“Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend.”

-Shakespeare, Sonnet 50

I KNOW I say this every week, but this week has actually been super crazy. We’re getting down to the wire for our finals, with just one week to go until our Combat, Movement, and Period Dance presentations, and another week after that before our Acting and Shakespeare finals. And our assessment for Voice is tomorrow!

Monday was busy and full of physical classes. Tuesday was a very active morning, putting scenes in Acting and Shakespeare on their feet. Since I had that afternoon off, I headed out to the London Transport Museum, which was way cooler than it sounds. It showed the history of public transportation in London from horse-and-carriage, to the first underground trains in the 1860s, to buses and the Tube system today. They had lots of interactive exhibits, like old models of trains or streetcars you could sit in, and the opportunity to drive a virtual underground train. I’m so glad I went, because I learned a lot of fascinating information I’d never really thought about before. That evening I continued an awesome day at the National Theatre, seeing As You Like It. I really enjoyed the performance, especially the design, which had some of the best sets and sound effects I’d ever seen.

We didn’t see a show as a class this week, so we were able to put lots of focus into our classes. We read Hedda Gabler and Krapp’s Last Tape in Space, Place, and Text, and discussed our thoughts on Measure for Measure in Dramatic Criticism. Friday in Acting class we continued work on my scene, which is coming along with lots of hard work. Then we finished blocking our abridged Twelfth Night in Shakespeare class, and I ran (literally, I ran) to the Tube to head off to St. Pancras train station.

I just barely made my train, but by 5pm I was off to Brussels for a weekend with Louisse, an exchange student who spent a year at my high school, and who I hadn’t seen since then, four years ago. When I saw her at the train station it was like no time had passed at all. To my surprise, as she led me through the station, we took a left and there was our other friend, Francesca! Lou had asked her to fly in from Italy as a surprise. We all had an amazing weekend, sightseeing in Brussels, spending an evening at a fun rock bar, and generally catching up. It was such a quick trip; we were up at 6:30 this morning and off to catch trains home, but I’m so glad we all got to get together even for just a couple of days.

Today I had about an hour to unpack before heading off to the theatre with my friend Lindsay to see Jane Eyre at the National Theatre. We were really excited, and it’s gotten really good reviews, but to be completely honest I thought it was total CRAP. I’m not saying it was a worthless experience; we had incredible (£50) seats for only £15, so we were able to see lots of detail, and I still think I learned from the production. But I’m very excited to go home and write a scathing review in my theatre journal.

Next blog post comes on my birthday!!

Frogger: Seoul Edition: If I were to visualize the hierarchy of road occupants in Korea, the order would be as follows: Taxis → Trucks → Cars → Scooters → Bicycles → Floating Plastic Bags → Pigeons That Wandered into the Street by Accident → Discarded Cigarette Butts → then all the way at the bottom we would reach People (this is the only time you’ll find people ranked lower than pigeons, see below). Never before have I seen cars (and in particular, taxis) so blatantly ignore pedestrian crosswalks and attempt to pass through while people still crowd the way. I swear Korean taxis exist in an alternate Mario Kart-themed universe in which each pedestrian they swipe with their side mirrors while blasting through a crosswalk earns them extra coins.

To further confuse the matter, the roads of Seoul aren’t exactly filled with clunky, rusted Datsuns wheezing old exhaust. Rather, on a daily basis one can expect to see an army of Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes, and Bentleys cruising the streets at breakneck speeds. Thus, it is beyond my comprehension why a shining new Porsche would want to pay to get a Catie-sized dent removed from its hood after I am inevitably run down, much like Regina George in Mean Girls (hopefully minus the spinal fracture and halo brace).

