"We'll leave the T.V. and the Radio behind. Don't you wonder what we'll find...Steppin' Out"...

UPDATE: Auditions are over- results: Measure for Measure- Mariana!! Here's me with 90% of my cast (the camera was a little off)

It's hard to believe that before this year the most exotic place I could claim to have gotten myself was Mexico... During my time in London this semester I have dramatically added to my travel list. I had a very successful Fall Break; I traveled from London to Hungary, then on to Austria (or Germany depending on who you're asking...), and lastly the Czech Republic before heading back to London for the final 5 weeks of my program.

"And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more..."

Getting to Hungary was surprisingly painless....My travel companions Maya, Isabelle, Angela, Alex, Jeff, Kyle, and I headed out to the Victoria Train Station around 5:15 am and caught the Gatwick Express to the airport for our 8:15 flight to Budapest. We got there around 11:30, settled into our Hostel (Suite Hostel), and spent the rest of the day exploring Budapest.

Streets of Budapest- Elizabeth Bridge-

View from Buda - of Pest-

Budapest was much colder than I think any of us were expecting and in our attempts to pack as lightly as possible (I fit an entire weeks worth of clothes, underwear and toiletries in one tiny backpack) we forwent our warm winter coats...huge mistake. While it was still sunny in Budapest (a luxury we did not have in Vienna) that wind was biting and we felt all 7 degrees Celsius. While the wind and cold was never fully forgotten we managed to push it to the back of our minds as we took in our beautiful surroundings

First line of order was, of course, to eat. The man who ran our hostel, Sam, recommended a pub near by called For Sale. It served traditional Hungarian fare (in other words; anything fried, meaty, and covered in potatoes and cheese) and each table had a gigantic tub of peanuts which were there for you to eat and then toss your shells on the floor. In fact, we were told that they usually got upset when you didn't throw your shells on the floor. So, feeling like naughty children, we obliged and ate our body weight in peanuts while waiting for our massive plates of fried goodness. After lunch we rolled out of For Sale and began our trek from Pest to Buda!


Buda and Pest are separated by a bridge known as the Elizabeth Bridge (pictured to the left). Pest side has tons of Churches and Cathedrals while the Buda side has the Buda Temple and the Citadel. On our first day in Budapest we climbed all the way to the top of the Citadel and had the most amazing view of Budapest. We watched the sunset, got some mulled wine, bought some overpriced gloves to thaw our frozen fingers, and climbed back down to the hostel to take a much needed nap before dinner.

Our first dinner experience in Budapest was quite memorable. We found a two floor Hookah bar complete with Belly Dancers! Every 20 minutes music would blare to prepare the dinner guests for the oncoming entertainment. The food in Budapest was so cheap, especially compared to London's unfavorable exchange rate...and the Hungarian currency would make anyone feel wealthy (the biggest bill I had was a 10,000 Fourint....really only about 20 pounds but that didn't stop me)

Jeff with his MASSIVE beer- Always down for a deal!

On morning two we went to the famous Hungarian Market- the first floor was stocked with rows and rows of fruits, vegetables, pastries, meat, and paprika (I've never seen so much paprika) and the top floor had hand sewn scarves, dresses, and hats. I bought myself a scarf and a strudel (and then another...and then another...) and then we headed out to explore some more historical monuments.

One of the most memorable moments I had in Budapest were when we stumbled upon a choir performing Mozart's Requiem - we had been walking around all day in the cold visiting various churches and synogogues when we came upon this church by our hostel that we heard music coming out of. We poked in for a minute to see what it was and low and behold there was a free concert about to start of Mozart's Requiem. We stayed for the show and marveled at the fact that we were actually in Hungary witnessing something so special.

Amazing hats at a street market- why didn't we buy these?

My second most memorable moment was on night three when we decided to go to a bath house. Why they don't do these in the states is beyond me, it was amazing. Basically - there are luxury hotels that have thermal baths. You pay around 1,500 Fourints (=roughly 6 pounds=$11.00) to get into these beautiful marble bath houses. You can either wear a bathing suit or go naked and you have up to two hours to just sit and soak. The men and women are separated so Maya, Isabelle, Angela, and I had some much needed girl time. After an hour in the warm baths we were all ready for naps so we dragged our selves back to the hostel and practically fell into a coma.

