This morning the fire alarm went off at 10am, exactly. I didn't follow my own rule, which says if the alarm is going off for more than 2 minutes, then I'll leave. This was mostly due to not being fully awake yet, nor having pants on. About 5 minutes later we finally picked ourselves off our beds and headed to go outside, and right when we got downstairs, one of the PA's came in an told us to get out...which is what we were doing. This took a good portion of the morning up, so I didn't realize how little time I had to eat breakfast and get ready for our day excursion.
We met FSU at The Tower of London, but it was a little misty and a tad cold. We didn't stay long, but it was kind on interesting, but I would have definitely enjoyed it more if it were nicer outside. We walked to the Borough Market for lunch and then took the metro back to the apartments. Somewhere between the tower and the market, I was challenged to do a 'box jump,' which I successfully did, with one foot. The other foot was not as lucky and now I have a nasty, nasty gash on my shin. I'm honestly making smart decisions over here.
I made chocolate chip cookies and Alayna and I watched "The Longest Yard," because she loves Adam Sandler and had never seen it. JT joined us at the end, so we started "studying" for theatre, and watching Wimbledon, and eating cookies. At some point we Skyped Lia and Brittany, but the wifi was a little shotty so it was difficult. It's the thought that counts though!
I also, along with a few of my flatmates, received and e-mail about a mandatory meeting tomorrow morning (probably about the fire alarm incident). In our defense, the alarm upstairs doesn't go off, and that's obviously not safe, nor is it our fault. We'll see how that goes tomorrow, Brooke is freaking out, but, what can ya do now?
She then told me that she had plans for Friday, but didn't know where to go, so we walked through town to look for pubs and bars (they are different). It was still really gross out, but this time I had a coat. We came back to look up the places we saw and "study" some more, but that didn't go very far.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
June 28
In class today, after talking about the show we saw last night, Christine brought in a friend of hers who is in the theatre world. He led us in different exercises for a few hours, which were strange, but it was great not be sitting and talking for 3 hours.
I went on a run after class, which lasted an hour. I ran to around and back from Regent's Park and I felt unstoppable. I cannot wait for this 10k in 19 day. JT and I have agreed to run, at least some, while we're traveling next week.And of course, it's Tuesday, so it's pizza night. They ordered way, way less than normal because they kept giving away too many. Lame. So, instead, we got the last 2/3 pieces, in the box, and grabbed the box, then each of us would collect 2 or 3 of our own and bring them back to the box. We successfully stole an entire pizza +2 pieces. It was a proud moment.
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After our sentimental conversations we walked to Buckingham Palace, had a few races, jumped on some backs, completely bullied each other and it was amazing. I'm still so emotional about how great this year was/is. Honestly, best decision of my life.
June 28
In class today, after talking about the show we saw last night, Christine brought in a friend of hers who is in the theatre world. He led us in different exercises for a few hours, which were strange, but it was great not be sitting and talking for 3 hours.I went on a run after class, which lasted an hour. I ran to around and back from Regent's Park and I felt unstoppable. I cannot wait for this 10k in 19 day. JT and I have agreed to run, at least some, while we're traveling next week.And of course, it's Tuesday, so it's pizza night. They ordered way, way less than normal because they kept giving away too many. Lame. So, instead, we got the last 2/3 pieces, in the box, and grabbed the box, then each of us would collect 2 or 3 of our own and bring them back to the box. We successfully stole an entire pizza +2 pieces. It was a proud moment.
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After our sentimental conversations we walked to Buckingham Palace, had a few races, jumped on some backs, completely bullied each other and it was amazing. I'm still so emotional about how great this year was/is. Honestly, best decision of my life.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
June 27
THE LAST DAY WHERE I'M FORCED TO WATCH A SHOW!
I got up early for breakfast, and Alayna and I were the first ones there, ha! It was a good start to the day...besides the rain that detoured me from running.
In class we just discussed the last few shows and we watched a snippet from the movie"Macbeth." I was very, very close to falling asleep, and that's just what I did after class. I took a much needed nap. I then went on my run and returned as the UEFA Spain vs Italy games started. I missed the first 15 minutes, but for the most part, this is the first professional futbol (soccer) match that I have ever watched in full. Reid and I were cheering on Spain, of course, and Alayna was cheering on Italy. Spain lost, obviously, and they deserved to, they were terrible. It was fun to have a team to cheer for and have a rivalry taking place in our apartment.
Once the game finished it was time to go to the theatre. The show was Boys Will Be Boys and was played by an all female cast. It was essentially about women working/surviving in a man's world. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't brilliant either, honestly, I was just glad to be done.
I got up early for breakfast, and Alayna and I were the first ones there, ha! It was a good start to the day...besides the rain that detoured me from running.
In class we just discussed the last few shows and we watched a snippet from the movie"Macbeth." I was very, very close to falling asleep, and that's just what I did after class. I took a much needed nap. I then went on my run and returned as the UEFA Spain vs Italy games started. I missed the first 15 minutes, but for the most part, this is the first professional futbol (soccer) match that I have ever watched in full. Reid and I were cheering on Spain, of course, and Alayna was cheering on Italy. Spain lost, obviously, and they deserved to, they were terrible. It was fun to have a team to cheer for and have a rivalry taking place in our apartment.
Once the game finished it was time to go to the theatre. The show was Boys Will Be Boys and was played by an all female cast. It was essentially about women working/surviving in a man's world. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't brilliant either, honestly, I was just glad to be done.
