contact me soon are pretty good signs I think.  I know they are interviewing a few more candidates today and early next week, so I should know relatively soon.

Overall, I think the interview went really well and I can't wait to find out officially if I have the internship.  I can definitely picture myself working there--it is exactly what I'd want to do for gaining work experienc.

In other news, I finally explored all the quintessential London sites with my friend Anne from my theatre class--and I did so unintentionally! 

On Thursdays I have my theatre class.  Typically we just meet at Regent Campus, but some weeks we meet at different theatres for tours.  This week we saw a play at the National Theatre and we have a corresponding tour to go with it.  So yesterday I woke up earlier to get to the theatre on time for class.  But when I got there, no one else was there, not even my professor.  So I texted Anne to see if I was in the wrong part of the theatre and got the meeting place wrong.  She was running late but said that it sounded like I was in the right spot.  When she eventually got to the theatre, we walked all around the building, walked through every entrance, but still could not find our class.  Then Anne pulled out her planner.  It was then we realized that the National Theatre tour was NEXT week, not this week.  Usually if we see a play in a particular theatre, the tour is in that same week.  But this was the one exception. 

Now, by this time, we had already missed about a half hour of our 3 hour class.  And it would take another half hour to get back to Regent Campus.  We reasoned that since we had already missed a third of the lecture, we might as well just skip the rest of it.  So instead, we did some site seeing and did the proper tourist-y thing of going on our own walking tour and taking pictures of everything.  Anne is from Canada, and one of my closest friend who is also in the study abroad program.  Though I love doing things with my flatemates--they are all from the U.K. so they don't necessarily want to see the obvious London sites.  So it was nice to have someone who was coming from the same place as me and do the tourist thing.  We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park and Green Park, and  Buckingham Palace.  We also walked  through the other end of the city of Westminster (which is where my flat is, I didn't realize Westminster extended so far--it's one of the biggest cities in London).  We found a great Italian restaurant for lunch--Anne had a craving for pizza and me for pasta.  It was a little on the expensive side, but it was delicious!  I'll just eat a bagel for lunch every day this week to balance out the expense, haha.  It was worth it.

I have gotten a little behind on posting pictures because it takes some time.  But I will try to put them up this weekend.  

Drills, Drama, Dance, and Deadlines

Remember that glorious fire alarm that wakes me up every...Thursday....morning...?  Well, it now seems to have found a new habit:  To go off on random days too.  Apparently too much steam from our showers set it off, too much smoke in the kitchen will do the trick as well, a whole conglomeration of menial possibilities could set of that alarm, which shuts down the lift and requires me to trek down 20 flights of stairs to be told that it's a false alarm.  And these are worse because unlike the Thursday drills, the fire alarm was actually set off by something, meaning it doesn't stop until the firemen come and turn it off and reset the system.  So the piercing shriek continues for at least quarter of an hour.  I've learned that the alarm isn't just a paced "beep beep beep".  Nope, in fact, I've heard it so much that I now know that it is actually has 3 different tones. Two tones are high pitched at a 3rd interval, a "do" to "mi" alternating back and forth.  And the third tone, higher, goes off with each of the other beeps, registering at about a "la" I'd say.  Yes, that is the solfege of my fire alarm.  And it just repeats over and over again, flat straight 4/4 time drone of beeping with a quarter rest every 5 beeps.  And when it FINALLY dies down, it chirps quickly then shuts off with a long whole note of "do".  So annoying.  I truly hate fire alarms!

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing "Broken Glass" by Arthur Miller at the Tricycle Theatre.  This theatre is the cutest little place in the middle of Kilburn.  Though the surrounding area isn't the ::best:: part of London, one can clearly see this theatre is very much loved by the locals.  There is a wavey art-deco stylized pipe swiggling above the entrance with the letters of "Tricycle" dangling down from it to mark your way into a short corridor that has a pully system in the ceiling dragging adverts of plays and movies currently being shown across your line of vision (in addition to the theatre there, there is also a movie cinema).   At the ticket window, you see a box asking for donations and a podium inviting you to become a "friend of the theatre".  Being a friend of a theatre makes you like a patron of the arts, middle class style.  You get good seats and special deals if you are a friend, and in return you are expected to help support the theatre in whatever area they need it in.  Because the Tricycle had this set-up, it very much had a community theatre atmosphere to it.  Even sitting down on their bench-style seats in their open-metal beamed auditorium gave you the sense of going to support your friends in your high school's production.  The setting was intimate and the stage was close to you no matter where you sat.