The next morning we ended our stay in Hungary and caught the bus to Vienna. We crossed our fingers for warmer weather but resigned this hope as snow flakes began to fall and then accumulate as we neared Austria. When we arrived we stopped by Hostel #2 (called Wombat's), dropped off our stuff, and wasted no time in heading back out to do some touristy damage. You can assume in every place I saw some churches and synagogues...because I did.

"I Feel It In My Fingers...I (don't) Feel It In My Toes"...

Vienna was a bit of a blur- we were only there for 1 1/2 days but no fear... we got our Churches and Synagogues in. The weather was horrible- we walked through snowy rain while our winter coats we warm in our closets in the Landward. We went to the Modern Art Museum, saw an Opera at the Opera House- Solome which was...intersting (three words: many colored Mumus) and got fresh roasted chestnuts from a street vendor (I think we all agreed this was the best part of Vienna)..and then it was on to Prague!

"Tale As Old As Time..."

Prague was by far my favorite of our locations. After the first 5 days of cold and rain Prague was downright balmy. Our hostel was right outside of Old Town Square and me and my friends spent our 2 1/2 days in Prague roaming around the beautiful cobblestone streets which we extremely reminiscent of Beauty And the Beast (hence the title song for this section).

We took advantage of the street markets and by the end of the week we had collectively been to every single food stand around. Some of our favorites included Mulled Cider, Mead, Hot Wine, Cinnamon Crisps, crepes, sausages, chicken kebab, cheese, fried cheese, baked cheese, cheese cheese....cheese. By the time Saturday came around I was itching to be back in London and it wasn't until we arrived back at Gatwick airport that it hit me London feels, in a way, like home.
Said markets
Funny how that always tends to happen as soon as you're nearing the home stretch...and nearing it I am. As of today I have 2 weeks before my final performance (BTW: I'm in Measure for Measure) and then I will be headed back to the states! The time I have spent in London has changed me forever and if you are planning to study abroad just know- when people tell you you will remember it forever- you will. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my first time not being home to do the Boulevard Bolt and drink Mimosas while cooking dinner in a long long time, but BADA is throwing us a Thanksgiving feast so I still get to partake in a food coma like a true american. I will try to post one more time before I end this incredible semester and come back to you all. I can't wait to see everyone. Happy Thanksgiving- I am thankful for YOU.

"Steppin' Out" - Cream
"500 Miles" - The Proclaimers
"Christmas Is All Around Us" - Love Actually soundtrack haha
"Tale As Old As Time" Beauty and the Beast

"One Frog, Two Eyes, Four Legs, Kerplunk!"

My awareness at how terrible I am at updating my blog has just reached a new level seeing as my sister, who arrived in New Zealand a mere 12 hours ago, has already updated her blog...twice.

So, in my typical fashion, I begin this blog with an apology for being so lakadaisical in keeping you updated on what I am doing. However, I justify this by telling you my laziness is a result of having so much to do!

Tomorrow is the start of WEEK 8 for me in London. I cannot believe I am almost half way through my program! In two weeks classes will be over and I will audition for BADA's final performances. After that I have a week off for Fall Break! Me, my room mates Maya and Isabelle, as well as our friends Jeff, Kyle, and Alex have planned to travel to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague in the 10 days we have off from class. I promise to take lots of pictures and update you on that when I get back (but with my track record...don't hold your breath)

Classes have been keeping me very busy. As I told you, I have about a 12 hour day of classes, none of which are no-brainers.

- In Shakespeare: I've put up two scenes and a monologue. I played Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and I'm working on Lady Percy from Henry IV Part 1, all while working on individual monologues for Ophelia from Hamlet and Blanche from King John.

- In High Comedy: My class chose to devote the entire 8 weeks to one of the most well known restoration comedies; The Way of the World- by William Congreve. My teacher, Norman, has so much knowledge about the time period that I swear he lived it. I was given the role of Lady Wishfort- an old, tired, cranky woman who will do anything for a man... she is very demanding and a big stretch for me. I hope I do her justice.

