From Classes to Cornwall

HELLO ALL!

It me. I’m back to tell you about the craziness that has been the past two weeks in the UK. Since I last wrote: I started classes, I’ve seen a total of nine shows, I visited Cornwall, I planned a trip to Scotland, and honestly so much more.

Classes have exceeded my expectations beyond belief. So far my favorite class has been Stage Combat. We have already jumped into working with swords and I’m living my Arya Stark from GOT dreams!!!!! The Movement class we are taking has made me laugh harder than I have in any class I’ve ever been in. Playwriting has challenged my ideas on storytelling and has forced me to explore ideas for stories that I would have never discovered if it weren’t for being in such a theatre central city. My professor for my devising class is brilliant and I’m excited to bring back new ideas for Rogue, a student theatre production company I work with back in Tallahassee. Lastly, my Theatre in London class is bringing us to the Globe Theatre TWICE this week to see Shakespeare’s Henry V and A Midsummer Nights Dream. Have I died and gone to heaven? A coma maybe? I don’t know but none of this can possibly be real, right?

This past weekend, FSU took all of us to Cornwall, which is the southernmost part of England. On the way to Newquay, the surf capital of England, we stopped at Tintagel. This stop was almost definitely the highlight of the entire weekend. Tintagel is where the story of King Arthur and Camelot originated and had me feeling like I could have been on a different planet completely. Standing on massive cliffs overlooking the English Channel about 300 feet above the water, my friends and I had plenty of time to reflect and recognize our significance as tiny parts of a huge Earth. We screamed our worries into the sea from the furthest cliffs from the mainland. Each of us left feeling a sense of deep fulfillment for the entire weekend even though that was just the beginning. We then traveled to Newquay, where their town slogan is “No worries Newquay.” The time we spent on the beach and in the ocean had me missing home, but it was overall comforting to be in a place that felt almost familiar. We went out of our way to go and get Cornish Pasty to bring to the Minack Theatre, which was carved into the side of a cliff overlooking the bluest sea I’ve ever seen in my life. As we sat and enjoyed our Pasties, the show that we watched at the Minack felt unimportant in relation to where the theatre was placed. Overall, I left Cornwall feeling like I had a better understanding of England’s geography and Cornish culture. Pretty much had an absolute blast.

My flatmates and I have a trip to Edinburgh planned for this upcoming weekend and I couldn’t be more excited to see more of what the UK has to offer.

Feeling more grateful for this crazy life I’m living now more than ever. Sending love to anyone who bothered to read this whole thing, I appreciate you. Can’t wait for what’s ahead.

Kisses,

Allie