Canterbury Tales

The Lost Blogs: Adventures with Emily!

2008-07-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily and her mom have come over from the states to visit me! Emily has come for the last two weeks of my time here and will be my flying buddy on the journey back! Her mom is here for the first week and then will fly back leaving Emily and I tie up all my loose ends!
One of the best adventures we went on was to Dover Castle. This is my fourth time visiting Dover but only my second time going into the Castle. For those movie buffs out there, Dover Castle was the main filming site for The Other Boleyn Girl. One of the coolest things about Dover Castle are the “Secret Wartime Tunnels” which were used during WWII as a defense against German forces who had taken over France from invading England. But Dover Castle is full of history from all different eras of English history. Another adventure we went on was to Herne Bay which is very different in warm weather then it had been on my previous trips there! We played on the playground and had a grand ol’ time! This week has proved to me, however, that I would not make a very good superhero because it is really hard to live a double life! I have been a tourguide/tourist by day and a collage kid by night! This schedule does not lend itself to much sleep, but I am getting enough and I really want to soak up every minute I has left!!!

On Saturday night we had my going away party (I had it on Saturday even though I don’t leave til the next Thursday because I didn’t want to disrupt my housemates studying for exams). It was a lot of fun and I was glad to have almost every one of my friends abroad there with me to celebrate! Aubrey got me a British flag and a sharpie for everyone at the party to sign so that I could have something to remember everyone by (such a great idea)! It was also fun to have Emily there because she was at both of my going away parties (going away to England and then going away from England)! Now I only have a few days left and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed! I need to pack everything up, clean everything up, turn everything in, all while trying to spend as much time with my friends as possible! It should be an adventure!!!!

The Lost Blogs: Back with the Gang!

2008-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

These next three blogs are my last blogs and were not posted at the time of these events but I want to finish my blog properly! Once you read them you should see why I did not have time to blog at the time!

Well, I’m back from Germany and starting the last two weeks of my study abroad experience! Its weird, I feel very torn. Part of me is ready to go home. I miss my family and my home and that homesickness is manifesting in strange ways. The other day I had a craving for Eggo waffles, the little round ones. I haven’t eaten those since I was like 7 but I really wanted them! On the other hand, I can’t imagine leaving here! I have been trying to soak up every last minute of my time with my friends here. The weather has been really pretty these past two weeks (let me clarify that by really pretty I mean mostly sunny and upper 60s)! In England you have to take advantage of pretty weather because it doesn’t stick around very long, so everyone has been hanging out on the hill overlooking the cathedral. We take blankets out there and relax in the sunshine! Not only is this a fun, but it’s a great way to meet new people because EVERYONE is out on the lawn! I have met some really good new friends from sitting out on the lawn! Through Will AJ and Lewis I have been introduced to Vicki – a very sweet girl from just outside London, Carly – an energetic and sweet girl from Ireland, Matt – a funny guy from Wales, and Becky – a fashionable and wonderful girl! This group of friends and I (along with my friend Jenna from New York) have been hanging out almost everyday! On Thursday nights we go to Karaoke at K-bar which is a lot of fun because the whole group picks songs to sing together! And on Friday nights we go to Magic Mungos which is a night of cheesy songs and dancing! Its been really bitter sweet getting to know these new friends because I know I will be leaving them in a little over two weeks. I have a feeling we will be keeping in touch though!

Kite surfing and kinder

2008-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tonya and I are now spending about a week in Germany with some family friends of ours. It is really nice to be with a family again! Christiana and Arne are my dad and stepmom's next door neighbors who live about half of the year in Germany and half a year in Florida. Tonya is also the Godmother of Lucas who is the adorable boy in the pictures. He will be turning 2 on Sunday! Leoni is the eldest child and she is 4 almost 5 years old. We arrived in Germany on Tuesday night around 11 at night and Arne and Christiana had kept the fact that we were coming a secret from the kids. So the next morning we rang the door bell to the house and waited for Leoni to come answer the door. I wish I had a picture of her face! She was very surprised to see us and very excited! So we ate breakfast together and then we all piled into the car and went to an island off the coast of Germany to a wind surfing competition! It was really nice to be by the coast and we had a lot of fun! The wind was not strong enough for the competition so we explored a bit and then left. We drove to the other side of the island and had a snack at a local coffee house, which was very nice! Then we came back to the mainland and went to a Greek restaurant for dinner! It was delicious!!! I am really enjoying playing with Lucas and Leoni! They are really sweet children and I love watching them grow! I also enjoy learning two year old German! Lucas likes to repeat words over and over which helps me learn the words! But they do wear me out! Leoni is full of energy and loves to play tag and run around! So on that note, I am going to go to bed so I can be ready for another day of playing hard!

Its elementary, my dear Watson

2008-05-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

Tonya arrived last Sunday and we spent three days in London exploring and seeing the sights. It was kind of interesting to be tourist again because now when I go to London I usually just walk around until I go see a show and people watch. But since it was Tonya's first time in London we did the tourist stuff like The Tower of London, Changing of the Guard, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Harrod's. One of the things we did that I had never done before, however, was to go to the Sherlock Holmes museum. The museum is located at 221b Baker Street, which is Sherlock lived in the novels. Tonya is a huge Sherlock fan and I have been known to enjoy some Sherlock mysteries in my day! It was a lot of fun! The museum was in an actual 5 story house and the top floor was all wax statues acting out scenes from the novels. There was no one really in the museum and so Tonya and I had some fun taking pictures with the figures....yes I am a 5 year old child when it comes to museums, but it was a lot of fun and probably the highlight for me! Its also really funny when people come over from the states because they point out differences that I have kind of stopped noticing...like Tonya was fascinated by how small our sink in the hotel was....but that's a normal bathroom sink here. It just reminds me of how I felt when I first got here and how far I've come in my four months. It is really, really nice to have Tonya here and now we are spending a week in Germany with some family friends! I will blog about that very soon! I have three weeks left in my study abroad experience....I'm not sure what to think about that...I miss you all very much and I love you!

