Week 8 Highgate

June 19 – 27

SATURDAY, we had to move out. I decided to stay up late to pack while Emily decided to get up early. It worked out and we left the flat at noon. We took the bus to get to the tube station, transferred to a few other tubes, then onto another bus to get to the hostel. It was miserable. Everyone could see that, so several people stopped to help us. One man, who waited at the bus stop with us, was especially helpful. He told us about the town and the little fair that was on for the day. He also talked about the several roads named some variation of Park on one of which was our hostel while he lived on another (just a few houses down from West End actor Jonathan Price). Evidently a lot of actors live in this area. Anyway, we checked in and vowed to get rid of a few things so that the next move would be better. This became more necessary for me when I realized that a wheel on my smaller bag had snapped off. Now the plan is to send a few things home and donate a few more. I must get everything down to one bag. We walked the town and found a large wooded area to get lost in for a while. We then ate and came home to crash.

SUNDAY was church then Emily and I found an internet café that charges 1 pound an hour, so we shared the hour and sent out a little.

MONDAY was another long day. We started off by going to BUNAC to check for job listings. We found a few nice temp agencies to call and headed to an interview for Emily. She is staying until late August, so her opportunities will be greater than mine, though not much greater since most places here expect at least 4 months of work. While Emily was at interview/training session, I called the temp agencies and ran errands. When I got back to meet her, she called the mobile to explain that the session had been cancelled and she had gone on to do other errands. After we met up, we had a little lunch and finished our joint errands including making a dry-run to her new hostel. She is staying at one that is closer to central London than this one and gives her two decent meals a day. I decided to stay here since there weren’t more openings and they need people to stay for at least 14 days which I may not have by the time a new opening becomes available. At this hostel, I have a kitchen, so I can cook for myself, which we both agree is preferable.

TUESDAY, I attended an appointment with NatWest to open a UK bank account for employers to direct deposit into. Then, we headed home to move Emily out. As we embarked, a temp agency called with a job. Emily had a training session, so she couldn’t take it. I accepted a receptionist assignment that I had an hour to get to. I rushed a few blocks home to change, booked it to the tube, transferred to anther line, and booked it from the station to the job.
I worked a switchboard for the head office of local casinos. I felt a little connection to home because they had both London and Las Vegas time in the office. I worked from 12:30 to 6:30. It was easy enough, and I had a chance to get through one-third of a novel called Lovely Bones about a girl in heaven who was too attached to the affairs of Earth to move on because she needed to help them heal from her vicious murder. I know that sounds like crap, but it’s a real page turner. After work, I met up with Emily and crashed on her bed. After grabbing dinner, I made the 40 minute trip home and am now writing this travelogue. It’s a lot easier to write when I keep up with it at least every three days instead of three weeks.

WEDNESDAY, I slept in before heading out to hunt down wireless internet. I figured hotels would have access, and in the states, you can just walk in and sign on. Not so here. You have to sign onto a pay-by-the-minute system. I assume paying customers get some kind of code to get free access, but alas, I will have to continue paying one pound an hour at the internet café. I made it back to town and went to volunteer at the Cancer Research Charity shop. I sort the books by genre, pick out the rare ones to have a dealer look at or pick out the ones that won’t sell to toss. Once I have gotten through the few hundred backlogged in the basement, I will price them for sale. I stayed for three hours and will continue to volunteer every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for three hours until I go up to Northampton. I eventually met up with Emily to see her new place. It will get the job done. Her roommate is nice and she will have her Utah roommate in the same building tomorrow and for the rest of the summer. It will work out.

THURSDAY, I met Emily and Kristin, her roommate, at BUNAC where Kristin was doing her orientation. We went to Leather Lane to look at the clothes, then had vegetarian take-away. I then headed home for a nap and time to myself. I really like staying alone. It’s nice to have friends to be with if I want, but I no longer have to stay with them. Emily has the mobile, so I do have either hang with her in case a temp job calls in or stay close to my hostel so she can leave a message for me. About 8pm we met to use the internet and do laundry. The laundry facility here is great. It’s the cheapest around and highly efficient. The only thing is that something in my wash has still dyed other things pink. Once I figure out what it is, I’ll chuck it.

