May 7th. How did it get to be May 7th? Anyone? And no wise cracks about, “well, that’s just how the calendar works Mandy”. I leave in one month to today. And to be quite honest, I’m not very happy about it. I miss my family and my friends so much (yes, all of you who are reading this, you have no idea how much I’d love a real hug right now). But, I’ve fallen in love with London, with everything about this city and with everyone who defines this city for me. It’s going to be incredibly hard, but the entire experience will be the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ah, well now, enough with the crazy sentiment. How about a little story time? Perhaps one that takes place in the far-away, distant and exotic lands of the Czech Republic, Germany and Greece?

As I mentioned before, everyone else I knew went off on month-long trips to places as varied as Sweden, Poland and Syria. I was perfectly happy staying behind and working on my papers (Alex was there to distract me, so don’t worry everyone, I was not as perfectly studious as it seems) and going on my smaller trip when I had time. I left for Prague on April 4th. Getting to airports here is a lot different than if I were back in Houston. First you take the tube to the right stop with a train station, then the train to the airport shuttle, then the shuttle to the airport. There are some really great airlines over here, like Easyjet and Ryanair that have insanely cheap flights, so I hopped one of those to Prague. I sat amidst a giant stag party of 14, which was entertaining to say the least. I dutifully read my Prague guidebook, re-checked the maps I had printed and was ready for the city when I landed. When I stepped off the plane, I was not greeted by a weird foreign place. In fact, most signs were half in English. The first challenge was figuring out the bus. After I got on, I got off at the appropriate stop, navigated their Metro (underground) system, and ended up at the stop the hostel said to get off at. And that is where maps and printed advice fails you, when you are surrounded by only Czech-speakers in a city you don’t know with zero idea as to where in the world to turn. I called Bryan, who was already at the hostel (I was meeting him and his UCL friends for this leg), who helped me. After turning down some twisty side-streets, there I was, in front of the hostel. I went up to the room and knocked on the door, only to be opened by one of my best friends. You know, in PRAGUE. That was a very trippy and cool feeling. The next few days we navigated the city, stopping at markets, going to the old Jewish quarter and all of the old synagogues and cemeteries (a beautiful and moving experience), checking out the castle and strolling the Charles Bridge. Bryan’s birthday arrived, and we went to a classical concert at the Spanish Synagogue, an amazing dinner with a beautiful view over-looking the Charles Bridge, a great club and topped the night off with fried cheese sandwiches. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten one of those.

We left for Berlin the following day via a 5 hour train. We had originally planned to be there one night, but chose to go for an extra, which turned out to be a great idea. Our hostel was incredibly nice (it even had a movie room downstairs with 100 movies to choose from), as were the guys who ran it (including Debbie- a Hungarian guy whose name we misheard, so decided to call him Deb...which evolved into Debbie….poor guy). Berlin was WAY cooler than I thought it would be. I actually liked it more than Prague. It is so full of history, the people are vibrant and the city itself has re-built into something great. We went on a comprehensive free walking tour that showed all of the best sights, including multiple memorials that are the most moving things I have ever seen. I would highly recommend a trip there to anyone.

I left the crew at the Jewish Museum to go back to the hostel and hop a plane from Berlin to Athens all by myself the following day. After getting thoroughly searched by a very brisk German woman, I was on my way on my first solo adventure. I arrived in Athens with no problems and even met an Irish guy on the Metro headed for my hostel (Athens Backpackers- great). I went to bed early, and the next day headed nice and early for the Acropolis, which was right next to the hostel. The day was clear and beautiful, and it was quite serene wandering around the Theatre of Dionysus, where the plays of Sophocles and Aeschylus were first performed (for a theatre person like me, that was such a thrill). The Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, all of that was just mind-blowing. I’ve wanted to see these sites my whole life, and here I am, on top of the freaking Acropolis! Such a wonderful feeling. What is not such a great feeling is pointing your camera at the Parthenon, only for it to tell you that the card cannot be read (exactly what happened to me in Antwerp). But I shrugged it off and found a camera place once I descended the hill and bought even more new cards. I then wandered around the Plaka district, weaving through narrow streets, vendors, crazy tacky shops and eventually ended up at the Greek Agora (with delicious chicken gyro in hand). Later I tried I wandered around more, found out ferry ticket prices, and went back to the hostel to chill for a bit and call my friends Anna, Becca and Jesse, who were arriving the next day. Anna picked up the phone, and upon my inquiry of “hey, when are ya’ll getting here”, replied, “oh in about 5 minutes” and proceeded to stroll through the hostel door in 5 minutes. It was a very happy surprise indeed. We went to the very best Greek dinner I have ever had, followed by a pub crawl with some new friends (we picked up a guy, West, from Massachusetts). The next day we basically repeated my day, plus a museum and the Temple of Zeus, and then the following morning hopped a 7:30 am speedy (5 hour) ferry to Santorini!

