I've met an absurd amount of people here and there over the last two weeks. There's the people in my classes, people through ISA, family members, lots and lots of locals from all sorts of places, Elon musical theatre students, the list goes on and on, and the newest addition is that of my three roommates that arrived this week! Natalie, Katie, and Chelsea have all moved in just in time for Laura to go home, and I've had a great time with them so far.
The roommates (from left: Laura, Katie, Natalie, Chelsea, and me!)
Laura and myself with some Elon MT majors studying abroad here as well
So much to write about...I guess I'll just hit the highlights. Last Sunday Laura and I walked to Hyde Park where BBC was hosting a Radio Music Festival and I got to see my favorite performer of all time, Jessie J, sing live. Needless to say, I was sobbing. I couldn't believe that she was there in front of me performing, and she was of course absolutely incredible.
I have been attempting to spend my days experiencing the city, but I also keep finding myself heading back to my "favorites". I have been guilty of trekking to Borough Market more than a few times to grab a bite to eat, and I've also found that we spend most of our nights in the trendy/artsy Northeast areas (Shoreditch, Old Street, Brick Lane, etc.)
The cultural side of London is especially pleasing to me. It blows my mind that living here means that when I'm bored, or down, or happy, or in any mood at all, I can just walk into a museum or see some incredible artwork or watch an amazing performance. I spent last Thursday walking around the British Museum which was absolutely fantastic, and Wednesday I was lucky enough to experience my first Shakespeare show at The Globe Theatre. We went to see Richard III, and the moment I stepped foot into the theatre I was covered in goosebumps. To be in a building (recreation, but never mind) that did so much to shape and mold this thing, theater, that I love so dearly...it was a truly moving moment for me. Then, to get to actually experience Shakespeare's own work being performed so spectacularly, standing in the theater watching it just as people in Shakespeare's day would have - it was astounding. The end found me wanting to cry like a baby, but seeing as we were in daylight, I would have scarred the other patrons for life. Mark Rylance portrayed Richard III, and Roger Lloyd Pack (has done a lot of movies including Harry Potter) was the Duke of Buckingham. The production also did a classical production - using men to play the female parts, and using everything (down to their undergarments) as it would have been used in the original performances. Mark Rylance's performance was nothing short of spectacular, and it was truly a life changing performance for me to watch as an artist. His performance really opened doors to me mentally about classical and Shakespearean theater, not to mention just acting in general, and I hope I get the chance to tell him that someday.
The last few days have been very restful while at the same time being quite wonderful. I spent Sunday night with Roxie and Heidi as we drove to Richmond to have dinner with some of their dad's side of the family - truly a lovely evening. I took the tube up to Finchley Road on Monday morning to meet Lana, her amazing family, and another cousin, Tammy, for Rosh Hashanah services. We drove to another family member's home in a gated community to park the car, and I was casually told that we were parking right in between Helena Bonham Carter and Kate Hudson's homes. I tried really hard to play it cool, but that was awesome. We then walked to the synagogue and had a lovely morning service followed by lunch at Lana's home, also an amazing day.
Today I finally made it to Pineapple Studios in Leicester Square, where I took an hour long Jazz dance class. It was fantastic, and I've never sweat so much in my life. I'm really hoping that I can go take classes daily from here on out. That's about it for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment