BY: G INNY HEBERT

YOU USED TO CALL ME ON MY CELL PHONE… BUT ONLY WHEN I HAD WIFI

I f ound myse l f to d i s t rac ted w i th adventu re to a l l ow je t l ag to k i ck in . D i s cove r ing where I was and who I was w i th , was exc i t i ng and a l i t t l e ove rwhe lm ing . I f o rgo t abou t ce l l phone se rv i ce once I l e t my pa ren t s know I l anded . Fi r s t s top , ou r fla t o r wha t I wou ld know as home fo r two weeks ; 12a Bed fo rd P lace . Second s top , fish and ch ips .

DAY ONE:SETTLING IN

The difference between American and London food was immediately noticeable. The ketchup tasted less tangy, and the chips (fries) tasted less salty. This was

just enough adventure for one day, so I allowed jet lag to kick in right as I went to sleep.

DAY TWO:ACCIDENTALLY RAN INTO MY FRIEND, BIG BEN

I was whisked away into the world of London, forcing myself to not feel tired. We started off the day with a class at Connie’s where we got to really meet one another. We discussed the schedule and where we were to meet later that night. Katie and I decided that we were going to walk, because that was the cheapest way. But first, we stopped to get some food.

Having a sensitive stomach, I was worried about what I was going to eat. So at first, I tried to stick with foods I knew I could have, like pizza. Then I slowly started to try new things. Trying different foods led to many discoveries about American foods.

On the way to the National Theatre for a backstage tour and wonder.land, Katie and I walked a crossed the River of Thames. I was so distracted by the flow of

traffic, it took me almost five minutes to look a cross the river, where we unexpectedly saw Big Ben and the London Eye. This was the moment when it hit

me that I was in another country. We stayed and stared for awhile and spent some time just being present.

THE NAT IONAL THEATRE

Seeing how other theatres function was an incredible thing. I really appreciated how the public was welcome into the space and could see the progress of shows as long as the building was opened. This made me feel like the theatre that they were doing really was for the audience, not just themselves. It also seemed like the creative teams, and actors all had enough space to successfully put on a production.

wonder. l and was a shor t c i rcu i ted unsa t i s fy ing p roduc t ion . Many o f the themes le f t me fee l ing empty , and ques t ion ing what ma in po in t o f the p lo t was . Try ing to re la te wonder. l and to A l i ce and Wonder Land was so d ifficu l t tha t many charac te r s were th rown in to the show ou t o f ob l i ga t ion , no t necess i ty.

WONDER.LAND: STATEMENT OF MEANING

On the way back, we stopped by to see Big Ben.

Once we got our fill of tourist photos, we headed back to the flat and got a little lost and hungry. So, once we asked a few people and

pulled out a map, we found our way back and at a 24

hour diner. I ended my day with a brownie and ice

cream.

Af te r ea t ing a home cooked mea l , t h ree o f us se t ou t to do a scavenger hun t a round the Wes t End . We went f rom theat re to theat re ask ing a se t o f ques t i ons to become more f am i l i a r w i th the a rea , and to ge t comfor tab le ask ing ques t i ons to s t range rs . Emma, a box office worke r , we found to be the mos t he lp fu l .

DAY THREE; CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME…

After the scavenger hunt, we went to a talk back with the playwright of wonder.land. Although her impression of the production varied from mine, she was only able to clear up a few of my questions. I was still left with that same unsatisfying feeling trying to understand why she made certain choices.

Sarah Rhu l ’ s ch i l d once sa id “ I t was beau t i f u l , I j u s t d idn ’ t l i ke i t ” . MacBe th was jus t tha t . I l e f t me sa t i sfied i n w i th the techn ica l e l ements o f the p lay , bu t hung ry f o r answers . I wan ted more in fo rmat ion as to why they pu t ce r ta in movements where . I t a l so l e f t me uncomfo r tab le w i th some o f the movements , pe rhaps because i t p rovoked a l o t ques t i ons and concerns .

MACBETH: STATEMENT OF MEANING

After MacBeth, I took my first tube ride. London keeps their transportation much cleaner than in New York. They also have signs posted that are easy to read and

access. This was the first time I noticed the difference in tempos between the two cities. London is much more relaxed compared to New York. People are

luxuriating in time, but in New York people run around as if they are running out of time.