Our hostel was more like a hotel, incredibly cheap, good rooms and right on Perissa Beach, a basically deserted (at least at that time) black sand beach. We spent a lot of time lying out on the beach, playing in the freezing surf and generally relaxing. We rented a Fiat Panda (least threatening car name ever) for 20 euro a day- 4 euro each, what a HUGE steal- and spent a lot of time driving around the island and seeing how pretty it is. The first day we went into Fira, the closer town and walked around the white-washed alleyways and tourist shops, taking in the sun. Afterward, we went to a small winery and drank wine on a cliff overlooking the caldera. That night we drove to Ia (pronounced ‘ee-ah”) with the hopes of catching the sunset over the ocean from the city. We took a wrong turn and ended up taking the long way around the island, but it was for the best, since we got to see all the scenery. When you think of the quintessential Greek home/island, you think of white walls and blue domes, and that is Ia. It is also where they filmed Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I’ve always always dreamed of going to Santorini, to Ia, and just being surrounded by the city. It lived up to its expectations. While we didn’t get the sunset (too hazy), we stepped on the cool, smooth stone paths and slowing walked through the streets, taking in the beauty of the place. We got gyros for dinner and sat on a wall overlooking the caldera and watching the pinpricks of light appear in the little towns on the island. I’ll never forget it. The next day, Becca’s birthday, we went back to Fira and climbed down this crazy side-winder donkey path to reach the old port. We took a boat out to the volcano and climbed all around. It was like being on Mars. Then the boat took us to a hot spring, which you access by jumping into the freezing water and swimming to it. Incredibly and ridiculously fun. We went back to Ia that night for the sunset and Fira for dinner and dancing. The next day Jesse and I took a 9 hour slow ferry back to Athens- yes, 9 never-ending hours- and spent the night to leave the next day.

Now that I look back and read all of that, I’m not sure if it is boring or not. I mean, I lived it, so it was pretty damn cool. But maybe to others, it isn’t. We were warned before we left that people would not find our stories as cool as we do. I’m sure that will happen- and as I am particularly loquacious- I know I will get told to shut up multiple times. But that trip was an incredibly important part of my life, and I want to share it with all of you. I hope you can read my excitement, joy, fears and general life-changing time in between the lines of text.

This was an incredibly long post, so the promised celebrity story will be in the next one. Yesterday I went to Greenwich to visit Alex on his lunch break and wander around. They filmed The Golden Compass (one of my favorites) at the Old Royal Naval College, so I of course crashed the place (they were filming a Charles Dickens movie there at the time) and had a great time pretending I was Nicole Kidman. Today our program is taking us for afternoon tea at the Dorchester Hotel, where apparently Madonna and Kate Moss take their tea, and then I am going to the National Portrait Gallery for a little more culture. I’m trying to make the most of my time here, so I know that I am hard to reach, and for all of you that are in contact with me, sending me love from home, I appreciate you so much. Thank you for being such great friends, especially Carrie. I know I don’t do personal shout-outs often, but when someone is so kind, they deserve it. Ta-ta for now darlings, I’m off to tea!

The sun is sparkling off the Thames, glittering on the buildings and blinding tourists as they gaze across the water. The sky is a brilliant blue, with so few clouds that I fervently wish hundreds of red balloons would fly up and dot the sky in a patriotic celestial celebration. Ice cream men have appeared along the bank side to sell cones with Flake to children in bright-colored clothing. Birds are fluttering about and singing cheerful Disney songs. In fact, every person on Waterloo Bridge has just burst out into an elaborate song-and-dance number, fairly reminiscent of I Will Survive. Is this just my imagination? Am I dreaming? Or, have I just turned in 4 4,000 word essays thus completing my major coursework for the rest of my semester? The correct answer is a little bit of everything. The only thing that did not happen in real life is the birds and the song-and-dance number (but don’t you think for one second that I wasn’t going all Fosse in my head). Give me a little artistic license on this joyous occasion- I am finished with my Junior year of college.

(*edit- Ok. Ok. I wrote this last week. And didn’t post it, because I am an awful and terrible person. So I decided to add more to the end to make up for my lack of posting skills. I also sincerely- truly and deeply- apologize for not updating sooner. I know that I should more, and I can only offer the excuse of being without a computer for over two weeks and dealing with final essays for not updating. I have recently realized that people do read this blog- I know who you are, my dear dear friends, and I thank you so much for it. I will be more vigilant from now on.)

After I returned from my holiday (see the next post for my memoirs), I went to work immediately on the rest of my coursework. I told you in the last post about the essays, so I won’t bother you with those fun details. But I still had one whole essay, and most of another to do when I got back. I am not condoning this type of work ethic, but lets all be honest with ourselves. Who is, at this moment, writing an essay due tomorrow, and instead reading my blog? Yes, yes, I know exactly who you are. Don’t wag a finger at me my friends! Anyways, it was a whirlwind 5 days, full of lots of sleep deprivation, cups of tea and digestives, and learning more about the portraiture of Elizabeth I than you could possibly realize. Did you know that she really liked her hands and they are featured in every portrait? Now you know! (*cue the Bill Nye music*). The day I turned them in was utterly brilliant- it really was as beautiful as I describe, or maybe only more so because I wasn’t hauling twelve library books twenty minutes away to the library (never again will I curse you Coates). The English department had free drinks and nibbles, so my friends from Penn and I went to have a drink, and then sat in our favorite local pub for about four hours toasting our collective brilliance. Alex, my lovely boyfriend, came by with champagne, but sadly, after not sleeping for about five days, 1 pint of cider each was enough to do me, and all of my friends, in for the night.

