Sorry it’s been a bit of time since I’ve written – it was such a busy week!  I had two presentations – one in my Contemporary British Theatre class on Monday and the other in my Issues of Realism class on Thursday.  Much of my spare time was taken up preparing for the presentations.  However the time paid off – they both went fairly well and I am so relieved to have finished them!

And, as my title indicates, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” opens on Wednesday…just four days (and only two more rehearsals!).  I think it will be a good show, but we have a lot to do in a short amount of time!  We just completed the set painting and construction this afternoon.  The lighting and sound design are almost finished.  The last couple days I’ve been scurrying around London trying to find props and theatre makeup and such - I finally finished this afternoon and then got a haircut…my first since August!  Wow, it felt amazing!  It’s shorter than I wanted, but it’s cute (I think) and will work well for the show.  I’m very excited to perform the play for an audience and I’m also looking forward to having more free time after the show closes – that will be refreshing!

Other than that, I honestly don’t have much news, because, as you can see, this last week was just busy with classes, rehearsals, and homework (as usual).  However, my sister and aunt arrive tomorrow and they’ll be here for a week!   I can’t even wait to spend some quality time with them once they get here!  I’m sure that, with the play and my visitors this week, I will have plenty to report on in my blog next weekend (and hopefully, I’ll have some fun pictures, too!)

Coming back from Spring Break my mind wasn’t entirely in education mode, but that quickly changed. It has been a very crazy week. On Monday I taught another lesson at the high school and I got to review all the Spanish verbs. It was awesome, especially since I love conjugations. Then on Tuesday we had a full choir rehearsal with the orchestra. We sang the entire piece and it went really well. The concert is fast approaching and we only have two rehearsals left. Then next couple of days went by rather quickly. I had a lot of my daily homework, but I also had two presentations, and three papers. However, I got them all done and am very thankful for the weekend and some relaxation. Thursday night I went to Parent-Teacher conferences at the high school. It was really interesting to meet and talk with the parents, especially since I will be doing it in the future. I was able to see the ins and outs of conferences or at least the teacher aspect of it. Then to complete my week, I just signed up for next semester’s schedule and can’t wait to begin student teaching.

Spring break came and went so fast. I spent the week off at home, so it was relaxing, but I didn’t get a tan. I had my first summer internship interview which went well. I got offered a position at a full-service marketing firm. It sounds like it will be a great experience, so I’m very excited for it. I enjoyed the weather over break, but not so much a fan of the rainy weather now. It is no fun having to walk to class in the pouring rain, but hopefully it will get nice soon.

I can’t believe that is only seven weeks left of classes. The time is flying by, but I guess that’s a good thing. I am off to Italy with the choir in about 2 months, so I’m really looking forward to that! 

 School work is keeping me on my toes along with choir and other activities. Now that spring break is over, the end of my sophomore year doesn’t seem too far away!

This week has been amazing! I traveled to Northeast Iowa and Wisconsin with a couple of my friends. We visited The House on the Rock, Effigy Mounds, and many other places in that area. It was nice to relax and simply hang out with my friends. Then last night I went to Des Moines for the country Spring Break concert and listened to Jason Micheal Carol, James Otto, and Richie McDonald. The music was. To conclude my week I gave a presentation at my hometown intermediate building about my semester abroad in Mexico. I loved reminiscing. It was a good experience for me and the students had some interesting and fun questions for me.

Can it be the end of the week already?  I feel like it just began!  Goodness, I feel like I talk about how fast time flies here in every blog…but it’s no less true each time!

This last weekend was, well…kind of boring.  This was because I had a mid-term paper to write for my Contemporary Britain class regarding a current issue in the media.  I decided to discuss the controversy surrounding the play “England People Very Nice,” which I saw a few weeks ago at the National Theatre – there’s a huge debate among critics (and the general public) over whether or not the play is racist.  It was a very interesting topic to write about, especially since I had seen the play.  However, I was very relieved to complete my paper Sunday evening!

