Month: March 2019

Frenchisms

On By notyouravggiraffeIn France, TAPIF, Uncategorized4 Comments

When I was in England, I wrote a blog post about Britishisms and things I’d noticed that were kind of specific to British culture. Now that I’m over in France, I thought I would do the same thing! Again, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think negatively about the French culture at all (or at least, not about everything), but I do find it fascinating to examine differences in culture, and in day-to-day life. Enjoy!

  • Long(er) meals

At the schools where I work, the students (and myself) get an hour and a half for lunch. This includes recess and time for eating for the kids, but in the US, it seems like you’re lucky if you get half an hour to eat. Although this means that the lunch hour can sometimes drag on if you have no one to talk to or nowhere else to go, it means that you have time to decompress and prepare yourself for the afternoon. Not to mention the fact that you don’t feel rushed to inhale your food (so I could actually prepare decent lunches for myself instead of just a small sandwich because that’s all I could eat in the time I had – although that it what I eat because who can resist a good lunch time sandwich?). The students also get much more balanced, and healthier lunches in the cafeteria, and the menus sometimes include things you’d never see in a US elementary school (one prime example would be rabbit for lunch). The best thing is that it’s not just lunches. If you go out to dinner, you’re not rushed to pay your bill after they clear your place. You can chat, hang out, and be relaxed until you’re ready to pay and leave. The French take eating very seriously.

  • Chip flavors

Okay, I’m not sure if this is a super “frenchism” but I got a kick out of it anyway so, I’m using it. Literally my first day in Angers, my mom and I went to Monoprix to suss out the goods, and to see what I would have access to grocery wise. We wandered around this fairly big store and somehow ended up in the chip aisle. After glancing haphazardly through the titles, my eyes fell upon a bag with a cheeseburger flavor. That was quite the double-take. From there, there was roasted chicken, pickles and mustard, and my all time favorite: ham and cranberry. I’m not sure if this is a national thing, but those are pretty daring flavors. Here I was thinking prawn cocktail in England was adventurous!

  • Timeliness (and its almost non-existence)

Within my time here, it has come to my attention that if you want anything done, you should’ve asked for it a week before you needed it done. Part of this is the bureaucracy, but part of it is also just a “we’ll get to it when we get to it” kind of attitude, which is nice sometimes, but not so nice when your toilet is running and you’re told it could be a week before someone looks at it (I realize this could be universal, but it’s the manner in which you’re told you’ll have to wait that really adds the oomph to this frenchism). Not to mention, you seem to need appointments for everything (for instance, for opening a bank account) and heaven forbid you be able to do something the day you planned on getting it done! One might even say they have a bit of a laissez-faire attitude towards life, and you can definitely see where that saying originated.

  • Stores aren’t open all the time

One of the first days I was here, my mother and I made the mistake of waiting until 3pm to try and find lunch. Much to our surprise, almost every place was closed. Many eateries close at 2pm, and don’t reopen until dinner time, around 7pm. Because of this, most places (including banks and other offices) close from 12 until 1:30/2pm to make sure that everyone can get food if they want. As aforementioned, the French take their lunch break seriously.  Additionally, very little is open on Sundays. That means your options are limited for eating out, the grocery stores close earlier (if they’re even open at all), and the streets are pretty empty throughout the day. It’s fine to navigate if you’re aware of the closures, but not great if they catch you off guard. This also means that the places that ARE open on Sundays are often packed, and have long lines because of this. It can also make Sundays quite dull since there isn’t much to do. Banks are also always closed on Sunday, and many aren’t open on Monday so you better hope you don’t have any banking emergencies over the weekend (honestly not that big of a deal unless you want to do something with a person because ATMs are open 24/7). Peep this funny comic another assistant shared on Facebook to illustrate the struggle: 

Image result for comic about french business hours
  • BREAD

I’m pretty sure the French eat bread, usually baguettes, with every meal. It’s a solid staple and I appreciate a culture that doesn’t shy away from its carbs. One fairly true stereotype of the French is the number of people who do, in fact, walk around carrying a baguette from the shops. It makes you feel slightly more French when you walk around wielding a massive loaf of bread in your arms.