FRIDAY, it took almost an hour to finally get a package sent off to my parents. I had to get to the post office and go through several waitings in line to get it out. I had to buy packing tape and labels (neither of which I plan to use again) and stuff the box with the free newspaper from the tube station. I then had to withdraw money from the ATM nearby because the machine didn’t like my card for the transaction (which the teller said was common). I had to rush to eat lunch before heading to the charity shop. While there, I finished going though the massive hill of books in the basement. I will now go through them again to sort them for future sale. It was such a mess. It’s nice to have a project that has a clear progression. I am now pricing the books that have already been sorted and tossing the books that are over two weeks old. I will go back on Monday.
I then headed to Sainsbury’s on the bus, which is a twenty minute trek. While on my way, I saw a sign for a clothing showcase. I decided to go there before getting my groceries. Not only was it terribly far away, but the shops were already closed. I don’t think I’ll go back there. The clothes are not my style and the locals are a little too friendly, if you know what I mean.
Once home, I made dinner. The serving sizes out here are a little quirky, and I made too much. I decided to ask the front desk clerk if he’d had dinner, yet. He is the only person I’ve actually gotten to know here because we chatted while I checked in and later when we did laundry. He explained that he hadn’t, but his girlfriend was making him dinner. I promptly made sure he knew I had had asked him because he was the only person I’d met. He obviously understood that I wasn’t making a move because he showed up later with a bowl of ice cream for desert because I had been so kind as to offer dinner. Of course, that was funny too because I was just finishing off a heaping bowl of chocolate ice cream. We decided that there could never be too much ice cream and I accepted the fresh bowl of strawberry ice cream. I love silly moments like these.

SATURDAY, In the afternoon, I met with Emily and Kristin. A chipper Australian named Richard had joined them. He lives in the same hostel they do and since the met at dinner a few nights ago they have been hanging out. We met at Camden Town then walked to Regent’s Park. The roses are not as in bloom as they were the last time we were there. I was glad to have taken so many pictures last time. We headed back to their hostel and listened to some music while we waited for Richard’s friend to pick him up and for Lauren to call me. She did and I found my way to her dorm. It turns out she only lives down the street from me. We took the bus up the street to my house and on the way I lost my tube pass. One minute it was in my hand and the next it was gone. So, the night was cut short.

SUNDAY, I reported my tube pass lost and they instructed me how to replace it and get a voucher for the unused money on it. I made it to church just as it started. Afterwards, we walked to the Prime Meridian which is just across the Heath from our church. I now have stood in two places at once. We celebrated Kristin’s recent birthday at Wagamamas and rented In America. We didn’t get to finish the movie since the girls had to get back home before it got too late. I decided to finish it and loved it. It was one of those movies you just have to sit afterwards and take it all in.

Week 7

June 14 – 18

MONDAY was the last chance to get help with the final. I think I’ll do fine. Emily helped Matt and I stage my script adaptation for the Shakespeare final. It’s got a lot more flare now. For our last show at The National Theatre we saw Iphigenia at Aulus, a modern adaptation of the Euripides classic. In this story, Agamemnon is forced to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia so that the ships can get wind to sail to Troy to reclaim Helen. The modernization did not work smoothly because we are aware that ships no longer need wind, but I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to stay engaged. The chorus was a delightful group of women who were involved with most of the action. All in all, I would recommend it.

TUESDAY, Emily, Caitlin, Marianne and I took a day trip to Paris. The Chunnel got us there about 8am and we went home at 10pm. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, walked the Champs Elysee, went inside Notre Dame, looked at the massive exterior of the Luvre and explored the Toulouse Lactrec’s old stomping grounds, Monmantre, where the Mulin Rouge once stood. We stopped by a pastry shop on the way home and filled ourselves with delicacies. While on the train, we quizzed each other for Theater History and Shakespeare. It was a great day, and I’m so grateful we didn’t have to look for a place to sleep.

WEDNESDAY, finals were from 8am to 6pm in three hour chunks. I had Shakespeare first, the theatre history students then had time off while the Dramatic Literature students finished. Afterwards, we invited classmates to our final performance and a small group came. They all seemed to enjoy the adaptation. I think this will be an A term. After all that we just relaxed for the night.

THURSDAY was non-stop. Emily and I journeyed to temp agencies and sketchy apartments. The first apartment we went to was a hole with a very strange landlord. We considered it for a few minutes, but have decided it would be too weird. The temp agency does not seem as promising as we’d like. The agent is great, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of openings right now. Oh, and by the way, I am not cut-out for office work. I’m about average on all my application tests and typing. One day, I need to take a course on intermediate Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications. I have no idea how to merge documents.
Later, we made it to the strangest show ever. It is a German Expressionist piece called Black Rider. Besides saying that is was a very stylized musical that deals with selling one’s soul to the devil and how that backfires, I can’t really tell you what I saw. So interesting. If you have a chance, see an expressionist piece; it’s the only way to know what I’ve seen.

