How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

Well, I'm back in England, and I'm in for a week of some serious penny pinching due to my recent rock and roll lifestyle. Seriously, going from fabulous meals, chocolate, wine, pastries and coffee to pasta, pb and j, tuna, and yogurt will be a bit of a shock, but worth it for the week I just had. This week was Student Enrichment Week or Independent Study Week, and let me tell you, I did some serious "learning" in the Czech Republic and Austria.

I started my enrichment in Prague. Which was fantastic! It's one of my five. I have 5 cities I want to visit before I die. (Valencia, Prague, Edinburgh, Avignon, and Florence.) This trip I get to cross 3 off the list. Many people ask me, why Prague?

Which I answer, why not? Prague is famous for castles, beer, and the arts. Hello? Sounds pretty great to me. Mozart's Don Giovanni premiered in Prague, but don't remind the Austrian's of that. They are very protective of Mozart. Kind of like the battle between IL and KY for Lincoln. Prague has the biggest castle in Europe, one more fun fact: Czech's drink more beer than anyone else, and average of 2 liters a day.

We stayed at a hostel that has been voted for by Hostel World and RyanAir Magazine as the best hostel in Europe. I have to agree with them. It is by far the best and cleanest hostel I'v

e stayed in, and frankly I've stayed in some great hostels. We had great breakfast, great showers, comfortable beds, a bar downstairs that boasted 8 different kinds of Czech beer, tons of info/discounts, free wifi, a sink in the room(that's big), and all for the low price of 11 bucks a bed! Fabulous! We took a great free walk tour that was 3 hours. I learned so much, that's without the sarcastic lilt. The Czech people have been to hell and back. The most interesting thing is how fresh communism still is to the population. A dark history has given them a very dark sense of humor. For example, our second day we ventured about an 1 1/2 outside of Prague (And when I say we I am referring to my fearless partner in crime, Catherine from O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!) to a

small mining town, Kuna Hora. We went to the Ossuary, a church that has been decorated using the bones from 40,000 dead bodies, all human. Yummy. When I say completely decorated using bones I am not exaggerating, every inch is covered in bones and skulls, from the chandelier that contains every bone from the human body to these quaint little candle holders I am posing with in the picture. We ate at this adorable cottage on the hill and I innocently order Czech ribs, only 8 bucks I figured I'd only get a rack or two. I got 5 racks of ribs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 racks of ribs! The waiter laughed at me when I came out my eyes were bugging out of my head! Catherine, and I say this with love, is a human garbage disposal. Girl can eat better than the boys back home! Frankly I'm impressed with her. She had to help me finish, and she still wanted dessert. For the first time in my travels in Europe I had to refuse. I know, right? I was really glad we took the out to Kuna Hora. They also specialize in ceramics, and I finally found a tart warmer like my mom has. I have been looking for one of these for ever. Surprisingly it made back from Kuna Hora, to Prague, to Vienna, to England, let's hope it makes it back to the states in one piece. Also in Kuna Hora, I had me first glass of warm apple cider this season. Something I have been craving. In Prague, we went to a somewhat touristy bagelery and NOT only did I get an everything bagel but also pumpkin pie. I love the Czech Republic! We did a creepy bar crawl that started in the crypt of an old church, but honestly I can't say too much about that night because we got free shots. O well, we went some great people, but I don't remember their names! We did make it back to the hostel safe and sound though. I'm really glad Daddy wasn't in Prague because we learned that their are more crossing pedestrian accidents in Prague then any other city in the world. Because I spent some much time talking about food in this blog, I feel obliged to tell you that we decided to go to the top of the basilica for some great view. It was about 300 narrow steps. All the places we ate were on top of steep hills too so we worked for the calories!