June 26
As I was watching and stretching a Scottish man came up and started talking to me, something I've learned is not unusual here. He was telling me that Speaker's Corner is not what it used to be 20 years ago. Every other person speaking, besides the FSU students, were speaking out on religion and he didn't enjoy how split everything has become. He thought it was great that this was like, "back then," because Christian just got up and started speaking his mind, then got down. My friend Jorge then got up, and he was hysterical. I was so beyond happy I made it to see him speak. He was speaking on gun control and he doesn't think we need it. The crowd cheered, seriously or not, and he went on with his rant. At the end he switched his point of view, and that we need gun control and everyone boo'd, because they, "liked (him) better when (he) was against it." He has a personality that is very open and very argumentative, when he wants to be, it's amazing. People would argue with him and he would fight back and it was really great to watch. The Scottish man was laughing so hard, he was asking if I knew them, and I explained who we were and why we were here. It was a very, very interesting experience. I'm really glad I went and even more glad that I did not have to participate.
When we got back we were told that one of our local stores was closing down and everything was 70% off. Aleesia took off running, and I followed, even though I didn't get anything. Everything was cleared. It looked like the zombie apocalypse was taking place. Aleesia got a bag of m&m's, a large bag of rollos, 2 bags of Doritos, 5 ciders, 2 pasta sauces, and a Dr. Pepper all for 4 pounds. It was a mad house.Sunday, June 26, 2016
June 25
HAPPY PRIDE DAY
After waiting an obnoxious amount of time for Nicole to get ready this morning, we finally left an hour later than planned. We started in Soho Square, where they were selling the official #NoFilter London Pride shirts, and face painting, and handing out free buttons and whatnot. There we ran into Cate and her friend, and this is when we started to separate. We knew that there was no way the 8 of us, 10 with Cate and her friend, were going to be able to stick together, and we were right. No one was deciding where to go and we were tired of waiting on people, so we left Cate and her friend, and Aleesia stayed with them.
We gt to Trafalgar Square just as the parade was beginning to go by, and in the confusion of 'where should we go to see it?' Christian, Brittney, and Dom left too...but they were not nearly as into the event so that was absolutely no surprise. It was just myself, Katie, Nicole, and Alayna, trying to squeeze through the crowd now. These people could not figure out that there should not be 2/3 "lanes" of people going in the same direction, because they were going to get no where, which is exactly what happened. I felt like I was back in Fallas. We were at a pretty nice stand still for a few minutes before others started shoving through. Nicole and I lost Katie and Alayna in the crowd, but met up with them in front of a spot where we could see the parade from, yay!
It was so awesome. Everybody was in a great mood, dancing, screaming, and high-fiving everybody they could reach. We saw a lot, a lot of drag and they were walking the parade route in heels that I would never be able to stand in. It's definitely an experience that everyone should have at least once. Between the 4 of us, this was the first PRIDE for all of us, and I think it made it extra great that we were in London for it, it was a massive event. There were a lot of American flags being waved, for Orlando, and it's really great to see a community come together in such a way. What I though was really interesting was that the police march in the parade, that's something that I don't think we'd see in America.
Later Katie, Emily, Aleesia, Alayna, Nicole, and I watched a movie which was a really interesting bonding experience for all of us.
June 24
The first stop of the day was to Borough Market for lunch, with Katie and Aleesia. We took the bus there, then Aleesia and I decided we'd walk back, and go shopping...because the pound was 12 cents cheaper than it had been the night before. It was also the first day, in about a week, where the sky was blue, the clouds were white and it didn't rain a drop.
We walked back, solely because it was super nice out, using our Oyster card is super expensive, and we wanted to see the protesters. There were only a few protests going on outside of Parliament, but, honestly, what are they going to do now?
We walked back, solely because it was super nice out, using our Oyster card is super expensive, and we wanted to see the protesters. There were only a few protests going on outside of Parliament, but, honestly, what are they going to do now?
We didn't get back from shopping until fairly late, so we ate dinner, then prepared ourselves to go out, yet again. This time, along with Nicole, Aleesia, and Katie we also convinced Alayna to come with us. That made the night 10x more interesting, that is for sure.
Friday, June 24, 2016
June 23
TODAY IS THE DAY
Our play today was Macbeth, in the Globe Theatre, at 2. Our teacher let us come in an hour later, then we walked to the British Library to walk through a Shakespeare exhibit. "You have 90 minutes, no more, no less." She made us stand in that room, pretending to be interested for 90 minutes. Then, we took the tube to Borough Market, where a little German shop is (she's half German). She bought us German snacks...which makes up for the day. It was also really cool to see her swap from English to German with the shop lady. It's crazy to think that she doesn't even have to think about it, it just happens. In Spain, I could understand Spanish, but I'd hear it, then translate it to English in my head then figure out what wanted to say in English, in Spanish, and respond. Now, this all happened within 10 seconds, but she just does it. That's amazing.
We stood for another 2 hours for the show, because the standing pit only cost 5 pounds. Our feet were killing us, especially those of us that had been on our feet since 11, and people around us were dropping like flies. I felt like I was at the Memorial Day thingy in front of the police station when all the band kids would pass out. We did leave at the intermission, though, because it was supposed to start down pouring at 4. It did. We just happened to be in a pub discussing the first half, but, boy did it rain.
During our 6 hour class, we had a great discussion comparing UK and US elections. Here, they vote via paper and pencil. Literally, paper and PENCIL. My professor said they didn't have a pencil available to her, so she said she'd use a pen and they freaked. It has to be a pencil (hmmmm, sketchy). The paper is really just that, a piece of paper with Leave the EU [ ] and Remain in EU [ ], and they had to X their choice. How weird?! Then we explain, well, I explained, because JT hasn't voted yet, how it works in America. Showing ID's, having to sign, getting the little key card thing, doing it all electronically, she was amazed. In the UK they don't even ask for ID's, what? How do they know if people are voting more than once? I do not understand. It's such a large country but they still use paper and pencil. Also, also, they're all very open about their political views here, this issue especially. She kept getting texts asking which way she voted and when I told her that it was basically taboo to tell everyone how you voted in America she couldn't fathom why. It was an interesting day.