FRIDAY, Emily and I woke up early to prepare to head to the bank to open up Emily’s bank account. My appointment is on the 22nd. We got there on time and it seemed like a pretty easy process. We also stopped by a long-term hostile that we want to move into. The only problem is that the hostile is not available now and may not be for a week. Until then, we are staying in a short-term hostile. It will all work out. We also got a mobile phone. Our friend John sold us his for half-price and we just pre-pay for all our calls. Now I am getting ready to watch About a Boy with Emily and Matt since Matt is leaving tomorrow and we all like the movie. I’ll be sure to keep in touch as much as limited email access will allow.

Week 6

June 7 - 13

MONDAY we are preparing for finals by studying possible questions to be asked in a game show format of oral exam. Ugh!
Whistling Psyche is a must see. I was so humbled by the performance. I one day hope to play Dr. Barry with such sincerity and power. It's the story of Florence Nightingale and Dr. Barry meeting in a train waiting area after death. The revelation of the plot is so strong. I was completely captivated by a play with two actors speaking extended monologues and barely speaking to each other.

TUESDAY we slept in and worked in homework until we could not stand it anymore. We took a break and traveled to Harrods. It's HUGE and has everything you could think of for rather high prices. The food, though, is pretty comparable. We spent two hours walking around as if we were in a museum where you can look but not touch and have no hope of taking anything home. Then we came home and put our noses to the grindstone.

WEDNESDAY was the last day of regular class. Monday is review and next Wednesday is the first final session. Then we're done.
We saw two more one-acts at the Young Vic. First, was a Brecht piece called “The Exception to the Rule.” What a shining example of Brechtian Theater. I can finally say I’ve seen it. It totally alienated the audience from their emotions and taught that capitalism is not the way to go. The second was an absurdity piece by Eugene Ionesco called “The New Tenant” in which a man moves in his furniture until it takes over the house and the neighborhood and so forth until it causes the stage floor to rise and collapse the set. It was insane. I loved it. Several life stories were played out through the relationships between the furniture, e.g. a love triangle between three chairs. In the end, the man pins himself into a corner and decides to stay there. Emily and I think it could be a metaphor for the life cycle, but it can be anything with theatre of the absurd.

THURSDAY we went to Hampton Court Palace. The best part was the huge maze that dates all the way back to William III. We actually hit a few dead ends. We also saw the royal chambers and state rooms. After about two hours, there really wasn’t much more to see. We walked around the town near the castle and had lunch. Once we got home, we started studying for our tests.

FRIDAY was the day of shopping, though I never actually bought anything. Emily and I took our friend out for a make-over. We helped him pick out new pants, two new shirts, a new belt, new shoes and a new hair color. I decided to give my hair a little pizzazz as well, can you tell in the pictures? Then we came home and worked on homework.

SATURDAY, after sleeping in till 10, the rest of the day was dedicated to homework. We started reading Henry IV aloud and typed up history notes. We left for Regent’s park about five to get tickets for Midsummer Night’s Dream in the open air theater. It was much better than the last show because the same actors who were great were fantastic and those that were over the top played well in this comedy. It was a fresh interpretation of the script, especially in the costuming. The fairies, instead of having wings and pixie dust, were bald and covered in dirt. All of the characterizations were marvelous. It’s a great show to watch outdoors.

SUNDAY I forgot my tube pass, which I knew would happen eventually, and didn’t realize till we were at the tube station. I made it back out to church for the last talk of sacrament meeting and the rest of church. I memorized my lines for my final in Shakespeare while traveling there alone. Then, once again, nose to the grindstone. I can’t wait for school to be over.

Week 5

May 31 – June 6

MONDAY was class. We had to turn in a take-home midterm for theater history. We're more than half way done.
Then, back to the National for False Servant. The set was spectacular! It was made of clear Plexiglas so that the three rooms of the house could be seen simultaneously. The story is about a woman who dresses as a man to befriend the man she is supposed to marry. She finds out his motives are false and tries to help the other woman he wanted to woo to get away from him. In that action, she gets drunk with power and makes the other woman fall in love with her. In the end, she exposes herself to the man and woman, shaming the man and breaking the heart of the woman. It was really sad to see the second women so broken down.
Just before the show we went to the Thames just outside the National and beach combed. Emily found a bone that seemed to be human. Caitlin found pottery pieces that could be quite old. An art installment in the Tate Modern was a collection of things found on the beach and dated. Some pottery dated back to the 17th century. I only found a snail shell. We plan to go back soon to make some art of our own.

