Wow. I don't know where to start since we've had such a busy few days. I'll also try not to repeat too much of what Lauren talked about.
But first: a cockroach update. Many of you have expressed concern for my cockroach situation in that where there is one, there are usually more. Just to reassure everyone, there are cockroach traps throughout the flat and I have not seen another one since the day I've moved in. I hope I will not see one ever again.
Anyway, I'm going to start by talking about classes. I am in Contemporary Britain, Introduction to London Theatre, British Artists and Nature, and The History of London. I have had the first three and am excited by all the field trips and the obvious enthusiasm of the professors. The best part for all the classes is the promise of going somewhere outside the classroom because although I'm an English major and therefore love books, some things are better seen in person than in a book. Plays, of course, are so much better when they are performed than if you are just reading the manuscript. As Lauren said, we saw War Horse last night. If the horse puppets (which is so not the right word) hadn't been as incredible as they were, the play wouldn't have been good at all. However, the horses were astounding. We were really close to the stage and able to see all the intricities of the construction of these machines...yeah, machines is almost a better word because of the mechanics of how the legs moved were almost like watching the inside of a car engine. The puppeteers were amazing because they have to move with it, control everything from the legs and head, the shivers running over the flank, the swishing of the mane and tail, and the flicks of the ears, and make all the sounds a horse makes. All this while being as inconspicuous as possible. I thought that since we were so close, we would lose some of the realism that perhaps others, further away could enjoy because they couldn't see the people inside the horse or notice their expressions. But being close actually enhanced it because every movement was so realistic. By the way, there were two horses big enough and strong enough to carry people. Aside from the horses and the beautiful singing, the play wasn't that good. Not very good acting plus a really long and kind of underdeveloped story almost overshadowed the coolness of the horses. Almost.
Today, we went to the Victoria and Albert museum, which is just around the block and down the street from us. Ever since I saw the movie The Young Victoria (which everyone should see!), I have been a little obsessed with Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, so anything related to them, I am more than happy to experience. Of course, the museum has everything you could possibly imagine in it, so I will be stopping back many times in the future to see a few rooms. Yay for free museums!
This morning before class I took a walk in Kensington Gardens. It's still too cold to do this, but I did anyway. This picture is from the Round Pond in the Gardens. It is completely frozen except for right around the edges so it was quite amusing to see the birds swimming with others standing on the ice only a foot away.
Well, I think that's all for right now. I don't have any classes tomorrow, so I'm going to see which museum I can go explore on my day off.
But first: a cockroach update. Many of you have expressed concern for my cockroach situation in that where there is one, there are usually more. Just to reassure everyone, there are cockroach traps throughout the flat and I have not seen another one since the day I've moved in. I hope I will not see one ever again.
Anyway, I'm going to start by talking about classes. I am in Contemporary Britain, Introduction to London Theatre, British Artists and Nature, and The History of London. I have had the first three and am excited by all the field trips and the obvious enthusiasm of the professors. The best part for all the classes is the promise of going somewhere outside the classroom because although I'm an English major and therefore love books, some things are better seen in person than in a book. Plays, of course, are so much better when they are performed than if you are just reading the manuscript. As Lauren said, we saw War Horse last night. If the horse puppets (which is so not the right word) hadn't been as incredible as they were, the play wouldn't have been good at all. However, the horses were astounding. We were really close to the stage and able to see all the intricities of the construction of these machines...yeah, machines is almost a better word because of the mechanics of how the legs moved were almost like watching the inside of a car engine. The puppeteers were amazing because they have to move with it, control everything from the legs and head, the shivers running over the flank, the swishing of the mane and tail, and the flicks of the ears, and make all the sounds a horse makes. All this while being as inconspicuous as possible. I thought that since we were so close, we would lose some of the realism that perhaps others, further away could enjoy because they couldn't see the people inside the horse or notice their expressions. But being close actually enhanced it because every movement was so realistic. By the way, there were two horses big enough and strong enough to carry people. Aside from the horses and the beautiful singing, the play wasn't that good. Not very good acting plus a really long and kind of underdeveloped story almost overshadowed the coolness of the horses. Almost.
Today, we went to the Victoria and Albert museum, which is just around the block and down the street from us. Ever since I saw the movie The Young Victoria (which everyone should see!), I have been a little obsessed with Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, so anything related to them, I am more than happy to experience. Of course, the museum has everything you could possibly imagine in it, so I will be stopping back many times in the future to see a few rooms. Yay for free museums!
This morning before class I took a walk in Kensington Gardens. It's still too cold to do this, but I did anyway. This picture is from the Round Pond in the Gardens. It is completely frozen except for right around the edges so it was quite amusing to see the birds swimming with others standing on the ice only a foot away.
Well, I think that's all for right now. I don't have any classes tomorrow, so I'm going to see which museum I can go explore on my day off.
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