Guys and Dolls: Relations Between the Sexes in Korea

Dorm life has its ups and downs, but one of the most striking differences between dorming in the US versus Korea is the rules imposed to regulate interactions between males and females. Each floor of the dorm is strictly separated by gender, which is not surprising to me as my freshman year dorm at Loyola adhered to the same protocol. However, males and females are strictly forbidden from entering each other’s rooms under any circumstances. Males and females are only allowed on each other’s floors from 8am to 10pm (after that they are strictly forbidden). Offenders are quite literally threatened with eviction if any such shenanigans should occur. Even the laundry rooms are segregated by gender. Additionally, should any resident or visiting guest forget that they are in the presence of weak and easily-overpowered females, helpful reminders have been placed near the entrance as a warning to possible miscreants.

So, what if one does wish to rendezvous with the opposite sex while in Korea? I’m glad you asked. As many young Koreans live with the parents until marriage (which often does not take place until late 20s/early 30s), the Korean youth have invented several convenient loopholes. Two popular locales exist:

1) DVD 방 (DVD Rooms) i.e. Korea’s answer to “Netflix and chill”. In these establishments, couples can rent movies and are provided with their own private room in which to watch said movie, thus what happens behind closed doors for the duration of the movie is their own business.

2) Motels that can be rented by the hour (I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory)

All in all, Korea has made astronomical strides in gender equality in the last fifty years. I mean, South Korea has only been a democracy since 1948 (if we’re going to be really honest, it has only been a functioning democracy since like 1993 but I won’t get into that now) and yet it has already elected its first female president, Park Geun-hye. Not that we’re keeping score, but the United States has been around since 1776 and has yet to see a female president in office. Anyways, I’m getting off topic. The point is, in many ways Korea has made impressive strides in gender equality, yet remnants of its traditionally patriarchal system are still evident. For example, in Korean class we learned how to introduce our family members and their various occupations. As I began to describe my family, I made the ‘mistake’ of beginning my description with my mother’s occupation instead of first talking about my father, causing my instructor to interrupt and remark: “In Korea, we talk about the father first, not the mother. Why did you talk about your mother first? Are you a feminist?” which caught me off guard. More than anything, I was surprised that a detail as small as referring to a woman before a man in a sentence is what constitutes an act of feminism in Korea.

I’ll end my thoughts on the matter with this observation: I’ve found that in Korea, masculinity seems much more fragile than elsewhere, an impression made apparent in the tiniest interactions.  While out to dinner with two Korean guys and a western girl, rice was delivered to the table in piping hot metal pots, which were determined by one of the guys to be too hot to distribute to the table at that moment. Being a waitress, I’m used to touching hot plates, so I simply picked them up without hesitation and passed them out. The look on the face of the Korean guy was one of unfettered embarrassment and humiliation; in that moment, I had basically discredited his masculinity by saying he was too ‘weak’ to pick up some stupid rice pots (and what’s worse is that I had done it publicly). This, of course, was not my intention- I just really wanted rice. I love carbs. But it’s the little moments such as this that get blown out of proportion that I am really made aware of just how fragile is Korean masculinity. As always, this statement is not true of all Korean men, nonetheless after such incidents I find myself becoming hyper-aware of such things.

Gangnam Style- (Not “Gang-land” Style): After skyping with my dear mother one Sunday evening, I came to realize that the title of the immensely-popular “Gangnam Style” by PSY was quite possibly a complete mystery to those unfamiliar with the geography of Seoul. Therefore, to save others the possible embarrassment of possessing the incorrect belief that Gangnam is a play on the English word “gang” (spliced with mystery Korean syllables), I feel it is only fair to explain that in reality, Gangnam actually refers to a very wealthy district of Seoul. If the song were set in New York City, the title would be “Upper East Side Style”; if it were Los Angeles, it would be “Beverly Hills Style”; as the song is Korean, the title remains “Gangnam Style”. Thus, the song is simply a celebration of the wealth and excess of the Gangnam lifestyle.