  • Vous vs. Tu

In French, you address people differently based on their age, status, or position relative to you (formality is taken very seriously in this language). Anyone older than you, or superior to you is addressed using a “vous,” while your friends and those younger can be called “tu.” They have aptly named this se vouvoyer and se tutoyer. It’s always a question when meeting a new person whether it’s a vous or a tu situation, so to be safe, always go with the vous. Half of the teachers with whom I work have been super chill about us tutoying each other, but the others haven’t said a word, and I’m not about to rock the boat that is French grammar. Ironically, you get in trouble for not vousvoying when you should, but the teachers have also corrected me when I accidentally use vous instead of tu with them as well!

  • Never-ending paperwork

One thing I didn’t necessarily expect was how bureaucratic France is, and the sheer volume of copies and signatures they require for even the tiniest little thing. It feels like for any little thing, you’re going to need your birth certificate, bank information, photocopy of your passport, and your work contract, along with potentially random other tidbits. On top of that, once you’ve submitted any given application, you’ll then have to wait for approval, you’ll get a letter telling you you’ve been approved, then another letter with whatever it is you originally wanted, and then another letter outlining the details of what you’ve received. I had to sign three copies of my work contract, and when setting up a bank account, had to initial all 10ish pages of the document outlining everything. I think there are a lot of trees dying due to France’s penchant love for requiring literal mounds of paperwork for everything. Not to mention, you’re told to keep your pay stubs for the rest of your life, so honestly, I can see how it’s a bit of a thing here. To further back up the length of time things take, I received my November paystub in MARCH… you can imagine the strength of my eye roll when I opened that envelope.

  • Striking

Faire la grève could potentially be considered a national pastime. The French are very proud of their allotted hours for the work week, how many vacation days they get, their right to public transportation, and many other things, to the point that when one of those rights is infringed upon in the slightest fashion, the unions might announce a strike. Since moving here, there has already been a national strike (which didn’t impact me specifically but some teachers at other schools went on strike, and transportation was a little delayed), two strikes where my school(s) for the day was closed the entire day, and some smaller strikes on the bus services, which can lead to minor delays or no busses running on certain lines, and various other “social moments” that occur. (Don’t get me started on the gilets jaunes, because that’s just a whole other can of beans)

  • Tea with no milk

At my orientation for work, the woman in charge told us we were going to break for tea and coffee. I saw a box of English Breakfast tea, and promptly got very excited as for various reasons, I hadn’t had any tea since I arrived in France. I poured myself a nice cup (in a plastic cup), and looked around for the milk. We all searched around the room, in the fridge, and asked about it, only to be told that the French don’t take their tea with milk (cue the gasps). I thought this was just an isolated incident, but alas, I’ve seen it many more times in my schools, on essentially a daily basis! How the French can make such beautiful coffee and wine, and yet still drink tea without milk is completely beyond me.

  • Split classrooms

This is specific to the French education system but it isn’t a rare occurrence to have at least one (if not more) classroom that is made up of multiple grades in a school. The smaller of my two schools only has three classrooms and all three of them are split grades. The theory behind this practice is that it allows students to learn empathy and how to work with students either ahead or behind them, while also potentially pushing them to learn a little more than they would if they weren’t in a split class. Sometimes this is done, however because of size, resources, and the number of teachers available at any given school.

  • Scarves

I swear, in France, a scarf is the most important, and necessary accessory for any given day, regardless of the weather. In my first month in Angers, there were several low-to-high 70s days, and you’d walk around seeing people wearing heavy coats and bundled up in scarves! It’s like the scarf simultaneously keeps them warm AND keeps them from getting too hot! They also have this way of tying their scarves that I feel like unless you’re French, you can’t replicate, and I would like to be let in on that secret, please.

  • Non-refrigerated milk

You can still find milk in the refrigerated section, but if you go to larger supermarkets, there’s also milk you can buy on the shelves. You refrigerate it after opening, but seeing milk sitting on a shelf at room temperature threw me for a loop the first time I saw it. Plus, it expires much more quickly it seems than the ones that come straight out of the refrigerator. (Related side note: some of the yogurts have fromage blanc, i.e. white cheese written on their labels, but I have been assured that the yogurt does not, in fact, contain any cheese.)