So what have I been doing since I turned in my finals? Oh, you know, nothing big, just hanging out at Shakespeare’s The Globe! Ok. Yes that came off as rather braggy. But well…I don’t really care. It was an amazing experience. For two weeks, 10 of us from Jacobean Shakespeare met at the Globe for workshops, lectures and seminars from Globe practitioners to learn about costumes, music, movement, vocals, original practices and much more. Our leaders were top professionals who have worked with the Globe for many years, some the experts in their fields. We learned about what instruments in the Elizabethan era were considered lower-class and upper-class, and how no one in the audience probably knows or cares when they make everything accurate. The Globe used to stick a policy of “original practices”, following the tradition the theatre itself was rebuilt with (as close to what was available in the 16th century). Costumes, music, lighting, sound effects, seating, audience roles, and speech- everything was done with as close accuracy as possible. Costumes- which were referred to as clothes, because that’s what they were- could cost up to 20,000 pounds a piece when completely constructed accurately. Incredible! We viewed the current show- King Lear- twice; once from the Upper Gallery, where the nobles sat, and once from the yard, where the groundlings were. Both had their own sets of problems. It is very difficult to hear or see from the Upper Gallery, but the view of the crowd in the yard is quite interesting. The copulating pigeons on the roof took away from the tragedy on stage. The yard was also fun…or rather…as fun as it can be to watch a 3+ hour show whilst standing in the rain and cold.

The best part of the whole experience was performing a scene under the direction of a professional director/actor. My director has several notable film credits and numerous other theatre credits. He is on the audition panel at RADA, apparently has frequent conversations with Alan Rickman and is best friends with Tim McInnerny. On the last day, I worked up the courage to ask him if I could meet with him for coffee and discuss his professional career and how I can do what he does (he said yes!). We performed scenes from King Lear- I was Edgar, in the cliffs of Dover scene. It was great fun and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Today was sadly our last day, but I’m comforted in knowing that it is not the end of my experience in acting in London. I know that for a fact.

As always, I will end my post with a celebrity sighting. I have two great ones to tell you, but I will wait until the next post with the best story yet. The day before I left for Prague, I was walking down The Cut (a street next to mine that holds the Old Vic Theatre). I was thinking about how I was jealous my friend saw Kevin Spacey walking down the street, and how I wish I could see him or Jeff Goldblum (both actors were starring in Speed the Plow at the Old Vic). I stopped to mess with my ipod, when I looked up, and realized that I was standing directly before- you guessed it- Jeff Goldblum. He was looking into the coffee shop next to us and sort of chuckling to himself. He is so bloody tall that I was completely out of his line of sight, which is good, because he just would have seen a girl staring at him with a mouth wide enough to fit in a Frisbee. Then he just sort of shrugged and ambled on toward the theatre. I was just so shocked that I didn’t have time to say anything or scream “Scott Wooley!!!” (points to whoever gets that reference) or hug him, but oh well. I got to see his awesome face, so I was happy. I really love this city.

*Mandy hangs her head in shame at her poor updating skills*

In keeping my promise of updating you on the events I mentioned in my last blog, my flat mates and I all went to King’s Truffle Shuffle together in our finest 80s gear! I got my whole outfit put together for under 10 pounds from a fabulous store called Primark (hmmm I think I've already gone on about that store...), complete with hot pink tights and leg warmers. The club pumped the best of Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Corey Hart, Michael Jackson- basically every amazing 80s song you can think of, all while The Breakfast Club and Back to the Future played on the projector. We had an absolute blast! (*Note to any Traditions/TIGER/Greek Council members reading this….our clubs would make loads and loads of money at a large sponsored 80s party*). Points go out to Emily and my brother Ryan for correctly identifying The Goonies as the movie where the Truffle Shuffle comes from. Just for fun, here is the link to one of the greatest movie dances ever- http://youtube.com/watch?v=t5whaRkuipU&feature=related

The big crazy club night at Fabric was also really fun. We got there really early, around 9:30 pm, which sounds ridiculous on American standards, but if we arrived any later, we would have stood in the queue for at least an hour. The place is like a giant maze inside. I was afraid to even go to the loo by myself because I would lose my group and never find them. Later in the evening, the club definitely picked up that crazy atmosphere you only see in movies, so that was worth witnessing first hand. And like any good Londoner, we walked all the way home when we wouldn’t find a close bus stop. I will never ever drive from Prassel to Coates ever again (yes, yes I used to do that, don’t judge me).