All the World's a Stage

2008-04-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

On April 23rd Lena, Anna, Daniel, Aubrey and I traveled to London to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform King Lear in The Globe Theater. For those of you who are not Shakespeare nerds, April 23rd is Shakespeare's birthday and it also marks the beginning of the Globe's season. So it was a really big day for Shakespeare fans all over the world. The play opened with traditional music, which I captured on video before the play really started. The play was AMAZING!!! We bought standing tickets and the play lasted about 3 and a half hours. So by the end our feet hurt SO badly, but it was totally worth it (for me at least). The acting was superb, it is the kind of acting that I aspire to be able to achieve someday. This was my first experience seeing King Lear staged and it was a wonderful first experience! At the end of the show the actors did a traditional dance. In the olden days they did a dance at the end of a show to show that no one was really dead and to uplift the audience as they left the theater. After seeing King Lear, which is arguably Shakespeare's most tragic play, I was really glad they chose to keep with tradition because I needed to be uplifted! At the end, as the cast took their bows I looked around and saw the three levels of the audience and it was an amazing feeling that canceled out any soreness from standing! It was an amazing feeling and probably one of my favorites of the plays I have seen so far, and I have seen some amazing plays thus far! I look forward to being able to see a few more plays while I'm here.
That has really been one of my favorite parts of my study abroad experience, being able to travel up to London for a day and see a play. I have really enjoyed every piece of theater I have seen here and learned a lot from each one and this has been a wonderful opportunity to live in a small city but benefit from being so close to a major city! I am now in my last month of my study abroad experience and I am starting to be torn. Some days I can't wait to be back home, back with my family and back to driving and normal food...but other days I can't imagine leaving. I have made some really great friends and memories and I have loved my time here! This last month will be a whirlwind, I have a feeling. I can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

In the Land of the Danes

2008-04-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well I have returned safely from my adventures in Denmark! I am tired but it was a really fun trip and it was so wonderful to see Carrie! Carrie is studying abroad in Aalborg, Denmark which is a beautiful town in the north of Denmark. It was really fun to meet all of her friends from all over the world! She lives in a big building that’s kind of like a dorm with about 50 students. So the first day was spent settling me in and meeting all her friends. The next day we slept in, as college kids are known to do, and then we went for a walk in the countryside! I’ve included some pictures of our walk. Spring is just now budding in Denmark so there were some beautiful flowers that we took pictures of. Also, the path was lined with frogs wearing crown…so we kissed them to see in they would turn into princes! We also found a playground which was AWESOME!!! We played for a little while but then we had to get back to campus because it was CAKE DAY, which is a day where everyone baked a cake and then we ate pieces of lots of different kinds of cakes from different places! It was really fun! The trip was somewhat disrupted by the fact that my tonsillitis came back which was no fun. So one of our days was spent journeying around Aalborg trying to find the doctor’s office and get me a prescription. But we found the doctor and got me some antibiotics, so it was successful! The next day we explored the town of Aalborg and that night we went to see a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest which was thankfully in English and very good! Now I am back in England for a bit and then I will head to Belgium! I am looking forward to it! I love and miss you all!!!

Oh Hail no!

2008-04-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, another England weather story. I am beginning to understand why weather dominates much of the conversations here because it is always doing something new and unexpected. Before leaving for Denmark I spent two nights at my friend Will AJ’s house right outside London. Will’s family lives about 5 minutes walk away from Kew Gardens, which are beautiful English gardens with green houses and a palace. So Will and I decided to go explore the gardens one day while I was staying there. I woke up and looked outside and it was a beautiful day! I was very excited because the weather can really make or break a trip to gardens. So Will and I got ready to go and ate breakfast and set out on our way to the gardens…..it started HAILING while we were walking! Like you could see the line where it started hailing and still see blue sky in the distance....and so we retreated back to his house and played monopoly. Then, about an hour later it was a beautiful day again so we went to the gardens and spent a few hours there perusing the gardens. The weather here baffles me on a daily bases.

But, it was so nice to be in a house again! I didn’t realize how much I miss couches and common areas, but it was really nice to have them again! My house on campus has a kitchen as the common area but there’s no area to stretch out and relax except in each others’ rooms. It was really nice to be with a family and Will’s Mum and Dad were very sweet to play host to me! I hope that I can play host to some of my friends here at some point in the future to repay their kindness!

SNOW!!!!

2008-04-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well! I did not see this coming! Let me paint you a picture of the past two day's weather in England...yesterday it was upper 50s into the 60s here and sunny, I could wear short sleeves outside and it felt lovely. It was really nice because it was finally starting to feel like spring and I was excited! The I woke up this morning and looked out my window and there were snow flurries! I was astounded, but it was just flurrying nothing was sticking! I enjoyed watching the snow for a while and then sat down at my desk to work on my paper....I worked for about two hours and then went downstairs to make some tea. I looked out my window and my backyard was covered in snow!!!!!!!!! Its crazy!!!!!!!!!! Its also really exciting! The snow offers an excellent study break! Well, I had better get back to that paper! Miss you all!

The Last Week of First Term

2008-04-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially done with attending class until I return to the states! Isn't that crazy? You can be a little jealous if you want....Today marks the first day of Easter Holidays, which means that for the next four weeks we are on break! Almost everyone is traveling or, in the case of the British students, going home. I was supposed to be in Scotland for the next 4 days, but I came down with a case of tonsillitis which prevented me from going....which was very sad. I am feeling better now though and looking forward to the rest of my adventures for the month off. For the next week I will hang around Canterbury and probably travel to London for a day or two. Several of the guys who were in the play with me live in or around London, so I hope to meet up with them! Will AJ, who lives in London, even offered for me to stay at his parents house if I want to make a weekend out of it! Which is really nice! So I am looking forward to playing the next week by ear. On the 12th I leave for Denmark to go visit my friend Carrie Branch! I am very excited to see her and visit her university! I will be there until the 16th and then come back to Canterbury for more time to work on a paper which is due by the end of the month and visiting friends in London. Then, on the 23rd of April (Shakespeare's Birthday) I am going to the Globe Theater to see King Lear!!! I am very excited to see another show in the Globe! We bought standing tickets....which should be interesting since King Lear is quite a long show. The Next day (April 24th) I leave with Lena, Anna, and Daniel to meet Claire in Belgium! We will look around Claire's home country a bit until the 28th! Then Tonya gets here and she and I will play for the next two weeks!!! I am looking forward to that very much!!! So I have a very exciting month ahead of me! I will keep everyone posted on my adventures! I am starting to feel that my time here is picking up speed.....before I know it I will be home! I look forward to cramming as much fun and learning into the next two months as I can! I miss you all!