  • AZERTY keyboards

It’s a minor thing, but typing with a keyboard that uses the same letters as English, but puts them in a different order is beyond confusing to my touch typing brain. Not to mention, French has accents, so those characters live with the numbers at the top of the keyboard EXCEPT they have priority over the numbers so you have to press the ALT key plus the number key in order to get the number. Don’t even get me started on punctuation as well because some keys have THREE characters so there are three different ways to achieve three different characters and honestly sometimes, I just spell the words wrong and hope for autocorrect. Sometimes I’ll even start typing incorrectly on my laptop after a day of having used a French computer… Just take a look if you don’t believe me:

Image result for azerty keyboard france
  • MORE PAPERWORK

Did I mention the paperwork issue already? I did? Funny, because that’s exactly what the bureaucratic situation is like in France because you think you’ve done something already and know all about it, and then NOPE, you’ve got to do it all over again but this time with different information… plus signing it, submitting it by mail, along with a pdf copy submitted online, and just for kicks, you’ll have to email it along with an additional copy because vive la France. I’m already dreading leaving if only because I have to write a properly worded letter to cancel my phone plan, close my bank account, cancel my housing assistance, and terminate my rent agreement… because we love killing trees here, and making things more difficult than they need to be!

  • Bonjour

Even though saying hello to each other isn’t something that is specific to France, it seems like the French take a certain type of pride in uttering bonjour to their colleagues and friends (and depending on where in the region/country you are, this can be applied to crossing a random human on a walk in the park, or on the street). All the teachers with whom I work make a point of saying bonjour to me when they first see me, and I’ve frequently heard teachers say to other teachers “I haven’t said hello to you today yet, have I” as if it were sacrilege to have not greeted your coworkers in the morning. Not only this, but if they happen to have said hello to each other already, they will proceed to say rebonjour… the French have a word specifically for saying hello to one another again, and I quite enjoy the novelty of it. Not to mention, they take saying hello so seriously, that it’s essentially a routine that every interaction must begin with bonjour regardless of where, when, and with whom, and they take offense if you skip that little introduction in your interaction. I’ve frequently asked people in shops, or at the train station for assistance, and gotten their attention by saying “excuse me” and proceeding to ask my question, only to get a look of disdain in return as they aggressively look at me in order to say bonjour, to make the point that I forgot that pivotal word. (I once overheard a customer at a smaller supermarket get mad at the person behind the cash register once because he “walked in and nobody said hello” to him after he had said the requisite bonjour, so it’s a thing with strangers as well).

  • Nonexistent public restrooms

This seems to be a European thing in general, but France really doesn’t buy into having restrooms accessible to the general public (and if they do, they probably won’t be free). Going out, or traveling somewhere can become an endeavor of planning, and you always have to be prepared to potentially have to shell out some coins for the privilege to pee (Shout out to you if you understand the Urinetown reference there…)

  • La Bise

When you greet someone in a friendly setting, this can sometimes prompt the act of la bise, where you greet the other person with a kiss (it’s really a cheek-to-cheek sort of action) on each cheek (which one starts still baffles me). It’s not something that I’ve had to do frequently, but I’ve definitely had the awkward start with some people of the whole “should I, or shouldn’t I” type thing when it comes to the whole ordeal. It can certainly be disconcerting if you’re not expecting it, and perhaps a little awkward at first, but it’s definitely part of the custom. I’ve seen teenagers partake in it while greeting each other on the bus in the morning, so a sure fire way to pretend you’re wholly French, is to use la bise as a greeting (when it’s appropriate, of course)!

  • Lack of self checkouts

This is kind of an odd one, but in most of the supermarkets where I shop, there isn’t an option for self-checkout, meaning you have to wait in a line with everyone else (there are never enough lines), and then check out that way. This always massively stresses me out because there aren’t people helping bag the groceries (which isn’t odd within itself, necessarily), so you have to frantically bag as the cashier scans the items, but sometimes it isn’t in the right order so you end up shoving things into your bag so rapidly so that you can get out of there before the next person starts coming through. The one store where there is a quasi self check-out option calls itself “express” so I always get people giving me a slight side-eye as I rock up with my rolling basket, even though I’m quick, and I’m not actually buying that many things. I miss having the “15 items or fewer” aisles, as well as the plentiful number of checkout lanes during peak business hours.

