Heart and Feeling- LD45-53, October 16-24, 2015

Honestly, I would be more sorry for forgetting to blog for 10 days, but I've been too busy and preoccupied with school and London and friends and things that blogging has been the last of my worries. Eventually though, you get to a point where too much has happened to let it slide for much longer.

I miss my friends and family back home! Today, I was thinking about my Mom, my sisters, my Dad, both my grandmas, both my grandpas, my AGD sisters, and a large portion of my high school friends, and thinking about how I'm actually missing all of them. Again, I haven't had much time to miss all of ya'll for a lot of the semester, but when I think of you, I miss you. I'm excited to see your faces and give you all big hugs. You guys mean a lot to me.

But, as I mentioned, there's been a lot that's happened! I'll give you the highlights:

We had our third Master Class the Friday after I last wrote. It was from a pair, Kelly Hunger and Michael Dobson, who run a theatre for autistic children in the area and in the United States that works at helping these children improve their speech, eye contact, and relational skills with each other using Shakespeare. It was fascinating, and definitely inspiring! Theatre can do so much!

That next day, I met with Annie and Charlie at Trafalgar Square, and FINALLY got to see The Orestia adaptation there! I honestly should have blogged that night. The Orestia... this show... Is so hard to accurately describe, but the closest I can come is that it blew the socks off my mind. It blew my mind out of my mind. It may have changed my life. I wish I had time to see it again, and if I can, I might.

Annie, Me, and Charlie, waiting for the show to start!

The Orestia is the only surviving full trilogy of plays from the Ancient Greek Theatre competitions. It follows the royal family (I believe?) of the Athenians right before, during, and after the infamous Trojan War. I'm impressed I was able to tell you that, even though I've never read the original. Anyway, the one play is actually made up of three plays, which was the point. This adaptation was put into a more modern setting- the names were the same, and the situations, but the context was different. They were all just "going to war," not necessarily against anyone in particular (*cough* the Trojans *cough*).

By setting it how they did, though, and arranging it the way it was, they opened my mind to a huge array of topics- what is revenge? what is truth? why are we, as people, so afraid of the truth? what is justice? what does it mean to love someone unconditionally? I wish I could remember all of the things I was thinking about afterwards... but man. What a can of worms that opened. It was spectacular theatre- just amazing. It was so good. I wish I could describe how I took it accurately enough. Man.

Charlie was actually seeing it for the second time, so he wasn't as emotionally affected as me. Instead, he got the chance to look at how the show itself worked, and how the actors accomplished what they did, instead of what they accomplished. Annie wasn't as blown away as I was at all, but she had just finished reading the original trilogy of plays immediately before I met with her to see the show. So... We'll blame that?

That night, Annie went home, but Charlie and I met my flatmates and his at St. Martin's in the Fields for a performance of Mozart's Requiem. I philosophized the entire time. Dang Orestia....

That Sunday, I discovered Primark. It's a clothing store chain that I've seen a lot of places here, with pretty cheap clothes. I thought I was going to pass out from claustrophobia and being smothered by hot air after being there 30 minutes, but the clothes are cute, and cheap... so I guess it's worth it? I don't think I'll be going back unless I really need to. 

Last Monday... Oh, last Monday.

Monday was the longest day of school I've had at BADA all semester. We had an extra High Comedy class added to our schedule at 9am. So, instead of having three classes, starting at 11, we had 4, starting at 9am. We got out of class, round 2 of High Comedy, at 6:15, at which point we had to rush to the theatre to see a production of "A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes," an adaptation of Moliere's Tartuffe. We were all pretty exhausted by the time we got there, but we saw the show anyway. Personally, this was a production I can admire for how it affected the audience, myself included, but I cannot recommend it nor say I liked it at all, because my particular reaction was one of a lot of disbelief and anger. That's all I'll say on the subject, for now.

Tuesday was normal, though it's the last time we got a full class with Philip for Stage Combat, which makes me extremely sad. I love Philip!

Wednesday, we went to another show after our classes! It's the last all-school production we went to see, so it was extra special- we went to the English National Opera to see "La Boheme," the opera that inspired Rent. This was actually the first time I'd ever been to an opera, so I was really pumped. Plus, the opera building itself was absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, the opera itself did not live up to expectations, nor the space it was staged in. It was modernized, with a lot of unnecessary decisions made by the directors and singers. Basically, it tried to be Rent, and forgot that Rent was based off of it, not vice versa. Plus, it was highly melodramatic, thanks to the translation into English from the Italian (I think?) original libretto. So that was disappointing, but I can say that I've been to an opera now!

Look how gorgeous the building is, though

Thursday night, I went to the pub with Alex, Alexa, and Charlie for Trivia Night, and we actually won!!! That was a fun surprise!

Friday was pretty normal- most of it was preparing for Saturday.

Ok. This past Saturday. It should have a blog post all it's own, again. My apologizes. But Saturday.

Brooke, Elsie, and I went to Oxford for the day. We originally went to see the city/university and, for Elsie and I, to visit our wonderful friend John, who's studying there. We accomplished these goals, and gladly, but the places we went to see and the activities we partook in turned the day into a literary pilgrimage.

First and foremost, Oxford is beautiful. Think of all the beautiful old buildings in London, and then condense them all down into a college town. Add some countryside around the edges, years and years and years of history and significance, and the prestige of Harvard, and there you have it.

It was very easy to get there by bus, and when we arrived, we spent some time in the Covered Market, nearby the bus station. Elsie got a hat, and Brooke and I got hot chocolate from a very new chocolate and gelato shop! The owner was extremely friendly, and talked to us for a while about his shop, how he makes all his hot chocolate and gelato, and his history. He was so fun to talk to! And the chocolate was fantastic.

