In Recent News...

The past few days I have been very busy. During the day we had various orientation meetings, with the general NYU London program, and then specifically with TISCH RADA. There are 10 people in the RADA program this semester, and 15 more people doing screenwriting and BBC. We start classes on Monday! Monday and Tuesdays are my easy days; I have one class on each day, both electives. Art in London will mostly be field trips and visits to museums/historic sights around London, while Theatre in London is a class where we see a show every Wednesday evening, then discuss and write about our experiences. One of our reviews must be in the style of a London newspaper review, which apparently is a very different and unique format and style. I'm very excited for my electives.

Wednesday through Friday are CORE days, where we complete our courses in the RADA track. They haven't really gone into detail on this yet; we have official orientation at the RADA facilities and with the staff on Wednesday, which is when we also perform a monologue from Shakespeare for the students and faculty. A little nervous about that...my peers and I were informed that we could not recycle our audition monologues, which I think at least 9/10 people, including myself, were planning on doing. Should have known better: this program is going to make us work hard the whole time.

Between orientations, NYU had organized many different events for all the students. We got a tour of the University of London, which I think is where a lot of NYU London students take their general classes. Because of this, we all have membership to the student union there. It's about a block away from the RADA building, so it will be nice to go in and grab lunch and a pint. Because, oh yeah, the student union is a bar. I don't know about you, but I don't know many other universities that have that on their campus. It was in the Student Union a few days ago where we participated in the Pub Trivia Quiz, where we learned a lot of random facts about London culture. After the Quiz, we went out to our first pub: The Perseverance. It was between the University and our apartment building, so it was full of students. The food looked really good, so we may have to go back for a burger another time.

Last night, NYU offered this "club night" at a club down by the river, called The Bowery. It was a weird four story building. We entered on the ground level (they call it that, instead of lobby), and we had to take the lift (not elevator) up to the fourth floor. The lifts had a maximum capacity, and when too many hungry, eager students crammed into it, it starts beeping at you until the weight goes down. Like a nightmare scale or something. When we got into the club, it was bumping. Well the music was. Everyone was in line for food instead of the dance floor. (But some migrated there after their feast, and it was like a middle school dance..so maybe they should have just stayed in the food line). The top floor had the most AMAZING view of London. We looked across the river to the Parliament building, the London Eye, Big Ben, and a whole city-scape of London. It was a clear night, so we could see everything. Really quite breathe-taking. Actually met a lot of people at the university-forced mixer, and we all went out to a pub, and then a club, and later for a sub. (Not actually, I just wanted to keep the rhyme) Most people are from NYU, three of which are in the RADA program with me. Very fun, very nice group. 

I had been nervous that maybe NYU students were coming with all their friends, but it seems that they are eager to meet new people and make friends, just like the students from other schools. You know, like all the students from Clemson, SC. That reminds me. The day of RADA orientation, the director of the program, who just might be my favorite of all the people I have met in the past few days (will elaborate later) made a point to introduce the 2 out of 25 students who were coming from other Universities. (the other goes to PACE -- upstate NY? Ten, I know you know. You are the expert of the college game) Anyway, she asked me where I was from, and since she had just mentioned universities, I said, Clemson, SC. So this girl comes up to me later, and we're talking about classes etc. She interrupts and asks me why I don't have an accent. She thought I was from the South. Oh, no...I'm from California, I just go to school in South Carolina. Which now has led to the recurring "why did you go to school all the way down there???" At school, at home, in London! I just can't get away from that question. 

Also a very weird thing! In London, they don't brew coffee at very many coffee shops! They have americanos, mochas, tea, caffe latte, and espresso. The first day, I ordered a black coffee and the woman was confused. 

I said, "Just plain coffee, please."

"Like espresso?" she asked. 

Maybe the British call coffee espresso? "Sure," I said. "Large, please."

Lesson learned. Espresso. Is. Espresso. In. England. NOT COFFEE. I thought I was going to have a heart attack it was beating so fast. I cannot handle that much caffeine. You all know I'm always wired enough as it is.