We, Katie, Nicole, Aleesia and I, went to a club later that night, which was super fun and we were out until 2, which is late for the British (but early for the Spanish). We danced a lot, my feet were killing me, but it was amazing. Then we got McDonalds, of course, and stayed up watching the Brexit vote.
It was so nerve-racking watching the results come in. The numbers never fluctuated from more that a 3% difference. I saw the results be exactly 50/50 and one 52/48 and another 49/51 all within 5 minutes. Obviously, the city of London voted to remain, which is why Nicole, Christian and I assumed that would be the choice...it wasn't. While watching, each new reporter had their decision under their title, so it would give the name of the reporter and then "leave" or "remain." That would be like putting "democrat" or "republican" under each reporters name in the US...it's just a super weird concept to me. I only stayed up until 4, when the vote was consistently 100,000+ votes for leave,so I called it and waited for he morning when CNN would send me a news alert about it.June 22
Today FSU took us, and I mean the people that went, to Windsor House. In all honestly, I'm really tired of seeing old churches and houses that are basically mansions, with paintings labeled like a museum and rooms color coordinated. I didn't go, instead, I wrote my paper for theatre, which I definitively needed to do and I ran, a lot. Due to the exhaustion from the previous night, I wasn't up for a long run, so I ran in spurts. I went 1.25 miles every hour for 4 hours. It was supposed to be 5 hours, but I decided 5 miles was enough.
The show this night was The Shadow King and it was based off of Shakespeare's King Lear. It was terrible. I can truly say that this was the worst show I've ever had to sit through. I can barely understand actors through their accents, let alone when they're chanting in Swahili. Seriously, half the show was in Swahili and the other half in hard to understand English. I can not tell you anything about it, it was hard to understand, hard to watch, and it was a terrible hour and a a half. I sat between Christian and JT and they both consistently checked their watched, about every 6 minutes.
JT and I took the metro back, but she was meeting with a friend, so I had to switch through stations and lines by myself. I successfully survived my first solo tube ride. I looked like a pro, no one bothered me.
The show this night was The Shadow King and it was based off of Shakespeare's King Lear. It was terrible. I can truly say that this was the worst show I've ever had to sit through. I can barely understand actors through their accents, let alone when they're chanting in Swahili. Seriously, half the show was in Swahili and the other half in hard to understand English. I can not tell you anything about it, it was hard to understand, hard to watch, and it was a terrible hour and a a half. I sat between Christian and JT and they both consistently checked their watched, about every 6 minutes.
JT and I took the metro back, but she was meeting with a friend, so I had to switch through stations and lines by myself. I successfully survived my first solo tube ride. I looked like a pro, no one bothered me.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
June 21
Tonight is show 2 of 4.
We had class today, and we spent the majority of the time discussing the previous nights show. She doesn't even let us out that early, which is upsetting because her other class, skips 2 classes when we have matinee performances. Our professor wasn't actually at this show, we don't think. The seating was small and she told us if she was coming, she'd be late. At least this show was short, and hilarious. It's called Love N Stuff and it's a two man show. The actors would swap between characters, with props, demeanor, and accents. It was crazy good. The woman, at one point, was arguing with herself, as different characters and she swapped seats while swapping accents to say a word or two and then swap back. The two actors were so talented, I could not imagine being able to go through 12 different characters, 12 different accents, 12 different personas within 90 minutes. I loved it so much, it was amazing!
Then we had some fun, because, it's Tuesday,,,no classes Wednesday. :)
We had class today, and we spent the majority of the time discussing the previous nights show. She doesn't even let us out that early, which is upsetting because her other class, skips 2 classes when we have matinee performances. Our professor wasn't actually at this show, we don't think. The seating was small and she told us if she was coming, she'd be late. At least this show was short, and hilarious. It's called Love N Stuff and it's a two man show. The actors would swap between characters, with props, demeanor, and accents. It was crazy good. The woman, at one point, was arguing with herself, as different characters and she swapped seats while swapping accents to say a word or two and then swap back. The two actors were so talented, I could not imagine being able to go through 12 different characters, 12 different accents, 12 different personas within 90 minutes. I loved it so much, it was amazing!
Then we had some fun, because, it's Tuesday,,,no classes Wednesday. :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
June 20
Tonight started the week of shows. It is day 1 of 4, show 1 of 4, yay.
The morning started with me being awoken by my very rude roommates. They're really starting to get on my nerves, one particularly. They all went to Scotland and didn't get back until 7 am on Monday. This means that the two of them obviously have to walk into the room and start whispering, loudly, while I was still "asleep." Then she opened the blind, that had been blocking out all light since 4am, which shines right onto my face. I was beyond angry. She has no care for anyone but herself, it's awful.
Then, throughout the day, there was so much stupidity going on in my flat. Brittney reached for a hot pan in the oven, with her hand, and got burned, surprise. Then Brooke tried to cut and cook a completely frozen chicken breast, and once she realized she wasn't going to be able to cut it, she just put it in water, not in a bag in water, just the whole thing. THEN, she attempted to make Kraft mac and cheese and put the noodles in before the water, then realized that she had to boil the water first. Once that was figured out she proceeded to make the cheesy mixture stuff in a separate dish from the noodles, which I guess works, but, that's not how it's done. She doesn't even know how to make box mac and cheese. I couldn't handle it.
JT and I walked to the theatre for the show, and I proceeded to complain about the last half an hour in my flat. I really don't know how they're going to survive in the real world, honestly, Brittney's dinner was rice, mac and cheese, and a chicken patty, like the kind they gave us in school. That's not going to sustain you.