Pigeons: The Harbingers of the Apocalypse: Koreans are absolutely TERRIFIED of pigeons, which I find hilarious. It is a widely-held (and entirely accurate) belief in Korea (and pretty much everywhere else) that pigeons carry a variety of nasty diseases; the motion of flapping wings is believed to sprinkle said diseases like a morbid and unappetizing dusting of invisible confectioners’ sugar. However, it is the Korean reaction to pigeons that is something entirely unique. I have seen people literally cross the street to give a single scrawny bird a wide berth; if a pigeon takes flight, people duck and cringe in unison like a demented flash mob. I’m not saying that I would respond with delight and enthusiasm if a pigeon were to suddenly accost me in the face, however I must admit that there is definitely some comedic value in seeing a country full of reserved and dignified people respond with such hysteria to the presence of such pathetic creatures.

Come, sit down, every mother’s son, and rehearse your parts.

– Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Well, you can tell I’ve had a crazy week, because I took very few pictures!

The big source of stress this week has been our Movement final, which is a four to five minute solo (or small group) piece we have to choreograph ourselves. Four minutes of choreography is a lot, but I’m really enjoying the challenge. I’m up to three and a half minutes as of this morning, so I’m feeling pretty good about it! Other class adventures include “Hot Seat” in-character improvised interviews in Acting, putting together our scenes in Stage Combat, and a very heated discussion about Medea in Dramatic Criticism. We also turned in our second paper on Friday, so this weekend has felt like a big sigh of relief.

Honestly, I’m going to kind of skim over the week, because we had a massive weekend. Most of my evenings were full of homework anyway, except for Thursday, when we saw Measure for Measure at the Young Vic. I had never seen the play before (and read it for the first time last week, in preparation for going to see it), but I absolutely loved the production. It was done in a contemporary setting, which I thought worked really well with the themes of sexual corruption and, on the other extreme, sexual puritanism; they also used video projections of the actors throughout, which was a cool way to illustrate how, when we are surrounded by media, our private lives tend to become everyone’s business. (The only downside – apart from some questionable acting choices from Isabella – was that that night was Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes Day, so we missed out on the opportunity to experience a very English holiday)

After turning in our papers and enjoying a relaxing, class-free afternoon on Friday, we were up early Saturday morning to get on the bus for Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s about a two-hour drive from London, and it’s the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and his grave. I hoped to have time to visit the grave, but a group of us made the decision to use our free time to go to the Museum of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which cost five pounds and was worth about that (but super silly and fun, so still a good time). Then we all met at the Swan Theatre for the RSC’s performance of Love for Love.

I didn’t really like the performance, to be honest, but it might have just been due to personal taste. The costume design was probably my favorite part, so I mostly paid attention to that when the play was . . . less than completely engaging. After a dinner break, we went to see another show, Relatively Speaking at the Bear Pit Theatre. We didn’t realize until we got there that it was a community theatre production, which basically sums it up. It was interesting to see some community theatre here, because we’ve been seeing such high-budget shows, but I think I’ll keep spending my money on those rather than returning to the Bear Pit.

Our bus got us back to our flats close to midnight, so we went to bed pretty much right away. Sunday morning I got up early to head in to school and work on my Movement piece. Then, once all my homework was done, I hung out with friends. We spent the afternoon in Picadilly Circus, exploring the big fancy department stores and looking at the Christmas decorations.

This post is late, I know, but it’s currently Monday morning and I have class in about twenty minutes. Ready for another crazy week!

Conceal me what I am, and be my aid

For such disguise as haply shall become

The form of my intent.

-Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

This week’s quote is brought to you by Twelfth Night for a multitude of reasons. First, it’s Shakespeare’s best play (in my opinion, I mean, but I’m totally right) and everyone could use a little more Twelfth Night in their lives. Second, we’re working on it in my Shakespeare class and have been doing lots of really in-depth text work on it this week, so it’s been at the forefront of my mind (not to mention the paper I’m supposed to be writing on it for one of my other classes). Also, I got to see an all-female production of it at the Rose Theatre this week. And of course, yesterday was Halloween, so I spent the whole weekend happily disguised. And it was awesome.

