after being home for a week...

...actually, even before being home for this long, I started to miss Oxford. The last week was such a rush. The term went by entirely too quickly. Naturally, I've decided to make lists about what's good about being home and what I miss.

Things I like about being home:

• Hanging out with my family. I missed them, of course. Well, I've mainly just seen my mom, my sister Brie, my cousin Mindy, & Lola (which is grandmother in Tagalog). But I can text my brother Raf or my dad whenever.
• Being able to call & text everyone. I was getting withdrawals from not being able to compulsively text (or call, in Ames' case) my Georgia & Alabama friends. And my New York & Denver cousins. It's been good to catch up with everyone.
  
• Southern food. I missed it so. Since I've been home, I've had Popeye's and Cracker Barrel. I love fried chicken. And mashed potatoes. And red beans & rice. And fried okra. I realise that these are chain restaurants and not like Paula Deen's cooking, but still.
• Georgia weather. Aside from the day we arrived, the weather's been upwards from the mid-60s. It's awesome to not have to layer & wear a coat.
  
• Roger, my Infiniti G35. As much as I liked walking around, it's nice to be able to get in my car & go for a drive. It's relaxing.
• How cheap everything is. Sales tax is 7% and 3% for groceries, unlike the U.K.'s VAT (value added tax) of about 15%.
• The fact that I'm going back to Athens soon. 'Nuff said.
• No seminars or tutorials. I'm not attending classes until fall. YES!!!
• Not living in the The Real World: Oxford house. Drama was bound to happen, as there were 40 people living in the same house. Undergrads, law students, and grad students...all under one roof and sharing a kitchen. The latter was the centre of the undergrads vs. law students drama. It was intense.
  

Things I miss about Oxford:

• Keble College & the town itself. 'Nuff said. Also Saffron, which is still the best Indian food I've had. Ever.
  
• Wearing scarves in context. Haha. Whenever I've worn scarves in Georgia, I've had to wear them as fashion scarves.
  
• Walking. I genuinely liked walking everywhere. Even if it'd take forever, at times, I unknowingly lost 17 pounds because of the pure necessity of walking. (I didn't rent a bike, as I haven't ridden a bike in years.)
• Clubbing. Granted, Oxford clubs weren't London clubs, but still. We had a great time. We should've sketched at the Turtle one more time, but we didn't. It's going to be lame that once we go back to Athens, the only places to really dance are The Loft and 8e's.
  
• Living in 104 Banbury. It was beautiful! It had a kickass kitchen. And a library. And an awesome backyard. And it was convenient to have fun people to hang out with all the time.
• British accents. The Brits manage to make everything seem more pleasant with their accents. And it's rather soothing to hear announcements at Gatwick or other places in a British accent. Haha.
• Train rides. I could go see Andrea after an hour train ride to London & a five minute tube ride to Kings Cross. You can take a train anywhere in Europe, it seems. I enjoyed listening to music while watching the English countryside pass by.
  
• Its proximity to London. There are always a million things to do in London and sightseeing and play-going were only a couple. I got to see Avenue Q and Three Days of Rain AND meet James McAvoy!!!!
• The pace. It seems to be the European way to take things at a more leisurely pace. The same could be said of American small towns, but still. It was nice to be able to go to a restaurant, spend time chatting and enjoying the food, without being shunted out the door.
• The amount of liberal people. The conservative Brits are still more liberal than American conservatives. In fact, British conservatives are probably closer to our moderates. It was great to be in a country where social welfare is something that people expect the government to mind.
• Being surrounded by so much history. And, of course, it was fun to be able to say, "Oh, I'm studying at Oxford." Haha.
  

SPIA at Oxford was amazing. It's lame that this is my final post on this blog. I probably should've blogged more, but I had a fantastic time just being there, as cliched as that is. And I also probably should've stopped blogging here after I left. Haha.

Cheers!

♥

the day we met James McAvoy

Yesterday is in my top five best days EVER. No lie. And because of that, I've finally uploaded some photos. Hehe. These photos will better help illustrate my awesome day.

This morning, Ashley and I left the house at around 8:25. We caught the 9:00 train to Paddington, then took the tube to Notting Hill. We wandered around and found this amazing open market, where I bought some really pretty scarves.


There were all sorts of crazy street performers, including this magician named Tom. He escaped these chains from under a duvet cover.


And became Super Tom.


After brunch & coffee, we wandered some more. The houses in the area were vibrantly colored.


This is where I want to live, though. Haha.


After some time, we went to Hyde Park. We couldn't have asked for better weather.


This is a "pond" at the park. Maybe it's just me, but I've always thought ponds were supposed to be significantly smaller than this.


This shot reminded me of that scene in The Notebook, where Noah takes Ally on a canoe & he rows the canoe through the lake with all of the swans.


Queen Victoria statue.


After having a late lunch with Andrea, we headed to an awesome exhibit at The Photographers' Gallery. It showcased four winners of the Deutsch Börse prize, which is, apparently, a big deal.

We also went to this famous toy store called Hamley's that had six floors. It was a bit overwhelming.


The lovely company I was with yesterday. I took these photos at a cocktail bar we went to where the bar manager was a douchebag. Haha.

Shaftesbury Avenue, where the Apollo Theatre is located.