Tim.....the Satanist

2008-03-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of Tim....the Satanist that I promised you! This was one of my favorite parts in the play! I love the kid that plays Tim...the Satanist, he is a very talented actor and a really fun person named Will Parrott! Oh, and this is a video that I stole from Mitch, by the way so he gets credit for it! Though, this one was filmed by Aubrey! The first girl to speak is Jenna who played the dumb blond character....even though she's a very smart and hilarious girl. George is the curly haired guy and he is super sweet and funny! I'm in the background and give Tim...the Satanist his Bacardi and coke! So, here it is!

Pub Comedy!

2008-03-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

Last week was absolutely crazy and AMAZINGLY fun!!! March 20-22 was my show! The show was called Pub Comedy and was student written and student produced and so very funny! I played a bartender in the pub named Alice. Alice is the nice girl in the pub and the love interest of the main character. The whole show was set in a pub and had several plot lines and many fantasy sequences. I've included pictures of the whole cast a crew and two of my favorite parts of the play which were a fight between a cowboy and a pirate and the character of Tim the Satanist. I will put up a video of Tim the Satanist that will explain it better than I ever could. (The way that casting turned out all the nice characters in the show had curly hair and all the mean people had strait hair....so on the last night we straightened the curly haired people's hair, and tried to curl the straight haired people, which is why my hair is straight in these pictures.) The show was really wonderful, but the best part was all the fun people I met by doing it! Everyone was so much fun to work with and so dang funny! My experience here would have been really different without this show. And I have made so many wonderful friends through it who have really made this experience so much richer and for that, I am very grateful! It is also nice to know that you can go thousands of miles away and still find your niche. I hang out with theater kids here and feel very much at home, like I'm at the theater department back at UT....only everyone is speaking with a British accent!

Mom's Mark

2008-03-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

My mom left yesterday and it was really hard to see her go because it was so WONDERFUL to have her here! Just like with Chelsea, it was so nice to have someone from home here who could meet all my friends! I have heard one of the hardest things about studying abroad is that once you go home people tire easily of hearing too much about your time there because they can't connect with your stories very well. I think that having my friends and mom come visit me will help so much with that problem! But mom really made an impression on everyone and everyone really appreciated having a mother around! She came to rehearsal and performances with me every night she was here and was so helpful, she got a special thank you in the program! Also, two of the guys from my play have a radio show every week and they gave her a shout out and thanked her for helping with the show and played Stacy's Mom in her honor!!! It was awesome! I was very grateful that she could be here for my show, it was a real treat! And besides being awesome behind stage, she introduced tequila to my friends in England. I have included a picture of her explaining the beauty of tequila to Mitch and a picture of Aubrey taking her first shot of tequila! It was amazing to have her here!!! I miss her very much but Emily booked her tickets to see me today and Tonya and Dad might be coming later on, so it has really helped to have that on the horizon! Also, Carrie Branch come to visit this week!!!

Tomorrow I am performing my group performance piece for physical theater. I am a little nervous, but also excited to see everyone else's work and be done with that part of the class! Then on Wednesday I have my last class of the term! I can't believe I'm done with classes already!!! Then Wednesday night Mitch and I are going to see Speed The Play, which is a David Mamet play starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum! I'm so excited!!! Well, I had better get some sleep before my performance tomorrow! I miss you all and I will post some pics of my play soon!

I DO NOT HAVE SPOO!!!

2008-03-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

I love living on campus!!! After living off campus last year I forgot how much fun it is to have a bunch of college kids crammed into one building! The other night Mom and I were hanging out in my room not doing much and Mitch and Aubrey came bursting in and we talked for a hour or so about life! It was wonderful! Then, we decided to play a round or two of spoons! Lena, Anna, and Daniel all joined in and we had a wonderful night playing spoons! Mitch was, in fact, the winner because he didn't loose a single round! But everyone had fun and we got pretty silly!
Then, I brought down my i-pod speakers and, as is our usual practice at 1 in the morning, we had a dance party! Mom taught everyone "Blue Commode Water", which is an incredible song written by an old friend of hers. I've included a video of Respect for your viewing pleasure!!! Just goes to show you, all you need is a deck of cards and some spoons to have a great night!

Sushi Night

2008-03-16T06:02:00.001-07:00

This post has been a long time coming. Sushi Night actually happened about 2 weeks ago but with all of the visitors, I have had little time to blog because we've been on adventures! But while Chelsea was here she made us sushi and, let me tell you, it was so awesome! It had been far too long since I had sushi and we had so much we couldn't finish it all! Not only was the sushi AMAZING, the process of making it was so much fun! It took almost 2 hours to make the sushi and we (Aubrey, Mitch, Chelsea, and I) had so much fun listening to music and dancing around while we waited
rice to be done. Then everyone was involved in making the sushi in some way, as you can see by the lovely picture of Mitch! It was a night of great friends and great food! It was really nice to have Chelsea here and sushi night was a perfect example of the many nights of fun we had while she was here!
In other news, MY MOM IS HERE NOW!!! When she arrived I'm pretty sure the whole court heard me yelling "MOM'S HERE!". I will try to blog soon about our adventures. Yesterday we went to Whistable but it was rainy and we didn't do much but walk around eat at a yummy cafe. I will take more pictures in the future! It is really nice to have my mom here, and everyone is excited about having a mom in our court. Moms are wonderful to have around!

The Day I Was in Harry Potter!

