Hello everyone,
It's been more than a week since my last post, and I apologize for the delay. I actually started writing a post, but I had to stop before I could get very far, so here is another attempt. I am currently on my spring holiday in Germany, visiting our old exchange student aka my 'big brother Grischa'. First though, I'll try to catch everyone up on London life. This post is going to be a bit long I'm afraid, and I will post some pictures later, once I get back to London.
Since my Easter post, I've seen two plays for my theatre class. ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is an extremely depressing play which I had the pleasure to be hired to choreograph a couple of years ago for a PAHS production. It's a nice enough story, but I've seen the play in parts and its entirety many times, and I wasn' excited to go through it again. However, the performance was nice and it was quite a bit more interesting discussing the play in class. I was happier to read the second play though, ''Alphabetical Order'' which is a comedy. It was really fun to read and discuss because it was humorous, but the director or someone decided to change the ending of the play and it ended up being a little sad. However, we did get to see Zoe Wannamaker (or however you spell it) who played Madame Hooch in Harry Potter. She wasn't performing (although I think her husband was). She was just there to watch.
I went with a group of friends and saw Phantom of the Opera. Even though I've seen it many times and have had the entire show memorized since I was 8, it was definately worth seeing it in one of the world's theatre capitals!
For my Contemporary Britain class (which is on Wednesday), we went for a 'field trip' to the Imperial War Museum since we have been discussing Britain and it's views and involvement with war. It was a really nice museum with a beautiful section devoted to the Holocaust. It also had cool fighter planes suspended from the ceiling and a submarine replica that kids could climb through. That evening, the theatre class got to go on a tour through the National Theatre which was very cool even though we won't get the opportunity to see a play done there.
The 16th was a very long day. We got up really early so that we could meet just outside of King's Cross St. Pancras station where we got on a bus and took a trip to Stonehenge, Stourhead, and Avebury. We also saw one of the old chalk horses that are inscribed on the hills around the area and several neolithic burial grounds. Fun stuff. It was absolutely amazing, although the trip was about 12 hours and we were all exhausted by the end of the day. Totally worth it!
The next day, I had to meet my friend Selena at the Victoria tube station so that we could catch a bus to Canterbury. She had gotten the tickets for 6 pounds roundtrip, so we decided it was worth it to go that early. It defiantely was; Canterbury Cathedral is probably the most beautiful church I've ever seen.
The day after that, I hopped a bus to Oxford with Marbie and Naomi. That was really interesting as well. It's the birth place of Alice in Wonderland, which is one of my favorite stories. Plus, it's much smaller than Canterbury, which I found surprising.
The rest of the time I've spent exploring London with friends and sometimes by myself. On Thursday, my architecture class went to the Sir John Soane's Museum, which was interesting and then went for a walk together nearby to study some old churches. That left me only a little bit of time to get ready to go to Germany on Friday!
I've been in Germany since last Friday evening. I'm staying with Grischa and his wife Ayla whom he married last June in Istanbul. I've also gotten to see his parents, Gila and Dieter, and his uncle Klaus. The weather has been nice in London lately, but since we've all been somewhere interesting for our spring holday, I think I've gotten the best luck with the weather. Hamburg was beautiful and sunny all weekend long. We went for a boat tour in the harbor on Saturday and had a barbecue on the balcony. Grischa and Ayla took me out for the night and we didn't get home until 4:00 in the morning :-) In London, most places close down at 11:00 or at least by 1:00, but in Germany, that's when everyone gets started! On Sunday, we went for a canoe rides in the canals and on Monday, Uncle Klaus was kind enough to take me sightseeing in Hamburg. Yesterday, I took a train to Berlin and went sightseeing there. It's an extremely beautiful city...in fact, all I've seen of Germany so far is really beautiful. Grischa and Ayla are leaving this afternoon for a long weekend in Holland, but I am going to dinner with Uncle Klaus and one of his colleagues and he is taking me to the airport tomorrow. Phew! I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends to take care of me and I'm so grateful for the great care they've taken with me this week. More soon!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter from London!
Hello everyone! It's time for my weekly post. I hope that everyone is having a great Easter. This morning I went to All Souls on Oxford Street with my roomate Spenser and Elizabeth, another girl from our group. Turns out Blue, a guy from our group, was there as well.
Lasy weekend my roomate went to Edinburgh, but since I'm going there in June, I decided not to tag along. Instead, some friends and I went to Chelsea and hung out there and on Saturday I went to a dance club with another friend.
This week has been busy and a lot of fun. I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! It's already April 11th, which I cannot believe! Last Monday, I went to a performance of Kafka's Monkey. It was a very interesting one-(wo)man play based on a story by Franz Kafka. It was really interesting, and the actress was extremely talented. She has to portray an ape that had learned to walk and talk.