That night, I waited for the typical over-voice to tell me "Please turn off all mobiles, no flash photography," but instead found myself in complete darkeness as the house lights shut off abruptly and a long, sinew-y note was brushed from a cello.  A back-light illuminated a scrim to reveal a woman sitting on a stool, stradling her instrument.  She stroked a melancholic melody punctuated with sharp plucks as the sole piece of set, a move-able bed, glided into its opening position.  From this moment, I was completely captured by this play.  In the scenes that followed, depicting the struggle within the marriage of a Jewish couple living in New York in 1938 right after Kristallnacht, I became completely lost in Sylvia's passion and plight, Phillip's neurosis, and Dr. Hyman's frustrated refusal to not give up on the couple.  A play never went by so fast.  I'm contemplating using this play as basis for the paper I need to write for this class--anything that inspires me to write deserves to be written about in some way and here is just a start.  I honestly can say I found nothing I would change in this production.  I even liked the over-done Minnesota accent by Dr. Hyman's wife.  Definitely a play worth watching--it wouldn't have had the same affect had I just read it.

To continue this good streak of performances, I saw "La Valse, New Brandstrup, Winter Dreams, and  Theme and Variations" at the Royal Opera House this past Monday.  The instant I walked through the sky-scraping etherial pillared entrance, I thought "Oh, I have to come back!"  It was absolutely gorgeous.  From the rich red carpeting to the showcases displaying past costumes, to the detailed sulpture and design, the building itself was a work of art.  And despite it being a Monday night, the place was packed.  I had gotten a little dressed up--skirt, blouse, heels, whatnot.  But some people were dressed to the nines--fur coats, formal evening gowns.  It much resembled our ticket prices actually...the high up you got in the ampitheatre, the more casual the audience became.  But those people down by the pit...they were beautiful.  The opera house also had a level dedicated to a restaurant, where it was hosting a "champagne dinner".  Above this level is where our seats were.  Now, the seating arrangement was not as bad as it could have been save for the family that happened to sit directly next to me.  Despite the fact that we were in the last row on the far left with a slightly restricted view of top of the theatre, I happened to sit next to a family of four.  Now, there were only three seats next to me, and there were 3 standing-only seats (contradictory, right?) behind us.  So three of them sat and one stood behind.  But during the course of the evening, they all kept shuffling around, taking up too much space, invading into my space, and of course they all spoke no English, so there was nothing I could do about it.  However, because one of my friends couldn't come that evening, we ended up giving our 3rd seat to a wonderful elderly woman who had a standing seat at first.  She was so short!  But so sweet.  She thoroughly enjoyed the fact that she not only could sit down, but could actually see better because she could barely see over our heads when she was standing behind us before.  So that made up for the such ill company to my left.

