Never fear, faithful readers, I have returned… and with a goal in mind. Instead of updating this blog so haphazardly, I’ll try to do it once a week, on Sunday. I may update in between (ok, probably not—let’s be honest), but every Sunday it will happen. Really.
Life has been prancing on as you would expect. We’re growing accustomed to our schedule of classes—historical dance (think: corsets), movement, dramatic literature, stage combat (always a favourite—I don’t know who thought it was a good idea for me to wield a weapon, but I’m having a great time), Shakespeare, Alexander Technique, history of British Theatre, acting, auditions, dialect, voice, speech, and so on. Our weeks are packed and absolutely fly by. Classes go from as early as 9:30 to as late as 6:30; Wednesdays end at 4:30, which feels very early. Last Friday I got out at 3:45. I hardly even knew what to do with my time! (I went grocery shopping.)
Here at the flat things are going well. The roses on the table are beginning to wilt, but I bought them for £1.99 a week ago, so that’s not too bad. We are all settled into a sort of routine—elbowing each other out of the way at all mealtimes as we struggle to use the same space, curling up to watch random TV shows (Caroline and I are oddly addicted to Super Nanny), teasing each other about eccentricities, and planning excursions (Buckingham Palace, Edinburgh…). We refer to our flat as “the family”—Sevita is the Dad, I am the Mom (anyone surprised? Anyone?), Marielle is the daughter, Katie is the teenage boy, and Caroline is Zee, the youngest. In our flat we cook, bake, do handstands, clean (compulsively, in my case), and talk an awful lot. I’m tremendously happy that I live with the people I do.
Incidentally, I’m also very happy with the rest of the people on the programme. There are 22 of us total, and we see more of each other than you can possibly imagine. We live in the same apartment building and have all the same classes (though, of course, at different times). There are occasional differences of opinion or slight annoyances because, after all, we hardly ever have a moment apart, but in general I’m very pleased. Everyone is eager to improve, and happy to be here. We are having adventures, and everyone is eager to laugh. I think that if people have a sense of humour, anything can be fun.
Last night, for example, Dana, Kari, and I meandered about our area of town. Originally, we were looking for a tango place for Dana (and found one), but after that it became a search for Boba (does anyone know where in London we could find this?). When it became clear that there was no Boba in this part of town, we switched gears and started searching for dessert. Before long we found ourselves in a Greek restaurant, happily sharing baklava, ice cream, and halva. We still aren’t quite clear on what halva is, but it was delicious. That was not a big event, it was certainly not an exciting story, but it was an absolutely wonderful experience. It was relaxed, friendly, and not at all dictated by where we had to be when, or anything of that nature. It was just really, really nice. The man at the Greek restaurant was particularly charming, and I left wanting to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He didn’t say a word about Windex, but he did give us a free plate of fruit. It was delicious.
I think perhaps what might be appropriate now is a photo montage of my life, and I can explain all the random photos as I go. Pictures of places I go, things I see, people I know, things I find funny, and… well, you get the idea.
Today we went to Buckingham palace to see the changing of the guards and take a tour of the palace. It was truly incredible! We saw the state rooms, including the banquet room. Did you know they actually measure how far apart the napkins are from each other, how far the glasses are from the edge of the table, and so on? It was about an hour long audio tour, and really enjoyable. This is us in the back yard. "Us" in this case is myself, Caroline, and Katie.
Westminster Abbey! This is where we went on Tuesday of this week, with our Shakespeare instructor. I had been before, but it was still quite an experience to go again. For example, I'd actually heard of more of the people who were buried there, and had a better appreciation of the history. Did you know that Mary and Elizabeth I were buried in the same tomb? Awkward, because they hated each other. 
This is a picture of the changing of the guards today. I've never seen so many tourists in one place before! 
We saw Kenneth Branagh in Ivanov. Dana is pretending to be casual in this photo, but she was incredibly excited... as was pretty much everyone else. 
Part of Westminster Abbey-- isn't it gorgeous?
I have moments of maturity, but they never last long. (Is that a quote from someone? I doubt I made that up.) Sevita and Katie made this cake, which was very tasty. Of course, it was still liquid in the middle, but who's complaining?
This is the street that my school is on. It's called a "mews," because in days of yore horses were kept here. 
Statue of George Washington outside the National Gallery-- given as a gift to the Brits by Virginia. I ask you, why would the British want a statue of George Washington?
Giant astroturf furniture we found outside a theatre. Incredible, right?
Like my corset? Before historical dance started I had to do a little bit of twirling.
First day of school picture! Dana and me outside of school.
There was a microwave in the Rainforest Cafe. Kari was confused. So was I.
Sevita's birthday! We love an excuse to eat cake.
Caroline on our mini, itty bitty balcony. Innit cute? Isn't she?
This loft is my very favourite room at LDA. It's cute and cozy, and I have lunch there as often as possible (meaning Monday-Friday). 
Kensington Palace-- still covered in papers and flowers for Princess Diana.
Marken, Kip, Caroline, and Katie in the tube station on our way to Covent Gardens. How come I didn't take pictures once we were actually there?
Caroline and Marielle, happy flatmates!
Trafalgar Square, where we meet Michael for all of our excursions.
The houses of Parliament (and Big Ben of course). We went on a great tour of Parliament there, and loved it. It's a gorgeous place to make laws.
I love this truck. MIND THAT CHILD!
This playground broke my heart. No adult may enter unless accompanied by a child? I showed very good restraint, until I saw goats. Free roaming goats! Then I went inside anyway to pet them. But really, I only stayed a couple of minutes. I promise.
Here I am having tea and Digestive Biscuits at the end of a busy day! It's my favorite way to relax and unwind. Plus, Digestives are just delicious. Why don't we have them in America? 
Today I went to Buckingham Palace! I'm with Caroline in the gardens in this picture. The castle is absolutely huge. Inside there are "state rooms" (where the Queen meets guests), a banquet hall, over 20 bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, offices, enormous kitchens, and so on. It was a lot of fun to look around inside. I can't imagine being a queen and getting to live there!
I saw the changing of the guards outside the palace today too. There were so many people there, I could hardly see anything. Luckily, Litza held me up so I could see. I think their hats are pretty silly, but I guess it's all part of the tradition. I'm glad I don't have to wear a hat like that, though!
Here I am in front of Buckingham Palace, waiting for the changing of the guards to start. Isn't the palace enormous? I hoped we'd see the Queen, but of course we didn't. She is away for the summer right now.
I love the classes I get to visit! I'm learning a lot about theatre by tagging along with Litza. Every room at the school is named after a different playwrite. This one is called the Marlowe room, after Christopher Marlowe. He was popular around the same time as Shakespeare. 
I went to see the play Ivanov early this week. I had a really good time... and did you know that the man who played Ivanov was also in the Harry Potter movies? He played Gilderoy Lockhart!
1 comment:
Bring us back some Digestives, Luna/Litza!!
BTW, We love you!
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