2008-03-10T08:15:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened for me in the last week. Chelsea came to visit me and it was so wonderful to have her here! You forget how nice it is to have a rhythm and a history with someone when you're surrounded by new people, and even though I have had a wonderful time meeting new friends, it was nice to have an old friend here! Besides traveling all over Kent (the county my town is in) we had a lot of fun cooking at home and hanging out in Woody's (the pub for my housing area). Chelsea's flight left early Saturday morning so we spent the night in a hotel on Friday night and then I stayed in London all day Saturday because Mitch and I were going to see Les Mis that night. So Mitch and I were planning on wandering around London for most of the day on Saturday and our first order of business was to visit the Globe theater because it is an amazing place! On our way to the theater we noticed a big group of people looking at a helicopter that was flying over the River Thames but we didn't really know what was going on and the Globe called to us so we walked on past this curious event. On our way back though we had to walk back over the Millennium Bridge but when we got to the foot of the bridge it was blocked off and there were camera crews. We decided to stop and watch for a little while in hopes of seeing someone famous! As we were looking around we saw our first clue: A director's chair with the name David Yeats. Now, most people would not know what that means, but Mitch happens to be a huge Harry Potter movie fan and he knew that David Yeats directed the last Harry Potter movie and is supposed to be directing the 6th Harry Potter movie. We still weren't sure if that's what was going on but our we knew we had found something really exciting. Next we found a sign which said that they were filming on this bridge today and if you didn't want to be in a motion picture you shouldn't walk on the bridge. Well....OF COURSE WE WANT TO BE IN A MOTION PICTURE! So we decided to walk across the bridge and on our way we saw a man holding a boom mic and he was wearing a badge that said HP6....my heart skipped a beat....could it be? Were they really filming for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince? We couldn't believe it...but what else could HP6 stand for?!?!? So we walked across the bridge and then walked back again! We decided to get a picture of the director's chair to commemorate the moment! When we looked at his chair there was a filming schedule laying in it and we stealthily tried to read what they were filming....at the top of the schedule were the words: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE!!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!? You should have seen us....we couldn't contain our excitement. It was too much! So we decided to walk across the bridge like 6 more times to make it into as many frames as possible! We're hoping to give them no choice but to use our footage! So, this November look for us in HARRY POTTER!!!!! Mitch was wearing a bright orange hat and it will be in the scene with a bridge! OMG!!!! The pictures of our faces really captures the moment cause we were just so excited we didn't know what to with ourselves....I still can't believe it totally! Well...no other news I have can compare to that so I will leave you to be jealous! I miss you all very much!

Who's Who 2

2008-03-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some more faces to go with all the names!!! I miss you all very much!

Who's Who

2008-03-05T16:49:00.001-08:00

I thought I would create a reference for everyone so that you could match up the faces I mention with a name! I've included pictures of most of the people I've mentioned to people on the phone or in my blog previously! So here they are!!!

The Day the Internet Died!

2008-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last night the internet in Willows Court (where I live) died for the night and it as really surprising how much we freaked out about it. We (Mitch, Daniel, Aubrey and I) were trying to think of things to do and we kept coming back to things that had to do with the internet like showing each other You Tube videos and pictures from home. But eventually we got the hang of it and it was one of the most fun nights I've had here! Aubrey and I made up a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese (since we couldn't look one up online) and it turned out really nicely! Then we sat around and talked for about an hour and listened to music (thanks Mom and Doug for the speakers!) and then we started to go a little stir crazy. Mitch made himself a headdress out of a scarf and took artsy pictures like this beautiful one of Aubrey! When we got too stir crazy we decided to take a trip to the library cause Daniel had to do something online and the rest of us wanted to check our e-mail.....I know, I know, we caved...but it was a good thing that we went cause that field trip to the library was where most of the fun happened! The wind was an amazing warm wind and we frolicked in it for a bit and on the way back we found an empty parking lot! We danced in the parking lot and ran free and twirled feeling the wind in our hair! It was so much fun! I've included a picture of Mitch letting the wind catch him! Its pretty easy to see where they got the idea of Mary Poppins flying with her umbrella cause the wind is probably strong enough to carry a grown woman here! When we made it home again we had a dance party in Aubrey's room then we popped some popcorn and watched a few episodes of Friends to wind the night down! It was just a night of good friends finding fun things to do and I loved every minute of it!!!

The Lion King

2008-02-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Last night Caitlyn and I made our way to London for the day to see the Lion King! Her house mate, Mikey (who is French), and his friend Leo met us in London and we went to The Tate Modern art gallery! It was really cool to look at all the art and, best of all, FREE! Then we met up with Megan and Emily (who are both from UT as well) and we traveled to the theater to pick up our tickets at willcall. Then we found this great Indian restaurant! The food was so good and they had a pre-theater special so we all just got that! Then we went back to the theater and saw the show! It was AMAZING!!! I had seen The Lion King once before but it was still as touching the second time! The opening number, Circle of Life, is so amazing it made me cry! It encapsulates what musical theater is about, I think. I was very glad I was able to see the show for a second time!

Also, as some of you may have noticed my blogs have been getting more and sparse as I get further along in the semester! This is because I have become busier and busier! I
making really wonderful friends and have been out of the house much more recently! I feel like I'm really finding my place and that is a wonderful feeling! Also, my play is getting closer and closer! I'm so excited to be in a performance and I think auditioning for this play was one of the best decisions I made in my first month here! And my other big bit of news is that Chelsea comes on SATURDAY!!!! I am so excited and I just can't hide it! I'm excited to show someone the place I've been living for the last two months!
Well, that's all for now! I hope you all are doing well! I miss you all!