The show we watched is called Blue/Orange and it consists of 3 men spending the entire show 2.5 hours, in a meeting/hospital room. The set never changed and the entire show was them talking to one another. The black man has a disease (he sees blue oranges) and one doctor is trying to help him by keeping him in the hospital longer, while the superior doctor just wants him gone, sick or not, so they can have more beds open. It went on for too long, and it was not good. I felt like I was watching a talk show. Our teacher even left after the first half, which ticked us off, because we had to stay but she didn't? Rude.
The morning started with me being awoken by my very rude roommates. They're really starting to get on my nerves, one particularly. They all went to Scotland and didn't get back until 7 am on Monday. This means that the two of them obviously have to walk into the room and start whispering, loudly, while I was still "asleep." Then she opened the blind, that had been blocking out all light since 4am, which shines right onto my face. I was beyond angry. She has no care for anyone but herself, it's awful.
Then, throughout the day, there was so much stupidity going on in my flat. Brittney reached for a hot pan in the oven, with her hand, and got burned, surprise. Then Brooke tried to cut and cook a completely frozen chicken breast, and once she realized she wasn't going to be able to cut it, she just put it in water, not in a bag in water, just the whole thing. THEN, she attempted to make Kraft mac and cheese and put the noodles in before the water, then realized that she had to boil the water first. Once that was figured out she proceeded to make the cheesy mixture stuff in a separate dish from the noodles, which I guess works, but, that's not how it's done. She doesn't even know how to make box mac and cheese. I couldn't handle it.
JT and I walked to the theatre for the show, and I proceeded to complain about the last half an hour in my flat. I really don't know how they're going to survive in the real world, honestly, Brittney's dinner was rice, mac and cheese, and a chicken patty, like the kind they gave us in school. That's not going to sustain you.
The show we watched is called Blue/Orange and it consists of 3 men spending the entire show 2.5 hours, in a meeting/hospital room. The set never changed and the entire show was them talking to one another. The black man has a disease (he sees blue oranges) and one doctor is trying to help him by keeping him in the hospital longer, while the superior doctor just wants him gone, sick or not, so they can have more beds open. It went on for too long, and it was not good. I felt like I was watching a talk show. Our teacher even left after the first half, which ticked us off, because we had to stay but she didn't? Rude.
Monday, June 20, 2016
June 19
We spent our morning and afternoon at markets galore. We started at the Colombia Flower Market, which is only open on Sundays, then walked down to the Brick Lane Market and somehow made our way to the Old Spitafields Market. It was a crazy Sunday.
The Flower Market was jammed packed. There were way too many people in a very small space and it was overwhelming. However, there was a place where we could make our own flower crowns, for free, so we did. After making our crows we headed towards Brick Lane and every market within that area. Whenever we turned down a street or into a alley it was a market area that led to another large market area. I cannot even count how many different sale areas and food stands that we walked passed.
June 18
West End Live turned out to be exactly like the event title. The West End is the Broadway of London, it's where every big musical or show is performed. If a musical starts in the West End, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it's a success, it'll move to Broadway, and vice versa. We got into the square right as the cast of Wicked was coming onto the stage. They performed 2 songs, in costume, and then they stayed around the be "interviewed" by the hosts. This happened for just about every big musical I know: Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Matilda, Kinky Boots, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin, Show Boat. Each cast would perform a few numbers, talk a little, promote their shows, then leave for the next act to come on...and it was all free! It was so awesome, I cannot even begin to describe how happy it made me. It was great for shows we didn't know too, because then we could tell if we would want to go see it or not, it was basically a preview for each musical.
Later that night it was decided to be "Movie Night," so we made popcorn (on the stove, which I have come to appreciate more) and bought snacks to watch Serendipity and then We Need to Talk About Kevin (after a few games of Peanuts, of course). I am very aware that these are two totally different genres of movies, but I was not in charge of choosing. One friend of mine told us we had to wacth We Need to Talk About Kevin, because it was "so good," it's not. It's really annoying, and all around weird, I did not enjoy it. I would not recommend it.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
June 17
Everyone left on Friday to go on their trips, so I slept in and ran and then we cooked. That was about the extent of the day, which I cannot complain about.
We made fam dinner, which consisted of steak, potatoes, blooming onions, bread, green beans, and cinnamon swirl banana cake. It was one of the best meals I've had since being in London, and split between the five of us (Emily, Christian, Aleesia, me, and JT) it only cost 5.20 Pounds. I've gotten less food at a restaurant for more money, and it was amazing.
After dinner, Aleesia, Christian and Emily went to see The Conjuring 2, while JT and I decided not to waste our money, and we went on a walk instead. We walked to and around St. James Park, across the water towards Westminster, then back around towards Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square was blocked off for this festival that started on Saturday, so we couldn't walk through it, but we decided to check on the festival the next day.Saturday, June 18, 2016
June 16
We had a shortened class due to an afternoon show, so all we did was present our plays to the class. We got out 2 hours early, and had to meet at the theater at 2. I attempted to run, but once I walked outside, it started to rain...so I walked right back inside.
We metro'd it to the theater and had a discussion about the previous play beforehand at the cafe in the theater. It was our class of 5 and her other class of 5, so there wasn't much room to squeeze a word in. I'm really glad I'm not in the afternoon class, that's too much for me to handle.
The show we saw this time was Happy to Help, it was another one of those shows that you sat around the stage, and there were 6 people on stage. IT WAS TERRIBLE. It was boring and there was absolutely no plot. It wasn't funny, although the Brits were laughing, maybe it was just that dry sense of humor. We were so mad we had to use our Oyster card to get there, that we paid money, and wasted 2 hours watching this show. JT actually fell asleep. Eugh.
