Do do do do do do do

I don't think I ever really understood what the word spring meant until I lived through one here in Provo. Spring is the really short in-between time after it's been slightly chilly and before it gets unbearably hot. Granted, it's getting rather warm up here, but nothing like I'm used to. I spoke with my mother yesterday and she said it was 104 degrees outside. That's what I'm used to in May. May has always been summer weather--until this year.

The canyon, the mountains, even the grassy patches on campus are heavenly. Whenever I see them I just want to lie out, fling my lanky appendages in every direction, and just soak up the sun. Unfortunately I have work and class that keep me confined indoors, but I've recently developed a habit of running, due to the good examples of my roommates, and that ensures that I get out and enjoy each consecutively beautiful day.

Well, that's the word from Provo, I think I'm going to head out for a run now because as I've been saying, today is lovely.

Tracy

The trotting fox

In preparation for Katelyn and my Foxtrot test a couple of guy friends were over at the apartment and we decided to move the couch and practice. What ensued was not the most amazing dancing, due to the fact that my partner was rather tall and therefore, we could only do about 3 basics before we reached a wall, but a ton of fun nonetheless.

That's something I just love about my apartment-mates. We're goofy, and don't really care about hiding it anymore. I think that's one of the greatest parts about post-high school life. Actually getting to be who you really are without catering to what you think people want from you. Now I just live life and make the most of it. Even a tiny little apartment can't stop us from dancing about and making fools of ourselves. Basically, I'm having a grand old time being who I am at twenty years old.

The sun is shining, life is beautiful, and there are scones cooking the oven, I'm happy. And with those thoughts I leave you.

Tracy

Midterm Mania

Well we're now firmly into the month of February and there's no denying that I'm back and established here in Provo. Life is somewhat monotonous: work, classes, eating, studying, and sleeping. But at the same time its full of rich experiences and wonderful people. I love my apartment and I'm taking a lot of very interesting classes. Life is rather hectic at the moment--I have to take two midterms in the next three days and I have a lot more studying to do. But as long as I look at smaller goals it doesn't look quite so overwhelming.

I'm really grateful to be here and to be doing what I'm doing. I miss London terribly, but this is a wonderful place too. I love walking home from work or class right when the setting sun is shining on the mountains. It's beautiful and it reminds me of all the wonderful things my life is made up of. Anyway, that's my update. Hope you all have a great week.

Tracy

Favorites

Favorite things about Paris:
The art galleries! (I saw the Mona Lisa)
The history
The food (I was expecting it to disappoint and it didn’t.)
The gardens at Versailles
Sans Chapelle: it’s my favorite church in Europe (architecturally speaking)

Favorite plays in London:
Ivanov starring Kenneth Brannagh. It was extremely thought provoking and a well acted production.
Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. It seriously changed my life and how I think about Shakespeare. I saw it twice.
War Horse. No stars, just an enchanting play.
Les Miserables was stunning. Not only was it a great musical, but the production I saw was fantastic as well.
I also saw 6 characters in search of an author with Ian McDiarmid– It was a good production, but very VERY disturbing.

Favorite places in London:
Hampstead Heath
The national gallery
Millennium Bridge looking up to St. Paul’s cathedral
Kensington Gardens
The Southbank
The V&A Museum
The tube
Covent Garden
Little Venice

Favorite Places to Eat in London:
Gelato Mio
The Hummingbird Bakery
Nandos
Bella Italia

Favorite Places in the UK:
The lake district
Stourhead
London (obviously)
Cambridge
Porthcuro Beach
Edinburgh
Tintern Abbey

Favorite parts of Salzburg (Michele and I went on holiday there after the semester)
The sound of music sights
The Christmas festivals
The beautiful snow
The amazing Haunsburger I had (and still have no clue what kind of meat was on it)

Favorite Parts about being home:
Mexican food
Egg Nog
Family
Not working at Pier 1 again
Not having to deal with a ridiculous exchange rate

And now I’m back in Provo, and it’s really cold here. But otherwise I think it’ll be a good semester. I’m excited for my Early British Literature Class and I have a great apartment so those are good signs. I'll keep you posted.

Goodbye Europe

Here are my last batch of pics and a virtual tour of the centre.

The Theatre

How on earth am I going to live without this? I really just don't know. Everyone knows that during finals week if you study non-stop your brain will actually explode- it's a proven fact. So I choose to break up my centre isolation periods by seeing a bunch of amazing shows. Here are their run downs.