So all of my new friends, and one of my old ones, are all officially gone on various Euro-travels (currently I think locations include Switzerland and Barcelona). In one week, I will be meeting Bryan’s group for his birthday in Prague, and then Berlin. I am leaving them after Berlin to do Athens for a few days by myself (scary but exciting!), and then my new friends Becca and Anna will meet me and we will continue to Santorini and Ios for some sun and beach time. I am so excited! I’m currently working on my paper for Experimental Theatre (about Jean Genet and Howard Barker- again, if any of you have heard of them, another shout out will be in order), and then another about a house that both Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf lived in in Bloomsbury. Yes, I know. A little absurd. Things are going well with everyone gone, including most of my flat. I’m not as lonely as I thought I would be, as I am currently seeing a pretty darn charming Englishman. I retract any former grumbles about the English and their off-putting nature. I’m having a great time with him and his friends, despite their work-distracting nature (because let’s be honest, going to art installations and movie quiz nights with a great guy are a lot more fun than French dramatists).

I’ve been struggling the past few days with applying to internships back home. It is not easy, in the least, to do from abroad. I’ve found that many jobs I’d like require face-to-face interviews, and I just can’t go back for that sort of thing. I’ve applied to multiple theatres and some non-profits, so hopefully some of those come through! I’ve also been missing home quite a bit- congratulations to the newly initiated members of Alpha Chi Lambda’s class of 2008!

A few weeks ago, Hannah and I went for a stroll along the South Bank towards Borough Market, past the Tate Modern and the Globe. We noticed film crews in front of the Tate and thought, hmm probably filming a documentary. Of course I had to ask what they were filming, and after asking about 5 guards, it was confirmed- they were filming opening shots for Harry Potter!!! AHHH! So of course I went all the way back to my flat for my camera, and casually strolled around the filming area taking pictures- sadly, no actors were present.
HOWEVER- just two days ago, I was walking over Waterloo Bridge and happened to look up at the man walking toward me. He was very short, with a smart blue suit on, flyaway hair, a scrunched up face, and talking on a cell phone. This man was none other than Timothy Spall- the actor who plays Peter Pettigrew! He is also in Sweeney Todd and Enchanted, both as rat-like characters. I was literally in over-joyed shock!! London kicks ass.

And to finish off this post, just for fun, here are a few things I am currently obsessed with (and you should be too): Nutella, crumpets, Cadbury crème eggs, Crunchy Nut Clusters cereal, iTunes radio: Pop- Big R Radio-The Mix, Classical- Classical Minnesota, fake alpaca hats, Newton Faulkner, The Fratellis, Kate Nash and trench coats. That is all!

My flat mates and I ready for the Truf- Kim, Franzi, Ghislain, me and Lauren (missing Matt and Praveen)

Me being silly

Crews filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!!!!!!

First of all, I will admit that directly in front of my keyboard is a collection of essays about Shakespeare adaptations. It is open to an essay written by my seminar lecturer, and I stopped reading half-way through because I decided I would rather write a post. Best idea? Who cares, this is much more fun. I just read Sebastian’s great entry and started laughing, because I just got back from a trip to Brussels myself!

Brussels….what shall I say about you? The city itself was not terribly interesting to me. I liked the EU parliament building, and really, the best parts of the trip were hanging out with my friends and relaxing. My goals for the trip (sponsored by my travel program) were thus: eat chocolate, waffles, fries, drink a beer (I really don’t like beer in the least), and sleep. Mazel tov to me, I did it all! We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was the nicest hotel I’ve ever been to, and had the comfiest beds I could imagine- way way better than the beds in my flat. I whole-heartedly concur with Sebastian- there is nothing better than Belgian chocolate. I have a bag full of truffles, pralines (chocolate eggs filled with different chocolates/flavors) and a bar of mint-leaf infused dark chocolate calling to me from my bed. I must have spent about 20 euro on chocolate. Obscene and absurd, yes, but completely and totally worth it. I also had some sort of religious experience with my waffle on Sunday; it’s hard to describe the sheer joy I felt when eating it. A fresh, toasty waffle, topped with 2 huge scoops of homemade Belgian chocolate ice cream, covered with caramel sauce. I only had eyes for that waffle. It’s almost like food porn with all the sweets. Loved it!

We went on a day trip to Antwerp and wandered around the fashionable city people watching and shopping. However, the best part occurred at once, and was two-fold. Outside of the cathedral, there is a square with lots of little restaurants and benches. We went to the chip shop (french fries) to get a cone of chips with curry ketchup (you cannot go back to regular ketchup after that). When we were in line, I heard a familiar voice, and saw the three trip leaders from our program. Here my friends and I are, in Antwerp on a day trip from Brussels, in one little chip shop in a particular square at a random time, and there are people we know. I suppose it seems silly, but I really love small-world coincidence things like that.