This week, as always, was busy and stressful and exciting. We got our scenes for Stage Combat class: mine is from “Swetnam the Woman-Hater Arraigned by Women,” and I get to defeat a character literally named Misogynos. Basically, it’s right up my ally. Our acting teacher Gabby was gone this week, so we had a little extra time during the day, but we were also having extra Shakespeare classes because Yolanda is going to be gone next week (the timetable has been so crazy). Oh, and Yolanda gave out our parts for Twelfth Night. I’m sharing the role of Olivia with my friend Lindsay. I’m excited, of course, but honestly every female role in that play is completely badass for different reasons, so I would have been thrilled regardless of casting. Have I mentioned it’s my favorite play?

Speaking of Twelfth Night, the production we saw at the Rose Theatre was amazing. In one of my first blog posts, I talked about visiting the theatre: a small playing space set on a balcony that overlooks the excavation site of the original Rose. It was cool to return to the space and actually see how they used it – and they used it incredibly well, with some scenes set all the way back on the other side of the preserved site (like when Viola washes up on shore, or when Malvolio is in the dungeon). The ugly concrete wall behind them became basically a cyc, meaning that they could wash the whole space in colorful lights. Also, it was an all-female production of an already pretty gender-screwy play, which was super exciting for me. And it was honestly just impressive that they managed to do Twelfth Night with only six actors.

Wednesday we saw Medea at the Almeida Theatre as a whole class. They don’t really give out programs before shows here; typically you have to pay for them and who wants to do that??? So I was surprised and completely star-struck when the lights came up and I saw Kate Fleetwood standing centerstage! (If you haven’t seen the Patrick Stewart version of Macbeth, please watch it. She’s an amazing Lady M.) The play was a contemporary adaptation that, for the most part, I really enjoyed (as much as you can enjoy Medea, I guess). It was elegantly designed and almost painfully tense. The script got a little repetitive, with lots of shouting matches between Medea and her ex-husband, but Kate Fleetwood’s performance felt like it was constantly moving forwards and building towards the inevitable ending. It was such a privilege to get to see her onstage.

Thursday morning, we had a workshop with an agent who came to talk to us about what it means to be represented and give us some tips about how to get an agent in the future. Then I had a really good Alexander Technique lesson where we reflected on my progress throughout the semester so far, and a fun Audition Technique session working on Phebe’s speech from As You Like It. Friday I didn’t have class until 1pm, but I came in a little early to finish up a paper and to help set up for a party! Our Shakespeare teacher, Yolanda, has a birthday this coming week, but since she’s going to be out of town we celebrated on Friday. All of LDA and some of our other teachers came to surprise her, and we had decorations and cake and everything. It was a really fun end to our week!

After class on Friday, I spent a few more hours frantically doing homework so I could be ready for the weekend! That evening we all got together in the flats and hung out in our costumes before heading out. We went to a giant club with lots of spooky decorations and everybody in awesome costumes. Saturday I was super lazy. I watched Young Frankenstein, read a little bit for class, and then watched New Zealand pummel Australia in the Rugby World Cup final. Of course we got back into our costumes and went out again last night!

Today I slept in and did homework again. I’m all finished with just about everything now, except I need to go work on my Movement piece. After that I’ll be free for the night to get rested up for the coming week!

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel.

-Shakespeare, Hamlet

OKAY, I’m going to try to make this quick because I have been doing homework all. evening. and technically it’s already Monday. Let’s get going!

I had a great first week back from break, but a very stressful one. We’re putting our scenes in Acting class on their feet, starting read-throughs for Twelfth Night in Shakespeare class, and writing reviews for Dramatic Criticism. We’re also getting into more in-depth neutral mask work in Physical Theatre and adding onto our fight choreography for Stage Combat. I feel like I do homework from the time we get out of class to the time I go to bed . . . good thing it’s all such fun work!