Dabbling in bullet journaling: my first thoughts

On By notyouravggiraffeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Since Sundays can get a little boring around here (what with not much being open), I’d been wracking my brain to find a way to make myself feel productive on these days, while also occupying my time in a way that wasn’t just watching Netflix all day (although we all know that sometimes those days are desperately needed). Scrolling through my explore page on instagram, I’ve frequently seen people’s beautiful spreads in something called a bullet journal, and been intrigued by them. When I was passing through Tiger one day, I saw that they had bullet journals, and decided to take the plunge for myself. Since the journals found at Tiger aren’t too expensive, I figured if I didn’t like it, or couldn’t get the hang of it, I wouldn’t be out too much, and I would still have a nice journal for other purposes, potentially. A little under one month in, here are some of my thoughts:

Initially, I was worried that I was trying my hand at bullet journaling merely because I wanted an excuse to doodle a lot, and to make pretty planner pages. Even though that can be a big part of it, bullet journaling is at its base, whatever you want to make it. Before I actually started on a journal of my own (and had even made the purchase), it was suggested to me that I join some Facebook groups. On these pages, people ask for advice regarding purchases, or ways to layout their spreads, but they are also full of people sharing their monthly themes, or how they’ve laid out their mood trackers, so there are plenty of place from which to draw inspiration. I’ve found that these pages were a great help when I was just starting out, and have continued to give me ideas/inspiration for how I might set up future months, or future pages.

I decided to start simple. I followed the basic layout described on the bullet journal website and started with a simple index page. One of the most important bullet journaling rules is to number every page so that you can easily find everything you put in it, no matter how much you fill it up. The index is essentially just for putting all the page numbers for everything. You can also use a key to denote different symbols for all your “bullet points” that you’ll use, but I didn’t do this as I prefer just keeping a simple box, and adding a check mark in it when I’ve completed something. Again, bullet journaling is really finding what works for you, so you don’t have to follow the set up instructions verbatim. Following the index is a future log, which has the next year (or in my case, I only did six months) laid out, so you can put big events/dates in your calendar at a glance. The same goes for monthly spreads. You can make these spreads as artsy as you like, or just go with a plain calendar look to see your whole month at a glance. You’ll go more into specifics when you get into your weekly breakdowns (I’m still debating if I like these, considering that my daily events don’t change much from week to week, but I can see how this would be useful for some people). In each month, you can also have trackers. I went fairly basic doing a sleep tracker, a mood tracker, and a hydration tracker. You can personalize these to whatever you want to track (if anything), and then see how it works out.

So far (and only being a couple of weeks into it), I’m really enjoying the process of bullet journaling. I’ve set up April already – I decided to be a little bit more adventurous, and to make it themed (but again, your journal can be as artistic or minimalistic as you want), and I find that keeping a physical tracker of certain things has helped motivate me to stay on track (especially with drinking water because I’m actually abysmal at it). It allows me to have a visual representation of what I want to track, while also putting all of my to-do lists in one place, rather than on little bits of paper everywhere. Even though I’m still partial to using my phone as a reminder for big events/interviews/anything important, it’s still nice to have a physical reminder of those as well if I need to have a check-in on what my week looks like.

Bullet journaling also gives you the space for creativity in the form of bigger spreads, that can be personalized for whatever you like. For instance, I have one for countries I’ve visited in Europe, where I’ve drawn a map of Europe, and am coloring the countries as I visit each one. I also have a theatre one, where I’ve drawn the page to look like a playbill from Broadway, and am writing in each show I attend throughout the year, along with the date and location so I can have a written list of them by the end of the year. You could also pencil out some long term goals, books you’ve read in the year, or anything else that floats your boat.

I know that there’s a “certain” way bullet journaling was initially meant to be done, but it seems to have shifted into very much a personalized experience. You can use an identified “bullet journal”, or you can use any old notebook that works for you. I personally really like the little dots everywhere because it allows me to evenly space things, and connect dots fairly easily, but there are also grid lined notebooks if that’s more up your alley. I enjoy the fact that I can make it what I want, while also indulging my inner artistic side (which is not the most talented of artistic sides by any means), AND use it to stay organized. It’s a fun way to do it all, while also giving me something to do on those days where nothing else seems to peak my interest.