- In Modern Physical: In this class we focus a lot on levels of tension mixed with improv and we just recently started Mask Work! I can definitely say this is my favorite class. I have found that I actually have quite a knack for comedy and improv and my teacher Mick, who was in the Broadway production of Ionesco's The Chairs (no big deal...), is the most incredible and encouraging man. Every class feels like I'm back in kindergarden and it's play time... the title of my blog this week actually comes from a game we play at the end of every class... I'll probably try and make it a drinking game when I come back it's that amazing. Everyone has learned to just let go of their inhibitions in this class and let them self risk looking ridiculous.

-In Stage Combat: We've covered everything from kicks, punches, slaps, and just recently falls. This week we will review everything before choreographing a fight to perform for our class at the end of our 8 weeks.

-I'm also taking Voice, Movement, Theatre History, and Dramatic Crit...but I'm not sure how easy it would be to explain these...so you'll just have to ask me when I come back if you really want to know.

I've done a little bit of traveling on the weekends while in London (since there is clearly not much time to do so during the week). I went to Bath and Brighton one weekend and then BADA took us on a coach bus to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see the Birthplace of Shakespeare.

We had a whole day in Stratford to explore. Me and a group of my friends managed to attend High-Tea at Benson's tea house where we stuffed ourselves on Tea, Cucumber + Tomato and Ham sandwiches, and scones with home made jam and clotted cream... jealous? hungry? both?
We then did the typical tourist rounds of Shakespeare's birth home as well as his grave, got rained on, went to a pub, and saw The Winter's Tale at the Royal Shakespeare Company (see picture below). It was the perfect day.

The next time I travel after break will be to Amsterdam!! I double promise to bring back stories for you from here :-)

To sum things up...everything is great. I'm loving it here but I do miss America, IU, and everyone those two places encompass. I know it's going to be hard leaving here in 8 weeks time...but there is no other place I'd rather come back to. I'll update again soon (ish).

"A Foggy Day In London Town..."

Hello from London!

Sorry it took me so long to update you all...(it's really only been two weeks but it has felt like forever). Classes and seeing shows have taken up 90% of my time so far but I've tried to stuff in as many must-do-while-in-London things in the time I've had free. I went to the Thames Festival, a few farmers markets, and TONS of plays...and now it's on to week 3.

While I'm living in the UK I'm staying in a lovely flat in an area affectionately called "Little Lebanon". I don't think I'll ever have want of a good Hookah or some yummy Falafel because there are literally 500 Middle Eastern restaurants on the same street outside my flat. My roomates (people you will hear me refer to often: Maya, Isabelle, Lizzy, and Brooke) and I will have probably tried them all before we leave (or so we hope)

"Where So Many Roam To, We'll Call It Home Too..."

My parents didn't head back to the States until the Monday I started school and had planned to go see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre on Saturday. The travel agent accidentally booked a third ticket and I wasn't complaining. I finally got to go see a show I have been singing songs from for years. The show was amazing, I don't know why it didn't occur to me that the actors would be British but it completely changed the humor of the show. Being able to see that kind of talent is nothing short of awe inspiring. I can't think of a better way to get myself ready to start classes

"When you find yourself in the thick of it, Help yourself to a bit of what's all around you, silly girl..."

Classes started on the 7th and I have never known such intense physical and emotional exhaustion from school. Classes start at 9:00 a.m. but it's at least a 40 minute walk (if you aren't limping from all the blisters or perhaps a sprained ankle you obtained by falling down the stairs) so I'm usually up in the mornings by about 7:00 and headed to school. One of my favorite things about London is the endless amounts of cafes on every street. I have to keep myself from buying every freshly baked pastry when I stop for my coffee in the morning on the way to school. The walk to school is beautiful and great warm up for classes which are incredibly physical. On a day to day basis I have some combination of Movement, Voice, High Comedy Acting, Shakespeare, Dramatic Criticism, Theatre History, Modern Physical, and Stage Combat. Every Mondays after classes end (somewhere between 6:00 and 6:30) we go see shows around London. So far we've seen Lolita and Mother Courage and Her Children at The National Theatre, and Troilus and Cressida at The Globe. The most incredible part of seeing Theatre in London is that it is so accessible (for example, I just went and saw Streetcar Named Desire with Rachel Weiss as Blanche...for 7.50 pounds). I'm going to miss being able to pick out a different show for every night when I get back to the States.