After 3 fabulous days in Prague, we hoped a train to Austria and let me say, I really prefer train traveling to stupid planes. No security checks, no massive queues, private compartments, plugs for your computer, big comfy seats, leg room, no border control, amazing views, fewer screaming babies, I mean, why does anyone fly?? The only thing that I missed about not being in an airport was duty free shopping. That's a small price to pay. Although, this train did not have a trolley of treats like the others did, we were sort of counting on it to spend the rest of our Czech money and obviously to eat. By the time we got off, we were really grumpy and starving. Vienna, although lovely, is far from a 24/hr city. Frankly it's even worse than Stockholm in that sense. We really searched to find food, but once we did and got settled into to our strange hostel we were ready to begin the next leg of our adventure. What to say about the Labyrinth Hostel...you get what you pay for would be the best description. It wasn't dirty or gross, just weird. However both receptionist gave us the quotes of semester, but I'll get to that later. Here's an anaolgy, we went from the Plaza in Manhattan to the Econolodge next to a truck stop. However, the location was brilliant for I can't complain too much and like I said, reception was great, but we knew we were in for it when he dramatically turned to us and simply stated, "Welcome to the Labyrinth." Epic, right? As usual, we got up bright and early to start our one full day in Vienna, we asked for directions to the Belvedere, a palace turned art mueseum, we asked the same man who welcomed us, he gave us comprehensive instructions on where to go and what to see and then said, "Ah, well the Belvedere's nice too." Talk about an understatement. The Belvedere is fantastic. It has about permanent galleries with 3 rooms of Klimt, Austrian galleries, famous Baroque and Romantic painters and two rotating galleries- one had Rodin's sculptures and the other a modern artist. Also, it was a summer palace for the prince with outstanding gardens and ballrooms. Nice too...lordy. Since we had such a limited time in Vienna, it was the perfect summation of the culture. I will say with the aid of out litter guidebook I gave a fantastic walking tour of everything else! Sort of. It was free. We had heard shopping in Prague sucked so we were planning on shopping in Vienna, well we couldn't afford anything! It was ok, we went to the ballet that night at the State Opera house. We saw 2 Balachine pieces, one Twyla Tharp piece, and a rather famous piece called The Vertinginous Thrill of Exactitude (I'm sure that's spelled wrong). It was an amazing experience, even though we were on the top row of the top balcony. What'd you expect for 20 euro. It was the perfect allegory for our time in Austria, the first ballet was less than overwhelming, the second was a taste of excitement but the choreography was very fluid and had a bit of a rushed feeling, Exactitude was the Belvedere, and Rubies (the other Balachine and one of the best ballets I've ever seen) was Salzburg! That doesn't make much sense reading it, but to Catherine and I it was quite a revelation!

In Salzburg we took the Sound of Music tour, which was sort of false advertising. Half the tour we just drove by famous locations because the bus or group was too big to go into them, but Salzburg and the lakes were so freaking incredible it didn't bother me that we would have been better getting a list of locations for the movie and a map! Salzburg is the one place so far that I feel I NEED, NEED, NEED to go back. It was beautiful, quaint, comfortable, green, stunning, tasty, I really barely have words to describe it. I simply didn't have enough time in that place. The two locations we could actually go into were the church Maria gets married Liesl's in gazebo, both awesome. Plus, we got sing in the bus, which I loved. Those are lyrics you never forget. For those of you who don't know, Sound of Music was my first place, I was 8. "My name's Marta, and I want a pink parasol for my birthday." My first line. So this was a big deal for me. I thought I was going to be the most embarrassing super fan ,but the majority of the people on the tour were just like me. We also got the most amazing strudel ever with vanilla cream sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I have to say after all that, it was really nice to have England to come home to. Now it's countdown time.