I think the fact that you can highly personalize your bullet journal to whatever you want it to be is something that makes this activity feasible for anyone. Sure, I may not have beautiful calligraphy adorning every page, and mine is more on the simplistic side, but it works for me. The fact that (at least, as far as I have seen), the facebook pages have been very supportive to anyone who asks for advice, makes it that much more of an inviting community. As someone who likes to scrapbook, and make those as nice as can be, and as someone who already utilizes a journal (when I can, not as great at it as I used to be), bullet journaling felt like a natural possibility of something I would like doing. It can be a bit intimidating to see all the instagram pages devoted to making beautiful pages, and youtube videos of set up processes, but I’ve been trying to just use those as inspiration, rather than something which I’m striving to achieve.

Initial thoughts: Ultimately, I’m really enjoying my initial foray into bullet journaling. I haven’t gotten to the point where I take it everywhere with me (although I do take it on holidays so I can keep my trackers up to date), but there’s something about organizing my life on physical paper that is pleasing to me. I can keep all of my to do lists in one place, and work through them strategically (as well as easily find them in my sometimes mess of a room). I’m hopeful that I’m going to keep on doing it in the months to come, and that it’ll simultaneously help me feel productive, while also giving me some joy. Here’s to hopefully more months of successful bullet journaling!

This has really just been a brain dump, and a little different from my other posts, but I figured why not explore some new topics, and talk about some new things I’ve discovered while on my travels. This has definitely been one of them! Keep your eyes peeled for future travel posts coming next month!

A weekend in Saint Malo

On By notyouravggiraffeIn France, TAPIF, Travel1 Comment

Even though I’ve been living in France for almost six whole months now, I feel like I haven’t really seen much of the country other than Angers, and the couple of cities I visited back in November. Angers is unfortunately not super centrally located, which can make day/weekend trips difficult, but not impossible! I opted for a weekend trip to Saint Malo, about three hours away by train. I had one connection in Laval on my way up, but the station is small so I didn’t have to run around.

Spending only a weekend somewhere means the bulk of my exploring happened on Saturday. This being France, most things don’t open until 10am anyway, so I could have a quasi leisurely morning. I decided to start the day with a trip to the aquarium, which was about a 20 minute bus ride from where I was staying, since it’s more towards the entrance to the city, rather than the center of it. I arrived for opening and spent the next 90 minutes seeing all kinds of marine life (including turtles, sharks, and everyone’s beloved friends Nemo and Dory). They’ve done a great job at laying out the exhibits, and in addition to the touch pool, they also have two “attractions” you can visit. They’re not the most thrilling, but one is an adventure underseas where you feel like you’re in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean, while the other actually allows you to go underwater in your own Nautibus as you get up close and personal with some fish on a five minute track (I’m not doing a good job at explaining the attractions, but you can google them if you’re more interested in them). I really enjoyed getting to feel like a kid again, while also seeing some new fish, as well as some baby turtles. Aquarium in Saint MALO

After the aquarium, I took the bus back to the old city, and got to explore the Intra Muros part of Saint Malo. I started with a quick stop at the beach where I touched (what I think was) the English Channel, and was able to walk up to the Fort National since the tide was out, although it wasn’t open as March is still considered off season for them.

I watched the waves crash for a bit before finally entering the walled city. I walked up along the ramparts to get a panoramic view of the city, it’s surrounding area, and the coastline. Other than the fact that it was super windy, I very much enjoyed the views, and I can say that Saint Malo is a beautiful city, indeed. I got more views as I climbed the watchtowers in the history museum.

My entry ticket also included the Solidor Tower, so I took the half an hour walk there, but unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the viewpoint wasn’t open. To their credit, it was extremely windy – to the point where sometimes I couldn’t even walk straight! I did get to, however, see their smallish museum dedicated to Breton sailors who explored Cape Horn. The wind did put a slight damper on the whole day as I definitely got wind burnt, and felt tired earlier than I normally would. I found some shelter from the wind by visiting the cathedral, which has some of the most beautiful stained glass I’ve ever seen (always a sucker for stained glass). It oddly isn’t super religious, which made it more relatable for me, at least.

