Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Highlights of the Week

Sound of Music

Our program bought us tickets to the Sound of Music Thursday night, which was not a musical I was very keen on seeing. However, considering that I have a slight obsession with musicals, I ended up loving it! The lead playing Maria was amazing, and the von Trapp children were not only precious but also quite talented. I am now very inclined to see as much theatre as possible while I’m here.

Ballet Class in Covent Garden

On Friday after my half day at work I decided to take a ballet class at the Pineapple Studios. It was perfect - a great review of technique but also a bit challenging. It was only a 7 minute walk from my house, a walk in which I discovered a whole new, adorable part of London. This is something I hope to do a few times a month.

Primark

So we all know it was only a matter of time before I thrust myself fully into exploring my shopping options here. On Saturday morning Jess and I ventured down to Oxford Street, a street akin to Newbury Street in Boston, yet substantially busier and more crowded. We went a bit crazy at this store called Primark - it has brilliantly cheap stylish clothing, with mile-long lines for the dressing room. I got skinny jeans for 10 pounds and boots for 6 pounds! We went shopping on Oxford Street which is similar to Newbury Street in Boston, yet way busier and more crowded. We wanted to walk down all of Oxford Street, but I feel it may take the whole semester to do it justice.

Coach Bus Tour

Sunday we had a 3 hour bus tour around London, which really emphasized how much there is to see in London. It was great to see the whole city and to get a better sense of where everything is in relation to each other. Our tour guide mentioned a few places that were filmed in Harry Potter, so I definitely plan on checking those out ASAP. It got me so excited though to know there is still so much to see and so much exploring to do.

Unicorn Theatre

Work's been great, I've seen a few more of the productions, yet I’ve also been doing a lot more of intern-type stuff. I got to put stickers on a bunch of brochures, I’ve stuffed thousands of envelopes – it’s riveting work. I absolutely love the people I work with too. They are so willing to help me and get me acquainted, and I am already starting feeling like a part of the company. I also have found my work fantasy love, a John Mayer look-a-like (also named John). Tres exciting. Next Monday Prince Charles and his wife (mistress?) are coming to the Unicorn! I'm getting paid to volunteer chaperoning little British children!! I need to come up with a way to somehow catch his attention...either by tripping him, spilling a drink on him, along those lines. I'll figure something out.

Organic Food Shop

So finding Steph-friendly food has been quite a process – I can get basics like rice milk, cashew butter, all that fun stuff. But crackers, bread, cereal, turkey, etc. has been so hard to find!! The only gluten free bread I can find is tiny and it’s so expensive. And all the turkey is packaged, and full of preservatives. Luckily, this afternoon after class I tried a different route home and found a cozy organic food shop by my home. It sells gluten free everything! It even has fresh food to order that I can eat!

By and large, I am having the most wonderful time. With that said, I am really lacking in sleep. I’ve been having the hardest time falling asleep at night. It’s also difficult going to bed early when I want to stay up and be social because after a long day of work I want to hang out with everyone. I am also already getting very sick of my commute to work. The tube in the morning and in rush hour makes me so claustrophobic and anxious I dread it daily. That’s probably my biggest complaint - so I guess I’m doing pretty well. The more I see of London the more I am beginning to fall in love with it. Every day I find a new street with cute shops and cafes and I start to navigate my way a little better. Life is good.

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