Something really interesting that I learned is that my host dad, Ed, was in a band in the 80's. He plays the guitar every once in awhile, but I he works in the film industry and I wasn't really aware of his musical talent. Apparently, his band sang the song "Turning Japanese"...and he has some awards hanging around the house. It's strange, but he doesn't really talk about it, unless we ask of course. Coolio!
On Tuesday, I tagged along with the modernist class when we went on a guided Jack-the-Ripper tour. Our German tour guide, Paul, was an excellent story teller. I learned more than I ever thought possible about Jack-the-Ripper and walked all over parts of London that I hadn't been before. It was so cool! On Wednesday, after my extremely long Contemporary Britain class, a group of us went to the Queen's Theatre in Piccadilly Circus and purchased half-price, student standby tickets to see Les Miserables. It was so amazing! London is one of the theatre capitals of the world, and the standards are very high. I was completely blown away, it was amazing!
On Thursday, my AAS class spent all day at Hampton Court, which used to be the summer home of several monarchs. It's a really beautiufl place and huge! We took a tour through the buildings and gardens, and then went through the hedge maze before the catching the train back home.
Since this weekend is a bank holiday, London is absolutely swarming with people and lots of the tube stations are closed for repairs. It's very inconvenient to us, but at least they didn't close our closest station at East Finchley, just everything north of us. It makes getting around the city really difficult though. We decided to visit the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, and then we went to our friend Selena's house in Kensal Green because her host mom is away on holiday this weekend so we had a dinner, cheese, and wine party. On Saturday we went to the Portobello Street market, which is huge and really fun. Selena and I kept singing the song "Portobello Road" from the old Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I have to say though, none of things in the song were available for purchase...since I don't think Botticelli has come up with anything new in the recent past.
Today we are actually staying home for the rest of the day because we are having a delicious Easter dinner with out family. I hope you all have a fabulous Easter!
Here are a few pictures: Chelsea, Hampton Court, the Canals...
Lasy weekend my roomate went to Edinburgh, but since I'm going there in June, I decided not to tag along. Instead, some friends and I went to Chelsea and hung out there and on Saturday I went to a dance club with another friend.
This week has been busy and a lot of fun. I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! It's already April 11th, which I cannot believe! Last Monday, I went to a performance of Kafka's Monkey. It was a very interesting one-(wo)man play based on a story by Franz Kafka. It was really interesting, and the actress was extremely talented. She has to portray an ape that had learned to walk and talk.
Something really interesting that I learned is that my host dad, Ed, was in a band in the 80's. He plays the guitar every once in awhile, but I he works in the film industry and I wasn't really aware of his musical talent. Apparently, his band sang the song "Turning Japanese"...and he has some awards hanging around the house. It's strange, but he doesn't really talk about it, unless we ask of course. Coolio!
On Tuesday, I tagged along with the modernist class when we went on a guided Jack-the-Ripper tour. Our German tour guide, Paul, was an excellent story teller. I learned more than I ever thought possible about Jack-the-Ripper and walked all over parts of London that I hadn't been before. It was so cool! On Wednesday, after my extremely long Contemporary Britain class, a group of us went to the Queen's Theatre in Piccadilly Circus and purchased half-price, student standby tickets to see Les Miserables. It was so amazing! London is one of the theatre capitals of the world, and the standards are very high. I was completely blown away, it was amazing!
On Thursday, my AAS class spent all day at Hampton Court, which used to be the summer home of several monarchs. It's a really beautiufl place and huge! We took a tour through the buildings and gardens, and then went through the hedge maze before the catching the train back home.
Since this weekend is a bank holiday, London is absolutely swarming with people and lots of the tube stations are closed for repairs. It's very inconvenient to us, but at least they didn't close our closest station at East Finchley, just everything north of us. It makes getting around the city really difficult though. We decided to visit the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, and then we went to our friend Selena's house in Kensal Green because her host mom is away on holiday this weekend so we had a dinner, cheese, and wine party. On Saturday we went to the Portobello Street market, which is huge and really fun. Selena and I kept singing the song "Portobello Road" from the old Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I have to say though, none of things in the song were available for purchase...since I don't think Botticelli has come up with anything new in the recent past.
Today we are actually staying home for the rest of the day because we are having a delicious Easter dinner with out family. I hope you all have a fabulous Easter!
Here are a few pictures: Chelsea, Hampton Court, the Canals...
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Hello From London!
Hi Everyone!
Ok, so you all have my sincerest apologies. I am just about the worst blogger in the entire world! I realize that my last official post was in January, and that Eric has been the one to fill you in on some of his interesting life points since then. I got so busy last quarter and ultimately forgot that I was responsible for keeping up my end of the blog. So, here in London, I hope to make my ammends. My plan is to post a blog once a week (I'll try, I promise!). So, to catch everyone up:
Last quarter was a whirlwind, but was exceptionally fun. I got a 3.9 in Italian which was one of the greatest classes that I've ever taken. I make some of really great friends in that class and just had a blast. My dance class ended up being really fun. It was basic, but it really helped improve my technique once I got into the quarter and started working really hard. I also really loved my tutoring job. I got to go to class with the students and since I was a good tutor, we got to be pretty good buddies :-) I miss my job, so hopefully I will be able to work for the Student Atheltics Department when I get back to the states.