Now, only the actual ballet.  It actually was a split ballot, so the first portion was La Valse.  This was a very traditional style.  The dancers were different colored long skirts, each saturated with a royal deep color like emerald or ruby or sapphire.  I have never actually seen a live performance of a professional ballet in a professional opera house before.  I expected to like it, but it completely took my breath away.  I literally could not take my eyes off the dancers.  It was beautiful and fluid and so elegance.  The music was equally exquisite--a sonatina-style classical piece accompanied them.  The second part was New Brandstrup, which was much more modern.  It had a black and white theme, and the set consisted of a grey scrim-like solid wall that light played over throughout the piece.  The light fashioned buildings, displayed key words, swirls time-piece images, and added an extra layer of symbolism, almost like a play in that respect.  The third portion, Winter Dreams, was my favorite by far.  It had piano as its main component for melody and music, driving the drama of the dance.  I hadn't been so inspired by a live piano performance like that in quite some time.  I wanted to just run down and join in right then and  there (though that might have been frowned upon, uh?  Me, leaping down, sitting next to the pianist at that lovely grand piano and adding my hands to his on the keyboard....most likely.  haha).  It made me feel so connected to music in a way that has only happened a few times in my life that I can recall--playing Berkley's piano during choir and being joined by one of my friends on cello and the orchestra teacher on violin impromptu, or singing Loch Lomond for the first time in Scotland this past May.  I like that feeling.  It's rare, but it's very powerful.  The music fit seamlessly with the choreography.  It was fashioned a bit like a Shakespearian play, with one part depicting the "commoners" like the "chorus" would function, and the other part focusing on aristrocratic drama.  The commoners part was very humorous--they are at a party and so show all the drunken-ness and promiscuity that goes along with scene.  At one point, a group of men pass around a girl...by the ankles.  Another man makes a pass on another girl and she slaps him.  A mother is angered and walks off stage haughtily by tiptoe-ing on her point shoes very quickly so that her skirts look flustered.  This was a great comic relief to the aristocratic scenes, which follows the sad story of three sisters and the men in their lives.  It was very well done.  And lastly, Theme and Variation concluded the ballet--a very traditional Tchaikovsky piece.  When the curtain rose up on the opening scene, the audience literally gasped in sheer wonder at the beauty of the costumes.  It was kind of funny actually at the predictability of it.  But it was lovely at the same time that so many people had such a reaction.  I will forever be amazed at that toe-pulsing thing they can do in point shoes...just stepping back and forth quickly in one place to give the body of the formations movement--most impressive.  It was wonderful ending to a great performance.

After about 4 weeks of great experiences, I am now beginning to embark on the more serious side of school--deadlines.  I have my very first paper due in about 2 weeks time--my very first British-style paper to be written, by me, and up to my standards but in this new system, in about 2 weeks, and I am feeling rather lost as to what to do.  Questions will be asked, research will be done, but still.  Deadlines make me nervous. 

And also: I have more pictures to post from the ballet and from around my school campus, but I haven't put them up yet.  Just be aware that they exist and you'll see them eventually when I have some more time. :)       

The Wax House

Most people may be fairly creeped out by living directly across from a wax figures museum.  Almost like living next to a cemetery...in Detroit...(I do miss spending time at your house Julie Smyth!)  But for us residences of Marylebone Hall, it's one of the sights we see everyday--like the BT tower or the enormous statue of Sherlock Holmes.  So, my flatmate Reena and I decided that because we lived so close to Madam Tussaud's, we HAD to go see it.  We both have Wednesdays free from classes (which is quite nice...I like having Wednesdays off.  Especially compared to last year when Wednesdays were my longest days, starting at 8:30 in the morning with a class and going until 11 at night ending with my Writing Center shift).  Anyways, at this same time one of Reena's friends from home, Katie, was coming to visit.  She had coupons to make the tickets a bit cheaper, so it was decided.  We were going.   
We knew we had to have an early start in the morning--otherwise queing to just get in the door would take forever.  (The English's English:  QUEUE:  a line, the action to stand in line, lining up.  the queue, to queue, queueing.)  So got up around 9, I made pancakes for breakfast.  (American pancakes....none of those thin, minimal syrup, got no body or substance British pancakes...thick, cake-like, delicious American pancakes.  YUM!) and soon after crossed the street to stand in the respectably sized line that had already formed down the sidewalk.  We only waited outside about 25 minutes, which we thought wasn't  too bad.  They had mimes to keep us entertained, trapsing up and down the sidewalks.  But it wasn't until we entered the building that we realized that waiting outside was just the tip of the iceberg.  In fact, the whole first floor of the expansive Novi-Expo-Center-sized first floor was a zig-zag of one long continous line that criss-crossed up stairs and spiraled through multiple corridors.  Fortunately, there were some wax figures and displays to keep  you entertained while you wait, and it gave Reena, Katie, and I a chance to just talk for a good hour and half.  So the wait was actually one of the highlights of the day.  Eventually, we made it to the reception desk, paid for our tickets, and were escorted into a lift that popped us out in the middle of the rich and famous...wax replicas.