It’s so bizarre that things are happening so quickly. Time flies when you’re having fun- I really hate that phrase, but it’s so very true. In three weeks, most of my friends are packing up and heading out on month-long holiday excursions around Europe. I’m staying here to write my 4 essays for two weeks, and then heading out to join various groups of friends. It’s just so strange how close you get to people when you are all thrown into a new situation together. I’m going to miss them all very much when I’m the only one moping about the library, writing essays on Elizabeth I and experimental theatre. However, we still have a lot of time as it is to hang out and have fun. We’re going to a pretty famous club, Fabric, next week for this insanely crazy sounding party that involves everything from face painting to dancing, drink specials and moonwalks to a human petting zoo (do not ask me what that is, I don’t even want to know). This week is also my school’s most famous party they throw at the union club, the Truffle Shuffle. Everyone wears 80s clothing, dances to 80s jams, and gets drinks at 80s prices! Major points to anyone who can identify what Truffle Shuffle is in reference to- I’ll even give you a shout-out in my next entry! I’ll be sure to tell you all how that goes.

As for right now, I should be getting back to my Shakespeare, or maybe go to the gym and work off all of that chocolate. Or, I can eat another praline and research airline tickets. Let’s hope I make the right choice! On a final note, please keep checking back to see if I have added pictures- technology hates me too.

Hello all- I now write to you as a full-fledged 21 year old adult! My birthday was Wednesday- how the heck did that happen? You have no idea how fast time flies in college. I remember my freshman year surprise birthday party like it was yesterday- complete with chocolate Aramark cake in the Beze underground. I was admittedly a bit wary of spending my birthday far from home and all of my great friends and sorority sisters (and a country that actually cares when you turn 21!) but it was pretty great.

The day started out regularly enough- Theatre Capital class from 10-12, which was actually nice, since my professor told me he really liked my idea and work I’ve done toward my final essay (did I mention yet that for all of my English classes, they are all assessed by 1 essay worth 100% of my grade? No? Gooood times). I went shopping on Oxford Street, bought myself a birthday purse, and then my friends and I went to Wagamama’s, a sort of Pei Wei/Thai place, and had some delicious noodles. My flatmates surprised me with a gorgeous lemon cake, but the restaurant wouldn’t let us eat it, since it had dairy in it. This actually isn’t too surprising, as London is incredibly conscious of making note of allergies and vegan and vegetarian dishes on all of its menus, and since the cake was not from the restaurant, they probably did not want to be liable for any allergic reactions. Weird, but makes sense. Bryan had a surprise for me after dinner, so after a tube ride, we arrived at our destination- Wicked!!!! I’ve been wanting to see the show for ages (all of my friends are HUGE fans), and it lived up to my expectations- now I want to defy gravity! Afterwards, we met my other friends at a place called Loop Bar, and had a blast dancing and being merry. I told the bartender that I was 21 and he literally shrugged. A major difference from a birthday in Texas, let me tell you. I honestly had the best birthday I could imagine, and I’m really grateful to all of my old and new friends for how nice they were. I don’t have too many pictures from the night at the moment, but when I get some, I’ll update this post with them!

Two other pieces of exciting times (and I still have stories from trips to Scotland and Barcelona to regale you with- all in good time my friends).
The first would be on the 19th, The Other Boleyn Girl premiered in Leicester Square, and Bryan and I went to go watch the stars arrive. This is something I’ve always wanted to see, being a ridiculous movie/celeb-o-holic, and it was pretty darn cool. When we arrived, I elbowed my way toward the metal barrier surrounding the entrance area around the cinema. We were pretty far away, near the end where the guests enter, but we didn’t feel the need to queue (line) up in the morning to actually meet the stars. Screams of SCARLETT heralded the arrival of Scarlett Johansson, and then Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. We could see them all from a distance, but none left the carpet to head our way. Eric Bana totally waved at me/us whilst I was waving like a maniac. After they had all gone in, we went to the closest thing I’ve had to Mexican food in 2 months. There is no such thing as queso here, but I did order a huge bowl of refried beans, just because I love them so much.

In even cooler news, last Friday night I went to a play. Not just any play, but Othello- my favorite Shakespeare tragedy, and starring one of my favorite actors, Ewan McGregor (as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor). But one does not simply waltz up to the box office and order tickets to Othello. Those sold out in November, and now go for about 500 pounds a pop. Seeing as I’d like to be able to buy food and clothing for the duration of my stay, that wasn’t going to happen. But it is possible to get these tickets- if you are willing to work for it. The theatre reserves 10 seated and 20 standing tickets for every performance that are bought at the box office the day of the show. So my friend Nick and I headed over to the Donmar Warehouse Theatre at 4:30 am to queue up for tickets. Crazy you say? Nope! When we got there at 5 am, there were 6 other people in front of us. The first three women arrived at 11:30 pm and 1 am. The next two women got there at 2 am, and the other at 3 am. A man arrived 15 minutes after us. After a freezing cold 5 and half hours of waiting, we managed to snag the last 2 standing tickets (one was returned). We returned to the theatre that night for a fantastic performance- Chiwetel as Othello and Ewan as Iago were just fantastic. The interpretation of the show, the staging, the subtle effects, all of it was just so great. I’ll admit to breaking into a huge grin and hitting Nick the moment Ewan appeared. After the show, we met up with some of our line buddies at the staircase to the theatre in the lobby, waiting for Ewan and the other actors. I got the autographs of Cassio and Emilia- both fantastic- and also noticed a brunette woman coming down the stairs, trying to avoid notice- it was Anne Hathaway trying to sneak out! But no one can escape my all-seeing eye! Then Ewan came down the stairs- yes my heart stopped and my knees shaked- and he stopped right in front of my program, pen and camera clutching self. He was really nice and tired, signed my program and took a picture with me. It was one of the best nights EVER. Poor Nick had to deal with my crazy fan-girl self, but then again, he also put up with me at 5 am in the freezing cold.