10 days until Elizabeth and Harry Potter

13 days until Mom and Dad

20 days until my birthday and Scotland

1 month until Royal Shakespeare season in London

1 month and 10 days until I'm stateside

Cheers yall

Carolyn

Not do duty free

Every time you fly with Easyjet you get a million warning emails. Last time it was all about the French air strike. This time it was all about arriving at the airport 2 hours early, so I did. Why? I don’t know. I was here by 4:25. Got a nice hotel room last night, and spent a hot 4 hours in it. I wanted to wake up at 4:30, leave at 4:45, be at the airport by 5. But no, this stupid terrorist high security bullshit has scared everyone into thinking that I needed to be her now, at 4:46 for my 6:30 flight. The people at the hotel transfer service said, “NO no no you must leave by 4:10! It takes 2 hours. You have to be there 2 hours!” So I am. And who wants to guess how long it took me to get through security, and to check in? Just guess. 15 min, maybe 10. Nope. 7 min. No. not 7. 5 min. It took 5 minutes to check in and get through security!!! It’s 4:00 in the bloody morning!!! Who on earth is here at 4:00am? I am concerned about the threats, especially after alst nights show, BUT I don’t think a terrorist wants to get up at 4:00 to bomb a plane. I think they value sleep more than Easyjet, the Acorn Lodge an Inn, or Gatwick Airport. 2 hours my foot. This isn’t O’hare busy, hell it’s not even Richmond busy. It’s empty! Although, security isn’t very tight at this hour so that’s probably precisely why they would. I retract my last rant, a little bit. People are sleeping in the airport with their luggage completely exposed. They haven’t gone through security yet or anything. I mean it’s bizarre how strict they say they are with unattended baggage because I think someone passed out asleep with three suitcases counts as unattended. Clearly I am the only person that seems to think that this is a possible threat!

It’s midnight stateside now. I feel like I should take advantage of this shorter distance between us, but I alas I go abroad. When I return, the full time difference will be back in effect for y’all will have gone through daylight savings time. For those of you who aren’t in constant contact with my nutty parents, here’s a picture of Samson on Halloween. Now, let me remind you, that 3 months ago my father wouldn’t let that dog be caught in a baseball jersey, now he’s in a dress and pigtails. I guess he gave in.

Dedicated to Dr. Ridge

*****Here’s fair warning to my reader. This blog contains some political opinions that are probably different thanyour own. I hope it makes you think a bit, and I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to comments about your opinions via email or posted on the blog. I do value what you have to think, but I just saw a very political piece of theatre and these thoughts are strictly based on that experience. I wish you could all see the play so we could talk about it in that context, but you didn’t. Sorry. I hope this doesn’t sound mean!******

This might have been my the most rewarding day here. How many times now have I said that this was my best day? Too many, probably. I’m currently on the train to Gatwick to stay in a hotel that would be cheaper than the cab ride to the airport, but more expensive than my flight. The irony. Again, I underestimate how long English theatre can be, so I decided to see one last show before my trips to Prague and Austria. The play was over 3 hours. I always pick the worst days to see the long ones, but I didn’t totally have a choice. The show ends Wednesday and was sold out until today SO I was forced into a corner.

This one however, was much much much better than the last epic I saw. It was also my first experience at the historic National Theatre. I saw Blood and Gifts, an eerie depiction of the end of the cold war and the beginning of our dealings with the Middle East. It told the story of an American CIA agent who formed a relationshipwith an Afghani warlord. I don’t know, however, if it would have read 20 years ago when it was set. It was scary than anything I’d seen on Halloween. Although, it put things in perspective for me and explained things I never understood. It’s really easy to sit on the other side complain about how we put weapons in their hands andtalk about the mistakes we made, but watching through one man’s experience helped explain why the tax payers money funded this war. You here about how the relationships over there are bizarre and how different their reasons are for war. Things I’ve read in textbooks and hear people yelling about on the news, that I academically understood, but didn’t actually comprehend. I know that’s sort of a contradiction. I prefer political theatre that allows me to form my own opinions about the situation instead of hitting me on the head with the writers and directors views. It’s better to leave the theatre asking why and forming my own opinions based on the material. I’d rather leave the theatre thinking than being forced into an opinions and this play did it very delicately. The play was far from perfect, but it did what it needed to do, forced me to sit at my computer on the train to work out my feelings about it. THAT’S THEATRE! Not a shiny piece of plastic comedy, or a hit you over the head bullshit drama, or even worse a play that just makes you shrug your shoulders and walk away easily with nothing to say.

