Thirteenth Week of Classes

This past week was very busy. I had the privilege of going on many outings and adventures, most of them provided by NYU London. The first thing to mention, however, is that we had our last Studies in Shakespeare class with our wonderful professor Mandie Wright. It was a fun day - we shared our favorite Shakespeare quotations and the artwork we had brought to accompany them. I chose "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" and made a collage of nature, human beings, and the universe. My friend Abby made "Out damned spot" cupcakes - white cupcake, white frosting, with red jelly in the middle. We all enjoyed her presentation. Then we spent the rest of the time playing Shakespeare trivia games. It was a lovely way to end the term. We are all very grateful to our knowledgeable professor Mandie Wright who instilled in us a passion for Shakespeare through her own clear enthusiasm for the playwright. It was a joy to learn from her every Monday. We'll miss you, Mandie!

Our weekly theatre visits (reinstalled after our play project is through) was to see Neighborhood Watch, a new Alan Ayckbourn play, at the Tricycle Theatre. Ayckbourn's wit was sharp as ever, with many hilarious lines, but I'm sorry to say the acting was not quite up to snuff. While the main actors held their own, some of the smaller roles did not feel very committed and unfortunately the play suffered because of it. It was still an enjoyable night out, with many funny moments, but because we've been spoiled by seeing so many amazing productions, Ayckbourn's new play didn't stand up to them.

Watch out, folks, 'cause it's about to get super nerdy up in here: One of the biggest events of my week was seeing the Harry Potter Studio Tour. My friend Leanne and I, along with a bus load of other NYU students traveled a little over an hour to the studios and spent a few magical hours exploring the sets, props, costumes, concept art, and models from the eight Harry Potter movies. For a Potterphile such as myself, this was a dream come true, and I will not hide the fact that I got a little teary at times. It was just so amazing to see what effort the crew had put into making these movies to ensure that die-hard fans of the books could be satisfied with what they saw on screen. The tour filled me with nostalgia and regret that the series had come to an end. It also gave me a sense of closure. You may feel that I am being over-dramatic, but I don't think so. These are books and films that grew up with me from age ten to twenty-one. To say goodbye to them is to finally, in a sense, grow up. Here are some pictures from my fantastic adventure at the Harry Potter Studios.

Outside the studios

Hermione, Harry, Victor Krum and Cho Chang's Yule Ball costumes

Potion's classroom set

Triwizard Cup and golden egg props

The Chamber of Secrets portal

The Mirror of Erised: I saw myself at the Harry Potter Studio Tour
(How did it know?!)

A smaller scale model of Hogwarts used for aerial shots

As if my weekend couldn't get any more amazing, the next day I went on a trip to Brighton. NYU sponsored a trip to the beach and eight of us took advantage of the opportunity to see the sea. We took the hour train ride from London Bridge and arrived at around 11:00. We had about five hours to explore at our own leisure, so my friends Nick and Abby and I set off. We strolled past the Lanes, a shopping area full of quaint shops. There was even one dedicated entirely to Alice and Wonderland paraphernalia! I resisted buying mugs that said "Drink Me". We then stumbled upon Henry VIII's summer palace. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens is the summer home of Henry VIII

Then we decided we really wanted to see the ocean, so we made out way to Brighton Pier. We strolled along the rocky beach, collecting interesting stones. Then we made our way up onto the pier and walked through the various rides and amusements (very much like Coney Island). The rides were rather expensive, so we only chose one to go on - a roller coaster called The Crazy Mouse that fortuitously gave us an amazing view of the water. We had a good time laughing at the picture taken of us during the ride in which Nick's hair is standing straight up, Abby's face is ridiculously contorted, and my mouth is open so wide you can count all my teeth. We thought £12.50 was a little steep for a photo, so we neglected to buy it.

A silly photo-op on the pier

The ocean on that overcast yet beautiful day

We still had some time after we vacated the pier so we grabbed some lunch (fish and chips, of course) at a restaurant by the water. Then we strolled along the water towards the Marina. On the way, we saw a mini-golf course and couldn't resist stopping to play a round, despite the drizzly weather. The woman who ran the course said they were closing in a half hour so if we wanted to play it would have to be quick. So we played a speed round of golf that was a lot of fun. Abby won the game and I got the only hole-in-one. By that time, we had to head back to the train station. It had been a lovely day in Brighton.

Nick and I playing our speed round of mini-golf

The last event in my fun-filled weekend was a day at Sundance London. This is the first year that the Sundance film festival has come to London after its opening in the United States. Not all of the films were brought to London, mostly ones that had won awards and done well. So I got to see the cream of the crop! I bought tickets to three films: An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, a highly artistic film about a man who analyzes and picks apart his feelings about his unrequited love for a woman; For Ellen, a film about an out-of-control musician trying to win custody over his daughter (Paul Dano gave a stunningly raw performance); and Nobody Walks, a film about a young artist who is taken in by a family and whose presence brings turmoil to the household. All films were impressive in their own right and I couldn't have been happier being MIA at the cinema for a day.

SUNDANCE! (Obviously I couldn't take photos of any of the films)

This past weekend really made me realize how lucky I am to be able to explore another country so fully. I am so grateful to be offered these opportunities to broaden my view of the world. NYU London has been spectacular at providing ways for its students to expand their knowledge of other cultures. I wish to sincerely thank them for everything they've done for me while I've been abroad.

This coming week is my last Theatre in London class, but afterward we are seeing Julius Caesar in Italian at the Globe as part of its 37 plays in 37 languages event. Then on Thursday night I am going to Scotland for the weekend! I signed up for a tour that will take me to Edinburgh, Glencoe, the Isle of Skye, and Loch Ness. I am beyond excited. I will let you know all about it next week.