I have returned my dear faithful blog readers, after a prolonged absence with more lessons learned from across the pond.
Before any of said lessons are listed, however, it should be said that at the begining of February. Before my Birthday as well as my trip to Rotterham, it snowed in London. And I don't just mean the little snowy flakes we get in Texas. I woke up Monday Morning, looked out my window and imediately believed that I had magically been transported to the north pole over night.
The back garden was completely white with untouched snow. White snowflakes lined the trees and the snow was still softly falling to the frozen ground. (Awww. How quaint).
The halls in Pembridge Gardens were soon bustling with the news that all the tube lines were closed due to the snow and that School had been cancelled. The school thing was of very little consoquence to me as I do not have school on Mondays. However, what was of use to me was the added ammount of people who could be coercsed into helping me make my first snow man.
Yes. I have accheived a life long dream and created a snow man! (for pictures see facebook).
Then, of course, Lexi and Steve knocked both of our snowmen to the groun in a sort of football tackle menuver that I was too chicken to attempt.
We didn't last long after that. People started getting cold and hungry, so we made our way from Hyde park back to the house. (Where I made a snow angel in the back garden. Also a first :)).
It continued to snow most of that day and only subsided at about 6 o'clock that evening. I prayed earnestly that snow would cover the ground on Tuesday as well (mostly so that I would not have to turn in my critical analysis paper which was due).
Unfortunately, by Tuesday morning most of the snow had melted.
However, I had another reason to smile. True it was alomost a week away, but, I was busy preparing for the above mentioned trip to Rotterham to see David.
Since that time, (And, to be honest, it has been over a month since that time), I have learned several lessons which could only possibly be gained by living in London. I shall now relate these to you in a very long, albeit necesarry blog post.
Since everyone on facebook seems to be so fond of making lists of 25 things (What these things are depends up on the whims of the week apparently), I shall make these lessons up into a 25 list of my own.
Lesson #1. England truly is the land of Hobbits: This was being cemented in my mind as David's Mother kept plying me with massive ammounts of food durring my visit to their house, lest I wither away before her eyes. Even our five mile hike in the peak district near Sheffeild was accompanied by six cheese sandwhiches, 7 or 8 hard boiled eggs, five string cheese packets, four sausage rolls, two toasted rolls with butter, and four packets of capri sun fruit drinks (which brought be back to the days of elementary school and packed lunches).
Lesson #2. Never go to Portabello Market on a Satruday. (Even for delicious Crepes)- Really it's not worth it. The crowds are so thick that you can't see anything the vendors are selling anyway, and even when you do see something you might like, you can't linger over the purchase because someone else will, undoubtedly be shoving you along in order to get to the next stand so that they can be shoved along by someone who simply wants to get home. Not nearly as much fun as it's made out to be.
Lesson #3. When in London, see David Wood for first run theater tickets- I hope he doesn't mind that I'm essentially opening him up to all sorts of nattering from people at Schreiner and else where who read this blog but I do have to brag on him a bit about this. 35 pounds for fourth row, stall, tickets to Wicked! Those were increadibly good seats and normally go for 50 pounds and upwards. But, apparently, there is no task too difficult for David to handle. (At least not when it comes to getting theater tickets ;))
Lesson #4. When in london see Wicked!: This is a must. I don't care what it takes, even if you have to bribe a small child with a pony in exchange for her seat or mug a rich woman wearing fur (In this case she'd deserve it. She can go see Wicked any other night). You MUST go to see this show. The music is amazing (obviously), the tech was absolutely increadible and the cast in London was excellent. I'm really starting to think that the acting here (at least in West End), is better than it is back home. (Though Broadway still has the corner on voice I think. The singing has been slightly weak in comparison to shows that I've seen in New York, but the acting makes up for it I think). This reminds me of my next point.
Lesson #5. Opera is always better when performed in the vernacular- I know there are those of you out there who will disagree with me *coughdavidcough* but hear me out. David and I went to see La Boheme at the English National Opera, which is famous for only performing Operas in English. I don't know about David but I enjoyed it ten times more than I have when I've seen it in Italian. And, I think the audience connects to the work more quickly when they are not distracted by language. Not to mention it's much easier for a singer not to have to learn a whole nother language only to sing one role. The subtext and character are much easier to understand when we are all on the same page in terms of language. And while I still had a few issues with acting and the overall staging, I enjoyed it thoroughly and can't wait to see Dr. Atomic there on March 20th.
Lesson #6. Check the post- allright, as some of you may know, I've been very worried about my student tube card which I waited two weeks for and still hadn't come. Well, last Monday, I learned that it arrived at the time the Tube company said it would, I've just been checking the wrong cubby for my mail. Needless to say, I now have two tube cards, one which was cancelled because I called and told them that it hadn't arrived when it really had. Just goes to show you; stupidity doesn't pay.
Lesson #7. Star Trek rocks-I know I'm the only (true) nerd in the house. But I'm proud of this fact. Thus, I will continue to watch Star Trek:The Next Generation at four o'clock everyday, when I can. And no, I don't really care that you don't like it or don't "get" it. I don't get "E news" or "The Newlyweds" but I don't complain when you watch those. You'll just have to live with it. I don't know why I'm so defensive about this. But I am.
Lesson #8- Harry Potter people also rock- Because of a Harry Potter meet up group, I now can get into the tower of London for free! Also, I can go to kareoke bars and dance with other nerds who like musical theater too! It's a great time to love Harry Potter.
Lesson #9. Westminster is the most beautiful place in the world to be at Sunset-I went to the evensong service there on Sunday and I took pictures, but, you'd have to go there yourself to really understand. Sorry!
Lesson #10. Being normal is highly overrated- I'm a book nerd. I don't have money. I'm socially awkward. I spout random information into conversations which I'm not necesarrily involved in, just because I hate for people to have the wrong information. I don't know what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' child looks like nor to I particularly care. I don't speak when I don't have something interesting to say. I don't straighten my hair or wear makeup. I don't go out and get wasted. In fact, I don't like alchohol at all. I don't like loud clubs. I don't like crowded spaces. I like Opera, jazz, folk, musical theater and classic rock. I don't have massive ammounts of money to spend, even though I am in a different country. I read...not magazines or newspapers, but books. And not for class, for my own pleasure. I am, in short, odd. And do you know what? I like it that way. Being like everyone else is boring.
I shall leave you, my dear readers, with that little semi epiphany. Until next time: "Live long and prosper".
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