To try to describe the figures themselves would be an injustice...so check out the pictures I've posted on facebook, both on my page and the Zink Link page.  There are lots, be forewarned!

The only part of the exhibit we didn't take any pictures in was the "Chamber of Horrors" part--mostly because we were legitimately scarred through the whole thing and didn't even think to capture our terror on film...er, I guess that phrase has to be altered to pixels now, right?  Anyways, it was a short, walk-through tour, about 10 min. only.  But they had live actors running through it.  (Eva and Mackenzie, think of the ghost tour we took in Boston, choir people, think of the vaults tour we took in Edinburgh).  Even I was shaken, and I am typically not too jumpy when it comes to displays like that.  But when an actor got about an inch away from my face without me noticing and waited for me to turn and I literally yelped...while I was still in line to enter the exhibit, I knew this time would be different.  All three of us holding hands, we tentitively walked through the first door, not sure what to expect, passing by prisons filled with actors moaning and groaning and screaming.  Then one of the prison doors opened and we had a person chase us through a maze portion of the set.  At one point, someone lept off some platform from high up and landed right in front of us and at another point, a grotesquely made-up actor got mere inches away from us and cornered us for a while.  Our only consolation was that we knew they were allowed to touch us.  Eventually running the rest of the way out, we concluded it was a pretty awesome exhibit! haha.

Once we left the museum (it took about two and half hours to go through completely), we decided to grab some lunch and do a little shopping on Oxford Street.  We went to a store called PriMark...which is basically...well, imagine if Costo was extremely high class, and only sold clothing and shoes and bags, etc.  That is a PriMark.  Great stuff, cheap prices, TOTAL CHAOS!  I remember thinking "can't wait until we get inside this store, the crowds on the sidewalk are getting to be too much."  But then we entered the store and the crowds got worse!  But well worth it.

It was quite a good day, especially since it was a Wednesday.  I do love Wednessdays!    

Let's Go to the Theatre

This past week I had my first London theatre experiences.  The first was "The Big Fellah" at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre.  The play was about the IRA during the decades leading up to the 9/11 attacks.  It was a rather serious play, but it was really good.  It was funny to hear British people attempt to do American accents.  The most hilarious one the actor playing an Irish New Yorker living in the Bronx...yea, that accent most definitely wasn't accurate haha.  But it was still good just the same. 

I also saw Henry IV part 1 at the Globe, which I liked much more.  I wish I had read the play before I saw it, but it was actually kind of interesting to witness it like someone who during Shakespeare's time couldn't have read the play beforehand.  I could make out the gist of the storyline, but that was completely secondary to the acting, the gestures, the expressions, and the energy the actors had.  It was a great performance.  And Roger Allam played Falstaff, and aparently Allam is a quite famous British theatre actor, so it was cool to see such a professional so close.  I did notice that his level of performance had a marked higher quality than the others before I found out who he was in class two days later.  The Globe itself was amazing.  I expected it to be bigger, more fancy, and catering to the elite.  But really, that is not what the theatre was about at all.  It catered to the masses.  It felt more like a rustic, lived-in living room than a theatre.  I sat dead center in the upper balcony, so I could see all the people in the groundling section.  The audience was interesting to watch as well--it was all very casual, as people ate and had small side conversations and looked around.  I liked the atmosphere a lot. 

The chorus parts of Shakespeare's plays now make way more sense than they ever did from just reading them.  When you read, they stick out and don't really contribute to the overall plot and seem like something that should be cut out.  But, when performed, they really do act as a comic relief.  The bar scenes of this play were my favorite because they had tons of energy and music and dancing and often included some audience participation.  The other part I enjoyed was Hotspur's death scene.  Yes, I've always known Shakespeare tends to side with the melodramatic when it comes to death (Hamlet much, yes?) but to actually watch it...I'm not going to lie, it is just as funny when done seriously as when done in a mocking fashion.  Hotspur took a grand total of 10 minutes to die from a direct stab in the heart...all the while explaining away and offering his opinion.  And to make it even funnier, everyone else on stage at the point on the battlefield were dead, so this soliloquy was spoken to no one in particular, just the audience.  haha. It was good.  I loved it.