To finish off my day, I had a Nutella beignet from Maison Hector, and it was divine. I made a mess for sure, but it was well worth it. I’m not sure what the deal with beignets here is, but there were many places from which they were available, so I figured I had good reason to partake (as if you ever need a reason to get something filled with Nutella).

This being France, very little is open on Sunday, so I had a day of a lot of wandering (I think I covered most of the streets in Intra Muros). I wanted to do a bus tour but I couldn’t find it (not sure if I was in the wrong place or what), so I ended up going into little stores to escape the wind, while also walking almost everywhere I possibly could. I went down to a new beach, grabbed a seashell as a souvenir, and enjoyed a galette for lunch. I made sure to grab a Kouign Amann before I left, seeing as those are a speciality of the region. I definitely had time to spare when I arrived at the train station, and had a painless journey back to Angers. Even though I only had a short time in Saint Malo, I’m glad I was able to visit, and check off a new city in France!

February Holidays part III: Going back to London

On By notyouravggiraffeIn TravelLeave a comment

Ever since I studied abroad in London my junior year of university, I feel like part of me is always longing to go back to London. As soon as the pilot announced that we were beginning our descent, I could feel a smile forming on my face as I looked out onto the landscape. We touched down, and I went as quickly as I could through customs, getting my bags, and heading down to the tube. It’s super convenient to be able to hop on the Picadilly line from Heathrow and go really anywhere in London without much effort. It’s always interesting to me how easily I slip back into the ways of the tube, and how at ease I feel navigating my way around the city. It’s also nice because having been there before, I feel less stressed about seeing everything, and more relaxed with my time there.

Even though I’ve spent an extensive amount of time in London, I still enjoy wandering around, and doing a lot of walking. Some of my favorite sights to explore are Southbank, where you can walk along the Thames, by the eye, the Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, the National Theatre, as well as see some great views of Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and Parliament. Walking along those familiar paths is so calming, and you can also walk across the Millennium Bridge (well known as the bridge the Death Eaters destroy in the seventh Harry Potter film) to St. Paul’s. I lucked out with the weather, so it was beyond pleasant to be out and about walking around the city the whole time I was there.

View of the London Eye and Big Ben

Some of my other favorite things to do in London include the many museums. Unlike a lot of other countries, the museums in London are all free (obviously special exhibits can cost some money, but the basic entrance doesn’t cost you anything). My personal favorites would have to be the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and the V&A in South Kensington (you can easily spend most of a day here since it’s such an extensive collection, and the museum seems to never end). This time, I also checked out the Tate Modern, and the Design Museum for the first time – a 10 minute walk from Earl’s Court Tube Station. Most of the exhibits here are paid entry, but there is a cool free exhibit on the top floor called “design, maker, user,” which looks at the evolution of technology, among other things. It’s pretty interesting because it looks at the methods that go into designing advertising, street signs (typography), as well as the history of things we take for granted in our daily lives like cell phones, laptops, and even smart watches. I found it a super easy exhibit to follow, and full of interactive things.

Speaking of the V&A, one of my “must-dos” the past times I’ve been back to London has been to have tea, and scones with clotted cream and jam at their cafe. Since I studied abroad, I stand by the fact that the V&A’s scones are amongst the best in London, and they’re truly a treat. Scones just aren’t the same in the US as they are in the UK, plus clotted cream isn’t exactly a household item either. Whether you put the cream on first or the jam, you have to admit that it’s a delicious combination. I was able to nab this one with a friend from university, so I got a tasty treat, and a well needed catch-up. I managed to have two scones during my week, one at the V&A, and one at Caffe Nero, which I would have to say is second on my list of best (easily accessible/affordable) scones in London. Of course, I had tea with my scone, and one of the things I truly love about London is the accessibility of tea. I was even able to buy tea at McDonald’s, which is something I don’t think I could find in the US! In case you were concerned about my tea supply in France, fear not, I returned to the other side of the channel with 160 PG Tips bags so I’m 100% covered, and definitely a very happy camper.

Tea and scones at the V&A

Ironically, the majority of my time in London was spent in a theatre. I’ll admit, that was one of the things that drew me to London when I was choosing where to study abroad, and it is one of the big things that keeps me coming back (along with how at home I feel there). I managed to see seven shows in the six days I was in London, and logistically, I couldn’t really have seen many more. I lucked out regarding the availability of shows, as well as the costs for my tickets. Using rush, and day seats, I never paid more than 25 pounds. I won’t do length reviews of them all, but I can’t write about my time in London and neglect to talk at least a little bit about the phenomenal shows, and actors I got to see while I was there.