Frankly, and no offense to my British mates, but the Brits around me didn’t get it. The guy behind me said, I’m tried of drama-less drama, but the play set the stage for what is happening now. It built the tension perfectly. I think it’s another “American experience” things. I’ve been seeing this bloody war on the new every day since 9/11, myfriend and their loved ones are over their fighting, and unfortunately my country has no one to blame but itself. I don’t see how setting that history and context up isn’t DRAMA.Also, for the record, the American accents in this one were much better. I don’t know if they were American actors or not because I refuse to buy a 3 BPS for a program that isno nicer than a Playbill I get for free. On a less political note, the buying a program thing is really bugging me!! I think that you have a less educated audience because people don’t always want to spend that kind of money on something they only have 15 minutes to read. However, that mere 15 minutes can explain so much about the historical context of the show, the directors intentions, ect. Hrrrumph

Today was inspiring! I spent the afternoon at the Royal Court, aka a new playwrights dream world. It was a fabulous experience, that I wish I had the beginning of the semester. My class really formed as an ensemble inthose few hours. It was a big relief too, I’m not as afraid to share my work with them now, but more importantly I will understand and trust their opinions on a new level.

Now off to the fairytale thatwill be Prague! Here are a few pictures from my adventures in Kent this weekend. It was lovely, but the tour was exhausting and wore me out that all I did Halloween was rest, do laundry, and watchX-Factor!

All things London

Today was a fantastically British day. Going to France was exactly the refresher I needed to enjoy all things London. I went to the National Gallery (again), went shopping on Oxford street( bought a pair of Clarks), walked down the South Bank at sunset, ate fish and chips washed down by a pint, and finished off with a fabulous NEW play at the Royal Court. Pretty perfect if I do say so my self. Because of this marvelously British day, I am devoting this blog to my every day life here in Kingston, starting with my top ten favorite new phrases that I have learned living here (The main contributors are Louis and friends). Be prepared to here this a lot upon my return. It's already started. I call my rain-boots, wellies and have a cuppa nightly. Here goes:

10. I'm knackered.

9. We got smashed.

8. Pardon? (this one more has to do with inflection)

7. Hiya. (again, it's the way they say it. it's adorable)

6. In America, things are so big!

5. Off to Uni today?

4. Mind the gap.

3. It was shocking, mate!

2. That's the badness.

1. All my days!

I am so lucky to be living with such a great family, a little wacky at times, last night I walked in on Nathan, the youngest son painting himself green to go out, I asked if it was for Halloween, and it wasn't. Obviously, he was dressing as a frog to go to a club. I don't think his mom was too excited about all the green body paint in the bathroom. They are great though. Louis, my age although he's already graduated, has a two friends that practically live here, Ben and Rich. They are as much a part of this family as anyone. Rich even buys milk and sugar because he drinks tea here so often. And it wouldn't be complete without Oliver, the cat. He's ornery and fat, but I like him. He's my buddy even though he knows I won't feed him, he never gives up. I'm the last one to leave in the morning, if he's not outside sunbathing on his favorite plank of wood, he's outside my door meowing. He doesn't really do this with anyone else that I've noticed. Maybe it's because I talk to him.

I really love getting a cup of coffee and just sitting on the Thames in Kingston. I like to watch the people feeding the swans, I haven't yet. I have an irrational fear of large birds, and you can't feed the ducks without getting the bully swans involved. They are beautiful to watch even though they beat up on the other birds. As you can see, I do this quite a lot.

Embarrassingly, one of my favorite things about Britain is the TV. It's awful, I know!! But look, they've got great television. Don't despair, I don't plan my nights around my television schedule. I have internet catchup and I don't spend hours just watching anything, cause they have weird TV as well. I am loyal to X-Factor, Law and Order UK, the Inbetweeners, and Downtown Abbey. I'm learning a lot from them. X-Factor here is bigger than American Idol back home. It's everywhere, and it's brilliant! This probably isn't the best clip to show off the X-Factor but it's been my favorite performance so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mfUyjfuA0

It's great because the judge also count as mentors for the contestants so they have a battle going as well. No, this is NOT the show that Susan Boyle was on. Law and Order UK teaches me loads about the British government system...sort of. Give me a break, it's good writing and the younger detective r is cute. The Inbetweeners is about a group of guys in sixth form that aren't jocks, they aren't popular, but they aren't outcasts or geeks, they are just "inbetween" It's hilarious, but the language is vile. In England they have the watershed, so after 9pm you can say and do pretty much whatever you want. They are flabbergasted that Americans don't have that. "What about comics?" they ask.