MIA

2008-02-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been so MIA for the past week and a few days, but I seem to have caught a British stomach virus and it really likes me and doesn't want to go away! For the first few days I had it I felt really bad and stayed in bed and rested and tried to get over it. Now I don't really feel bad anymore its just that my tummy is not playing well with others for the moment. But I have not been on any adventures for a while so there hasn't been much to report. One thing I discovered by being sick is what a great support system I have here in such a short amount of time! Caitlyn, a very sweet girl who also goes to UT and lives a few doors down went to the nurse with me and bought me sprite and crackers when I was really sick! Aubrey, another sweet girl from one less door down, brought me chicken noodle soup and checked on my almost everyday! Daniel checked on me twice daily and asked if there was anything he could do for me! It was nice to have so many nice and supportive people to be there for me when I wasn't feeling that great! Its really hard to be sick so far from home but they helped in a big way!
I did perform my solo piece for my Physical Theater class this week! I think it went alright, I could tell I was weak from being in my bed for 5 days or so, but its done so I'm glad I overcame that hurdle! It was interesting to watch my fellow classmates work and I look forward to working in a group because I think I will learn more from working with other people. I know I will be more comfortable working with other people anyway!
Today I figured out how to record my lines (the lines for my play) on my computer and then transfer them to my ipod! I felt really proud of myself for figuring it out....I usually have to be shown how to do cool things on the computer! Wow, ok you really can tell how bored I have been for the past week! I will have more adventures to report soon! I miss you all very much!

Tea Time!

2008-02-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Claire, Lena, Daniel and I went to Tiny Tim's Tearoom which is in a haunted building and a very nice place to have tea! It was fun to have afternoon tea and I even got some finger sandwiches that were ever so tasty! We had fun talking and enjoying our tea and afterwards you can go upstairs and go into the haunted room! Claire wouldn't go all the way in....just a foot! Since it was day it wasn't that scary but I'm glad I had company!

As we were walking through the town to get to the Tearoom there was a parade going on and men on horses dressed in knight's garb! Daniel and I kept trying to figure out what holiday it could possibly be but when we finally got close enough a man handed us a flier about a book release! That's intense advertising! It was neat to see, though! They had a full band and everything!

Other than that I haven't been up to too much lately. I have pretty fully settled into life here...every now and again something will catch me off guard and I will realize very suddenly that I am, in fact, in a different country. My new bedding has made such a big difference! I sleep better now and I feel more rested! My house mates make fun of me because they say these beds are soft for them...not hard, but having a cozy bed has made a big difference in how I feel about everything!

Next week is a big week for me, I have to write my first paper and I have a solo performance in my Physical Theater class! I am very nervous about my solo performance! We have to create a 5 minute piece to share with the class and I am not exactly sure what to do. This class is certainly stretching me as an actress and as a person! It is a struggle, but a healthy one!

I am trying to work out my month off from school and what I plan to do. It is like a giant puzzle and I am trying to make the pieces fit together. It will work out in the end and anywhere I can't get to is only postponed to another adventure!

I got three different packages this week and everyone has been so wonderful! One full of food goodies that make my homesickness better! Another with a fun game that I can't wait to play with my friends here and at home and some cards! And the last was the gift of playing my tunes out loud!!! You guys rock and I can't thank you enough cause every package is really wonderful and makes me very, very happy! Thank you all again for thinking of me! Love you!

Mexican Night!

2008-02-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

One of the foods I miss most from back home is proper Mexican food! It is hard to come by here and even if you find it....its pretty bland. So I decided to have a fiesta for my house and share the joy of Mexican with all of my house-mates! I made fajitas, refried bean dip, and spinach maria....well actually Spinach Martha cause it was a variation of spinach maria! I had to improvise some of the recipes because they didn't have all the ingredients I usually use but it went really well! It was wonderful to eat Mexican again and we had a great time! The fun even spread to the next house and they joined us! I look forward to having another dinner party! Next time we're going to attempt Indian!

Virtural Tour and more!

2008-02-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

I talked to my dad and Tonya a few days ago and Tonya was asking about my room and the layout of my house! So I thought....well if a picture is worth 1000 words....why not put a video up to show everyone my room! Also, I got some new bedding today because it was like 15 pounds and I'm going to have to have something for the people who visit me to use anyway! I like my new bedding much better! It really brightens up my room and it much more comfortable! I'm very happy with my decision!

Today I spent the day in town with my high school friend Carolyn! She is on a program with her school and they are studying in London! One of the classes she's taking is Canterbury Tales, so they had a day trip to Canterbury today! We were joking about how we both live in the same town and hardly ever see each other, but we met up in England! It was wonderful to see her though and I look forward to seeing her again when I go to London! And I will be going twice in the next month for sure because I just got tickets to both The Lion King and Les Mis!!! I am terribly excited to see both of these shows! I have seen The Lion King before but one of the girls on the program has never seen it and she asked me if I would like to go! Just a note for anyone who hasn't seen it: its a really, really beautiful show and the beginning is so powerful it made me cry! And I'm very excited to see Les Mis for the first time! I'm also hoping to get tickets to see The Importance of Being Earnest and other tickets for the National Theater at some point soon!

And one other thing! I got a new SIM card for my phone today because it allows me to make calls for much cheaper! So my new number is 011 44 794 262 6410 (I think that's how you call from the US but let me know if it doesn't work!) That's all my news for now! I hope everyone is well! I miss you all!

Sandwich

2008-02-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

have never really had my alarm not go off so that Today was kind of a whirlwind day! (But fun nonetheless)! I woke up this morning at 8:50 and quickly realized that my seminar was at 9 and I had 10 minutes to get there (its a good 10-15 minute walk)....so I was kind of freaking out! I made it though just as she reached my name on the registrar! What luck! (I would like to point out that I think that is one of the few times in my life that I have ever unintentionally overslept...I mean there are times when I decide the night before to not go or decide to cut it close but Iwas a new experience for me! But I made it and all was well!

Then, when I got back to the house from seminar Daniel asked if I wanted to go one a trip to Sandwich....and no one should ever turn down a trip to Sandwich and so I said yes and got ready for that in about 10 minutes as well! Sandwich is about 30 minutes away by bus and is a lovely little town by the English Channel. It is the origin of sandwiches thanks to John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich! Also, in the year 1255 the first captive Elephant was landed in England...but that is neither here nor there.... And so when we (several American students and myself) arrived in Sandwich our first mission was to find a sandwich! So we walked across the street from the bus stop and found a lovely French deli! I got a ham and cheese sandwich and it was delicious! I forgot how good French sandwiches are...on a baguette...with butter...mmmmm!