After two solid evenings of homework, it was exciting to get to go to the theatre on Wednesday. We saw Farinelli and the King at the Duke of York’s, and it was my favorite piece of theatre we’ve seen as a class. I loved everything about it: the acting, the script, the music, the scenic and costume design. All of the elements came together in a way that was unlike everything else we’ve seen. The play created a cohesive, immersive world that brought the audience into the space – literally: there were box seats on the set itself. All of the relationships between the characters were complex and alive. It was a privilege to see Mark Rylance work, along with the rest of the stunning cast.

Thursday evening, after another tough day of classes and homework, my flatmate Ashley hosted a little dinner. She made chicken parmesan and we all relaxed and talked about our fall breaks in various parts of Europe. We listened to music and ended up talking until midnight and going to bed full. It was a great, relaxing evening!

Friday we had a fun evening to celebrate making it through a very hard week! We all got together in one of the girls’ flats, a few people baked cookies, and we watched I Married an Axe Murderer, which was absolutely terrible but perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit in the goofiest of ways. Then a group of us went out dancing! Saturday was a very lazy day, and today’s been all about the homework . . . except for a couple hours this evening, watching Gogglebox (a great British reality show).

Now I really need to go to sleep. Got to be ready for a busy week!

(More pictures to come when the internet is a little faster!)

Happy anniversary to Italy and I!!! It has been almost two months since I packed my two overweight suitcases in Kansas, and relocated to Rome for the semester. So far I have travelled to ten cities in Italy and have fallen in love with the country as a whole. From the people to the food there is an life, adventure, and beauty everywhere you look.

Its funny that when you study abroad everyone has this crazy idea that you are supposed to travel every weekend to a new crazy and exotic destination. Although this is so fun and makes for great instas it is utterly exhausting, and too often I feel like people forgot to appreciate the country they are in. It would be outrageous if I got home and couldn’t tell people all about the beauty of Italy. Soooo that is why over fall break my mom came and visited me and we spent our time together traveling throughout Italy. We started in Rome and had an eventful 48 hours. Of course we took a tour of the Vatican, went for aperitivo, sat around and drank coffee, and even got to visit the Villa Borghese Museum. Our time in Rome together was great; I learned all about Michael Angelo and loved showing my mom my favorite spots in Trastevere.

We then ventured north to Florence. Our four days there were jammed packed and I felt like we did it all. We saw the David, went to the Uffizi Gallery, visited the leather school, and admired the beautiful Ponte Vecchio. I was surprised to see how different Florence was from Rome, I almost felt like I was in a completely different country.

After Florence we took an easy train ride to Venice. Seriously, I think I left part of my heart there. It was beyond perfect. Every bridge lead to another quaint street with beautiful architecture leaving one with the impression that they were in a fairytale. My favorite part of Venice was wondering through the city and hearing the old men sing beautiful Italian songs as they took tourists on a classic gondola ride.

Our final stop before heading back to Rome was the town of Verona, home to the inspiration of the Colosseum and Romeo and Juliet. So far I can say with confidence that Verona is a hidden gem of Italy. Not only is the town full of life, but also the beautiful are actually all beautiful!

Beyond seeing all these wonderful places and learning about their historical significance, I have learned things that a textbook could never teach me. Italy has taught me to eat long meals, and savor every bite of delicious homemade pasta with a glass of good wine. Italy has taught me that time is irrelevant and to appreciate all the little moments in each day. Italy has taught me that you can walk almost anywhere you want and it will be faster than taking a cab or waiting for the bus. Italy has taught me that you dress to impress. Italy has taught me that there truly is history and culture in everything we do. And most importantly Italy has taught me life is much simpler than we think in America.

Ciao for now!

Last weekend was my first trip outside of the UK! My roommate Nita and I planned a trip to Amsterdam and it was a blast!

We don’t have classes on Friday, so originally the plan was to leave Thursday night. However, USAC had tickets for all people studying abroad to go see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of musicals, but I’m glad we decided to postpone our trip to stay and see the show. The Apollo Victoria is a beautiful theatre and the show was really good as well!