"They bleep certain words out, sometimes they dub."

"Right mate, so when you are watching Chris Rock on the tele, every other word is BEEP BEEP."

"Basically, unless it's on HBO. Premium channels you pay extra for."

"So you are telling me, you pay to get the cursing channels."

I had never quite thought of it that way...

Paris J'Taime

I still have a tummy ache from all the rich food, sweets, and alcohol! I had my first Opera cake...OH MY WORD! It was fabulous. I ate more chocolate than I thought I could. It's so good. I can't even explain. Also, Elizabethmentioned that before we left we had to try this trendy little cookies called macrons. I know they've been around forever, but they have littleshops all over Paris dedicated to these amazing little treats, kind of like the cupcake craze in the states. I tried rose, coffee, salted caramel is the best, and I still have a few left! Also I had onion soup (they don't have to add the french part, its a given), baguettes, the best ice cream I've ever tasted, croissants, 4 Lactaid pills and a tiny tummy ache.

The Paris Monmatre Pub Crawl did not compare with Valencia's Pub Crawl, but it was good company! We had a great time and met some fun people: a guy from South Africa who is commuting to Paris from London for work, a Danish guy who was really cute, 1 American claiming to be from Tennessee, but had the faux Euro accent from his study abroad, as well as lots of Australians, Canadians, and Spaniards. It was a good time in that regard, but sort of a rip off. However, we were a block away from the hostel which was a plus wondering home(crepe in hand) at 2 AM.

For the record and all the worrywarts reading this blog, I felt really safe in Paris. We are on the same level of terrorists alert in London, but in France there were more police and the airport security was INTENSE! They checked our document 3x more than any other country. I didn't see a single protest, and my friend ELizabeth who has been living there for a month said she hasn't seen any either. I felt more welcomed by Parisians then the last time I was there and was pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone was. Don't get me wrong, they were nice based on my expectations and I'm sure having Elizabeth there to translate and help us order really helped the situation.

It was the breath of fresh air I needed though. I was getting a little frustrated in London and it was fantastic to get away but even better to want to come back. France is so opulent while London is cozy. Even the fancy palaces and big buildings have a classic cozy feeling, in France I feel like I am defacing all the beauty around me just by standing on the street. We went to the National Opera House (the one in Phantom of the Opera) which was fantastic! I've never seen anything quite like it. It was fancier than any of the palaces here. So detailed! Everything was crystal, gold, and marble. We got to go inside the auditorium which was surprisingly intimate feeling for such a large house. Chandeliers lined every hall, statues everywhere I just couldn't get over it! I was so glad we went because it wasn't on the itinerary, but after searching for Sarah Bernhart's grave for an hour and a half, it was exciting to be swept away!

We did however see Oscar Wilde's grave, Moliere's final resting place, Jim Morrison's shrine and Isadora Duncan's ashes. It was 10:30 AM and people were taking shots in honor of Morrison. It was a spectacular cemetery, and of course reminded me a lot of New Orleans. It was strange how it's customary to put on red lipstick and kiss people's tombstones. Oscar Wilde's was covered in kiss marks and interesting remarks...

not all of them were thankful or respectful though. There's a small plaque asking people not to deface his grave, but since he wasn't French, they didn't put a fence around it like some of the others. It was a maze, oddly marked, not well planned, but really breathtakingly eerie. I'm really lucky to be doing so much traveling in the fall while the leaves are changing, it makes everything more beautiful.