But the town of Sandwich has much more to offer than delicious sandwiches! Its a really neat small town with very old buildings and a nice city wall walk around the whole town! It also has a lot of history! It was one the training grounds for The Black Prince and his army who defeated the French...in a battle I can't spell! But it was a good adventure and I look forward to going back to Sandwich because its a nice place to spend a day! Now it is time for bed! I hope everyone is doing well and I'll post again soon!

This Weekend's Adventure!

2008-02-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

I have made it a goal to go somewhere every weekend! It doesn't have to be far....just somewhere! This weekend, Daniel and I tried to go to Leeds Castle (which incidentally is not in the town of Leeds which is very far North) but Leeds Castle is very hard to reach by public bus and we have to start really early in the day to be able to fully enjoy the Castle! Instead we decided to go to Herne Bay and Whitstable, which are two towns on the English Channel! Herne Bay was a lovely place to visit. Its a small seaside (well channel side) town which seems like it will have a lot going on when it gets a bit warmer! It had a lot of seaside attractions but only a few of them were open because its not the season to be by the sea! We did see this Golden dome thing out in the ocean (I've included a picture for your viewing pleasure!) which I'm pretty sure is a secret entrance to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! When it gets warm enough I will swim out there and if you never hear from me again....well I'm an Umpa Loompa! There were also trash cans shaped like fun animals (bear, dolphin, frog) but my favorite was the PENGUIN! It told you, "Good Job!" when you put trash in it! I think Herne Bay has solved the world's litter problem!

Next, we went to Whitstable and that was fun too, although I like Herne Bay a bit better. Whitstable did have a Castle....but it was one of the less impressive ones I've seen. Its really funny because whenever Daniel and I talk excitedly about a castle the European students are like eh....But we don't have castles all over the place back home so they're very exciting to us! We couldn't go into this one though...so it wasn't as exciting as some others. But it did have a lovely garden! It was a good adventure all around! I hope everyone is doing well!

2008-01-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

Once upon a yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in my room preparing to watch the second half of Angels in America when Mitch came over to ask for my map of London. His Shakespeare class was going to see a production of Much Ado About Nothing and he needed to find the theater. He also mentioned that his professor had two extra tickets and did I want to go. I said, "YES PLEASE!" And I'm so glad I did because it was a wonderful show! It stars Zoe Wannamaker as Beatrice (which some of you might know as Madame Hooch from Harry Potter!) and Simon Russell Beale. I had seen both of them in productions this summer and it was really neat to see them in different rolls! It also had an actor from A Knight's Tale (Mark Addy) which was really neat to see! It was a really funny production and well acted. I also just love that I can decide to go see a show in London at 1:00 on a day and be in a seat at 7:30 that night! I have included some pictures of th show. The first one is Beatrice in a pool of water which both Benedick and Beatrice jumped into in the show and got completely soaked! It was awesome! The second one is the two lovers talking! I can't wait to see more shows soon!

Herby

2008-01-28T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today I spent the majority of the day working on a presentation for my modernism class which has been really rewarding since I actually have time to sink my teeth into the text! But....does not make for a very exciting blog....I thought I would use this opportunity to introduce you to a very important figure in my daily life over here! I have included a picture of Herby! He is a duck/radio and he lives in our upstairs bathroom! He serenades me as I take a shower and decides which song I will have stuck in my head for the rest of the day! He is a very good little duck and sometimes I sing Rubber Ducky to him but only when I'm feeling particularly silly and I know no one is home! Well, I'm glad that you all could meet Herby! (Oh, and this picture was taken when Herby was in our kitchen entertaining us while we were cooking....in case you were worried about me having peanut butter in the bathroom) Back to work....

Day Trip to Dover

2008-01-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mitch, Daniel, and I took a day trip to the town of Dover (as in "White Cliffs of") and witnessed the White Cliffs first hand! Since Dover is only about 30 minutes away we didn't start until later in the day (cause sleeping in is precious no matter how many times you do it) and took the 12:20 bus to Dover. Our first order of business was to find some Fish and Chips since we were on the coast and that is the best place to get fish! We found some at a pub and it was DELICIOUS! I ate the whole thing and was so full, but likely I had a lot f walking ahead of me so it was ok! One thingI noticed about going to a pub around 1 in the afternoon was how many people had pints! Its 5 o'clock somewhere...right? Anyway, we walked down to the English Chanel and I touched it! Before I touched I was thinking it would be really cool to swim across it.....after touching it I'm thinking its really cold and I probably will not be swimming in it! We saw the White Cliffs and walked along the water for awhile! Then we decided to go check out the Castle because it has secret tunnels and that's cool! (Sidebar....the European students are not as impressed by castles as we are because they have castles everywhere....but to me castles will always be awesome! Too bad America missed that whole castle phase....) We took the bus up to the castle but when we got there they told us that they were closing in 40 minutes. We decided to do the castle another day....since it was 10 pounds to get in. So, we walked back down the big hill through some really cool paths and out on the pier (which was like half a kilometer long) and got a really good view of the cliffs! Then we called it a day and went home. It was a good day and we learned that it is better to not sleep in when exploring the country because everything closes at like 4:00. I look forward to exploring more of Kent.....it is my playground!

Exciting News!

2008-01-26T02:06:00.001-08:00

I just found out that I was cast as the leading female role in a play I auditioned for! The play is student written and its working title is Pub Comedy. My character's name is Alice and she works in a pub! I am really excited to be involved in a play while I'm over here because I feel it will be a great way to make really good friends! The cast members that I have met so far have seemed like a lot of fun and I am looking forward to working with them! The only down side is I won't be able to travel as much...but that's what April and May can be for! Oh! And the other blessing is that the show dates fall while my Mom is here! She has never missed a show that I have been in and she will be able to come to this one too! That's all for now folks!

Happy Birthday To Daniel!

