Introspection

I am currently sitting in a dimly lit Thai restaurant, all alone, grateful for the chance to breathe and unwind. There is surely something to be said about the opportunity to be silent and enjoy one's own presence. Perhaps I can even go so far as to say it brings about the elusive emotion of euphoria! But maybe that is going too far. :)

We are going to see One Man, Two Guv'nors tonight at the Adelphi Theatre next door. It is a comedy, which is a welcome change from the tragedies we have been going to see lately! I am extremely excited, as I always am before a show. I cannot praise this program enough for its extensive theatrical attendances!

*Update: The show tonight was HYSTERICAL! So funny I would definitely see it again. :) Highly recommend!

Last Tuesday was spent savoring various bits of theatre lore, and it was a fabulous day. We discussed shows we had seen thus far with our professor (read: genius), and then we met with John Heffernan, who plays Hastings in the show She Stoops to Conquer, in an extremely informal setting (huddled comfortably in a corner of the cafe in the National Theatre). He told us about how he came to act in London, about working with different directors and casts, and other little interesting things about himself. I asked him what is his favorite/most effective exercise for an actor to get into his or character, and he replied, "It's quite a personal thing for me, actually. I listen to music that my character would likely listen to." How genius is that? And how in the blazes have I never thought to do that before? Music is the most emotional, personal way to connect, I can only imagine the wonders it would work. I can't wait to try it out! I also asked which he prefers, playing a character that is similar or quite opposite from his own personality, and he said he really enjoys that theatre allows you to be someone totally different from yourself. So true. :) And y'all, lemme just say, John was so stinkin' adorable! I would venture to say that every single girl in our group had fallen head over heels for him by the end of our visit. He was incredibly humble, polite, handsome, jovial, and just way precious! Cute, cute, cute.


^ Part of the theatre class with Mr. John Heffernan :)

Afterwards, we had a backstage tour of the three stages (all very unique) that are housed in the National Theatre, then we saw the Irish tragedy Juno & the Paycock. I know I say this in every post, but my heart just aches to be on a stage again. And being so close to all of the action makes me wonder....can I do this? Could I pursue this? Could I "make it" here? It would be so incredible to perform on a West End or a Fringe stage. But then there is so much one must give up or postpone in order to live that life, and I'm not so sure I am willing to do that. And then there's always the issue of being capable of withstanding loads and loads of criticism. ;) But goodness, it would be amazing if I could actually get there.



Being here and experiencing all of this has really made me question my future, to be perfectly honest. This is all extremely personal, and I'm not really posting this to get any response (positive OR negative) from any of my readers, but more as an outlet to organize my own thoughts into reality. I have always loved the idea of working with kids, and the most accessible profession for that in small town Texas is something like what I am pursuing now, a preschool or kindergarten teaching position. But coming to London has showed me how many more career possibilities are out there. Perhaps I want to be onstage? Perhaps I want to be a personal stylist? Perhaps I want to work in fashion, for a magazine or blog? There are a million choices, overwhelmingly endless. Mmkay, I think the soul baring is over for this post. ;)

And I also think that I should allow myself to have a delicious candle lit dinner alone to refresh and clear my head a lot more often. Wooooooo sahhhhhhhh.


^Romantic dinner for one :)

Next post: Adventures in Ireland :)

Cheers, my love doves!

XOXO 
Megan♥

Snippets!

Hey y'all! :) Since I am so behind in updating this puppy, I'm just going to throw lots of random things together and share short snippets about them. :)

New plays we've seen:
- She Stoops to Conquer
- We Will Rock You
- King John


^At She Stoops to Conquer

Favorite: We Will Rock You! It features all music from Queen, and it is so much fun! I was just so happy throughout the entire musical. It made me nostalgic for my 7th and 8th grade days when I went through my INTENSE 80s obsession. ;P I would highly recommend this show. I think I enjoyed it more than everyone else in the group 'cause there were definitely some haters, but I still stand by my opinion. :)


^At We Will Rock You!

The other two shows: I wasn't crazy about the storylines, but the actors all did a great job! King John was done in a teensy tiny, itty bitty theatre! Maybe 45 seats? It was a cool experience, because the actors were literally a foot away from us at times. There wasn't a stage, they just acted in the area right in front of us! How intimidating, right?! I would love to do a show like that, but I know I would certainly have more stagefright than I've ever had onstage before. I was honestly lost for the majority of the play, no clue what was going on, so about 2/3s of the way through I gave up trying to understand and spent the rest of the play deciding which actor was the cutest. ;)


^Before seeing the play Lovesong, I dressed them up in my dresses!
Makes me reeeeally want to pursue being a personal stylist :)

Day trips we've taken:
- Dover Castle/wartime tunnels & Canterbury Cathedral
- Stonehenge & Salisbury Cathedral
- The ancient Roman baths and the cathedral in Bath


^In Dover


^Canterbury Cathedral


^Dover Castle


^Stonehenge

These were all so neat! So much history is contained in those places, it's difficult to wrap my brain around the reality of it all. I feel so blessed to have experienced all of them, and I am beyond excited for all that is still to come this semester.


^Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe (Yep. We went to Hard Rock for CLASS. I ♥ this semester!)


^The red guitar was Slash's! And the outfit behind it was the very outfit that he wore in the November Rain music video!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D Needless to say, my obsession with Guns N' Roses was rekindled that night. ;)

I went to church at Hillsong London last Sunday! It is held in the Dominion Theatre, which is where we saw We Will Rock You. Haha. It was mostly young adults and felt very "contemporary", much like being at a conference like Battle Cry or at a Christian concert. I will definitely be going back there for service every week, especially because they have four different service times to attend!