  • Tuesday, 19 February, 8:00pm – SIX: The Musical. A clever 75 minute musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, told by his “ex-wives.” All six women are total queens (both literal and figuratively), the songs are jams, and the band is all female as well! It’s such a fun show, tells what they dub “her”story, and made for a great first show in London.
  • Wednesday, 20 February, 7:30pm – Come From Away. Another musical based in reality, about the real life stories of people diverted to Gander (as well as its inhabitants) following the closure of American airspace on, and after, 9/11. It’s a really touching and poignant story, and deals with the events in a beautiful way – plus, it is at its core, truly a happy story about humanity.
  • Thursday, 21 February, 3:00pm – True West. My first play in London this time around. A Sam Shepard piece, essentially carried by two actors. I got to sit second row to see Kit Harrington, and Johnny Flynn deal with the struggles of sibling rivalry, as well as witness nine toasters pop up toast at the front of the stage (I think that’ll stick with me longer than any other part of the play… whoops).
  • Thursday, 21 February, 7:30pm – Pinter Seven. The Harold Pinter Theatre put on a five month “Pinter at the Pinter” festival, where seven Pinter plays were performed over the course of the festival. I caught the sixth, and seventh Pinter play. If you’re familiar with Pinter, I saw a slight ache, and the dumbwaiter. This was my first experience with Pinter, and although I don’t know that he’s really my cup of tea, I got to see Martin Freeman and Danny Dyer act the latter play, and that was something I couldn’t have predicted would have happened to me.
  • Friday, 22 February, 7:30pm – Jesus hopped the ‘A’ Train. I’ve never seen a play at the Young Vic, so this show gave me an opportunity to do just that. This particular play speaks to the criminal justice system, and again, deals with a serious subject in a way that doesn’t make you feel weighed down by the content the whole time. We did “lucky dips” tickets so we were guaranteed a spot somewhere in the theatre, but we didn’t know where we’d be seated, or if we’d end up standing. I’m pleased to say my friend and I got to sit together, and we had good seats as well!
  • Saturday, 23 February, 2:30pm – When we have sufficiently tortured each other. This was the only play that I knew I was seeing before I left France, as one of my friends had secured two Entry Pass tickets, and invited me to come along. We got to sit front row in the Dorfman at the National to see Cate Blanchett, and Stephen Dilane. This wasn’t my favorite play that I saw, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it – plus, it isn’t a play that I would probably have booked had I not already secured tickets. However, Cate Blanchett is phenomenal, and it was worth the price of admission just to be able to see her perform live.
  • Saturday, 23 February, 7:30pm – Company. I day seated this performance (ironically at the same theatre where I day sat The Ferryman last year), and got great seats in the dress circle. Company is a musical with little plot (in the sense that it’s mostly vignettes, and there’s no evident order of the scenes), but it’s a Sondheim musical, so it does have some well known songs. Not to mention, I got to see Patti Lupone perform “ladies who lunch,” as well as just see her onstage, and my younger novice musical theatre aficionado would not have imagined that happening. Also, this production did some gender bending, so Bobbie was played by a woman (which makes the whole “you’re turning 35, you should settle down” trope a little more REAL), and Amy became Jamie, but he smashed “not getting married” out of the park (also probably my favorite number as it was done hilariously). It was definitely a good final show for me.

I could go on forever about how great my week in London was, but I feel happy with what I was able to see and do while I was there. I met up with friends I hadn’t seen in almost two years, and got to have Choccywoccydoodah as well. If you’re a chocolate fan, this is a must for you. I also did some damage at Primark (of course) buying London, Paddington, and Harry Potter themed clothing and goods… I highly recommend stopping by their Oxford Street store if you want some well priced souvenirs, or themed clothing. I frequently think about London, but I don’t think I actively realized how much I missed it until I was seeing the familiar sights, hearing the voice on the tube announcing the next stop, or dining at the ever present Pret. I’m so glad I got to go back to my favorite city, and I’m already waiting for the next visit.

You can check out a little vlog of my adventures here!