Speaking of which...I hope you are all having great semesters wherever you are. I have so much more I could tell you about (which is why I should probably update this regularly...oops) but I just don't think I can write any more. I will do my best to make this happen more often but the amount of work I have nightly makes that a little difficult. I miss you all so much, I can't wait to be back in the states with you.

2 weeks and 30 cups of tea down- 13 to go....

"A Foggy Day" Frank Sinatra
"One Short Day" Wicked
"Martha My Dear" The Beatles

"Keep faith in my suitcase, Pack my beliefs..."

Sorry for the hiatus! Clearly I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog because I didn't even let you know I am no longer a resident of Chicago and haven't been for about 2 weeks. I have since gone back to Tennessee, spent a few days up in Indiana, and I am now packing up to head across the pond to London!

The end of my summer in Chicago went by so fast, probably because I had so many things to look forward to: Kyle came to visit, we went to Lollapalooza, work ended, and then before I knew it I was back in Nashville. Since I've been home I have been trying to gather all the last minute things I need to bring with me overseas.

I got the chance to go back to IU for a few days over the past weekend to visit and say some last goodbyes. It was amazing to be back on campus with everyone. Kyle and I made sure to hit all the nostalgic spots to hold me over for the semester sans Bloomington (Laughing Planet, Scholar's Inn, the SRSC, oh how I'll miss you) But it made it so hard to leave. Now that I'm back in Nashville and alone... please get me out of here!

I fly out for London on Wednesday morning and with only a brief layover in Chicago I should arrive at Heathrow airport around 12:00 a.m. Thursday. Because my parents and I are flying over a day early we will have all of Thursday to walk around and get oriented before everyone is expected to arrive at the BADA office on Friday. I have a lot of conflicting emotions right now- I'm excited but I'm scared. I'm happy but I'm sad. I'm going to be surrounded by so many people but I know part of me is going to be a little lonely. Classes will start on Monday the 7th and I know once they start time will go really fast. I'll do better about updating this blog while I'm there I promise (I'll have more motivation since I literally will have no other way to communicate with any of you)

Let me know what's going on with you this semester too! Please be safe, just because I'll be in another country doesn't mean I'm the only one that has shit to look out for- you have to be here when I come back or you don't get your presents :-)

See you in December America!

"Angelface"- Atmosphere

Sugar, We're going down swinging...

So...It's been a while since I last wrote and because I so foolishly procrastinated on updating the blog I have so much to tell you! I'm going to break this blog up into events so that you don't get lost in the madness (because there was lots of it). I'll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start)- ZOO CAMP!


"Someone Told Me It's All Happening At The Zoo..."

At 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 15th I arrived at the Monomonee Kids Center for my first day as a Lookingglass Zoo Camp intern. Unsure of what I had in store for me, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the first session kids I would be spending my next two weeks with. Unfortunately for the kids (and me), I had spent the previous day from 11am-5pm running food out to drunk Cubs fans and was not at my most usual chipper for the next morning. Needless to say, little children who will ask, say, or do almost anything and I did not mix very well. I finished my first day of work miserable and exhausted. On my 2 mile walk home from the zoo, in the rain, on the wrong street, I remembered my mom and dad telling me before I left, "you will hate the first days of this job." They were right. So I decided to hail a cab, pay the $6.50+ tip for a ride home, and hoped that things would be better tomorrow.