DAY FOUR: FOREVER CONFUSED

We started off the day walking around London learning about Shakespeare from Patsy Trench. One of the many important facts that we did learn, is that many facts about Shakespeare are difficult to prove because some years of his life were not recorded. There are many things that are just speculated, but not proven.

FOREVER LOOP: STATEMENT OF MEANING

The forever loop was a space in a museum where nothing worked together to make a statement. Many pieces of this art exhibit seemed like a child making up a story and just keeping all the ideas that come rushing into their head. The words painted on the walls had nothing to do with the plastic bears in scarfs, just like some of the videos had nothing to do with women being naked. I crave feeling inspired after looking at art, when I left I felt uncomfortable, empty, confused, and extremely unsatisfied.

MUSEUM OF LONDON

This is a skeleton of a 16 year old girl, and the cause of death is unknown. After collecting the carbon in her ribs and teeth they were able to conclude that she was on a London diet, and probably lived in Carthage. She was buried around 300-400AD.

Assignment:

Young girl died of a disease.

WICKED; EXTRA ACT IV ITYI have already seen Wicked in America, and wanted to compare it to the version playing in the UK. I noticed that the understudy was on stage that night, and it definitely showed. She struggle with some of the music, and sometimes lacked commitment to the role. Glinda didn’t seem youthful like the American version. There was something about her that didn’t quite fit the role. After discussing with my peers, we came to the conclusion that American theatre and UK theatre have different standards. The production wasn’t as good as the American version, but it wasn’t bad either. The difference in standards showed, and for what it was I think it was great for the UK standard.

DAY F IVE : HELLO FROM THE LONDON EYE

YOU FOR ME FOR YOU: STATEMENT OF MEAN ING

You For Me For You was a a heart wrenching story of two sisters misfortune. Although some of the timing was a little hazy, the story left you wanting more. Ascetically the play was well thought out and helped create the world of the play.

–AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

THE LONDON EYE

This was the day that we really did everything that we possibly could in 24 hours. Seeing the view from the London Eye was breathtaking and it left me with a sense of wanderlust and curiosity.

S AS YASSSS

After being photo bombed a few times, SAS became a way of life (really just a way to pretend we knew what FYE was). The club experience was a lot different than in Potsdam, and the gentlemen seemed to have much more class and respect.

Day six: “modern art= I could do that + yeah but you didn’t”

TOURING THE GLOBE WAS VERY FUN AND EXCITING. I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THE HISTORY AND ABOUT SHAKESPEARE. THE WORKSHOP WAS VERY INFORMATIONAL, AND NOW I HAVE A GREATER RESPECT FOR SHAKESPEARE AND HIS WORK.

TOURING THE GLOBE

TATE MODERN: SOMETH ING I L IKED

This was one of my first experiences in awhile that I viewed modern art. I was pretty judgmental at first. I really connected with this piece because I saw time passing in a way that we normally do not think of time. Unfortunately, I thought about it too much and the artists’ concept was simply painting number on top of each other.

SOMETH ING I D IDN ’T L IKE

At first I saw a painting that a two year old did. And that’s what I still see. Then I stumbled upon a quote (Day Six title) that made me understand that I can’t judge something that I didn’t do myself and that I didn’t have the courage to display.

PEOPLE WATCH ING

People watching made me more aware of how I was looking at a piece of art. Some people would stare for a while and walk away, other people would allow the piece of art to manipulate their body. For example, the the picture was upside down, they would turn themselves upside down to get a clearer picture.

BEN HUR WAS A OVER DRAMATIC COMEDY THAT KINDLY POINTED OUT FLAWS DURING BIBLICAL TIMES. IT KEPT ME ENTERTAINED, LAUGHING, AND ENJOYING THE SATIRE.

BEN HUR: STATEMENT OF MEANING

DAY SEVEN AND E IGHT: WAIT ING FOR THE QUEEN

During the weekend we went to see Covet Gardens, Buckingham Palace, and stopped by to say hi to Big Ben. We also went to the

club again.