It was funny because Catherine and I have been staying in budget hostels and flying cheap airlines so we felt like we were living in the lap of luxury on Air France and in a room with only two others that included breakfast and a private bathroom. On our 40 minute flight we got drinks AND snacks, in our room we got blankets (not just sheets) and a HAIR DRYER!! It was worth the price! The hostel was a block away from the Moulin Rouge so we passed it constantly, we did not however pay the 150 Euro to see the show, a tad out of our price range, but the thought of scantly clad women and unlimited champagne is intriguing....

We did a bit of shopping at the outdoor markets took a complete 180 and window shopped at the designer and jewelry stores including Cartier and Louis Vuitton. More excitedly we stopped into Repetto, the company that both Catherine and I got our first pair of pointe shoes from. They had really cute, but expensive shoes and frankly I'd rather spend my money on chocolate.

We also visited the Arc d' Triumph, what I kept calling Triumph Arch. It was incredible. Again all the sculptures were so detailed. No offense America, but it kind of puts our memorials to shame. It's so big and extravagant...we have the Washington Monument...a building shaped like a pencil.

I had a fantastic trip and have realized I need to purchase more comfortable shoes for Prague and Austria next week, my feet still hurt because Europeans still love cobblestones.

Helloagaingaten

So I'm thinking about forcingmyself to be moredisciplined aboutthe blogging by making in a weekly blog, picking one day that it'll come out so I can stay on top of it better. I let you know if that actually happens. I'm already debating scratching the idea because I'm a week behind and hardly have time to catch up so whatever.

Last weekend, the girls and I were in Stockholm and let me tell you it was great. I didn't have the same connection with it as I did with Valencia. I don't know what it was about Valencia, but I got off the train and felt an ease, a comfort that I can really explain. Even though I was lost and my spanish was abominable, I felt like I fit in that place. Sweden and I didn't have that connection, but my mate Lea said she had a similar experience with Stockholm. However, it was the most expensive place I've ever been, plus it was really hard to figure how much I was actually paying for things because dividing by 7.5 isn't easy. 1 USD=7.5 SEK roughly. I know yall are all saying that isn't too hard, well it is. Trust me.

Stockholm is a major capital for design both interior design and fashion so you can imag

ine we went shopping! We went to Sofo(that's not a typo) the vintage and indie side of town. We also ran into a fresh market on the way there, where we tried local delicacies like...moose, ostrich, elk, reindeer, and other various weird meats, also some local honeys, jams, and marmalades, and of course chocolate! Swedes are very serious about their chocolate. I drank tons of coffee it was so strong, they have excellent pastries, but most exciting of all BAGELS! Good bagels with cream cheese and chives and locks. I did buy two beautiful vintage dresses, one I've already broke the belt on. I shouldn't get delicate things, but as the English would say they are quite posh. After shopping we learned a harsh reality, everything in Stockholm except for bar and restaurants closes at 4. The original plan was to take a bus or boat tour, both we sold out. So we stumbled into the only open museum where we saw the Imperial Terracotta Army, which was expensive, but massively cool. Who would have thought I'd learn so much about China in Sweden. After a much needed nap in our boat hostel, we took an adventure into some parks a

nd to find food and beer. Well, I know where the Swedes go after 4, to bars! For good reason too, not only is the Stockholm the birthplace of Absolut Vodka, they have some lovely beers and the best cider I've ever had, Somersby. We all insisted on only drinking local whilst we were there and we were extremely successful.

Then we paid money for the strangest thing I've ever paid money and waited in a ma

ssive

queue for...the ICEBAR. Just so you

know, I am aware that there are a few of these, but the Absolut Icebar is Stockholm is the original and local because as previously mentioned Absolut is Swedish. So the money was well spent. Everything, EVERYTHING except the floor and ceilings was made of Nordic ice, even the cups. Catherine put her glass on the bar and it slid off! It was hilarious. For 25$ you get a parka, gloves, and a free drink! It was cold, but I'm in IL, Lea is from Nebraska

, Catherine might just be thick skinned, cause we lasted longer than the average 20 minutes. The drinks were tasty too. Lea was the only one brave enough to get the classic Swedish drink 100 proof vodka and lingonberry juice. If the vodka were weaker, I would have tried it also, but its no secret I'm a cheap date, it doesn't take much. Then we went to the best bar ever, really it was a great bar! The perfect blend between tourist friendly and local, the perfect combo of music, talking, dancing, and lights. It was just great. It was called the KGB and decorated with old school Russian propaganda. They played Russian pop music. They drinks were good, the bartenders friendly, just great! We even limboed with what I think was some guys tie, it was bizarre and fabulous.