John met us there, and took us on a walking tour around the meadow at Christchurch, one of the schools/colleges within Oxford. Autumn was the perfect time to do this- I'm so glad we went when we did. It was raining, but still gorgeous. I felt like I'd stepped into the world of a Robert Frost poem, a Jane Austin novel... the world of a literary mind. It's quaint and quiet, but with vast, gorgeous countryside. When you get to the right spot, you can see Christchurch in the misty distance, like an enchanted castle, begging you to enter and warning you to leave at the same time. Pure magic.

Brooke, Elsie, and John, walking ahead of me.

Beautiful

John took us by his room, then to lunch, and then to the biggest bookstore in Oxford. Or, as it will now forever be known in the memory and history of Rachel McIntyre, the best bookstore and my favorite bookstore in the history of the universe. It. is. huge. There are four layers of books, and every book you could ever want to find or read or buy. Immediately when you walk in are the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis's fiction writings, as well as biographies about them and their friends, the Inklings. Normally, when I walk into a bookstore, I'll beeline it to Tolkien's writings and explore the store from there. Thanks to Oxford's legacy as the birthplace of literature like this, I found it all right away and didn't know what to do with myself. To top it all off, I went downstairs and there, right in front of me, were original illustrations for the Narnia books, J.R.R. Tolkien's signature inside one of his books, and an original annotated map of Middle Earth. I wish I were British enough to keep my emotions in control, seeing all of this, but I teared up. I did. And then I bought books, which I probably shouldn't have from a practical perspective, but I do not care.

Accurate Snapchat from Brooke

BRB Crying

Like... that's his signature... right there!!!!!

From there, John took us to the University Chapel, a bridge that's really famous, and then the Divinity school at the library there. This library, which I wish I could've seen in more detail, is entitled to a copy of every single book published in the UK. It's huge. The Divinity School, though, is where the infirmary scenes in the Harry Potter series were filmed! It's much smaller in real life, but the ceiling is amazing. Plus, there's a chair there made from the wood of Sir Francis Drake's ship. It's a chair that has gone all the way around the world. Woah.

John then left us girls back at Christchurch. He went back to his room to get some homework done, while we waited in a line to get inside and explore. SO worth it! We walked up the staircase where McGonagall greets Harry as a first year, in the films, and then into the Hall... aka the Great Hall. It's beautiful. There's so much to look at, all at once. I think the best way to describe it is that there's a reverence and respect innate in it. It's grand and proud, and I love it! And, of course, I feel like a real Ravenclaw, now that I've been through the Great Hall like a Hogwarts first year.

The Great Hall!

Then, we explored the Christchurch Cathedral. There's some beautiful stained glass that Elsie and I got to learn a lot about!

After being there for a while, we still were anxious to see another literary landmark that didn't seem to be accessible to visitors. So, we cornered an employee at Christchurch and asked her how to get there. Turns out, you can only find it if you're interested or know enough about it to ask! She led us there- through the cathedral, and into a secret door that leads out to the Christchurch courtyard. There, we could see the apartments where the Dean of the school and his family would stay. Between us and that was a long stone wall. However, in the middle of that wall is a little green door. Behind the door is a huge tree, at this time of year with red-orange leaves. Guess why it's significant! Go ahead, guess!

The Dean of the school around the turn of the 20th century, Liddell (last name, don't remember his first), had a young daughter named Alice. Since Alice would've grown up at Oxford, this little courtyard that we couldn't see was a primary playplace for her. Her cat would always be climbing up the tree, maybe staring down at her, and she was always either too big or too small to get through that little green door, so she would just peek through the peephole when she could. A particular professor at the university, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, took a liking to this little girl and befriended her. Her antics inspired two books he wrote, under a pen name: Lewis Carroll.

Can you spot the door?

This is Alice in Wonderland, guys. This is where Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland, and this is where the real Alice lived and played.

It's so special... It was so special. And we got to see it.

After all of that, there was one more experience to put the icing on the cake. It was nearing dinnertime, so we rounded up John and headed to the place where many of my favorite stories began: The Eagle and Child.

It's just a pub, really, like any other ordinary everyday pub. Except this pub is famous, and in modern times, it's gotten to capitalize on that and flaunt it. No matter, it's still the same pub where Tolkien, Lewis, and the rest of the Inklings would regularly meet to discuss their writing, chat, and get a pint. They called it the Bird and the Baby, and they had a particular corner near the fireplace that was traditionally their spot.

The Inklings' Corner

Thanks for reminding us ;)

We didn't get to sit in the same spot, but we saw it. And we ordered our dinner there. And we were there. And I felt quite full-circle. I walked in the footsteps of my favorite authors. I still can't fully wrap my head around that... We had a jolly good time, the four of us, and stayed there a good long while before it was time for Brooke, Elsie, and I to bid John goodbye and catch a bus back to London.

I feel so full-circle, but at the same time, there are so many books to read and lives to explore from the Inklings and others that studied and wrote at Oxford, and in England. This is a literary journey that's only beginning.

When we got back to Oxford, Elsie came over my flat for tea, and when she went home I collapsed into bed, grateful for an extra hour of sleep provided by the UK daylight savings.

I'm going to have to pick up from Sunday in my next blog. I think Oxford is a good place to end, for now.

Orestia, Oxford... sometimes, words aren't quite enough to capture the specific feelings I get from what I see and do and think. My heart is full.

I'll write more later. For now, I need to try to get to bed at a decent hour!

Fight on, friends.