2008-01-23T16:07:00.001-08:00

So yesterday was Daniel's 21st birthday and we celebrated with him! It was really nice, I thought, how we all came together and celebrated his birthday as a house! It made me realize that I have a great support system and some really great people in my house! Lena baked a really yummy cake and we had a bottle of champagne in his honor (in the funny nose glasses that Claire is modeling)! We also gave him a bottle of Jameson befitting a 21 year old! Then we all hit the town for both Daniel and my first proper PUB CRAWL! We started at this place called West Bar which gives out glow-stick bracelets when you order a cocktail! They are modeled ever so elegantly below. They kinda look like Captain Planet! Anyway, we then proceeded to The Hobgoblin which is a neat old pub! It had a good pub feeling to it and no tables so we had to stand at the bar which encouraged us to move on quickly! Our next and final stop was the Beer Cart Arms which was really fun! They had great music playing (including one of my favorites MY SHARONA) and we had our own nook! We remained there until it closed....which was at 11:00 cause all the bars close around 11 or at the latest 12 (which I like because I don't do well with really late nights). And we headed home on the bus! It was a really fun night and I kinda felt like it was my 21st Birthday too since it was my first pub crawl! I also really enjoyed hanging out with everyone (several of Lena's friends came along too) and having a night out! I hope to do it again soon (but hopefully next time I won't have class the next day). Lena even confessed to me that they were worried about having new house-mates because their last ones were so nice, but we are just as wonderful she said and she's really glad to have us! I too feel blessed to have been placed in such a nice house and last night was a real testament to what a great house it is!

DId you know?

2008-01-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

So we were hanging out in Claire's room watching YouTube videos and she had a smurf blanket and I pointed and said, "SMURFS!" and she replied, "Schtroumpfs" and I was like, "whaaaa?" Apparently the Smurfs originated in Belgium.....did not know. And Lena came in and said a different name for the smurfs. Isn't it funny that a made up word like smurf can be so different for all the languages. Anyway...it kinda blew my mind that the smurfs weren't from America....who knew? You learn something new everyday.....

London Calling

2008-01-20T06:15:00.000-08:00

So on Wednesday afternoon Mitch skyped me up and said, "Hey Martha you wanna go to London this weekend?" And I said, "Um....yes!" I then knocked on my housemate, Daniel's door and asked, "Hey Daniel you wanna go to London this weekend?" and he replied, "Um....yes!" You see, since Canterbury is so close to London you could buy a round trip ticket for as little as 2 pounds. Since we waited so long ours was more like 12 pounds but still!!! And so we booked tickets on a bus to London for a day! And with a little more planning I think we could make this a simi-regular thing! We left the Canterbury around 8:15 (when my alarm went off at 6:30 I didn't think this whole London thing was quite as cool anymore....but I got over that very quickly) and drove through the countryside toward London! Mitch wasn't feeling well on the bus, however, and when we arrived at the bus station he opted to remain close to the facilities while Daniel and I went to the half price ticket window to see if we could go see any shows. Our first choice was Les Mis, but they only had restricted view and I really wanted to be able to see the show (demanding, I know) and so we opted for a less well
known show called Dealer's Choice. Mitch still wasn't
feeling well so he didn't get a ticket :(. He did feel up for
a walk to Westminster Abbey though! We were all excited
about going in and seeing the Poet's corner (where a lot of
famous poets are buried namely Chaucer) and the beautiful
architecture. When we arrived we discovered that it was their day of prayer and one of the few days a year that the Abbey is closed to visitors. They were still open for Even Song and so we decided to come back for that at 3. While we waited we walked around Parliament and got some lunch in a sandwich shop! As we set out for Westminster again we ran into another group of American students studying at Kent (small world) and they said they were headed to the National Gallery Daniel decided to go with them while Mitch and I went to Even Song. It was a beautiful service and the music sounded amazing in the Abbey! Afterwards Mitch decided it was time for him to go home! I met up with Daniel and the others in the National Gallery! Then we went to a pub but by the time we found one it was almost time for Daniel and I to head to the theater. So we said goodbye and walked to our theater. The show was very good and extremely well acted! Then we headed back to the bus station and headed back to campus! All and all it was a very successful trip! I am excited to do it again! With almost all of the museums being free it is wonderful to think that I can do London for as little as 10 pounds a day! I also feel a sense of pride that I did a mini trip all by myself! Even this summer when I went we had a professor who planned out the majority of the trip! This was all me and I feel it was a success! I look forward to going back again soon!
*I would also like to say a thank you to everyone that's reading my blog! I have been getting a lot of good feedback about it in sometimes unexpected places! If you ever want to comment on something (even to just say it cool) please do because then it becomes an even better communication tool! I like knowing how my friends and family are reacting! I miss you all!

So domestic!

2008-01-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

So I have the discovered the beauty of having classes for only two days a week and that is all the time it leaves to do other things that you get too busy for in regular life! Daniel and I have been cooking for almost every meal and making really delicious meals! I have included pictures of a salad that we made two nights ago! Almost all of the ingredients were bought at a farmers market that comes to campus every week! I love being able to go to the market and pick out fresh ingredients and then make something....which I can do at home but I hardly ever do....here, I have so much time I don't feel like I need to squeeze a dinner in 20 minutes before running to the next thing! Sometimes I spend an hour or an hour and a half just sitting and enjoying my dinner and talking with my flat-mates!
Speaking of my flat mates we are really starting to have a lot of fun! Tonight we went to the pub in Parkwood (the location of my court of houses) and I had a snakebite! Its a tasty drink but the real fun was in hanging out with my housemates! I have included a picture of Lena and Claire! By the time I took the picture Lena had finished her drink which is why she is holding up a salt shaker! We decided to have "flat dinner" on Thursday night and make lasagna and bread and salad! I am very excited! Anyway, that's all for now!

Into the Woods!

2008-01-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

I thought today I would include some pictures of my walk to my classes because it's a really wonderful part of my day! Parkwood (the location of my house) is, as the name suggests, in the woods and to get to class we take this wonderful path through the woods! Sometimes there are bunnies along the path, but now that all the students are back and populating the path the bunnies have retreated back into the woods. And today there were ducks in a pond next to the path! It just starts my day off right to take a trip through such a beautiful path every morning! So here are a couple of pictures depicting my path!

