Fourth Week of Classes

This week was a little stressful, because we students in the RADA program were getting ready for our performance of the Arts of Shakespeare on Friday the 17th. So at the beginning of the week, I played some football at Coram's Fields to work off the anxiety. It was a good thing that I did! I jumped into a pick-up game with men who play every Tuesday at 5pm. I played keeper for one side, and all the guys were very nice and encouraging, especially one man who was 61 years old and still playing really well. He played defense with focus and calm determination. He kept checking up on me, saying, "You all right, love?" He made me feel so welcome. Our team won: 3-2. They were so happy that they invited me back to play next week. The other team said, "Yeah, but this time we get her on our team" to which my team replied, "No way, we claimed her." Quite the ego boost, to say the least. 

Later that night, my friends and I went out to see a movie for Valentine's Day. There was an 8:30 showing of Breakfast at Tiffany's (my favorite movie!) at the cinema near us, so Leanne, Emily, and I brought a bottle of wine and some chocolates and had ourselves a Valentine's Day date. It was lovely. There was a huge screen, everyone was wearing nice clothes and drinking champagne, and I got to see Audrey Hepburn on the big screen! Timeless, priceless, and an amazing Valentine's Day night with my friends.

There's nothing better than a Valentine's Day that includes Audrey and George!
(Except one that also includes friends, wine and chocolate).

The following night, it was time for our weekly theatre visit. We were back at the National Theatre watching Juno and the Paycock, a Sean O'Casey play set during the Irish Civil War that tells the story of a family struggling to make ends meet. The acting was phenomenal. It was the most universally talented ensemble I've seen in London. Sinead Cusack was breathtaking. And even more of a treat: her husband, Jeremy Irons was in the audience two rows ahead of us! It was so touching to see him clap so proudly for his wife at the curtain call. 

Friday was our Arts of Shakespeare performance at RADA. We all sang a madrigal, danced an elizabethan jig, showed off our armed combat skills, did a clown scene, and performed a sonnet. We'd been working on these skills in our classes for the past four weeks. It was a short amount of time to learn so much, but our teachers were extremely helpful in preparing us for our final performance. Thank you so much to Andrew, Darren, Brett and Roger, Jeremy, and Tim. Also a big thank you to Brigid for directing the entire production. It went very well and I think we were all pleased with how far we've come in such a short time. 

Tired but happy after our big day!

On Satuday, Brigid took us for an outing to the National Portrait Gallery to see the paintings of the Tudors we've been learning about in our Timelines class at RADA. We saw paintings of Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scotts, and many other famous rulers. But I was on the lookout for one painting in particular:

The reason I'm here in London!
(Sorry it's fuzzy; no flash allowed)

The main event of my week was our day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. I woke up early this morning to get on a bus that first took us to Stonehenge, two hours away. It was a bright, crisp day and the sun illuminated the beautiful, lush green fields that surrounded the site. As we ascended the walkway, I caught a glimpse of the huge stones. They are like the Grand Canyon in the sense that a simple postcard does not do them justice. Even from far away they are impressive, the bluish stones seeming incredibly heavy but also strangely weightless at the same time; the ones placed on top appear to rest there as lightly as feathers. The site holds mystery and mysticism, and while a tiny part of me says to myself, "It's just a pile of big rocks", my overwhelming sentiment of awe comes from the fact that people, thousands of years ago and without any of the technology we have today, moved these "big rocks" all the way from Wales to this site for what must have been an extremely important or significant reason. The magic lies in the accomplishment that this task was for these people and the fact that even thousands of years later, we can still appreciate and marvel at that feat even if we don't know why it was done.

Leanne, Me, and Abbey at Stonehenge.

I figured you'd want a view of Stonehenge without my friends and me obscuring it.

A view of the magnificent countryside
we saw out the window on our way to Bath.

The bus took us to Bath next, a city that was settled by the Romans two thousand years ago. The Romans knew how to relax and built the Baths using the natural hot springs that run underneath the city. These are what the city is best known for (and where it got its name). When we first got off the bus, we took a tour from a woman who has lived in the city for forty years and knew it well. She showed us to many beautiful features of the city and also pointed out tiny details that those who were foreign to the city would never notice, such as the last "hanging loo" before indoor plumbing was incorporated, the fact that windows were covered with stone to avoid the "window tax" (taxing based on how many windows were in one's home) they had at one time, and the discrepancy between the front and back of a few buildings due to the fact that each was designed by a different architect. These tidbits made the tour completely worthwhile. 

The Circus: where the rich and famous stayed during their trips to Bath.
(You might have noticed it in the movie The Duchess).

Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon

After our tour, we had time to stop in a pub to have something to eat. Then we found a candy shop using only our noses; the smell of the homemade fudge led us straight there. We bought fudge and caramel apples for dessert. Finally, it was time for our visit to the Baths. They were not only impressive, but gorgeous as well. The architecture has held up over the many years, and the site has been expertly modeled to show off each room and its features. The centerpiece was the great bath in the center with a terrace overlooking it complete with Roman statues. After viewing all the sights the Roman Baths had to offer, I even got to have a taste of the treated spring water. It might be chock full of minerals and supposedly really good for you, but in my mind it was three things: warm, fragrant, and tasting slightly of sulfur. But if it keeps me healthy this semester, I'll never say another word against it! After our trip to the Baths, my friend Dani and I had just enough time to check out the interior of Bath Abbey, built in the 15th century and called the "Lantern of the West" for its huge stained glass window depicting fifty-six scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. 

The Roman Baths

Me having my first (and last) taste of Bath's spring water.

Bath Abbey. If you look very closely at the sides of the building
you can see angels ascending the ladders into heaven (one is actually descending headfirst!)

Inside Bath Abbey. The stained glass window you see is why they call it
the "Lantern of the West". 

Today I could feel my perspective of the world shift and expand. It continues to amaze me that I am in a country with so much history: thousands of years as opposed to only hundreds of years. I am so thankful to be able to see so much of England and the truly impressive heritage it possesses. I look forward to seeing more of this beautiful country and its unique history.