After the show, I attempted to go on a run once more, but I just wasn't feeling up to it. I did eventually get out, around 8pm though, so, no worries. It's nicer at night, actually, there are less people (tourists) out, so there's more space and less anger.
Everyone in my flat left for Scotland at 11, so it was just me, Griffin, and Alayna at night. The fire alarm went off twice. Within 5 minutes of one another. When it was pouring rain.
We metro'd it to the theater and had a discussion about the previous play beforehand at the cafe in the theater. It was our class of 5 and her other class of 5, so there wasn't much room to squeeze a word in. I'm really glad I'm not in the afternoon class, that's too much for me to handle.
The show we saw this time was Happy to Help, it was another one of those shows that you sat around the stage, and there were 6 people on stage. IT WAS TERRIBLE. It was boring and there was absolutely no plot. It wasn't funny, although the Brits were laughing, maybe it was just that dry sense of humor. We were so mad we had to use our Oyster card to get there, that we paid money, and wasted 2 hours watching this show. JT actually fell asleep. Eugh.
After the show, I attempted to go on a run once more, but I just wasn't feeling up to it. I did eventually get out, around 8pm though, so, no worries. It's nicer at night, actually, there are less people (tourists) out, so there's more space and less anger.
Everyone in my flat left for Scotland at 11, so it was just me, Griffin, and Alayna at night. The fire alarm went off twice. Within 5 minutes of one another. When it was pouring rain.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
June 15
After getting about 3.5/4 hours of sleep, I did not want to go to the gardens this morning. The sun, however, was out for once, so there was a little bit of a push to go. We left for the Kew Gardens, a place Jose told us to visit, at 10 am. We had to walk to a farther metro stop and we ended up on 2 different underground trains and then the over ground. It took us an hour and a half to just get there. Once there, it was like every other park that we had been too. There was a lot of grass, trees and flowers. There was a tree walkway, that was interesting, but it felt totally unstable so that freaked me out...a lot.
We left at 1, instead of 3 with the rest of the group, and we took the underground to a different metro stop, in which we could easily transfer to the one closest to us. It was a much more practical route, but it still took us an hour and a half.
When I got back Alayna, Reid, and Nicole were watching The Choice. I ate a peanut butter sandwich and a lot of Ben and Jerry's....because it's my off day, I had no sleep, and I got over 10,000 steps in before noon. I took a nap and then finished my Enron project draft for theater and overall it's been a pretty successful day.
It is also official: I will be living with Lia, JT, and Brittany next year. We got the e-mail today and it's all set and done, kind of. We've got some stuff to talk over still, but, we'll figure it out soon enough, hopefully.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
June 14
Breakfast was hell, again.
This time we actually had our tour at the National Theatre. It was interesting, and they consider themselves a factory, as well. The amount of workers that build and paint sets, make props, costumes, etc. It's an insane amount of people. They have 3 theaters and each theater switches between 2 shows every 4 day, so the crew has to swap out sets completely, once every four days.
When we got back to the apartments I worked on my Enron project. We have a 1000 word outline draft thing due on Thursday, so I did 500 and figured I could do another 500 tomorrow. When I finished, 2 hours later, Alayna was heading off to go to the gym and I couldn't be upstaged...so I went for a run. It was a great run. I knocked out a 5k, which I haven't done in a while. I'm preparing myself for my 10k in July. I'm really excited, because it finishes in the 2012 Olympic Stadium and JT is buying me a full English breakfast afterwards!
I came back for a quick shower before pizza night, I had 4 slices, before we ran out to get to our show for class. This show was called For Those Who Cry When They Hear The Foxes Scream. The "theater" held about 50 people, but there were only about 25 of us. The set was a white room, with a bed and a chair...and two actresses.
All I can say is, it was really weird, had a Shutter Island affect, but the acting was really good. It was rough to watch at some point because she was screaming and twitching and was basically like a mental patient with schizophrenia.
This time we actually had our tour at the National Theatre. It was interesting, and they consider themselves a factory, as well. The amount of workers that build and paint sets, make props, costumes, etc. It's an insane amount of people. They have 3 theaters and each theater switches between 2 shows every 4 day, so the crew has to swap out sets completely, once every four days.
When we got back to the apartments I worked on my Enron project. We have a 1000 word outline draft thing due on Thursday, so I did 500 and figured I could do another 500 tomorrow. When I finished, 2 hours later, Alayna was heading off to go to the gym and I couldn't be upstaged...so I went for a run. It was a great run. I knocked out a 5k, which I haven't done in a while. I'm preparing myself for my 10k in July. I'm really excited, because it finishes in the 2012 Olympic Stadium and JT is buying me a full English breakfast afterwards!
I came back for a quick shower before pizza night, I had 4 slices, before we ran out to get to our show for class. This show was called For Those Who Cry When They Hear The Foxes Scream. The "theater" held about 50 people, but there were only about 25 of us. The set was a white room, with a bed and a chair...and two actresses.
"A medical isolation unit. A girl is trapped in a bubble. No one can touch her. Her girlfriend comes to visit her every day; they listen to audiobooks, argue, dream and despair… anything to pass the time, to fill the clinical silence. But they can’t pretend for much longer. Unable to exist in the real world, they must struggle together to comprehend and survive the truth of their situation."
All I can say is, it was really weird, had a Shutter Island affect, but the acting was really good. It was rough to watch at some point because she was screaming and twitching and was basically like a mental patient with schizophrenia.
Now Alayna, Reid and I are having a nice chat about life. These have becoming more and more normal and I love it.
June 13
Monday means class day! I went down for breakfast at 8:30 with Alayna, and we were bombarded by the new people. They all go down that early and all they do is stand around and talk. It's getting really ridiculous. I miss the people that grabbed breakfast at 9:15 on their way to class. These people are vultures.
