A Week in Highlights (because who wants to read the boring stuff?)

I'm writing this from memory and from the few little tidbits I wrote down this past week, so I apologize if it's a tad vague. I've made it super easy for those of you who like to skim: just read the bold stuff.

20 September 2009
Arrival at Kent!
The bus ride from London was fairly uneventful (except for the fact that we were dropped off in Eliot College and had to drag our luggage to Parkwood). Ate a quick bite at Woody’s (the Parkwood bar) and finished unpacking by the end of the day. I don’t believe I’ve ever taken so few things for such a long period of time.

21 September 2009
Some stuff happened…
Mostly recuperating. And getting a student ID. And going grocery shopping in town. By bus. With eight bags between two of us. ‘Twas an adventure.

22 September 2009
10am – Introduction for International Students
Use common sense, etc, etc, etc, student orgs, the end

2:30pm – Meeting with General Advisor
Things are a bit different here, etc, etc, etc, sign up for individual advising

7pm – Reception and Dinner
The international reception and dinner was held in the large hall in Eliot College. It was somewhat intimidating entering and sitting down because the place settings were extravagant (why do I need three forks? (by the way, it’s a rhetorical question (but just in case you were wondering, the answer is for the salad, main course, and dessert))). But the intimidation was eased by the fact that all the other students thought it extravagant as well – we had some good laughs over which glass or utensil to use at which point, and whether the napkin to the left or right belonged to us. There were people from all over sitting at our table, including France, Spain, and Germany. Near the end of the meal there was entertainment on the stage; a member of the Music Society sang her national anthem and a dance club performed a Flamenco piece. Overall, the food was sub par but the company was excellent.

23 September 2009
12:40pm – Individual Advising Appointment
Yes, having only 6 hours of class is normal, and yes, you will be very busy, and yes, I can tell you what the room abbreviations actually stand for, and yes, there is an advisor specifically for theatre. Yay for my advisor having all the answers and being really nice!

2pm – Canterbury Cathedral
If I had to say one thing about the Canterbury Cathedral, it would be that it has gorgeous stained glass windows. If I had to say two things, I would add that it’s big. If I had to say three things, I would add that it’s really, really big. It’s like walking through a history of construction techniques as you see all the renovations through the ages.
After Cathedral – shopping then tea and scones

24 September 2009 & 25 September 2009
Some more stuff happened…which was quite fun but not terribly noteworthy.

26 September 2009
1pm – Archery Club Meeting
I spent Saturday afternoon hanging out with the Archery Club (yea, you read right, archery). I intended to only stay for a little while, but what better way to pass an afternoon than by chatting under the sun with a few friendly blokes while occasionally participating in one of the most awesome activities ever? Plus the field caught fire about halfway through so that was exciting. No really, it did. The neighbor’s bonfire/bbq/lit cigarette/what-have-you spread to the far end of the field. It was quite funny watching the fire brigade try to fit their fire engine through the small break in the bushes to the field. I might’ve been more worried about the fire had it not looked like we could’ve put it out with a bucket – but alas, we had no bucket. The neighbor did try to put it out with a watering can though…

27 September 2009
10am – Leeds Castle
The castle was beautiful and the grounds surrounding it were even more gorgeous. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun was out but it was still cool in the shade. I tried the hedge maze with a friend and we got lost, but thankfully someone in the middle tower helped point us in the right direction. We also took a quick walk through the aviary, but the most interesting birds were outside of the aviary – geese, swans, peacocks – you name it, it’s probably there somewhere. The interior of the castle was not particularly thrilling, but I’m not much of a history buff, so I just admired the general beauty.

28 September 2009
Hey, that’s today! Or at least it was when I started writing this…
10am – First Class: Cultural Policy and British Theatre
Professor + sense of humor + knows what he’s doing = very interesting class + difficult grading = an equation I like
The other students are friendly, although I’m the only American (or non-Brit for that matter). The class size is rather small at about 20 people, so discussions and presentations will be important. I’ll probably have to find a local theatre that I can research, since funding and general procedures are different in the U.S.

6:30pm – Drama Society Meeting
The Drama Society puts on four shows per term, including one at the Gulbenkian. They also put on a Collage Show for short pieces, poems, and whatever else people want to showcase. Although I could potentially work tech for one of these, the last thing I want to do is leave myself too little time for travel and other exciting opportunities. I’ll be stage managing for some time to come, but I won’t be here forever.

On the Horizon
- update blog...check
- a picnic
- that other class
- London?
- sleep…maybe

Doing the Tourist Thing

Here are a few pictures from the UC group orientation in London. The first three are from Trafalgar Square. I did the typical tourist thing and stuck my head in one of the four lions guarding the tall pillar.


This is a picture of the Parliament buildings near sunset.










Here is the London Bridge as seen from our boat tour on the river Thames.







Hopefully you recognize this. Big Ben is technically the name for the bell inside the tower, not the name for the tower itself. Didn't know that before...










Changing of the guard.








Some of the many stained glass windows in the Canterbury Cathedral.








And last but not least, a group of us had tea and scones at a cozy little shop in downtown Canterbury. It was actually quite good and very filling.

Canterbury Tale In Progress

I apologize for the lack of recent posts, but this week has been rather hectic (in a good way thankfully). I promise I am taking tons of pictures and will post them soon!

I Think I Want to Live Here...But Then I'd Be Broke

Here's a quick update for the moment, and I promise more will come later when I have regular access to internet.

After overcoming the time zone change (I'm now back to my regular sleeping in way later than I should and staying up equally way later than I should) I had the energy to finally truly explore yesterday. I wandered over to Trafalgar Square (hope I'm spelling that correctly) and walked around the surrounding area. I crossed the Thames by bridge, where I had an excellent view of the London Eye and Big Ben. I've stepped inside at least three churches/cathedrals so far, but the names are escaping me at the moment. They were even practicing music inside one and I got to listen for a while before they closed for the evening. I've seen two plays so far: War Horse and La Cage aux Folles. They are very different plays but they were both quite enjoyable.

I did the proper tourist thing and took a bunch of photos, but those will have to come at a later date. That's all for now. Cheers!

In the UK!

I've arrived in London! Well, actually that was yesterday, but I've only just got internet. I'll give the highlights since I've only got 2 more minutes paid for...

Flight went smoothly. Shuttle ride to hotel was long but not bad. Rained a bit on Tuesday, but the sun is peeking through the clouds today. Plenty of small cafes/sandwich shops/convenient stores surrounding the hotel. Just starting to explore.

More later!

Last Day in the USA

The wait is almost over! Tomorrow I leave for London where I will spend a week before heading on to Canterbury. If you want to get in touch with me it'll have to be through email or Skype.

New Camera

I just got a new camera so I took it for a test drive today. It's a Canon PowerShot SD780 IS and it is super super small (as in, smaller than my phone). Hopefully I'll be able to take some awesome pics while abroad. Here are a couple from the local park.

Unpacking So I Can Pack

As my departure grows nearer, the laundry list of things I need to accomplish seems to keep growing larger (including laundry, ironically enough). I must admit however, I am one of those people who puts a finished task onto the checklist just so I can have the satisfaction of checking it off...

Back in the Bay

I am back in the bay. The drive wasn't too bad - traffic through L.A. was not nearly as horrendous as expected, even with the smoke from the fire to the east.

Now I am surrounded by suitcases and boxes. Time to unpack so I can pack again in just under two weeks!