^At the Tower of London

For British Culture & History last week, we toured the Tower of London. I think this is my favorite historical landmark in London that we have learned about so far. Soooo many crazy things happened there with monarchs throughout the years. The guy in the picture is called a Yeoman Warder. He asked where we were from and when we responded with Texas, he said, "I was told Texas is the Lone Star State, yet I see so many beautiful stars here!" and all of the girls just melted. :P


^The Tower Bridge: soooooo gorgeous!



^The Ravens of the Tower stole some poor kiddo's lunch!

There are these cookies at the grocery store Sainsbury's, 5 cookies for 1 pound. They're of the devil; they are really that good. And it's terrible because I can't stop eating them! But I have told myself that I will not buy any more of them. I'm about to get serious about losing weight while I'm here...which also means no more croissants! Also if I spend less money on food, I can spend more on shopping, going out to clubs (which I sadly have not gotten to do yet), going to more plays, and more fun things. :)



^My thoughts exactly, sistergirl! :)



I got to go running one time, but it was the night before it turned super cold, so I haven't gone since. :/ I did ten miles that night though, and it felt amazing! Of course it was a lot more like brisk walking/jogging than running, but regardless, I still did ten miles. Running is therapy! I can't wait until it's warm enough for me to go more often. Apparently February is the UK's coldest month. When we arrived, it wasn't too terribly cold, but the last week has been freezing! Also, it has snowed twice since we got here! The snow is a beautiful sight. :)



Last night we tried McDonald's to see how it compares to McD's in the states. I heard rumors that it wasn't good, but I got chicken nuggets and french fries (oopsie, make that "chips!") and they were, in my opinion, no different from the ones back home. I still haven't gotten up the courage to try a hamburger here though...I can't imagine that Londoners would be able to do beef quite like Texans can!


^The COOLEST milkshake place EVER, called ShakeAway!

I bought a black sequin beret. Monumental moment; it needed to be noted. ;)

I love London, but nothing compares to Texas/the South! Being here has made me even more appreciative of being raised a Southern belle. (Y'all didn't even think it was possible for this girl to gain more Texas pride, did you??) I made a list of everything I love about being from the country. Shall I post it? Would y'all be interested in reading it and suggesting additions to the list?

Oh my goodness. Believe me when I say that shopping here is CUTTHROAT! Girls are crazyyyy and ruthless when you go in a crowded store like H&M, Forever 21, or Primark. There is shoving, dirty looks, and reaching over people without a single "excuse me" to be heard. Mamas apparently don't teach their baby girls how to act like proper ladies here! Or maybe they do, but all rules go out the window when it comes to scoring a good sale.

XOXO 
Megan♥

Schoolhouse Rock

When we are not traipsing around the streets of London, classes are held in a beautifully constructed old building just a minute's walk from Pickwick Hall (my home), called the Swedenborg House. Classes are generally three hours long, because we only go to each class one day a week. My schedule looks like this:
Monday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM British Culture & History (taught by British professors Doctors Donald and Molly Rumbelow)
Tuesday: 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM London Theatre (taught by esteemed London theatre critic Ian Herbert)
Wednesday: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM History of Rock Music (taught by Dr. Robert Tucker, from Brownwood, Texas institute Howard Payne University)
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Charles Dickens' London (taught by Dr. Josh Davies, Manchester, England native and graduate of Kings College)

I adore every one of my classes and my professors, but boy is it tough to pay attention for three hours straight in one room! I seriously think I need to be tested for ADD. :/ My classes are so neat though; who else gets to truly have this hands on experience on such interesting topics? And y'all, my new favorite sound: Dr. Tucker's laugh. It is the greatest sound EVER! It is so hysterical and contagious and just makes us smile every time we hear it. One of these days I may have to get it on video so that you all may enjoy the sound as well. :)




^ Theatre Class with Dr. Herbert

My favorite class, of course, is Theatre. LE SWOON :D From the very first moments of class, I knew it would be different from the rest. There's just something about the stage that resonates with me, that connects straight to my heart and soul, and lights a fire within me. Perhaps it sounds silly, but during that class I just feel so....for lack of a better word, alive. Excited. Happy. Vibrant. So incredibly in my element. And it also makes me so sad; I long for the day I get to be onstage again! After just two days of theatre class and four trips to see London productions, I am reminded that the Lord gave me a love for the stage for a reason. I am meant to be a part of that world/lifestyle and when I have gone without it for too long, I can feel the empty space it leaves. I am so happy to have it semi-filled again, and absolutely thirst for the day I can be involved in another show! I know to some people this won't make any sense, but I also know that others (like my sweet friend and faithful reader, the lovely Lauren Sierra! :)) will know EXACTLY how I feel.


 ^ The stage for Shrek


^ Legally Blonde (which I WILL be going to see!)


They don't have Walmart here. :/ It sure does take some getting used to! We do our grocery shopping at Sainsbury's, a short walk from our hostel. It is the largest grocery close to us, and has nice, low prices and fresh products. I love it! Certainly one of the advantages of living in London is the delicious freshness found absolutely everywhere. They don't use many preservatives here, and it is so refreshing! Also, fast food is not nearly as rampant, and the vast majority of natives are very, very slim. I hope to join their ranks by the time I leave. ;)



XOXO
Megan♥