TUESDAY It only rains when we go to the Globe. It was a strange misty rain most of the day and got heavier as the show progressed. I was close, under the roof of the stage, so I didn't get very wet. The show was Much Ado About Nothing with an all female cast. It was wonderful. The acting was superb and the communal nature of the ensemble was heightened with the same-sex cast. Everyone should see an all-female cast.
Our afternoon was passed wandering around Southwark getting tickets for shows we want to see beyond the program. We saw Americana Absurdum at a remodeled chocolate factory. The show, with an American cast from NY, quickly shot out lines examining and often condemning American value of money. We met a cast member before and he invited us to stay after and talk. He invited us to see their new show in Edinburgh called Fat Boy. Emily and I plan to go in early August. We only stayed out till 11:30 so we could make it back to our flat before the tube closed. Then we had to finish homework, so it was a long night.

WEDNESDAY we decided to eat out at Wagamamas after class. It’s a Japanese restaurant with quick service and cafeteria style seating. Rather than making everyone wait for each other’s meals to be done, they bring out each plate when it is finished. It was great and filled me up for the rest of the night. I only snacked for dinner. Caitlin made cookies.
We made it back to the Young Vic to see two one-acts. The first, "Interior," was about a man deliberating over how to tell a family, that the audience could see up stage on the set, who was happy and carefree that their daughter was just found drowned in the river. It was a very quiet, captivating piece. The second, "Winners," is about young lovers getting married because they are pregnant and who are eventually found drowned in a river together without explanation. I had done a monologue from this piece, so I was especially interested. The energy was really high and the couple communicated well.

THURSDAY Emily and I got student work VISAs through a company called BUNAC. Thursday, we had to go down to the office to attend an orientation, but we got lost. We decided to call it a dry run and plan to go again tomorrow. When I got home, I felt sick and took a nap. I think I was a little sleep deprived and dehydrated.
I woke up feeling refreshed, so we went down to the White Bear Theater, which is a 30 seat venue behind a pub. We saw Simpatico by Sam Shepherd. One of the actors was definitely American and the others did a bang up job at American accents. Some of the vowels were a bit off, but it wasn’t distracting. By the end of the show we were sort of wondering what we had just seen, as it seems most Shepherd plays leave you. It’s really intense to be in such a small venue.

FRIDAY, we went to BUNAC again and made it with plenty of time. The orientation was packed. We learned a great deal about jobs, accommodation and laws. We need to get a National Insurance number that will automatically take 10% of our wages to support the medical system. We also need a UK bank account through NatWest so our employers can direct deposit into our accounts. Now that the orientation is over, we can officially search for jobs. Since I am only in London for three weeks between programs, I am just going to temp, but Emily might find something meatier.
When we got home, we went to the launderette. We washed all our clothes in one washer to save money. Something in the wash gave off some red dye, we still can’t figure out what since we had washed everything in that load before, and a few things came out pink.
We went back to Southwark to another little theater called the Southwark Playhouse. There we saw Three by Beckett, a series of very short one-acts. The acting was some of the best we’ve seen here.

SATURDAY, for the morning, we shopped in Camden Town which is a huge connection of markets known for young people’s hang outs. You can find most clothes, shoes, food and marijuana paraphernalia there. The prices are the cheapest around. Camden Town is in zone two, which means we would need to pay extra to travel there and back if we took the tube from where we live in zone one, but now we know the bus system well enough to take the tube to the farthest zone one station and take the bus the rest of the way. With a zone one bus pass the busses are free no matter what zone you are in.
We then walked to Regent’s park to see Henry IV by Shakespeare in the outdoor theater. Some of the younger actors were way over the top, too much energy with not enough emotion, by the production made me want to read and see more history plays. We then spent about an hour in Queen Mary’s Rose Garden. There are so many gorgeous roses. The pictures I took don’t do them justice. One the way home, we decided to walk the six miles home just for fun. The walk was long, but not bad for how far it was. When I got home, I crashed. We just rested for the rest of the night.

SUNDAY was church. Emily was sick so I went home early to be sure she was okay. It was another late night talking with the roomies.