They weren't. Day two was JUST as bad a day one, worse maybe. Now I was panicking. I had this idea in my mind that I was going to come to Chicago, fall in love with everything I was doing, and still feel like I had a relaxing and care free summer. Instead, I was exhausted, lost (and scared), and getting paler by the minute in all this rain (I'm used to summers as a swim coach. Where is my tan!). Day Three of Zoo Camp was going to be my first day of having both jobs. I knew that this would be the true test of whether or not I was going to be able to keep this up all summer. On my way out of the Zoo at the end of Day Three- Pt. 1, I was already on the phone lying to The Vine "that I was sick and couldn't come in today". Uh-Oh.

Later that night my Dad called to check in with me and ask me how I felt work was going. I wasn't going to lie because I knew he really wanted to know, so I told him. It sucked and I was worried it wasn't going to get any better. Then my Dad gave me some of the best advice he's given (and there has been lots of it) - Working hard and over working are not the same thing. I realized that my fear of being seen as incapable or unable to do both jobs had clouded my realization that I was already working hard enough with my first job, I didn't need two. The next day I called The Vine and told them that unfortunatley my Internship was my primary commitment while I was in Chicago and that in order to be the best Zoo Camp Intern, I had to have time to be happy in Chicago.

Since then Zoo Camp has gotten exponentially better. The little things about each kid that originally drove me nuts on my first days of camp has slowly turned into the things that I love about each kid. Every day at camp is a completely different day, and you have to be ready to go with it. Making it fun for these campers, and me. That's my real job this summer.

Ill finish posting periodically throughout the week! Told you I had a lot to say...

"At the Zoo" Simon and Garfunkel

Concrete Jungle: Collusion, Confusion.

The fact that I am writing this post means that I have successfully survived my first week in Chicago!

I can't believe it's only been a week since I arrived here. I feel like I have been here for months (and have the blisters and burns to prove it). My first few days were uninteresting as they mostly consisted of finding my way around *or not finding my way around and wandering aimlessly until something looked familiar* so I'll spare you those details. I took a cab onto Michigan Ave and window shopped the famous Magnificent Mile and it's amazing designer stores (I have yet to find a shop in Chicago that wouldn't deplete my life savings). The end of the week was madness. My cousin Caroline, who I am living with this summer, just graduated High School so lots of family came into town and every night was filled with a dinner at one amazing restaurant after the next to celebrate. We ate at the new Trump Tower, 160 Blue (I found out this was Michael Jordan's restaurant...he was there...he came in to our party room and told Caroline congratulations.....yeah). The weekend ended around the time I ran out of nice clothes to wear and everyone was stuffed and exhausted. There wasn't much time to rest (for me at least) because I started my job as a food runner at the Vine on Monday night. The 5-11 Shift was busy and I managed to rub 5 blisters per foot in the 6 hours I worked but it was so much fun and the men who worked in the kitchen with me proved to be better company than most of the people I was serving. I'll be working at the Vine the rest of the summer and I'm sure I'll have lots of good stories to share. Lookingglass Zoo Camp starts Monday, I'm so excited to get working with the kids at the Zoo. I'll keep updating as I have more things to share. Hope everyone is doing well wherever you may be. I miss you.

"Concrete Jungle" Bob Marley

All Things Go...

I've never been much of a blogger but then again I've never really had much to blog about. However, for the next 7 months I am going to be traveling more than I have ever done in my past 20 years. Since I can't take everyone I love with me I figured I'd at least find a way to share my travels so that everyone will know what I've been up to whether it be in Chicago or in London. This blog, and the threat of my mom creating a Facebook, will hopefully motivate me to be more picture savvy so that this blog is actually fun for you to follow. I head to Chicago on Monday and I will be working as a Zoo Camp Intern for the Lookingglass Theatre Company as well as a hostess/food runner for the Wrigleyville restaurant The Vine! I'm both excited and a little nervous to be working in the city. If at any point during the summer you find yourself in Chicago please call me because I'd LOVE to see you.

side note: the titles of my blogs are not as random as they seem. I'm a very musically connected person, music makes me feel like I'm home no matter where I am. So for the title of my blog posts I've decided to use lyrics or titles of songs that seem to encompass that particular experience. I'll put the Title and Artist of every song I use at the end of my posts in case you want to check them out, I will always encourage listening to good music :-)

"Chicago" Sufjan Stevens
"Many the Miles" Sarah Bareilles