Ok everyone, I have more updates on other trips that I will post very very soon!

*edit*
Madi is helping me with my pictures- I wanted to get this up soon, so check back to see when I have the pictures up!

I love to make fun of your stereotypical sorority girl. I’ve got a really great “ohmygosh, you kissed who? Where did you get your new dress?�? routine. When someone even mentions the words “Mandy�? and “sorority�? in the same word, it usually has “would never be in a�? in between. I’m not blonde, I’m not excessively perky, I don’t wear enough make-up to pave a road, and I’m rather proud of my academic achievements. No way I was joining a sorority when I went to college. I vividly recall going through each sorority page on the Trinity website, barely giving a second glance to the more substantial information posted by each group. There was one group in particular- everything was covered in purple and sunflowers, with this ridiculous doll on the page. There was no way I would even talk to that one.

Now, I seem to be coming off as a pretty negative person. Not so! I love meeting new people, getting involved in organizations and having fun. I was just raised in a very anti-Southern ideal family (meaning anything having to surround football culture- sorry, my parents are from California- they don’t get it!). To move things along, after a month a Trinity, I got an invitation to go to dinner with Alpha Chi Lambda (that very purple sorority I laughed at). After much debate, my roommate basically pushed me out of the room and into their cars. I had the greatest dinner with a group of strangers I could possibly imagine. They were smart, funny, witty, silly, and best of all, completely over-whelmed by the crazy amounts of class hours they were taking and all of the clubs they were officers for. Could it be that these girls are….like me? I learned the Trinity Greek system is very unique; all sororities and fraternities are local, meaning that they are the only chapters in the nation. That means lower dues, smaller groups, no group houses and closer connections. I liked that. I continued to go the events the girls invited me to- coffee, ice cream, dancing, movie nights and their formal parties. I had a blast at each. Every single girl I met was smart and capable. And very few were actually blonde. To make a long story short, I joined Alpha Chi Lambda when formal rush started in January. Looking back now as Junior, and after serving as Orientation Chair and Unity Chair, I know I made one of the best decisions I possibly could have for my college career. I have found a group of friends that encourage my personal growth, my interests and best of all, like me for exactly me and demand that I never change who I am for anyone.

Friday is what we Greeks lovingly call "Greek Christmas", also known as Bid Day. After the informal and formal periods of rush, sororities and fraternities extend a formal invitation, or bid, to new members, and this is the day they learn about it. It's utter, wonderful madness. Every member of every social Greek club is at the Fountain, eagerly awaiting their new members. Club colors, feather boas, massive flowers, Greek letters, balloons, glitter, screaming, cameras and wigs are abound- it's like a circus, but without the clowns. Members of the campus community observe the proceedings from a safe distance in Northrup Hall- and for good reason- because the moment the first new member of a club comes running up the steps to the fountain, the entire Greek community erupts in an enormous roar of welcome, and the screaming and madness does not stop until every new girl or guy has joined their club, smothered with hugs and new t-shirts and flowers, and dragged off to a welcome party in their honor. To me, the day I received my bid into Alpha Chi was one of the greatest days of my life. That sounds ridiculous, I suppose, to some, but the outpouring of love and kindness and friendship made me cry with happiness. So, to any Greek reading this, or anyone considering the Greek system- give it a shot. If I can do it, you can do it, and there is a place for you.

My pledge class on Bid Day 2007, welcoming new members

The Kappas welcoming new members

With new baby sunflower Carrie on Bid Day 2007. Doors are completely decorated in welcome signs

One more for good measure, from my Bid Day in 2006

I'm looking at my "pantry" and I realize that I'm starving. My pantry consists of the top of a mini-fridge and a large Primark bag (a store that's a cross between Macy's and Target, but without the awesomeness of Target). This is certainly a lot different than going to Mabee dining hall for all of my meals- I have to cook every day. This should be excellent preparation for living off campus (as I like to hope), but I'm going to admit it- it's really hard. I try to limit myself to eating a pasta dish only once a day. It's really easy to make, but not very good for you. My friend and I went shopping one day, and we both spent exactly 25 pounds on food. Mine was entirely fresh (meat, veggies, breads) and his all frozen. I guess it goes to show you what your money can get you. He claims he was being smarter, but he's already given up ever eating frozen things again, because he can literally feel the effect all that sodium and fat has had on his body. Not good. (Now I'm munching on UK equivalent of a Special K bar, much healthier than the Nutella and peanut butter sandwich I almost made). I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Mabee- the chicken line, the mexican line, the SALAD BAR (salads here are....different). I also miss my nice Prassel dorm room (Trinity has the best dorms in the States), my big bathroom and the laundry room. College laundry takes on a whole new meaning when you are shoving 20 pence coins into a machine only to get 18 minutes of drying. What?? Crazy.