DAY NINE: MORE MODERN ART

Selfie Assignment

This was an interesting assignment. It made me more aware of how often I was taking out my phone to take photos instead of being present.

S A ATCH I GALLERY

In this exhibit there were many paintings of older people. This was the only one that had any color and it grabbed my attention. It made me face my own mortality, in the sense that I will not be young forever.

THE FANC IEST PL ACE IN THE WORLD; HARRODS

These pair of Lou Boutons don't even seem possible to wear, let alone afford. Harrods made me feel out of place and uncertain of how to act. I hesitated to touch anything, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to afford it. Or knowing me, I’d break it, have to buy it, and go bankrupt.

DAY 10: NOT SO SUNNY AFTERNOONThe serpentine gallery was extremely

interesting. It was neon version of things we use everyday. It through our negligence of being present in our face, while raining a

little on the walk there.

THE V ICTOR IA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

The museum had me feeling much like the horse to the left. Overwhelmed and a little scared to accidentally touch anything. It held incredibly beautiful items, just too many. I was constantly getting lost and confused. This horse was my spirit animal during that experience.

SUN NY A FT ER NO O N : S TAT EM EN T O F M EAN IN G

After being taken through the journey of The Kinks story. I was left with a few questions. What happened to the daughter, and did she have a name? The sound reminded me of a true rock concert, and kept me engaged. The set helped bring me into the setting of the musical.

DAY ELEVEN: “ARE YOU ALRIGHT SIR?”

Visiting the Tower of London was educational and captivating. There was so much history

in one place.

The guards seemed quite uncomfortable, and emotionless. I was worried if they were cold and curious as to how they stood there that long. And, what do they do if they have to use the toilet?

ABBEY ROAD

Unfortunately, those aren't the Beatles. It was super cool to see where a historical landmark was for the Beatles.

T H E H O M ECO M ING : STAT EM ENT O F M EAN IN G

Harold Pinter wanted people to be confused, and that’s what he did. I understood very little of what I was seeing. Aesthetically the play was captivating and kept the audiences attention. The writing itself left me in a haze of confusion. I questioned the ethics of the characters and why they did what they did.

DAY TWELVE: S ICK AND TIRED

After having an informational workshop at the the Donmar Warehouse, we made our way to

the National Portrait Gallery.

ANTONIO VERR IO ’S SELF PORTRA IT

On the top we see painter Antonio and his self portrait. It is very clear from this picture that he defines himself as a painter, and not much else.

K ING CHARLES I I

This is a painting of King Charles II when he was four months old. To be honest, I thought he was a girl at first. He’s still cute though. The artist of this painting is unknown. I’m also quite curious as to how the painter was able to paint a baby, it would have been almost impossible to keep him still.

CAMDEN MARKET Next we ventured off to Camden Market. I could feel my sickness, and hunger starting to set in. I was pretty miserable, but still wanted to go along for the ride. The market was pretty uneventful, but great to see the differences between cultures. Then we meant up with Katie’s friend and finally got some food inside a warm building.

DAY THIRTEEN: ITS NOT OVER UNTIL THE FAT

LADY SINGS

WITCH OF WALKERN: STATEMENT OF MEANING

As our last show, we went out with quite a bang. I learned so much about the history of England and how they treated their “witches” during this time period. The set helped use get a better understanding of where we were and how people were viewing things. The risk taking and ensemble work of the actors was touching, and left me feeling satisfied.

DAY FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN: FAR FROM CLOUD 9

On the last day we visited Covet Gardens once more, and then went to afternoon tea

with the group.

L AST HOORAY This felt like our last hooray. This were finally coming to an end. The great food, and high respect for arts were all ending in less than 24 hours. I felt torn. I was sick, and wanted to see an american doctor, but I also didn’t want to go. I knew that I was going to miss these people.

The next morning, we all slowly made our way to the bus. We took our time and really took a last look (mostly to make sure we didn’t forget anything). Soon we were off the the airport where we would board the plane, drink some wine, and land back in the states. It didn’t feel right, my time there wasn’t over. I know one day, very soon, I will find my way back to a country where being an artist is amazing.