Good morning from semi-sunny Denmark…. the students and I arrived here about midnight after much delays and an unexpected overnight stay in Canada and were met by Sabrina our Copenhagen student. After some much needed rest, today we will get to spend some free time in Copenhagen before getting down to work in the morning. We all look forward to starting our adventure!
It’s pretty hard for me to pinpoint a single thing about the London trip that I loved the most. The scenery, both in the city and the countryside, was magnificent and breathtaking, and the history was richer than anything I’ve ever seen in the states. The food was delicious, and the people were kind and friendly, but the main thing I took away from this trip was what I gained from seeing the theatre. Not so much the simple joy and happiness from simply seeing a show, but something a bit more exciting.
I was inspired by every show I saw over in London. As a student actor, there are plenty of rough times, and it’s easy to get disheartened. But every little doubt I had about my career was washed away the second the current rose for our very first show. The actors were on a completely new level, bringing me both tears of joy and sadness. They weren’t flawless by any means, but they were astounding. As the current fell, I felt a raging fire in my chest. While I did enjoy my stay in London, I now had an urge to return home. I wanted to start working again, improving and turning myself into a better actor. These professionals were like deity’s to me, and I wanted to be on their level more than anything.
In the end, I left London with many things; New memories, new pictures, new friends, and a new incentive to continue acting. And I wouldn’t trade these things for the rest of the world.
At love’s blind eye, I fell in love with you.
Not realizing what you did to me, till a day after I hit the state soil.
My heart is in a bit of turbulence turmoil.
It wasn’t on purpose, but you cast a spell on my heart.
It’s like the beginning of every love story right?
You go on an adventure of a lifetime returning a different person.
If I could change what was never meant to be,
I would still keep the same plot of this romantic movie.
London made me question my life and let me truly be me.
I am not the same, I have changed into the woman you can’t see.
The Atlantic Ocean is holding us from being in each other’s arms, yet I wouldn’t give up knowing you sweet London for all world, its money, gold or charm.
If all the world is a stage and we are only player’s William Shakespeare.
Was this moment, my ground breaking role?
On my journey in London’s five hour difference, I felt complete, no I felt whole.
I felt unlimited freedom, imaging I am in a historic Renaissance dance.
Falling in love in a Castle under the king and queen approval, in an old fashion romance.
No one ever knew me in ways so true that’s why London I fell in love with you.
On Friday, we had a tour of the Globe Theater. It was one of the things that I had been looking most forward to and it didn’t disappoint me. The building is architecturally beautiful and the craftsmanship is just top notch. Walking into the space, it really did feel like walking back into time. We are in a very busy part of London but it was quiet and serene in the theater. The knowledgeable tour guide had a great sense of humor which made the very detailed tour a lot of fun.
We had some free time after the tour, so some of us went to the Tate Modern Gallery for lunch…nothing like just popping into a lovely museum for a warm meal. After walking down the Thames to the National Theater to buy a few souvenirs, we began a walking tour of London based on William Shakespeare’s London. What I enjoyed most about this tour was that at almost every stop we read a piece of one of the plays that was connected to what the tour guide had talked about. Nothing like reading some Shakespeare while walking around London!
After the tour, we, again, had free time on our hands. This is where I have to say I was almost proudest of the students. Each pairing set off in different directions to finish up what we wanted to do in London. Some saw family, some went shopping, some did more sightseeing. What really made me proud was that there was no fear in anyone. This same group of student who had come to London a week earlier a bit nervous and timid were zipping around on the Tube/Underground like they owned the place! What a difference a week made! We saw a production of The Tempest that night in the Globe. A very magical experience sitting outside watching amazing actors recite lovely lines of poetry! What was a lot of fun was watching the interaction between the actors and the Groundlings (the people who stood for 3 hours watching the play!). The actors not only talked to them but spit water over the crowd, fell into the crowd, moved through the crowd and basically made them part of the performance…very much like it would have been in Shakespeare’s day. One last night in London and we had to say goodbye to new friends and a city that we all enjoyed immensely! I am so happy that we all have shared this experience! To all of my fellow London travelers—until we meet again in this fair city and always remember to “mind the gap!”