Friday morning our train for Amsterdam left early in the morning, so naturally we were running a little late. We had to convert all of our pounds to euros, which took more time than we thought, but luckily we had no trouble getting through customs and boarded our train just in time. Our train had a layover in Brussels, so I got a chance to try a real Belgian waffle, and it was incredible!

The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Amsterdam was the insane amount of bikes. Near the train station, there were plenty of cars and taxis, but the further you get into Amsterdam, there seem to be more bikes than people. I spent the entire weekend looking both ways multiple times before crossing the road to avoid getting hit by the aggressive bikers. Luckily, I managed to make it out of Amsterdam without any bruises caused by bikes (Nita was not as lucky).

The second thing I noticed about Amsterdam was how unpronounceable the street signs are. When I went to France in high school, I had a few years of French knowledge to back me up. When I went to Italy, I had a tour guide that spoke fluent Italian. I don’t speak Dutch. Nita doesn’t speak Dutch. And everything was in Dutch. I had no trouble communicating with anyone, seeing as everyone in Amsterdam speaks English, but it was still a strange experience not being able to read any part of the signs. It was also disorienting not being able to understand conversations going on around me.

Friday night we decided to explore the city a bit, and wandered upon a fair going on in Dam Square. I discovered very quickly that the best way to see Amsterdam is upside down, going 90mph. The ride was well worth the price because I spent about 15 minutes at the top of the 180ft ride waiting for people to board. Unfortunately it rained pretty much the whole weekend we were there, so needless to say after the ride we were drenched and freezing and decided to call it a night. Saturday and Sunday we packed in as much as we possibly could! We spent a good amount of time walking around, mostly because the public transportation in Amsterdam was confusing, chaotic, and all around bad. But also because walking truly is the best way to see a city! We bought 24 hour tickets for a boat that stopped at 8 different places along all the canals, which was a super convenient way to get around and sightsee. We managed to find a few nice, cheap museums and some really great places to get pancakes!

However, I think the most significant thing we did that weekend was see the Anne Frank house. It’s an incredibly popular museum in a very small space, so Nita and I wound up waiting in line for 45 minutes outside in the rain just to get in. Absolutely worth it. It felt surreal being in the house that Anne Frank and her family had hidden in during World War II, and it was so indescribably moving. At Otto Frank’s request (the only member of the Frank family that survived the war), the actual house and annex where they hid was kept bare to represent the emptiness that was left behind by all the death. There were quotes from the diary written on the wall, and further into the museum was Anne Frank’s actual diary. It’s difficult to describe how it felt, walking through a place that is so well known for such horrendous reasons. Personally, I think the most moving part of the whole experience was seeing pencil marks on one of the door frames, where Anne’s mother had measured her and her sister’s height during the time they were in hiding. For one, it was shocking to see just how long the family was in hiding, and how much they had grown in the two years they were there. Second, it reminded me that they were just kids. Measuring your kids’ growth on the wall is such a, for a lack of better word, normal thing to do. It really struck home and was such a humanizing factor. Being in the actual house was a lot more emotionally taxing than I could have expected, but it was absolutely one of the most moving things I’ve done since I started my European adventure last month.

Monday we had to check out of our hostel at 10am, but our train didn’t leave until 4pm, so we sat ourselves down at a restaurant and then a coffeehouse for most of the time because we didn’t want to lug our suitcases around the city! We boarded our train and traveled to Belgium with no problem. However, we cut it very close to missing our connecting train to London because we got stuck at the British boarder. Nita and I both have short term student visas, which requires us to show the customs officer our letter of acceptance to London Met every time we re-enter the country. We weren’t aware of that. Luckily, we had our London school IDs and Student Oyster cards (for using the Tube) with an expiration date on it, so we were allowed through. I’m really thankful that we did, because I did not like the idea of spending the night at the train station! That would have been a not so fun end to an otherwise fantastic trip!