We walked to the National Theatre for class, in the rain, for a backstage tour, that ended up being on Tuesday. Christine felt so bad she bought us coffee and we sat discussing theater in America and our thoughts on the National Theatre. Although it was a waste to walk all the way over there, to do it again on Tuesday, it was great not to be in that classroom for 4 hours. We even got back early!
Once we got back I sat down to write my review on The Threepenny Opera. It was 850 words and had to be a professional style review, which is not as easy as it seems. It's really, really, hard to write a review, especially when you read through some and then all you want to do is steal their adjectives, but you can't, because that's plagiarism. I did it though, no worries. I then went for a run, in the rain, with my glasses on. I powered onward anyways. I've become a really mean runner, London has made me a rock. I no longer care if I run into you, because if I do, that means you have space and I do not, so you deserve it. Most people move though. The Asians don't, that's what I've noticed, and the Indians (who are technically Asian)! They're really starting to get to me, no ones else has a problem moving over a little...jerks.
At 6:15 a small group of us left for Soho, where there was going to be a memorial for the victims of the Orlando Shooting. It was good that we got there early, because the streets were filled. We stood right in front of the G-A-Y bar, of course, and at some point the Mayor of London walked right in front of us. At 7 everyone was shushed, there was no warning or alarm. Hundreds of people went silent by just being shushed, which I thought was great and impressive. We stood in silence for a minute, and then someone outside of the bar rang a bell and people throughout the event released balloons. The created a rainbow with the red and orange up front, yellow and green by us, and purple and blue released behind us. People cheered for minutes, then the clapping would start to fade, so someone would start whistling and screaming and the cheering would start again. We took that moment, around 7:10, to leave to get to our show.
We went, with FSU, to watch Mrs Henderson Presents which I really loved. I didn't know anything about it going in, except that there was nudity (because our teacher was told she had to tell us, because we're American and that's not socially acceptable back at home. To be honest, I've seen more nudity on a beach in Spain. I wasn't expecting the war to be involved and sometimes the jokes went too far, for me, but overall I enjoyed it.
We walked to the National Theatre for class, in the rain, for a backstage tour, that ended up being on Tuesday. Christine felt so bad she bought us coffee and we sat discussing theater in America and our thoughts on the National Theatre. Although it was a waste to walk all the way over there, to do it again on Tuesday, it was great not to be in that classroom for 4 hours. We even got back early!Once we got back I sat down to write my review on The Threepenny Opera. It was 850 words and had to be a professional style review, which is not as easy as it seems. It's really, really, hard to write a review, especially when you read through some and then all you want to do is steal their adjectives, but you can't, because that's plagiarism. I did it though, no worries. I then went for a run, in the rain, with my glasses on. I powered onward anyways. I've become a really mean runner, London has made me a rock. I no longer care if I run into you, because if I do, that means you have space and I do not, so you deserve it. Most people move though. The Asians don't, that's what I've noticed, and the Indians (who are technically Asian)! They're really starting to get to me, no ones else has a problem moving over a little...jerks.
June 11
I woke up with an eye infection and had to go to Boots, which didn't open until 10, to get drops, so I missed the queen's "official" birthday celebration. Getting antibiotics was great, though, because I didn't have to go see anyone, I just had to tell the pharmacist what my symptoms were and she handed it over. I came back to the apartment and Alayna was the only other person up, so we watched the parade on the TV for a few hours. I'm really upset I couldn't go out to see the activitiesgoing on around London, but we saw EVERYTHING on TV, which was probably better than standing for 2 hours to watch the queen pass by and then leave.
Friday, June 10, 2016
June 10
I haven't been sleeping because it's been so hot, so I was up at 4, and 7 again, and I went for another run in the morning. Running in the morning here is so much better because no tourists are out yet, because the museums aren't open, and the only people out are those that need to get to work, so they're also in a hurry, it's great.
In class we talked about the show, and we talked for hours. She's also really great at comparing American culture to English culture, which is really cool, because that makes it more interesting. Sometimes we'd say something and she's go, "I wish the Brits through more like that," or "That;s one thing I can't understand about America," like, it's just so intriguing to see America from her point of view. This class goes by so much quicker than accounting. We also went to some museum that had a a theatre room. It was really interesting walking through antiques, and photos, and stuff I could care less about, to walk into a bright red room with lights flashing and interactive things everywhere. My favorite part was the soundboard that we could control...it felt like home.
Then Aleeisa, JT, and I went to Soho square, where there was a pop-up food festival going on, for lunch. Aleesia talked just about the entire time, not that I'm complaining, but she can just go on and on if she pleases. Then I napped, and it was fabulous.
Around 10, when it was still light out, some friends and I walked to Trafalgar Square. We brought our beers and sat on the steps taking in London, and the drizzle that was taking place. It was really nice to live like a Londoner...there were tons of people that had the same idea as us.
In class we talked about the show, and we talked for hours. She's also really great at comparing American culture to English culture, which is really cool, because that makes it more interesting. Sometimes we'd say something and she's go, "I wish the Brits through more like that," or "That;s one thing I can't understand about America," like, it's just so intriguing to see America from her point of view. This class goes by so much quicker than accounting. We also went to some museum that had a a theatre room. It was really interesting walking through antiques, and photos, and stuff I could care less about, to walk into a bright red room with lights flashing and interactive things everywhere. My favorite part was the soundboard that we could control...it felt like home.
Then Aleeisa, JT, and I went to Soho square, where there was a pop-up food festival going on, for lunch. Aleesia talked just about the entire time, not that I'm complaining, but she can just go on and on if she pleases. Then I napped, and it was fabulous.
Around 10, when it was still light out, some friends and I walked to Trafalgar Square. We brought our beers and sat on the steps taking in London, and the drizzle that was taking place. It was really nice to live like a Londoner...there were tons of people that had the same idea as us.