Today I woke up excited and ready to go. I have been looking forward to the Titanic museum for this whole trip. I adored the movie as a kid so this is like a dream come true for me. I walked into the museum with my camera in hand and ready to explore the museum. The first thing we did was go to the gift shop. I was looking forward to this because I wanted to get the necklace that Rose wore in the movie. This is otherwise known as the “heart of the ocean.” After getting a few gifts for people we went up the stairs to the exhibits. It started out with information on how the linen industry was big in Belfast during the time period. It was interesting to see how flax seeds could get turned into strands of linen. We then got to see how Belfast’s population boomed during that time period. We then got to see how the ship was built and what they used to build it.
After this the museum showed how the ship was dressed and what life on the ship was like. I would describe it as a lavish life style for the most part. We got to see the inside of the boat and its inner workings such as the dining room and even the boilers. There were three classes of passengers aboard the ship: first class, second class, and third class. Not to mention the crew members on the ship. One interesting thing I learned was that the ship made three stops to different places to pick up passengers on its way to America.
One particular eye opening exhibit was the last messages the Titanic sent to other boats and the fact that the ship sank with all of those people on it. It was interesting to hear the stories of the survivors. The most fascinating part of the museum for me was the last part where the scuba team showed a video of Titanic under water and some of the debris leading to it. We then ate at a bistro and all of the people working there were dressed for the time period of the early 1900’s. Overall I learned so much from this museum and it made for a great day in Belfast! It is going to be hard to leave the beautiful country of Ireland tomorrow, but I hear Chick-Fila calling my name!
I have the last day so I thought I should probably sum up this trip so far.
What can I say about this trip? So far there are plenty of things; amazing, awesome, extravagant, shocking, romantic, friendship, sickly, unique, eye opening, frustrating.
So many new experiences have been coming towards all of us. Some experiences flying at our faces, like almost being hit by a car because we were looking the wrong way. While others that take their time when you’re climbing up a cliff and working for it until you turn around and see the view before you.
There was a little trouble on the way here for a few of us. The frustrating part. Although that little detour in Chicago wasn’t a total loss. I got to see the Cloud Gate otherwise known as “The Bean” to some people.
We were on our way shortly though. Onto the next 7-8 hour plane ride.
The first few days in Dublin were great. There were shops a plenty and some serious amount of food. The real fun began when we laid claim to the town of Londonderry (Derry). We went to numerous restaurants such as the Ice Wharf and a Turkish kabob and a grill house. We have walked around most of the downtown parts of Derry which include the Peace Bridge, the Walled City, and even a cathedral. All of these places came with a plethora of history and it was a new experience to learn about it and then compare it to the history in the United States.
One of the magnificent sites we got to explore as a group was Giant’s Causeway. I enjoyed looking at the scenery of the water and the waves crashing on the dark rocks. We then took a hike and went to the top of the cliff. I stood near the edge and screamed “YAWWWHOOOO!” We then ventured to the rope bridge.
We have also gone to a castle at Glenveagh National Park. We did a tour of the castle and it was interesting to learn about its history. Instead of touring the garden we went on another hike into the mountains to look out of the castle. It was super windy, but I lifted Ashley into the air Patrick Swayze style.
On the way back down the mountain we strayed off of the regular path and onto some rock ledges that reminded us of Pride Rock from the Lion King. While we were taking pictures a hail storm hit us so hard. Austin got a few pictures with the hail behind him.
Tonight some of us went to a movie at the Omniplex in Derry. I have wanted to see a movie all week so this was particularly exciting for me. Before the movie started I had the whole theater cracking up from my jokes. The movie was hilarious, but due to copyright issues I can’t disclose the title of the movie.
While we were in Derry we bumped into some Spaniards who are also in an exchange program of their own at North West Regional College. Our cultures are different from each other, but in Derry we found common ground. I didn’t expect to have exposure to Irish as well as the Spanish culture. Due to the differences that we both face in this foreign culture we have banded together.
Chicago detour
Pride Rock
Patrick Swayze
Today is Thursday! We packed up and left Stratford-on-Avon today for a quick stopover in Bath! It’s a very old city, so there are a lot of different architecture from different time periods. Some are very new and shiny, some are very old and restored, and some are ancient and covered in soot!! A very quick bus tour of the city revealed a lot of the aforesaid architecture and a lot of beautiful foliage.