This past Saturday I went on a day-trip to Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon. As a big literary and history nerd, this was sort of amazing. The castle was so beautiful. I just loved climbing up and down the towers and turrets and wandering throughout the re-modeled parts that a duke and duchess lived in during the 19th century. Stratford was very cute. I saw Shakespeare's birthplace, and his grave in the church in which he is buried. The town was a really charming place, but only good for a day trip. Any longer and we would have went searching for the pub.

This weekend my program is sponsoring a trip to Scotland, so I am getting to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting Nessie in Loch Ness! It is supposed to be below freezing and snow, so this should be an adventure for a Texas girl. The weekend after that, my friends and I have planned a 5 day excursion to Barcelona, where I will finally get to test out my mad Spanish skills. I'm totally thrilled.

Everyone thank the wonderful Madi for helping me out with my photos!

Here is my tiny little bedroom (oh Trinity, I miss thee)

This is the most mythical view of Warwick Castle I could possibly imagine. All that is missing is some mist, knights on horses, and me as the princess in one of those turrets!

A view from inside the castle, on top of the Mound, built in 1068.

The house Shakespeare was born in! (it cost 8 pounds to get in...)

Standing on the south bank of the Thames, next to the London Eye, with Parliament, Westminster and Big Ben behind me!

It appears William Shenstone, a Scottish writer from the mid-18th century, had London figured out way before I arrived. London is the second most expensive city in the world, after St. Petersburg. Currently the exchange rate is about $1.95 to 1 pound. The study abroad offices (and every single person that I met before leaving) warned us, but I will admit, you really don't care until you are jumping with joy at any "better than home" deal. The best one so far? 4 passport photos for 4 pounds- at home it cost me $14 for 2. I also got a bag of jaffa cakes (orange and chocolate biscuits) for 30 pence. Score 2 for America!

Now that I have the obligatory money moaning out of the way, in case you didn't guess, I'm in London! The entire process of getting here was long, but so very worth it. One day before I left Katy, I received a facebook message from my future flat-mates. It was so kind and reassuring that I immediately felt loads better about the trip. Yes, facebook is the ultimate time-waster and best and worst thing that has ever happened to college students. However, say what you will, it helped alleviate some of my fears of traveling, and has been the best way to stay connected with everyone at home. I had a lovely journey on British Airways- remember, it was my first voyage out of the country, so it was a pretty classy and easy journey for the first time!

I live on the Southbank, about 5 minutes from the National Theatre and next to Waterloo Station, which is really convenient for travel and for quick shopping (and Krispy Kreme fixes). Every day I walk to school for 15 minutes, crossing Waterloo Bridge and gazing at the most amazing sights of British monuments. I will never ever get tired of what I see on that walk. I will get tired of the insanely cold wind coming off of the Thames and whipping against my face, but lets focus on the good things. I'm in really cool classes- Experimental Theatre, Jacobean Shakespeare, Theatre Capital and Court Cultures of Elizabeth I, and I actually really like them (even though on most days I'll just be grumpy and not admit that). The learning system is very different here. For two of my classes, I have 1 hour lecture in the morning (where you sit there and listen to the lecturer tell you their way of analyzing Othello or and Alfred Jarry play), and then return in the afternoon for a 1 hour seminar- which is much closer to every regular Trinity class I have. I'm usually done by 1pm.

My apartment building is pretty nice. The British are obsessed with fire safety and security, so every single door is a fire door, and I have to swipe my id 3 times and use a key twice to get into my room. I share a flat with 6 other people, 4 British, 1 French guy, and 1 German girl. I have my own incredibly small room and bathroom, and we all share the kitchen and tv. We all get along very well, and they have all been really nice in helping me adjust and answering my questions.

Here are a few basic musings on British life, followed by whatever pictures I can post (I just found out some of my cool ones are too big, so I need to learn how to compress those).