I also explored some parts of London this weekend that I had never before visited, including Soho.  Soho is right in the middle of a very busy, posh part of the city – it’s basically in the middle of Regent Street, Oxford Street (two very classy shopping areas), Piccadilly Circus (the Times Square of London), and Leicester Square (where a lot of the theatres and cinemas are located)…but Soho is totally different from all of these places.  As soon as Andy and I walked into the neighborhood, we felt so calm – it was much slower-paced than the surrounding areas.  It was also a bit seedier and contained some narrow lanes lined with cabarets and tattoo parlors.  But I loved it – it just felt more down-to-earth than a lot of places in London.  As it was Saturday, there was a market on one of the main streets, where Andy and I bought some cheap vegetables for dinner.  It was a pleasant day for exploring a new neighborhood.  When Andy and I returned “home” to Vandon House, we made some delightful burritos for supper.  Then, five of us made a DELICIOUS apple pie, because it was “Pi” Day (March 14 – 3.14).  Yum!

Monday was delightfully busy, as always.  For my Central College theatre class, we visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – it was incredible!  We had a tour of the theatre, which was fascinating, and then we had a workshop with an actor who has performed in several shows at the Globe.  Although I learned some great information on how to perform Shakespeare, my favorite aspect of this workshop was just being in the rehearsal room where the Globe actors practice!  On Tuesday (my completely free day), Andy, Mike, and I went to see the movie “Watchmen” at the IMAX (the biggest screen in Britain).  I was really nervous about seeing it, because I had heard it was really graphic.  However, I absolutely loved it, even though I had to close my eyes quite a few times…it was a very thought-provoking movie.

On Wednesday, my friend Evan (from high school) who is visiting Paris for a week, came up to London for the day.  I met him and his friend at 8 in the morning and I showed them around the city, hitting many of the big sights - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the Thames, Trafalgar Square, etc. – and then eating at a pub for lunch.  After that, I sadly had to run to my class.  It was so great having someone from home here.  I also realized that I love having visitors and showing them around London, because it allows me to see London through the eyes of someone who’s seeing it for the first time, giving me a whole new perspective on the city.

Now, I’m done with classes for the week and am slowly checking things off of my lengthy To Do list.  Tomorrow, I’m going to Brighton with my study abroad group.  It’s a city on the English coast which apparently has a really nice beach.  I’m especially excited to go, because we’re supposed to have lovely weather tomorrow!  Actually, the weather has been gorgeous in general lately – there’s nothing quite like England in the springtime!

Less than 24 hours, and I am well on my way back to Waverly, Iowa for Spring break. I’m not bummed at all about not going any where warm, because I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I also can’t wait for my mom’s home cooked meals. Plus, in May I will be going to Italy, so that is technically considered my spring break.

I have one test left to take tomorrow morning, and then I just have a few things to do over break. I have to interview for a few internships while I am home. I’m excited and nervous all at the same time. It will be a good thing to get done, so at least I can have some what of a plan for the summer. Being home will be a good time for me to catch up on homework, but it will always allow me to relax.

Looking back on this, I can’t believe how fast this semester has gone. They always say it goes faster and faster the older you get, and I am starting to believe that more and more now. It flies when you’re having fun!

That’s all for now…SPRING BREAK HERE I COME!

On Friday night I went to Central’s theater production of “Chantecler”, which was amazing. The play was about a rooster named Chantecler who crowed to bring up the sun every morning. However, there were owls and other animals of the night that did not want the sun to rise so they devised a plan to stop the rooster from crowing. The cast was great and portrayed their barnyard animals splendidly, including chickens, a cat, an owl or two, and of course roosters.

Then last night I saw the American Shakespeare Center perform Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The cast did a remarkable job and brought all the characters to life. They performed the play as historically accurate as possible, meaning the lights were on the entire time, they did not use backgrounds, and the audience was essential to the performance. I’ve never seen a live production of the play or even read “Hamlet” before, but the production was astounding and made me fall in love with Shakespeare’s plays.

This week has been crazy because I’m sick and trying to recover, while attempting to stay ahead of all my assignments. For tomorrow alone, I have to finish my Modern Spanish Literature test, finalize my essay for Travel Writing, finish my research for my Education General Methods class, and complete my curriculum map for Special Methods. However, the assignment I’m looking forward to the most is for Travel Writing, we’ve been discussing food from other countries and tomorrow I’m bringing Horchata, which is rice milk from Mexico. It is delicious and I hope I can make it properly. Then to finish the week, I have to read for Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S., write my Shakespeare performance paper, and study for my Shakespeare midterm exam. And that’s about it for now…

Well, life has been pretty crazy the last couple weeks for me, which is why it’s been quite a while since I’ve written!  Last week was my busiest week yet this semester…not only did I have rehearsal nearly every night, I also had my first three major assignments due (since it’s already midterm!).