The Apollo Theatre. The stage door, where we waited to get our programs signed and take photos of the actors, is actually on a different street.


The three actors in Three Days of Rain were James McAvoy, Nigel Harman, and Lynsey Marshall. This is Nigel Harman. He's on a show called EastEnders here.


JAMES MCAVOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

James McAvoy was so nice. He seemed embarrassed by all of the squealing fangirls/fanwomen. Haha. He stayed until everyone's programs were signed and was so polite and kind of shy. He chatted with all of us while signing our programs and tried not to get blinded by all of the photos that people were taking of him. When we saw him on the street by the stage door after they performed the matinee show, I literally fell on Ashley. Haha. And I lost the ability to speak coherently.

Three Days of Rain was fantastic. In the first act, James McAvoy played a brash, tortured guy named Walker. Lynsey Marshall played his practical sister Nan. Nigel Harman played their upbeat, soap actor friend Pip whose dad was their dad's partner. Walker and Nan's famous architect dad died a year before, but Walker disappeared right before the funeral. James McAvoy played Walker in such a way that even if he was unstable and obviously crazy, you still pitied him a little bit. Lynsey Marshall played Nan with deliberate restraint and one could tell how burdened she felt by being an older sister to such a pained & crazy brother. Nigel Harman's Pip was hilarious. The exchanges between him and James McAvoy were especially funny. Nigel Harman's New York accent was pretty convincing, too. (I also wondered how he could talk so fast for so long without taking a breath.) One of my favorite Pip lines was, "Just because I'm in a good mood doesn't make me a moron." Hahaha.

The first act is spent speculating about Walker and Nan's dad, as he was silent for their childhood. Pip didn't know his dad, either, as his dad died when he was three. Walker had found his dad's journal and became obsessed with trying to read beyond the brief entries. After the reading of the will, where Pip was bequeathed their fathers' masterpiece house, Walker decided that his dad wasn't the actual genius behind it, but Pip's dad was. He came to terms with who he thought his dad was.

In the second act, the actors play the characters' parents over thirty years before the first act takes place. James McAvoy plays Walker's dad Ned, while Lynsey Marshall plays Walker & Nan's mom Lina. Nigel Harman plays his dad Theo. The audience discovers that perhaps the reason Ned didn't talk to his children was the fact he had a really bad stutter. And their mom Lina was a bit of an alcoholic & the antithesis of a Southern belle, in spite of growing up in Savannah and her accent. And that Theo and Lina were originally together, but Theo was image-conscious, self-centered, and cracked under pressure because he was supposed to be the architectural genius. It turned out that Ned was the one who designed the house that made them famous. It's sad that his children never knew.

The play is dialogue and character-driven, which is my favorite kind. All of the performances were excellent. The first act was somewhat darker and the rhythm was a lot faster, as it's constant confrontation between Walker, Nan, and Pip. The second act was paced slower. It was really interesting to see James McAvoy go from playing a loud, raving lunatic to an endearing, stuttering introvert. Lynsey Marshall's transition from a somewhat uptight A-type person to her loopy Southern mom was great. I liked Nigel Harman's Pip more than I liked Theo. But not because his performance was lacking as Theo; Theo was a douche. Pip was bouncy and talked too fast and wanted everyone to like him, but he wasn't self-centered like Theo was. The only part I was completely confused by was the last line. I want to buy the play so that I can read it and see the bits of dialogue that I missed when, for example, Walker and Pip were yelling over each other.

Seriously, though. Yesterday was such an amazing day. Yay!!!!

I'm lost in a supermarket

The following are things I've seen so far & have liked about England.

London:

The helpful hints to tourists. Like which way to look before crossing the street.


The fact that ketchup comes in sauce containers rather than packets. This one came from McDonald's.


The mail drop boxes are so much more lively than in the States.


The fact that the Brits pay attention to detail. Particularly, in statues and monuments.
Exhibit A: At Kensington Park.

Exhibit B: A wall at Kensington Park.


Exhibit C: The prettiest fountain I've seen. Also at Kensington Park.


Exhibit D: The Marble Arch.


This random tree I saw while walking from Oxford Circus. (Which is in London, not Oxford. Weird.)


Oxford: (side note--I took a billion photos today. Everything's so pretty here.)

The house where we're staying.


Chandeliers. (This is in the entrance to the house.)


The fact that everything's covered in ivy and moss.


The cobblestone streets.


The weird road symbols. Like squiggly lines on the road.


The short traffic lights.


This, which is at the center of town.


Awkward signs.
Exhibit A: taken outside of a construction site.


Exhibit B: taken as we walked to town.


The Brits' perception of what our vintage clothing is.


Doors made for people my height.


Paninis. Kelli & I went to Cafe Roma and got delicious chicken pesto paninis.


The fact that Walkers ripped off the Lays logo. Kelli had Walkers crisps with her panini.


The fact that the streets look like this.


The following are things I don't like about England so far:
In addition to how cold it is (which is just like winter in New York, really), it gets this dark at 3:00 PM.


And the McNuggets taste different (less breading and the inside is crunchier). And they don't have 10 packs. Both of which are probably a good thing, as I'm trying to avoid eating British food as long as possible and shouldn't be eating McDonald's anyway.