I have pictures--they will be on my Zink Link group page on facebook, along with the pictures of my room that I've already put up.

New Normality

As I walked out of Marylebone Hall, I hold my breath through the cloud of hazy smoke that is always hovering over the steps of reception--though not allowed to smoke inside the Marylebone campus, students congregate around the door puffing second hand smoke into my lungs.   But it soon passes, as I continue down Marylebone Road--the main thoroughfare of a pretty thriving business district.  Being passed up by 40-year-old businessmen in suits and briefcases in tow is now typical--apparently I don't walk fast enough.  As I cross the street to walk down curved Park Crescent's sidewalk that circum-navigates Regent Park, I see children, some walking in groups, others holding a parent's hand, all dressed in neat and prestine green uniforms.  Ties knotted haphazardly around the little boys' necks; tights all ascew and bunched at the ankles of the girls.  Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder stand out as beakons of Americana across their backpacks.  Turning onto Portland street, I dodge traffic as I try to make my way across the road.  Even though the pavement tells me "look left" or "look right" at intersections, I somehow always forget and just run.  Soon Portland veers left into Regent Street.  Passing by some construction (I never can seem to get away from those pesky orange construction barrels...) I duck into a Starbucks for some tea.  A bit of familiarity before my very first class felt nice.  I finally reached the Regent Campus building, a very fancy and old structure, complete with revolving doors and marbled staircase.  My class is on the "upper third" floor, meaning I take the lift to the third floor and then climb stairs.  Once I found my classroom, I grasped the low-hanging doorknob and swung through the door.  Taking a seat in the middle of the classroom, I introduced myself to those who were already there.  A few moments later, my professor walks in--a short, balding man of no more than 40 wearing very nice black shoes (guys here were REALLY nice shoes...America should take some tips. haha).  "Welcome to Modernism," he said. "I'm not going to tell you what modernism is, this class isn't about that because quite frankly, there is no definition.  Instead, we are going to experience modernism and through that experience, come to know modernism.  It'll be a difficult class, so speak up and make yourself heard.  I know you all have opinions, so you might as well share them.  Now, let's get started."  Yup, I'm going to like it here.

After this pretty wonderful start to my morning, I discovered my new favorite lunch food that I WILL eat every Monday now--mozzerella, tomato, and pesto panini--basically heaven on earth.  I ate on the steps of a gorgeous church, feeling a bit like the "feed the birds" lady from Mary Poppins--not in the "I'm poor donate money to me" way, but in the "I'm enjoying this spot in this place in time" sort of way.  Then I headed over to my American Dreams Lit. class in a different building down the road a bit further.  We are to read a book a week, but three of them I've already read and the rest of the list I've heard of but never had the chance to read.  So I'm excited for those discussions.  It'll be interesting to see the British perspective of our literature.

In both my classes, I found a few people to sit and talk with, which is always nice.  I always hated when everyone is dead silent in a new classroom for a new class on the first day of lessons. 

After my two classes were over (each were 2 hours long), I came back to my flat where I was met by Reena, one of my flatmates.  I spent the rest of my day with her, running some errands and talking.  It was a nice relaxing afternoon.

Tomorrow I have back-to-back Critical Theory...my seminar (small class size) in the morning and its corresponding lecture (just that, a huge lecture hall) in the afternoon.  Though this only occurs every other week, I am not sure if I'll like listening about the same topic for 4 hours all in a row.  But we'll see how it goes.

Day one of classes--I'd say an overall success.