*As I said earlier, the British are obsessed with fire safety. Fire exits are pointed out at the beginning of gatherings, there are signs EVERYWHERE, and every single door in my apartment building is a fire door. They also test the fire alarms every Wednesday sporadically for half an hour. Not fun. To quote Bryan- "we know your city burned down once, but get over it!"
*The British are always running. Everywhere. To the bus line, when there are no buses in sight, and run down the steps of the tube station, when there will be another train in 3 minutes. They also run for no clear reason. However, when you do get on that bus or tube, you do not speak. It is a no-no. You are clearly foreign if you have a conversation with your companions- and you absolutely don't strike up a conversation with the people around you. Coming from very friendly Texas, this is very different. However, I kind of like it. In a vast and enormously busy city, it's a moment of calm that I think people treasure. Trust me, I already stare at the loud-talkers like a native.
*Food is incredibly fresh. People only buy enough to maybe get through a week, and even then, I feel like I'm always racing the clock on the labels. The milk comes in mini pints, which is cute at first, but gets old when you can only get about 4 cups of tea and 2 bowls of cereal out of it.

Here I am outside of Buckingham Palace

St. James' Park, with the London Eye in the Background

That's all I can honestly manage on the photos right now. I'm having trouble with proportions- bloggers, can you help me out please?

I have loads more stories and photos to share, and I've only been here for 3 weeks. Keep checking for updates of my wild and crazy adventures!

Mandy

Ok, so it's not really 50. And to be honest, it's not that easy. But let's just say if you can apply for colleges, you can apply for study abroad. One of the reasons I chose to attend Trinity was because of its study abroad program. Or really, lack of a defined study abroad program. Trinity's program is pretty darn cool because they let you choose any other program around the country, or the world, to study with. Does UT have an amazing business program in China? You can go with them. Do you want to study the terrible outbreak of facial tumors in Tasmanian devils in Australia? Go ahead (my friend Carrie just did). Jacobean Shakespeare at the Globe? Check. In fact, that last option is a course I will be studying next semester. How does this all happen? Read on for a crash course in how to go to the destination of your dreams:

You don't even have to know where you want to study when you start searching. At the very least, know where you don't want to study. I had Asia, Africa, and eastern Europe crossed off my list. Think of where you would like to at least visit while you are studying (I knew I wanted to see France and Greece, but not live there for six months). Then think of what really wouldn't be possible with your classes (most people go sometime in their junior year, so you will most likely want to take something that works for your major). I went to the study abroad website, http://www.trinity.edu/departments/study_abroad/ , and checked out the possible programs I could go with. I originally had Chile, Spain, Italy and England on my list. I really liked the idea of going to a non-English speaking country and learning an entirely new culture. I later crossed off Spanish- speaking countries, because I thought I'd go for a whole new language. But then I realized getting closer to the time when I needed to be seriously picking my destination that, hello! I'm a newly declared English major and Drama minor! My favorite things in the world is theatre and literature, so where else in the world would I go but the epicenter of both of these things- London.

Your next step is to visit the Study Abroad office. If you are like me, you probably have a pretty good idea of the places you would like to go. Know when it is that you want to go (fall or spring). Also, if you are like me, you will take one of every relevant-looking brochure for the country you want to go to. These are really helpful. You narrow down what you want, and what you don't. Take classes from the program, or study at a university? Do you want the program to offer trips to other countries or regions? Is airfare included? Most importantly, how much does the trip cost? Your financial aid transfers to your study abroad program, but that you need to work out with your financial aid officer. And above all else, don't forget to talk about all of this with your chief financial aid officer- your parents. I was obsessed with the idea of studying abroad since I got to Trinity. I couldn't wait until I was a Junior. And I made sure my parents knew this. Of course, they had their healthy skepticism. But I was persistant. I made all of the decisions, did all of the applying, and made all of the appointments myself. It showed how much I wanted to this.

You will have several visits with the Study Abroad coordinators, where you pick your program, learn important information, and are guided through the application process. You apply very early and hear back late. It's nerve-racking, but as they tell you (and you will surely ignore this), if everything is in order, you will get in. Heck, you are at Trinity. You can do it.

And here I am, leaving for the airport in exactly, to this hour, in two days, on New Year's Day. I am so incredibly nervous and excited. I've never even been out of the country! So, kind readers, have mercy on me when you hear my first harrowing account of riding the tube, or trying to figure out how to navigate a Greek airport. Be sure to check back on this entry from time to time, I'm sure to update it with more relevant information as I think of it. Wish me luck!

I write this to you from my suitemate's laptop (HINT: Don't let your Windows crash during finals. You will not be happy). I'm really lucky to have lovely suitemates who let me write my 12 page papers on their computers (it was pretty win/win. They didn't get distracted by aim, I got my work done).

Tonight is the fourth night of Hanukkah! This year, the Jewish Student Association threw a fantastic Hanukkah party that had a great attendance. We told the story of Hanukkah, lit menorahs, ate latkes and played the dreidel game. Here are some pictures!

My friend Bryan being funny- you don't really blow out the menorah candles

So it is a Friday night during finals, so I'm off to study for my British Literature take-home exam. Just to give you an example of how my exams are, I had an acting performance, a spanish take-home final, a 12 page Jane Austen paper, a take-home British Literature exam and a take-home exam and a 5-7 page paper due for American Literature. Only the two literature exams and the shorter paper to go- wish me luck!