12/30/15
It’s 3 days and 7 hours before the departure, and I’ve just started my second 8 hour train ride this week. The holiday season has consisted of visiting all of my relatives and all of my boyfriend’s, making this month and the next couple weeks the most I’ve ever traveled in my life. I’m overjoyed by it all, but I have to admit I’m also anxious. It’s a mix of never taking a flight this long (it’ll be about 8 hours), never leaving the country except my short vacation in the Bahamas when I was 6, and being so insanely busy the past 2 weeks that I’ll only have one day to get everything together and actually pack. Adding on to that, the day after I come back from London the spring semester auditions for the theatre department are happening. l’m thinking about all the wonderful things I want to do in London, but I also have the looming audition anxiety, and I haven’t even found all of my material yet. So it’s a lot to think about.

Connie had us do pre-departure assignments that gave us a chance to explore the city of London online a little bit before our feet hit the ground running. I’m so used to the grid system of NYC that it’s still kind of confusing to see how the city of London is laid out, but the tube is starting to make more sense, and I’ve been told by many people how much easier it is than dealing with the subway here. It looks like Bloomsbury, where we’re staying, is an excellent location, right near the theaters and lots of fun pubs and restaurants.

This all seemed so far away…and now I’m rushing to get everything together and I’m brimming with excitement. I’ve looked at our schedule for the next 2 weeks, and it’s jam-packed with so many awesome things. I’m particularly excited to see Macbeth at the Young Vic, the Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon, and visit the Globe. I’m looking forward to meeting all kinds of interesting people, seeing great theatre, eating delicious food, trying different beers and cocktails, and having loads of unique experiences. Bring it on!