    

The Fire Alarm

8:30 a.m. this morning--I am still sleeping soundly.  Then, the fire alarm goes off.  Each room has one in the middle of the ceiling.  It lets out a piercing beep that starts off soft then increases in volume and flashes a red light all around the room.  I nearly fell out of bed, it startled me so badly!  But it only was on for about a minute then stopped.  So I just stayed in bed, intent on going back to sleep.  But no no no.  5 minutes later, it sounds again.  I hear all the doors in my flat open and close so I grab my key card and head out as well.  After  talking with my flatmates, we decided that it wasn't worth going to our fire "meeting spot" three blocks away from our hall in our pajamas and stand in the rain.  So we all went back to sleep.  Turns out, we don't need to go to any meeting spot, which is good.  But, this fire alarm drill occurs EVERY THURSDAY at 8:30 a.m.  Really?  A little unnecessary in my opinion.  But, I guess for the next 9 months, all my Thursday will greet me with a marvelous fire alarm.  If there ever really is a fire on Thursday at 8:30 in the morning, no one will get up.  It's like the halls of residence that cried wolf.  But oh well.  Another lovely quirk for my flat.

Sidenote:  I haven't discovered how to post pictures on here yet, so in the meantime, I have put up pictures of my room on my facebook group page.

Now let's back up a bit.
I had my orientation on Monday.  It went rather smoothly, acquired all my necessary things for classes and whatnot.  I did not realize this, but there are approximately 500 international student from all over the world all in my same study abroad program.  That is quite a lot of people!  Especially since we were taking on a small tour of the main campus.  I felt like I was on my 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., trying to follow the tour guide with the bright yellow umbrella.  But aside from the fact that it was a really long meeting, I did enjoy meeting other study abroad students.   The following day I had registration for my classes.  I, unfortunately, got slight lost.  The street the office is located on isn't a full block long, so you have to cut across a few streets to get to it--it is kinda tucked in the middle of a block.  And my map wasn't detailed enough to show with streets cut across.  So after wandering around and asking two people, I eventually made my way to the office with only 5 mintues of my appointment time left.  But luckily, when I walked I was told that the study abroad advisors were running late themselves--I actually turned out to be 20 minutes early!  In those 20 minutes, I just waited in the waiting room and talked with everyone else who was waiting.  After my meeting, a few of us who had been waiting the longest decided to go out to breakfast.  Tea is served with everything it seems--but I don't mind.  I like it alot.  At home, I usually drink it black and really strong.  But here it's customary to add in about 1/4 of milk and sugar, so it 's actually really sweet.  I now like it both ways.  The rest of that day and yesterday I spent getting the necessities I couldn't bring with me, like dishes, hairdryer, alarm clock, etc.  It takes a while to do shopping like that since I walk to all the stores and carry everything back with me.  But I like walking, so I don't mind.

My evenings I have spent going to "Freshers Week" events, which have been pretty fun.  There is a student union bar located in a conjoined building to my flat where most of these events take place.

My classes are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, which isn't a bad schedule at all.   And I like all my classes, which are below:

London Theatre in Performance--I get to watch, review, and study plays here in the West End. :)
Reading the American Dream--I want to see how the British interpret our literature.
Critical Perspectives for Literature, Criticism, and Culture--Basically critical theory.  It's a year-long course and I'm expecting it to be on the harder side.  But I'm still looking forward to it.
Modernism and the Early 20th Century: I haven't taken a class on modernism yet, so it sounds new and interesting.  This is also a year-long course.

Tonight I am going to the study abroad team's Boat Party on the Thames.  From what my ticket says, I'll be going on a boat cruise on the River Thames--it's the study abroad team's way of welcoming all the international students.  It should be a lot of fun, as long as the rain doesn't get too bad this evening.  London really truly is rainy...but it seems to suit the city well.  The rain clouds are really pretty from my flat window.