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is going really well!  We’ve been running the show nearly every night, so now I better understand the order of the play – it’s a really interesting (and confusing) musical to be in, because the scenes are so random.  There’s really no continuity – it’s kind of like a bunch of comic strips strung together.  I really like it, though – it is a super cute show and always puts me in such a good mood.  My mom made my costume for the play and I just received it in the mail – it’s absolutely adorable!!!  It’s a bright pink dress with little black polka dots and a huge bow on the butt!  It’s perfect for Sally Brown (the part I’m playing) and really makes me feel like a five-year-old.   The show opens three weeks from tomorrow…although we have quite a bit of work to do on the songs, I think it’s going to come together and be a great show!

Let’s see…what else have I been up to?  Well, last Friday my study abroad group took a day trip to Canterbury, which is famous because of The Canterbury Tales.  Upon arriving, we had a tour of Canterbury Cathedral, the place where the pilgrims traveled during the Middle Ages to pay homage to Saint Thomas Beckett.  The Canterbury Tales is the story of a group of these pilgrims that hold a story-telling contest to pass the time whilst traveling to Canterbury.  This cathedral is probably the most beautiful cathedral I’ve ever visited (and I’ve visited a ton of cathedrals, especially this year).  Part of its beauty may have come from its impressive history and reputation, but it also was beautiful because it felt so alive, due to the sunlight which poured through the windows, casting a golden glow over the entire sanctuary.  After touring the cathedral, we had a few hours to explore the city.  So, we ate lunch at a pub and then went to The Canterbury Tales Museum, which, though rather silly, was a nice, interactive review of some of the pilgrims’ stories from the book.   Finally, before heading back to the bus, we stopped at the Shake Shed – a little shop entirely devoted to milkshakes, with a menu of shake ingredients covering an entire wall!  The shakes were delicious   It was a great way to end our time in Canterbury.  I would love to go back to Canterbury in the future, because I feel like there is so much there that I did not see.  It would be especially fun to further explore the little streets lined with unique, enticing shops.

I have decided that for spring break, I am going to go to Ireland for five days with Andy.  Once we get there, we’re going to travel by train and visit some of the places where Andy’s ancestors lived, including two towns called Mohill and Enniskillen.  We’re booking our tickets today – I’m very excited about it!  Spring break begins in exactly one month!

This week hasn’t been too bad as far as homework goes; I had a midterm test today and I’m preparing for some more next week. I have two tests and a paper, but I also have to finalize a couple more lesson plans for my Spanish education class. Also, next week the American Shakespeare Company is coming to Central to perform Hamlet, which I am eager to watch because I’ve never seen a Shakespeare play performed. This will help in later, as well, because I’m going to present Hamlet for my Shakespeare class.

On Thursday, Patricia Hampl read to faculty, staff and students from her latest memoir The Florist’s Daughter. The memoir depicts her life growing up in Minnesota and how her parents affected her life. It was really interesting and she is a remarkable writer. Her work was informational and entertaining.

As for choir, we only have about three practices left. Our rehearsals are coming along very well and next week we will be running the entire piece through with soloist. I am so excited to perform the “Mass of the Children” because it is beautiful music and may be the last time I am able to perform.

It is an absolutely beautiful day out today! It’s like 70 degrees and there’s hardly any wind. I walked to class this morning in just my short sleeve shirt. It was awesome!

This week has been a very eventful one so far. I just found out on Monday that I have been accepted to the London, England study abroad program for next fall. I was so excited to hear the news!! It was a relief to hear, so now I can make further plans and know that it’s a for sure thing. I will have an internship there, and I will take a few classes that will familiarize myself with the city itself and the culture.

Last night, I sang in my first pop/jazz vocal combos concert. I had a lot of fun with it, and I enjoyed watching everyone. I attended all of these last year, but I always wondering what it would be like to be apart of. I definitely found that out last night. It was more fun being apart of it, because I love to sing. And I also love hearing other people sing. It was a fun time, and we have two more this semester!

Next week is already mid-term time! It is getting to be about time for spring break and that is very exciting! Everybody loves breaks every once in a while. Things are always very busy the week of mid-terms. I am also working on getting internships lined up for the summer. That has been a challenge. But the career center has been very helpful, and they have made it much easier for me to get some things done!

That’s all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!