June 9
We had our first day of theater today and there are 6 people in my class, and 4 in her other class. She is from London, loves to talk, and she hates musicals, what?! It'll be a rough session. She sprung the news that we would go to our first of NINE shows that night, NINE! We also had to choose a play to do some presentation thingy on, so I chose Enron, because that's kind of tying actuarial science back to theater...kind of.
I also need to vent about this really, really, stupid kid in my class named Rob. He's really annoying and, gosh, he's so dumb. He though that he would be studying in Valencia in the summer, but Valencia filled up so he came to London instead. His parents, however, had already booked a flight to Madrid, so he was expected to fly out Thursday night. See the problem? How are you going to go to the show, and write a review on it, if you're not here, oh, and what about class the next day?! Stupid. "It was planned before I even came over here," so? "They won't excuse the absence," course not. "Maybe I'll just drop it," and take what?! Seriously dude, you're missing a whole class, that's 4 hours, you won't even be here on Friday, no on wants you in their class if you missed 1/5 of the classes already. He's dumb. I can't stand it.
The show we went to see is called The Threepenny Opera and it doesn't really have a plot, and it was really weird, really sexual, really vulgar, and super, super weird. The set was on a rotating stage, which was pretty cool, and the band was on stage the whole time as well. The set wasn't really a set, it was some plywood with paper, that they'd break through, and a staircase, and that's about it. Honestly, it was super weird. I enjoyed it, definitely, when I could understand their accents, but I noticed myself watching the background more than the main characters. That could just be the techie in me, though, but I really enjoyed how weird it was.
I also need to vent about this really, really, stupid kid in my class named Rob. He's really annoying and, gosh, he's so dumb. He though that he would be studying in Valencia in the summer, but Valencia filled up so he came to London instead. His parents, however, had already booked a flight to Madrid, so he was expected to fly out Thursday night. See the problem? How are you going to go to the show, and write a review on it, if you're not here, oh, and what about class the next day?! Stupid. "It was planned before I even came over here," so? "They won't excuse the absence," course not. "Maybe I'll just drop it," and take what?! Seriously dude, you're missing a whole class, that's 4 hours, you won't even be here on Friday, no on wants you in their class if you missed 1/5 of the classes already. He's dumb. I can't stand it.
The show we went to see is called The Threepenny Opera and it doesn't really have a plot, and it was really weird, really sexual, really vulgar, and super, super weird. The set was on a rotating stage, which was pretty cool, and the band was on stage the whole time as well. The set wasn't really a set, it was some plywood with paper, that they'd break through, and a staircase, and that's about it. Honestly, it was super weird. I enjoyed it, definitely, when I could understand their accents, but I noticed myself watching the background more than the main characters. That could just be the techie in me, though, but I really enjoyed how weird it was.
June 8
Alayna and I were both up around 6/7 am, despite going to bed around 2/3, because it was so freaking hot in our rooms. We both ended up in the living room, with pillows and blankets in tow, half asleep on the couches. It was decided that it would be a "do nothing day" and it really was. We watched TV for a while, and we got Burger King at 11, then we came back and watched 3 or 4 more movies with Brooke and Nicole. I went for a walk around 5, because I needed to do something, but I didn't know if it was going to rain, like it did earlier in the morning, so I just walked the 1 mile loop, several times.
June 7
JT and I left Ireland in the morning, Nicole left int he afternoon, and Aleesia left the following afternoon. JT and I sat next to each other on the flight, and in our hour of having nothing to do, we figured out how many planes we had been on in the last year, at that particular moment I was on flight number 31, and by the time I leave in August, I will have been on 35 flights in 348 days. I do math when I'm bored, so I also figured that that was basically 1 flight every 10 days and that's insane, I love it so much.
Once we got back to London we had to buy train tickets into the city, which we got a student discount on, praise the heavens. We were not about to pay 20 pounds just to get back to the city-ish area, so we paid 14 instead. Then once off the train we had to take the metro to the stop closest to us, and our total travel time from leaving the airport (which claims to be in London, but isn't) was about 2 hours...nothing like the VLC. We also received a nice, welcome back, storm, which JT was excited about because it rarely rained in Valencia, let alone stormed. It was very much like London.
Later that night we celebrated Alayna's birthday, which was the 6th, the only way we knew how. It was a great, great night. I am really grateful for my friends, the ones I had in Valencia and the ones I've made in my month of being here, they're pretty awesome.
Once we got back to London we had to buy train tickets into the city, which we got a student discount on, praise the heavens. We were not about to pay 20 pounds just to get back to the city-ish area, so we paid 14 instead. Then once off the train we had to take the metro to the stop closest to us, and our total travel time from leaving the airport (which claims to be in London, but isn't) was about 2 hours...nothing like the VLC. We also received a nice, welcome back, storm, which JT was excited about because it rarely rained in Valencia, let alone stormed. It was very much like London.
Later that night we celebrated Alayna's birthday, which was the 6th, the only way we knew how. It was a great, great night. I am really grateful for my friends, the ones I had in Valencia and the ones I've made in my month of being here, they're pretty awesome.
June 6
Giant's Causeway
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| A rope bridge we crossed at one of our stops |
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| JT got to pet a baby pug and died from happiness |
Yet another early bus ride this morning, our last day in Ireland. Our bus driver this time was much sweeter, and way less creepy than the last one. This bus driver also enjoyed listening to Irish Folk music. My favorite played is called is this one, I highly recommend listening to it, it gave me a good laugh. The bus ride wasn't nearly as long, which was great, and in the end I think Giant's Causeway is cooler than the Cliffs of Moher. Giant's Causeway is basically a ton of rock formations that are in the shape of an organ, I guess. We definitely needed more time there than we received.
