Hey everyone!  Woof it has been quite the two weeks.  It has been a whirlwind of emotions settling in, but now that things have been becoming more routine, I figured it was best to now reflect.  I think to digest everything that has been going on, it’s easiest to break it down into three categories.

Tourist Life: First off, I am LOVING London and all its amazing artwork.  Luckily I got placed to live in Camden Town which is full of beautiful street art and murals. I can easily walk around my neighborhood and get lost in it (just look at the pic!).  Second, because I had never left the U.S., before I left I had posted on Facebook for people to drop me some of their favorite locations to visit.  So far I’ve seen all the big tourist attractions – Tower Bridge, Big Ben, St. Pauls, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, and all the goods.  But some of my favorite spots have been the overall views.  Watching sunset on Primrose Hill was absolutely gorgeous.  A few friends and I grabbed a view bottles of wine, hit the hill, and sat and talked for hours.  Another memorable view was walking across the Southbank and the Hungerford Bridge at dusk.  With the Eye, Big Ben, and all the city lights, the view is unforgettable.

Daily Life: It was a bit rough for me to settle in to my new home, basically because I’ve never called any other place besides Pittsburgh “home”.  But after adjusting to the lack of ranch dressing and grape jelly, learning how to turn the AC on in our stuffy apartment the second week in, and taking the tube to literally everywhere, I am quite comfortable in my new home and town with my wonderful four roommates.

Internship Life: Currently I am actually about an hour south of London in Eastleigh with my internship company.  As I mentioned previously, I am interning with Metta Theatre which is one of the leading U.K. touring non-profit theatres.  We are in Eastleigh to work on a show that is to premier in 2018, which is “Little Mermaid a Circus Musical”.  While I have worked in plenty of rehearsal spaces before, this one is particularly unique, because 1, this is my first time working with acrobatic artists and 2, the script and music are still in the works, which is making this entire process collaborative and improvisational.  I can’t help but smile and appreciate the energy and attitudes (and talent!) that everyone has brought, and I love how much they include me in the process.

So far, so good!  I am trying to take in every possible moment and cherish it all, but I can already tell London is going to make me want to come back for more.