Now, on the London. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I cannot begin to describe how fabulous it is and how comfortable and I safe I feel here. My host family consists of Lucy and Ed (the parents), Joe and Louis (the kids, 13 and 11), Jeremy (18, a friend of the family who is staying with them while he works), me, and Spenser (my roomie, she and I have a lot in common and have gotten to be great friends already). They are such a wonderful family and I am having the most wonderful time staying with them. I live in Barnet, between East Finchley and Fortis Green. This is in the 3rd zone of Northern London. I have a London transport pass which means that I get around the city on the underground or "tube". It's similar to the subway systems in New York and Washingon D.C. but much bigger and even easier to navigate. You can get completely lost in the city and feel completely comfortable because you know that there is a tube station nearby, and it is so simple to get around the city. I feel like Londoner already!
I really like my classes. I have a theatre class that consists of reading a play each week, writing a short response on an aspect of it, discussing it, then seeing it performed. Last week we read and watched "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" by Joe Orton. The play was hilarious, and the performance was great. Two of the main characters were played by familiar, well-known actors, Imelda Staunton and Mathew Horne, look them up :-) (the other actors were probably famous too, but I didn't recognize them). Tomorrow, we'll see Kafka's monkey.
I also have Art, Architecture, and Society which consists of us walking around the city in certain areas to learn about them. It's fun and great exercise. Last Wednesday, we walked for 4 miles along the canals, from near King's Cross St. Pancras to Little Venice. Next week we get to spend the day at Hampton Court.
My last class is called Contemporary Britain, which analyzes the British people. We haven't done much with that yet, but it should be interesting.
I've been to several really cool places, including spending the day in Chelsea on Friday. I will have to post those pictures very soon.
Well, that's about it so far. Here's a few pictures until next time. There's a mixture of Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, the Globe, and a sign that I find particularly funny...
Ok, so you all have my sincerest apologies. I am just about the worst blogger in the entire world! I realize that my last official post was in January, and that Eric has been the one to fill you in on some of his interesting life points since then. I got so busy last quarter and ultimately forgot that I was responsible for keeping up my end of the blog. So, here in London, I hope to make my ammends. My plan is to post a blog once a week (I'll try, I promise!). So, to catch everyone up:
Last quarter was a whirlwind, but was exceptionally fun. I got a 3.9 in Italian which was one of the greatest classes that I've ever taken. I make some of really great friends in that class and just had a blast. My dance class ended up being really fun. It was basic, but it really helped improve my technique once I got into the quarter and started working really hard. I also really loved my tutoring job. I got to go to class with the students and since I was a good tutor, we got to be pretty good buddies :-) I miss my job, so hopefully I will be able to work for the Student Atheltics Department when I get back to the states.
Now, on the London. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I cannot begin to describe how fabulous it is and how comfortable and I safe I feel here. My host family consists of Lucy and Ed (the parents), Joe and Louis (the kids, 13 and 11), Jeremy (18, a friend of the family who is staying with them while he works), me, and Spenser (my roomie, she and I have a lot in common and have gotten to be great friends already). They are such a wonderful family and I am having the most wonderful time staying with them. I live in Barnet, between East Finchley and Fortis Green. This is in the 3rd zone of Northern London. I have a London transport pass which means that I get around the city on the underground or "tube". It's similar to the subway systems in New York and Washingon D.C. but much bigger and even easier to navigate. You can get completely lost in the city and feel completely comfortable because you know that there is a tube station nearby, and it is so simple to get around the city. I feel like Londoner already!
I really like my classes. I have a theatre class that consists of reading a play each week, writing a short response on an aspect of it, discussing it, then seeing it performed. Last week we read and watched "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" by Joe Orton. The play was hilarious, and the performance was great. Two of the main characters were played by familiar, well-known actors, Imelda Staunton and Mathew Horne, look them up :-) (the other actors were probably famous too, but I didn't recognize them). Tomorrow, we'll see Kafka's monkey.
I also have Art, Architecture, and Society which consists of us walking around the city in certain areas to learn about them. It's fun and great exercise. Last Wednesday, we walked for 4 miles along the canals, from near King's Cross St. Pancras to Little Venice. Next week we get to spend the day at Hampton Court.
My last class is called Contemporary Britain, which analyzes the British people. We haven't done much with that yet, but it should be interesting.
I've been to several really cool places, including spending the day in Chelsea on Friday. I will have to post those pictures very soon.
Well, that's about it so far. Here's a few pictures until next time. There's a mixture of Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, the Globe, and a sign that I find particularly funny...
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