Also, I have started classes! I think I am going to enjoy them a lot! The British students are attentive and quick in their assessments of what is being said around them. I love to listen and will have to work hard to speak more....but I love to hear what they have to say (and it doesn't hurt that they are saying it all in lovely British accents!). I learned a lot just from my first two days of classes and I have much research to do before next week, but since I'm done with classes for the week......I think I should have some time to do that. I am really feeling a part of the school now and enjoying being here! But I miss you all and hope everyone is doing well back home!

Adventure in the Cathedral!

2008-01-14T14:40:00.002-08:00

On Saturday the international students were given the opportunity to take a tour of the Cathedral in town. When I visited the town of Canterbury this summer I did not go into the Cathedral so this was a new adventure for me! It is really a breathtaking experience! Especially after having studied the play Murder in the Cathedral it was really neat to see the place where Beckett was
killed! The first picture (from right to left) is a picture of the shrine to Beckett where all the pilgrims came to pay homage to Saint Beckett. The next picture is an alter which is in the place where Thomas Beckett was slain. It is really modern looking and creepy...in a good way. Notice at the bottom it says Thomas! The last picture is looking out from the shrine into the rest of the Cathedral! It is really a breathtaking view! Another neat thing that I saw while (or whilst as they say here) is the tomb of Henry IV. I read the first part of Shakespeare's play about Henry IV's life this past semester and it was cool to see the tomb of a man who Shakespeare saw fit to right about! And, interestingly enough, Henry's tomb is right across from Prince Edward's tomb (Edward was father to Richard II who was dethroned and killed on the command of Henry IV). But enough history for tonight!

In other news........I start my first class tomorrow! I finally got my schedule worked out and I only have class on Tuesday and Wednesday! I will have a 5 day weekend every week! This is going to be great for those of you who are visiting me! It will also be great for all my traveling needs! The Annie song comes to mind...."I think I'm gunna like it here!".....

You know you're in Europe when......

2008-01-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

So! Today my house-mates arrived and I am loving it! They all have been here for 3 months before now and know all of the people from their countries that live close by. So today Lena (my German roommate) cooked a delicious dinner for us and invited a bunch of her friends round! Clara (from France) invited some of her friends round too! After dinner we say round and drank tea and talked. At one point the conversations broke off into different languages....Daniel and I spoke English and then there was a conversation in German and one in French.....soon Daniel and I stopped talking and started listening! It was amazing! I think today it finally sank in that I am no longer in America and am in Europe!
In the picture the names from left to right are: Martha, Kristen, Lena, Anna, and Clara.....Lena and Clara live with me!
Other than my language revelation, I think today was the best day so far! A girl that visited the house tonight (she is not in the picture) told me how to fix the fuse and that has really brightened my day! Also, today was the end of orientation and tomorrow is my first day to not have a schedule and really explore! I am looking forward to it! Well, I should go to bed because its very late! Good night!

Crazy Hallway!

2008-01-11T15:00:00.001-08:00

So today I did a bit more exploring and Kent is a very interesting place. I'm finally finding my way around and I'm putting the pieces together to make a map in my head. In one of my adventures, however, I stumbled across this floor of a building with all white walls and no doors. It was very freaky and so I left and returned later with reenforcement (namely Mitch). With our powers combined we ventured further into this weird place and took some pictures which I am now presenting to you! Doesn't it resemble an insane asylum? Just imagine this room being at the end of an all white hallway with no doors!!!!

Orientation

2008-01-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of orientation and it really helped to start getting some of my questions answered. I look forward to tomorrow where we get a tour of campus so that I can start knowing my way around a little better. Its very rainy and windy so its not find to wonder around and try to find things. Mitch's roommate came back from vacation and she is from Massachusetts and has been here for the fall term as well. She is a wonderful resource because she has already figured out the answer to many of my questions. Also, she likes to cook!!! She made us Miso soup and fried rice for dinner! I look forward to my two female flat mates moving in! My fuse still isn't fixed but I am hopeful that tomorrow will be the day! I am also looking forward to going to the store and buying pillows and such that will make sleeping a bit nicer. Although, when Mitch and I asked a woman today if they had bed toppers she looked at us like we were crazy! I am feeling more excited now about the semester and I am looking forward to classes starting (especially my Physical Theater class!) I am a little worried about grading being so different BUT.....its only pass fail and I feel that if I try I will be fine! And I'm very interested in learning here so I think I will try very hard to learn all I can which can't hurt my grades! The picture I am including today is one of a Ben and Jerry's Ice cream machine which is AWESOME!!! It was in the campus restaurant called Origins which is in Darwin college....get it? I still miss home very much but today was a good day and I feel very good about it!

First Thoughts

2008-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I am in England!!!! I don't really know what to think yet or how to feel. I feel overloaded. I am excited, anxious, sad, happy, grateful, hopeful, worried, and this is all compounded by being tired.....so very tired. I am looking forward to classes starting (especially my theater class). I am realizing more and more what a wonderful experience this is! I am feeling closer to myself than I have in a long time. I think by the end of the semester I will know myself much better. When we checked into our rooms the woman that checked us in was named Lucy Tyler (which is my mother's exact name)!!!! It was like a little message for God that its going to be ok and that I will be at home here eventually. I am really glad to have my own room so that I can get away from it all and really think. But enough about me!
I love how new everything feels! Mitch and I went to the campus shop today and behind the counter there was cigarettes and hard liquor.....in the campus store...WHAT?!?! Also, there are a lot of words here that are almost like our words but just slightly different (for example "overspill parking" instead of overflow). Everything just takes a little more thought than my life at home. Time and money are the two big ones. On the schedule it say 14.00 hrs for a meeting time and although its easy enough to figure out that that means 2:00 pm it just takes a little more thought. And when I pay for something exact change takes a lot longer. And they have a 2 pence coin thats bigger than all the other coins......what's the point of that?!?! I dunno. Well, I have to go to a meeting in a few minutes to learn more about my new school!