In true Swedish fashion, we got 2am hotdogs at the 711. Strange, yes, but there are more 711s in Stockholm, than Starbucks in Manhattan. It was unexpected, but oddly comforting. But they didn't have Slurpees which is kind of the whole point of 711s, but they were open at 2am with hotdogs. What more could I ask for at that moment? Chocolate, cinnamon rolls,water? They had that too, and not crap chocolate or bagged cinnamon rolls, we're talking fresh artisan shit. Perfection.

The next few days in Stockholm were much more educational, we went to museums, took the boat tour, and the epitome of Swedish culture IKEA. All fun. All interesting. My feet were killing me though. All the roads are cobblestones and my black boots were sacrificed in honor of travel. The heel on them is basically worn off because of the cobblestones. My feet HURT and you know it had to be bad for me to even say that because I was a pointe dancer. I got a killer blister on my toe, but I made it through! Ikea is giant, which is implied, but its the worlds largest Ikea so think about that. Double each section in your average Ikea and that's the Stockholm Ikea Experience, but it was worth it and it was meal we could actually afford. Swedish meatballs and lingonberries. I'm glad I'm not still practicing vegetarianism.

Overall, Stockholm was fantastic. It's been really interesting learning about all the different culture in Europe. Everything is so close and accessible, but obviously so diverse! Everyone is Stockholm spoke perfect English, but they don't have the British accent! IT WAS AWESOME! Everyone was really helpful, multiple times people would stop us on the street and ask if we needed help, at the market other customers took the opportunity to explain all the different foods were trying on their own accord. It was great.

We made it back safe and on time! Ryan Air even played a recording of a trumpet exclaiming "CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE ARRIVED ON TIME!" We died laughing.

Getting back was difficult, I do love England I do, but it seems that this week was the I miss America week. It just had no luck with public transportation, sales people, night clubs, ect. Because of this I knew I needed some theatre. I saw the 3 hour Birdsong, and missed class the next morning because I overslept. Then I saw an Off West End show called Lower Ninth about a father and son on a roof in New Orleans during Katrina. That was an eerie experience, but they did a great job, the script wasn't well structured, but captured the emotions and the feeling of the city perfectly. The accents weren't quite there, but only a local could tell that. Most importantly an audience who knows very little of what was actually happening got a much better idea.

But its a new weeks, I saw two shows this weekend, caught up on Project Runway and X-Factor(goodbye Diva Fever you are missed) and I'm refreshed. Plus, because I missed class I spent Friday getting 98.8% of my homework done because I needed to redeem myself.

Drama Free

As you can tell from the infrequent posts, my life is getting busier and homework has to be put ahead of blogging. Sorry cyberspace.

Week Two of classes is pretty much over, and I am so lucky to be here learning. Really I am. For once there is no sarcasm in my voice. Honestly I thought it would be harder academically and that everyone would be light years ahead of me, but I'm where I need to be apparently. I fit in nicely. Playwriting is funny though, I know all the American classic plays they don't (ie Raisin in the Sun) They know modern British classics I don't. This sounds self important but now I realize why Kingston has us at all; I'm learning from them, but they are learning from me as well. It's win win.

I'm starting to think and read in my head British accents. Never thought that would happen.

I just saw Henry IV Part 2. A little bit longer, ok much longer, but still great. At first I didn't think its Shakespeare's finest, then we got to Act II. Sigh. Act II. It was brilliant. I love the GLobe because they end every show in a dance. I think every show should always end in dancing.

I am leaving for Sweden tomorrow. Must get back to Waiting for Godot before class tomorrow.

Short and sweet is better than nothing I guess.

Cheers