Mama Mia:
Surprisingly good. I would have to say that they had the cleanest dance routines out of the 7 musicals I've seen this year. And their vocals were relatively solid as well. Overall, it was just a fun show.

The RSC's Hamlet:
Probably the best show I've ever seen or might ever see. First of all, I was so lucky. I was able to see Tennent's last night of performing Hamlet before his back injury was too much. If he comes back, it'll be after Christmas, so basically if I hadn't gone Saturday, I wouldn't have been able to see him in it and that would have been very sad.
So the play- why was it so good. It was a more comical interpretation than is normal, but the comedy was a done as a dark sarcasm. There were amusing elements but you never forgot that the play is essentially rather depressing. It was really just little things. Like how Ophelia brushes Hamlets hand as she walks by him in the second scene, and the masterful bumbling by Polonius, and the cut to intermission as Hamlet is about to kill Claudius as he's praying. It was pure brilliance. And oh my gosh, the bedroom scene with his mother. I don't even know what to say. His violent emotions pushing him towards the edge of madness exhibited by pulling her about the room. It was so powerful. I'm hopefully going to see it again tomorrow with the understudies because I loved the production so much and I'm such an RSC groupie.

Twelfth Night:
Well in it's defense, I saw the RSC three days beforehand, and I doubt any company in the world can compare. But it wasn't the most impressive production I've seen. I'm not exactly sure what era of dress they were going for, but it was rather confusing. And at times I consciously felt like they were speaking a Shakespearian dialect, which is not so when you see his plays done by a really good company. However, Derek Jacobi did quite a good job as Malvolio and it was enjoyable. And it certainly helped when I took my Shakespeare final.

War Horse:
Totally enchanting. The two horses were done even better than the animals in the Lion King and that's saying something. They were beautiful and the story was touching. The production in general--- the musical narration at the end of every scene. The "ripped paper" backdrop that is connected to the officer's notebook. It was really a very impressive piece.

Les Miserables:
for the second time. And let me tell you, it doesn't get old. I was still blown away by the production and the voices. Oh they were so good. They get my vote for, best vocals in a musical in London, best use of a rotating stage, and best musical of all time. :)

And that's all. I mean I did have to write three papers and study for tests this week too. So there's my highlights of the london theatre this week. Hope you enjoyed it cause I certainly did.

Hyde Park Chapel

I would venture to say that the Hyde Park Chapel, located on Exhibition Road right by the V&A and Royal Albert Hall, is among the church's most visible meetinghouses in the world. With its amazing location, come great responsibility. The chapel has regular musical recitals and a permanent Genealogy Center; both of which allow investigators and curious passers-by to stop in and learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Little did the first missionaries to the great city of London know that not far from Hyde Park Corner where they were persecuted and heckled, there would stand a central feature of the Church in Great Britain. This would be a beautiful and imposing building where the saints could meet and worship in peace, and a location that would allow the building itself to function as a missionary tool to forward the work.

Our visit to the neighborhood synagogue

Living in the society we do, mostly people learn snippets about many different religions, even if it is from the popular medium of movies. Judaism is one of these religions that is frequently portrayed, though often with stereotypical practices. But it is a very different matter to actually talk to a member of a congregation, such as the one right around the corner from our home. What I thought of most of the time during our visit was the many similarities we share (understandable considering Christianity is a sort of break ofr of the Jewish faith, and if not that, the culture) such as: strict sabbath worship, diet guidelines, and the central feature of a temple in religious practices, though theirs is more in memory of previous temple.

But in addition to this, I thought of how much of their religion, and religion in general, functions as a preserver of culture. In the Jewish faith it includes learning the Jewish language and practices that set them a part from the rest of the world. It's easy to see how people are still able to have so many of the cultural characteristics frequently showcased in film, they're cultivated as a part of practicing their faith. Just as the new wave of Mormon film showcases our little quirks.

Sainte Chapelle

I went into Sainte Chapelle with absolutely no expectations. Someone had mentioned that they wanted to see it and it wasn't far from Notre Dame so we went. I wasn't expecting anything, but what I got was the embodiment of everything associated with Catholicism as opposed to the heavily Anglican-ized cathedrals in Britain. It was fascinating to actually see the painted walls that I've heard of so often in reference to their being painted over during the reformation. These colors, combined with the massive amount of stained glass had an overwhelming affect, something I think the Catholic church was going for when they constructed the chapel for the monarchs of France.