Most of our time spent at Bath, however, was spent at the…. baths, which are now a museum devoted to the history behind them. And it was such a beautiful warm day! (The first in a while, it’s been pretty cool and cloudy for the last couple of days.) I tried and failed repeatedly to get a good picture of the wild canola flower fields in the country.
The ride back to London, however, was quite a trip. One of the bridges were closed off, so we had to drive the long way around to get to the East End. We had tickets to see the West End show The 39 Steps at 8 p.m., so we had to skip the Indian dinner we had planned for the evening. Nevertheless, the mad dash was worth it: The 39 Steps was a hilarious show, rotating 4 actors through a dozen roles each in a performance of the novel/movies of the same name, with many references to Hitchcock films, slapstick comedy, and lots of ridiculous situations. And they did the whole story with only a handful of props and costume changes!!! It was incredible! It was the perfect ending to a long day.
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Though the cold wind was on our backs, the warmth of this foreign beauty was engraved into our hearts.
What an amazing day!
Today is the last FULL day in Derry, and I must say that it was a day well spent. Today was the first day that class wasn’t all mixed up with the rooms for exam taking and everyone found their way safely to warmth up on the 6th floor of North West Regional College. We talked about attitudes and racism for Social Psychology and then got into groups to act as powerful country leaders for International Relations. It was full of great debate and deep thinking that we would later get to see demonstrations of (at least for the topic of attitudes).
After class, everyone met up at the Flying Clipper, a fancy restaurant at the college that makes some of the most marvelous food I have ever tasted in my short life-span, thus far! For our “Farewell Lunch,” I got to listen to conversations between the professors and their Irish Colleagues, while I had spicy tomato soup, a leg of lamb with potato mash (mashed potatoes), veggies, and then a special dessert. It was pretty cool thinking about how long we’ve been here. Sarah and I started to talk about how we were excited to go home, but also torn to leave such a beautiful place such as Ireland.
In the afternoon, the class went for a walk and found a candy shop. We were literally and unmistakably the happiest people in town, acting like little children that were so easily fascinated with the world around them. I finally got to complete my Willy Wonka dream: I WENT TO A CANDY STORE! My first time ever, and it was in IRELAND! I also had my first bonbons too! We all agreed that today was a fantastic day and we shared candy (for those that got some) and agreed that it was one of the best decisions we’ve made since we came here.
Oh, how beautiful the hills of Derry are…
Now, it is much later and almost 9pm here in Derry, Ireland. T’is a sorrowful evening because my roommate Sarah and I are packing to get ready for when we leave Derry tomorrow and head to Belfast, Ireland. We are less than 3 days from home and it feels absolutely exhilarating. I’m ready to go home, but I feel torn because I feel like my most favorite place in the world now is Donegal, Ireland. If you ever dream of seeing more vivid colors than you ever dreamed, beyond American Lands and beyond all the riff-raff of the world, you must visit that blessed place.
Ireland, though I am truly unaccustomed to your weather and hills, I love you.
This was definitely an amazing chance of a lifetime.
I will also miss Michael Slevin, the owner of the Clarence House, when we leave. I think I’m going to do my best to keep in contact with him. Yes: there is no doubt about it!
To Ireland!
A cheerful thought that will always be engraved in my heart, soul, and mind.
I have been in The Untied Kingdom for five days. This trip is more than I could ever ask for. I have achieved so many dreams, met new and interesting people and saw amazing historic sights. London is a fast pace city full of daily adventure and customs I’m not used to. Friday evening May 10,2013 was the day we departed. I had been planning, paying, and getting this trip together, the reality didn’t come play till that hour. My nerves were quite shaken, because I hadn’t been on an airplane in my life. I overcame a deep fear of mine. Saturday morning is when I really saw the heart of London for the first time. The tour guide is a friendly fellow ready to help us explore this giant city. I saw places like Buckingham Palace, The London Bridge, The Tower and The Eye. We are leaving London to see three more cities and I can’t wait.