   

First Day in the City

Despite my insane nervousness all day Saturday, once I boarded the plane last night, I felt rather calm.  Since my stomach had finally ceased doing gymnastic-inspired flips, I glanced around the plane to see who I would be sitting by for the next 8 hours.  The woman sitting next to me started talking to me before I even had a chance to sit down.  She had this flaming red hair, cat-eye glasses, and a raspy, drawl-y voice.  In a matter of moments, she volunteered her entire life story.  She's from Arizona, going to London to meet up with her husband, who's already there on business.  She loves traveling and has made a lot of trips with her husband and family.  A self-proclaimed fidgeter, I knew she and I were very compatible seat-mates.  Across the isle was a family of 5--the mom and dad were trying to wrangle their three sons, all under the age of 7, into their seats.  I had a suspicion they might be noisy the entire time.  But the as soon as we started to take off, I instantly forgot about them.  Taking off is my favorite part of a flight--all pressed back again the seat, the increasing wind whipping by competing with my lone iPod earbud.  Soon comes that fainy light-headed feeling, then that little "pop" of instant relief.  Then I looked out the window and saw all the city lights, some glaring off the wings. Funny how those skinny tin-y airplane arms hold up the entire plane.  Then a yelp from the boys brought me back into the cabin.  "Yay!  Alright! Woohoo!"  And all I could think was "My sentiments exactly"! 

The rest of the flight was long, boring, and for the most part sleep-less.  Enter this morning, and the incredibly long line to get through arrivals...the line that I did not have to wait in but did so anyways.  Why?  Because I did not see that there was a special "first time students" line at the FAR end of check in, the sign to which was blocked by a pole.  But luckily, the woman who sat next to me on the plane, saw me in the long line and told me to switch.  I only got semi-lost at baggage claim, waiting at the wrong carousel for about 15 minutes before realizing that the sign I was standing under was just the over-all directions sign, not the sign for the carousel.  After that, I found my luggage, met up with the people from Westminster who were supposed to greet me, and took a taxi to my hall of residence. 

After I no longer had the assistance of my mom, the cart from the airport, or the taxi driver to help me lug my three wheel-y suitcases and computer case across London, I managed to half pull, half kick my bags into the halls of residence reception area.  There I met a very kind father of a student who was going to Marylebone too--it is her first year at Westmisnter too.  They helped me carry the rest of my things to the lobby, where I checked in and found out that my room is on the top floor....that's the 20th floor to be precise...and was promptly told that the elevators had  been on the fritz all day.  Naturally.  However, I was lucky and got to take the elevator once before it completely broke down.  So I didn't have to carry my bags up 20 flights of stairs, but I did climb up and down a total of 3 times today for various reasons.  Unexpected European work-out routine....check.

After I plopped all my things in my room, I did some exploring.  I discovered that the kitchen is the place to be, apparently, because there I met all of my flatmates throughout the day.  So I spent time with them, talking, getting groceries, having dinner, etc.  That was nice.  But by 6 p.m. London time, I was completely exhausted, having only had about 2 hours of not-so-restful sleep in the last 24 hours.  So I decided to unpack and turn in relatively early since tomorrow I need to be up and at my orientation by 8:45 a.m., and it's a 25 minute walk away.  Oh, how I now miss the roll-out-of-bed-and-into-jeans habit for the 2 minute commute to S.A.C. already.

And now here I am, posting all this before my computer battery dies.  (My power cord is three-pronged, my converter plug only accepts two prongs, needless to say, I need to find a new converter plug tomorrow.)

I took pictures of my room, but I will have to post them later.  So until then, good afternoon (your time) to everyone at home!

First, a Toast...

To My Family and Friends,

It is now Wednesday, three more days until I leave for London.  And this is the very first entry of my study abroad blog.  Though one of it's purposes is to allow me to document and experience my year abroad through writing, it's driving motivation is to stay connected with everyone at home while I am in London.

I have never used this website before-there are so many options for everything!  Me being indecisive, I expect it'll take some time and fiddling around before I get it to where I want it.  But for now, this is how it looks. 

My goal is to post fairly regularly and often, pictures included.  If you'd like to check in and see what I'm up to, this is where it'll all be.

So Mom, Dad, Ben, and all other related and supportive Zinks and family, my lovely Phi Sig sisters, and those from Alma and at home, this blog is for you.