We stopped for an hour in Belfast, on a holiday Monday, at 5:30, so everything was closed. We just walked around a few blocks, and got Nicole food. I think it would have been a nice city to visit if it were a different day and time.
June 5
Cliffs of Moher
I had to wake JT up in the morning, as I had every morning, but this time it was early. We had to catch an early bus for our tour around the Cliffs of Moher in the morning. We were up too early for breakfast, so we all had something to snack on before we headed out. JT and I made it to the buses first, because Aleesia and Nicole decided to stop for coffee and Starbucks, which almost made them miss the bus. We were put on separate buses, due to their lateness, but that was okay for the most part as we always ended up at the same places. We drove for 2 and a half hours before our first stop in this super, super small town. They had one grocery store, and it felt all out American. I cannot easily describe what made it American, but it was more like Walmart than any other store we've seen throughout Europe. We had a half an hour break here, there was a "castle" thing we could see, but JT spent too much time waiting in line for the bathroom, so we missed it, but we were not disappointed. 
We took another 10 minute break later on at the "mini cliffs," those were a nice preview for the main event later. Then we stopped at another very small town for lunch. There were about 3 places in total to eat, but JT wanted fish and chips, so we went there. The tables were filling up, so the lady tried ot sit the 2 of us at a table that could hold 5, easily. An older couple in the corner noticed our hesitation in sitting at such a large area, so they invited us to sit with them. They were from Washington and were in Ireland because the woman has an Irish background. I guess she never wanted to travel here until now, now that they're almost 70, but her husband has been to Alaska 12 times, and now it was her time to choose.
We got back on the bus after lunch and had the opportunity, thanks to the gorgeous weather, to take a boat tour around the Cliffs. It was just nice being on a boat, and not a bus, for a while. We got to see the cave where Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was filmed on our voyage. When we got back we hopped on the bus to see the Cliffs. I don't really know what I was expecting, but they were neat. We stood, about 730 feet from the water, which is a crazy thought, and we took tons of photos, of course. Aleesia and I just sat, at one point, with our feet hanging off the edge, taking it all in. 
Then we got back on the bus and had some more stops and it was sill about a 5/6 hour bus ride, and I was so done when we got back. We were starving, so we found this burger place, it was amazing. It was probably the best burger I've ever eaten. It may have helped that I was starving, but, regardless, it was so good.
June 4
Dublin day 3
This day we decided to take a train outside of Dublin. We had asked the front desk people where we should go and they suggested Bray or Howth. After looking at pictures online, we decided we would go to Bray. This became a problem, however, once we got to the train station and were told no trains were going to Bray that day, which left us with Howth. The first thing we saw when we got off the train was a really small market. There were about 20 stands in a very small area, but it was a nice little place. Then we stumbled upon a amp and realized we could probably walk the entire radius of the town in about 45 minutes....we didn't, but it was discussed. Instead we walked along the piers and we watched a street artist perform for a while, before heading back into the market for lunch. 
Sitting at lunch I had to make the decision of ice cream or cupcake. While I was thinking about the pros and cons of each, I grew really grateful that I had mastered the art of traveling on my own. This is because I got a double scoop ice cream cone, my first ever, and I thought that if my parents had been there, as a child, that probably wouldn't have happened, but I am an adult, and it's awesome! We took our ice cream to the park like area across the street and relaxed a little before getting back on a train to Dublin.
This is where the fun begins. There was a very large group of students, who looked no more than 18, that obviously came to this town to party...but the police had other ideas, kind of. They were all dressed in skimpy outfits and many of the guys were in their swim trunks without shirts on, many people carrying bags, filled with alcohol. When we arrived to the station, there were no police in sight, but once we got back on there were at least 7 or 8. We don't know if they knew this was coming, or if it was a random occurrence. Once the kids tried to get off, they realized the police were checking bags and they wouldn't be able to get through. Some tried, and the police went after them, instead they were shoved back on to the train. They were pissed (and stupid). Once to the doors to the train shut they all, all 50 or so, ran towards the windows flipping the police off, banging on the door, and screaming at the top of their lungs. Once the police were out of view they started their own party on the train which included very loud music, smoking, and pounding the ceiling (which they were attempting to break). It was so crazy, I wish I had videos. This went on for another 20 minutes until they realized there was one police officer on the train next to us watching them, then they go worse. We were trying to figure out why this guy wasn't doing anything about this, and we reached the assumption that the police here don't want anything to be their problem. He just waited until they all got off in Dublin, and that was that, basically. We talked to one of the girls, who was obviously drunk, and found out she was going to University next year, in Ireland that means she's 16. This whole situation was an embarrassment to watch as an American in Ireland. We had seen a bunch of drunk old men and now we see a bunch of drunk 16 year olds, that fits every Irish stereotype.
Once we got off the train a much larger, bearded, bulked up, tattooed police man started chasing them out of the building, but that was it, nothing else happened. Nada. We tried to follow the to figure out where they would end up and we did end up finding them jumping into the river about 20 minutes later. We walked towards the dock because there was a small festival going on, it was a pirate festival. There were tons of children dressed up as pirates, and the only food that was being sold had copious amounts of sugar in it. It was cool to see though, you could wait in line to walk onto a pirate ship and there were rides and whatnot.
We went to a movie after dinner, it's called Me Before You, and my friends cried a lot. It was nice to go out with the girls and see a sappy movie, and it was even better getting donuts (Bailey's style) and drinks to ease us out of our depressing moods. Also, I was awoken at 3:45am by rude french ladies who came in screaming, and once told to shut up, just started talking loudly, I was pissed. Also, also, there were, like, 3 people snoring really, really, loudly and it was incredibly annoying.
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